Have you ever wished you could somehow port your doodles on to your PC? Many a time when we are in meetings or simply brainstorming for new ideas at work or in general, the first thing we do is pick up a pen and paper and get cracking. However, when we do get a solution and wish to share it with others we have to write out an email. This somehow may not be able to convey fully what that image on your notepad does.
Sure, you could scan your drawings and send it, but now you can avoid this with the help of Mobile Digital Scribe from IOGEAR. This little gadget allows you to capture all your work on paper in a digital format and then directly dump it on your PC. You can then later save it as a Word document or send it directly via e-mail. How well this actually captures your writing is something we'll have to test, but it sounds really interesting.
Bundle 
- Digital Scribe
- Digital pen
- Batteries
- Instruction manual
- Software CD
Design
The digital pen comes with a swappable refill, the solid plastic one is used when you want to use the pen as a mouse and the ink refill when you want to capture your writing.
The software is then used to download the data from the pen from where you can convert it and use it the way you please.
The digital scribe comes with a multifunction display that shows you different modes the Digital Scribe is in (text or mouse). It also alerts you when the battery level is low. The button is used to switch it on and off and also start a new page.
There is a sensor in the front of the Digital Scribe that is able to pick up movements of the digital pen, which in turn is stored in the memory of the little gadget. The unit can store up to 188 pages of data, after which you'll have to erase the memory and start over.
The digital pen looks and feels like a regular ball point pen, except that it has a little button near your thumb, which acts as a left click in mouse mode. The refill can be extracted using the other side of the cap and replaced with the stylus. The pen is powered by two button cells that are provided in the package.
The software includes a basic program that allows you to download the captured files and then either save it in a text format or even export it to a Word document with the help of the second software known as My Notes Lite. Here you can make any grammatical corrections add some text or image before sending it via email or a final document.
Performance
Setting it up is very simple; simply install the software package and keep the Digital Scribe for charging via USB. You can either use the stylus or the ink cartridge depending on what you plan to do. I must warn you that the three clips on the unit are quite delicate and will snap off easily if you try to clip it onto anything thicker than a couple of pages of paper. So if you have a notepad then its best you clip it on the side.
IOGEAR states the ideal position for a lefty or a righty in their instruction leaflet. The range of the unit can extend up to an A4 size paper, which is good enough, as it was designed to capture notes, and I doubt any one will use anything larger than an A4.
To test this out we created a complex drawing of sorts to confuse the unit and also added some text in very bad handwriting. The complex scene was a beautiful sunset on a tropical island, which took a long time to complete. To start off, you just tap the pen in front of the unit to activate pen mode. Then start drawing anywhere on the page and the unit will capture everything. If you want to start on a fresh page, just press the button on the unit once and the number shifts to the next page, you can't go back to the previous page though. Once you're done with your masterpiece, simply plug the device to your PC and open up the Digital Scribe application to import your drawings.
Here you can save it as a text file directly or if you want to convert the text into a proper word document then just click on the 'a' button. This opens up the 'My Script Notes Lite' software where you can choose which portions of the text you want converted into formatted text. As you can see from the image below, most of the words were correctly recognized and converted.
In mouse mode, you can replace the ink cartridge with the stylus, which can also be used to directly draw on the screen. All you need is a large surface, which can either be a pad or even your desk surface. The program supports 12 languages as well, so it can be used by a wide range of consumers.
Pricing
The MRP for this device is Rs. 9,500 with a one-year warranty, although you can find it for Rs. 8,500. While this may seem expensive, any reputed OCR software would cost you around 7-8K anyways. However, here you're not only getting an OCR software, but also a gadget that is able to capture all your drawings and notes for a quick and easy backup on your PC or sharing it with your colleagues.
Verdict
The Mobile Digital Scribe from IOGEAR is perfect for someone looking for a device to capture their notes, especially at meetings or project work, and easily dump them on the PC. Not just that, you can quickly email your work to your colleagues or even covert your written material into formatted text, thanks to the bundled OCR software. Lastly, the digital pen can also be used to write or draw images directly on the PC and can also double up as a mouse.
The asking price of 8.5K (MOP) is not bad when you consider all the features it offers.
