CES 2007 – IO Gear has released the Digital Scribe device that turns your handwriting into a digital format when connected to your notebook or PC. It uses an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to do the conversion, and IO Gear claims that the software has an accuracy rate of 99%. You use the digital pen to write or draw stuff down on a piece of regular paper in front of the Digital Scribe module where the same written/drawn data will appear on screen. The digital pen comes with regular ink cartridges which can be replaced when empty. I tried drawing a cartoon which was reproduced pretty accurately on screen, but the OCR software was not installed at the presentation booth. I am not too sure about why anyone would want to write something down on a piece of paper when seated in front of the PC as it would be much more convenient to boot up a word processor and type it all down instead. Anyhow, the Digital Scribe is available in two formats – a wired model and a wireless one. The wired model will retail for $49 while the wireless version would set you back by an additional $50. As it stands, I can’t think of too many uses for the Digital Scribe, as most people would prefer to just write it down in their Palm or key information into their notebooks/smartphones instead.
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