Logitech io Personal Digital Pen
March 27th, 2003 | by Douglas Hall
 |
Average user rating from 3 users |
Digital Pen Review - Joe Panzitta
by Joseph Panzitta on Oct 24th, 2003 at 8:41 AM:
EVALUATION REPORT
Prepared by: Joseph Panzitta Date: September 30, 2003
28 Beechtree Road
West Caldwell, N.J. 07006
973-575-1579
gtmnpanzitta@aol.com
Logitech io Personal Digital Pen
The business viability for the digital pen, in my opinion on a scale of 1 to 10, is 4.
The Logitech Pen digitizes a hand-written document, which is analog in nature, and stores the digital data in the pen (up to 40-pages). A cradle is provided that connects to a Personal Computer (PC) via an USB port. The contents of the pen are automatically uploaded to the PC upon insertion of the pen into the cradle via the Logitech Software that needs to be preloaded on the PC (CD Provided). Once transferred to the PC, the data can be stored on the PC's hard disk, CD or any other digital storage media. The digital text can be linked to a Microsoft Word document, emailed or to Microsoft Outlook for Calendaring - To Do notes. The Pen acts as an input device for Word and Outlook, PC applications, which can further process the data. Special paper is required for the transcription of text and Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) fields.
NOTE: The software provided with the Pen - Logitech io Software 1.01 provided limited editing capability, a severe limitation. Upon examining Logitech's Web Page, an updated version of the software - Logitech io Software 2.0, was available. The updated version also includes MyScript Notes software. This software allows the conversion of script written to computer text, a very important feature. The updated software was downloaded from the Internet to the PC.
The following are some possible business application of the digital pen:
* Student lectures or business conference note taking. Students and business people currently carry Lap Top PCs for this purpose if not using a pad of paper.
* Medical or legal note taking.
* Signature or writing verification. Something that a credit card company or bank can use. A possible application could be Airport Security.
* The processing of forms. Entering forms data can be accomplished using the digital pen. Special forms would need to be formatted on the special paper. The form would make extensive use of the ICR fields. Reliable and repeatable character recognition would be mandatory for limited text entry. Constructing a form of only selection items would make the reliability of character recognition less critical. The data collected could be entered into a PC database for further processing. Currently, a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) can be used for this purpose. However, the cost associated with the PDA would be higher then that of a digital pen.
The following next steps are suggested:
Project 1
A promising application in my opinion is - forms processing. There is a class of applications called Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for small businesses. The applications are designed to collect customer information such as name, address, phone number, etc. An example of a business requirement would be the onsite collection of customer information for construction proposals. Collecting data for inventory/warehouse management and real estate on a form are other potential forms applications.
Action Items:
* Identify and focus on a single client company. I would target a home building Construction Company. A company that has a data entry problem and can visualize the digital pen as a solution for improving their business processes.
* Collaborate with the client to design a business form specific to his business requirements.
* Currently, the Logitech pen interfaces with Microsoft Word, Outlook and Lotus Notes. An interface, using Logitech Application Programming Interfaces (API), need to be developed for applying the pen data to a database. The database could be Microsoft Access or an SQL database.
* Partner with Logitech or one of their designated consulting partners to develop the API database interface application.
* Develop a link between the CRM applications for extracting the data collected in the database. Partner with CRM companies such as ACT!, Goldmine, QuickBooks, etc.
* Review the results with the client for process improvements and collaboratively make any necessary refinements.
* Our business approach would be as a product distributor and service provider. As a service provider, we would order the pen, install software, provide training and negotiate a support agreement.
* Once the implementation is successful, the system can be marketed on a wider scope.
* Negotiate, if possible, an agreement to be a distributor for the pen and/or special paper forms. Charter your company as a local product distributor and/or consulting firm.
Project 2
Another promising application in my opinion is - legal note taking.
Action Items:
* Identify and focus on a single Law Firm.
* Collaborate with a Lawyer at the firm to take the Pen for a trial period for legal depositions documentation. The depositions are normally taken in an attorney's conference room.
* Notes taken will be loaded onto the PC for editing. The editing will result in a legal summary for typing/printing. The Lawyer normally turns over hand written notes to a secretary for typing a summary.
* Review the results with the client for process improvements and collaboratively make any necessary adjustments.
* Present the digital pen concept to her Law Firm.
* Our business approach would be as a product distributor and service provider. As a service provider, we would order the pen, install software, provide training and negotiate a support agreement.
NOTE: Both project scenarios are highly dependent on reliable and repeatable Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) and MyScript recognition. The ability of the pen to recognize the client's script and print handwriting is critical. Based on the evaluation performed, the performance of the pen is questionable. The pen relies too heavily on the writer's clear, consistent and uniform writing skills. In addition, writing with the pen because of its size and shape, makes it hard on the writers hand. Prolonged use of the pen can cause cramping of the hand. We must explore these limitations further with Logitech.
sss
by sharvari on May 24th, 2003 at 7:56 AM:
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Good in limited ways
by srqrateter on Jan 7th, 2005 at 3:54 PM:
This is a very cool item but it's practicality may be limited depending on what you want to do.