# Pen - writing to text?



## cwjudyjr (Nov 21, 2007)

I have seen some pens that you write with that store the actual writing into memory. then the writing can be downloaded to the computer and changed to text in a word processor.

Some are for kids and some for adults. Seems like they all need special paper to work. Is that true?

Are there any that you can use on regular paper that we store and download?

Anyone have experience or suggestions? I am very interested in this technology, but don't want to jump in too quickly. I want to see what is th ebest option.

Thanks!

Conrad


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## Semper Fidelis (Nov 21, 2007)

Not sure about the pens but you could use a scanner and OCR (optical character recognition) software to perform the same thing. That is, assuming your handwriting is legible.


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## VictorBravo (Nov 21, 2007)

Yes, there are pen computer systems out there. One kind relies upon special paper:

Livescribe shows off Leapfrog Fly-esque pen computer for grown-ups - Engadget

A number of years ago I tried a tablet that promised being able to capture your writing and transfer to computer. The concept was pretty neat: you used regular paper on a special clipboard that tracked the pen (which contained a transmitter). It did capture what you wrote pretty well into an image file.

But the handwriting technology was pretty bad. It promised that you could change your writing into text but it had a failure rate of about 40%. It was easier to type.

I haven't seen the clipboard-pen combination recently, but I think handwriting recognition is much better now.


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## cwjudyjr (Nov 22, 2007)

SemperFideles said:


> Not sure about the pens but you could use a scanner and OCR (optical character recognition) software to perform the same thing. That is, assuming your handwriting is legible.



Thanks! This may be the way I have to go.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Conrad


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## cwjudyjr (Nov 22, 2007)

victorbravo said:


> Yes, there are pen computer systems out there. One kind relies upon special paper:
> 
> Livescribe shows off Leapfrog Fly-esque pen computer for grown-ups - Engadget
> 
> ...



Thank you. This is helpful. I guess I have to consider the optical scanner pen mentioned above. Just would like to write something down and be able to load to a document without the extra step of scanning or typing, and w/o the cost and inconvience of special paper.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Conrad


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## VictorBravo (Nov 22, 2007)

cwjudyjr said:


> Thank you. This is helpful. I guess I have to consider the optical scanner pen mentioned above. Just would like to write something down and be able to load to a document without the extra step of scanning or typing, and w/o the cost and inconvience of special paper.
> 
> Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
> 
> Conrad



Blessings to you too. You might consider a PDA. You can jot notes on them and transport to docs. The technology for that is established and stable.


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## tellville (Nov 22, 2007)

I personally use a Pen Scanner. It doesn't save the text to itself so I can download it later, rather I attach it to my lap top USB port and it puts the text right in Microsoft Word for me. It works amazing, 99% in practically every language including Greek and Hebrew. The key is to photocopy the page you want to copy first, and maybe enlarge the print a bit, so you can put the page flat on a table. When the paper is flat you get 99%+ accuracy. However, if you are just copying from a book you sometimes have to redo the copy because the curve in the page causes you to lift the pen by accident and this can get really annoying. 

Anyway, this is the pen I have: C-Pen - Stroke of Genius

Basically every Biblical Studies prof at my school has one of these. It is absolutely awesome if you do tons of research.


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## Reformed Musings (Nov 22, 2007)

Have you checked out the WowPen Digi? There are a couple of versions that digitize your writing as you write on ordinary paper with a special pen (of ordinary pen size) that also has a transmitter in it. They have one version transfers the data directly to the computer immediately and another, the WowPen Memo, stores the digital info in the pen to download later. 

I had it demoed on a recent trip to Korea and was fascinated with it. It seems like a great idea. The version I have is literally a pen and an IR tracker/scanner that clips on the top edge of your paper. At this point, you still need a separate OCR program as the WOWPen folks only do the hardware itself. Still, it may be worth checking out.


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