Skatter Tech

Nearly two years ago, we took a look at the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch which lets users write with a pressure sensitive pen and take advantage of multi-touch gestures. For those not familiar, Wacom does not announce new products too often and the ones they do release are generally top-notch. Yesterday, Wacom introduced the Inkling which makes it possible to digitally capture anything written on regular paper with a ball point pen. Solutions such as Livescribe or Papershow generally require special paper which often comes at a price.

“Inkling’s inspiration comes from a desire to give artistic people the freedom to draw on paper and to provide an easy way to transition the drawings to digital media,” said Don Varga, Director of Professional Products at Wacom Technology Services Corp.

While I generally use a laptop or tablet for pretty much everything these days, I still head back to paper when it comes to sketching out quick mockups or brainstorming ideas. While I could do this on a computer, waiting for a heavy-duty program such as Photoshop to start-up is tedious and it is frustrating when ideas escape a chain of thought. Inkling could potentially solve this problem since users can grab any piece of paper, snap the receiver to the top of the sheet, and begin writing. The two components even store and recharge in an included carrying case.

For artists, illustrators, or geeks — the pen has pressure sensitivity: 1024 levels to be exact. The receiver is entirely wireless and operates on its own without a computer. Users can plug it in with a USB cable to access saved content. The receiver also accommodates left and right-handed users with the option to clip it onto a piece of paper in a position which does not interrupt the light of sight.

The Inlking Sketch Manager lets users add, edit, or delete layers. The program also makes it possible to export sketches to Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or Autodesk Sketchbook. The press release also mentions support for saving captured content in JPEG, PNG, PDF, SVG, and a few more formats.

Those looking to grab a Wacom Inkling can do so for $199 when it goes on sale “in the latter half of September.” The Wacom Store and Amazon will carry it. Skatter Tech will definitely get our hands on a unit for review, so stay tuned for an in-depth look.

Link: Wacom Inkling