Ahead to basics: Pentel is not ready to write the eulogy for the humble pen. Rather than killing off the ages-old device, it is intent on bringing it into the digital age. Its latest effort is the airpenMini digital pen.
It looks like a regular writing implement and is used in much the same way. When the airpenMini is used to write on a regular piece of paper, rather than only leaving ink on paper, pen strokes are transmitted wirelessly to a small receiver. When this receiver is connected to a computer, proprietary software transforms the written words into electronic form, looking like they were written directly on the screen. The receiver has 2 megabytes of memory, which can store the equivalent of 100 A5-size pages of writing. The pen can also record hand-drawn diagrams and turn them into JPEG or BMP files.
Pentel has included a special pressure-sensitive tip for the pen, so that the force required to use it is similar to that for a regular pen. The receiver is recharged via USB when it is hooked up to a computer, with the pen itself powered by two SR41 button cells. It measures 10.5×145 mm and weighs around 20 grams. The pen is compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems. This leaves Mac users out in the cold, a too-frequent and surprising omission. The device went on sale Nov. 28 and costs ¥14,800.