Captain Gadget

The pen is mightier than the sword!

Few people can argue that the pen is one of the all time best gadgets; without it the world would be a much poorer place.

However, times are changing; the digital word is now more common than the written word, and one of the greatest challenges has been to convert the written word to digital text without a keyboard. Step up the Logitech digital pen. This nearly normal size pen writes ink (surprise, surprise) but it also takes the writing and converts it for computer use.

This is the type of gadget that even non-"geeks" covet. Imagine being able to walk into that important meeting take notes with your pen, walk back to your desk, dock the pen and hey presto, you have text. The Logitech pen is only one of a number of similar products which interface with the pc, indeed, Nokia has one that interfaces with your Bluetooth mobile phone (too much gadgetry). The pen works seamlessly with Microsoft office to create emails, contacts, to-do lists or just word documents.

As I have already said, the actual pen itself is slightly larger than a normal pen and has been described by some as a bazooka. That having been said, it is comfortable to hold and comes with five standard refills. The docking station is a donut-sized contraption that links via USB with a pc or laptop. After downloading the text to the computer the user can leave it as handwriting or convert to a font of their choice using the supplied software.

While this pen is useful, it might not be the gadget to change your life. One of the main drawbacks of the whole setup is the need to use special paper.

The paper contains a faint grid in the background that allows the inbuilt scanner to record the pen strokes. The package comes with an A4 folder, filofax paper and post-it notes. Although tiresome this is a minor criticism as the paper is reasonably easy to order online or through stationary suppliers. All in all a good idea wellexecuted, but it won't replace my keyboard just yet.