Comments on: Review: InkLink

Thanks for the review. One question though.

What type of resolution is available in the drawing? For instance, if you make 3 hash marks on college ruled paper, do they come across as three separate marks? How is the definition of the capturing?

I haven't used the other pad, so maybe these questions are obvious, but how smoothly the system works is important in mechanical drawings.

Thanks again!

nategall says "blah!"

Couple of questions on the lefty issues you mention. From what you indicate, the IR port on the pen sits fairly low thus if you wrap your hand over the top (in relation to the page) it blocks the IR port, could you post a detailed picture of the pen to illustrate this? Along those lines of thinking, could one put the data clip on the bottom of the page to compensate for this issue?

Thanks
CTSLICK

Yes,

that's the biggest wish :) In Germany we only get cool things like this far after US and Japan... very bad! We love this Gadgets, too!
Thank you for the good review and I think this tool does work very fine when you're at university or in meetings 'cause you can comfortalbe make your notes etc. and then beam it to your Palm!
Seiko: GREAT SOLUTION!!!!!

greetings

Thomas

Does the program come with any built-in VFS support, so you can directly save/access your documents from a SD/MS/CF card?

This is a great addition for someone that uses both paper and pixel based handwritten notes. It will be great if they can release a Bluetooth version. Clipping on paper and PDA is a bit of a hassle nonetheless, a great piece of hardware and very promising.

Maybe Seiko will release one for the notebook/desktop too. It will be like having an IBM TransNote notebook without the bulk.

It’s sounds great but I wish it had VFS and Bluetooth.


-Mathrocks314

What is the size of the application?

Great review!

My main interest in this product would be for archiving my tons of notes on my desktop computer. Besides the conduit, does the inklink come with any desktop applications for organizing files and searching by keyword?

Thanks,
--Charlie

Heh, I bet Sharp will say something to Macromedia's Shockwavem about their InkLink game :)

I have a SmartPad that gathers dust. If ever a piece of hardware was looking for a developers kit this is it.

This would be a much better device if it just stored the ink on flash cards (CF, SM, MMC/SD, etc.), instead of that Rube Goldberg contraption.

Be careful with dealing with Seiko Instruments. I am an ex-owner of the SmartPad2 to my great regret. Having purchased it, I found later that my colour Palm m505 cannot display same size resolution of what I wrote on paper - only max of half resolution. This means that you just can't read what you wrote! Apparently this applies to any colour Palm (and compatibles).

After several email communications, Customer Service said they didn't intend to support the development of the SmartPad software anymore to show same-size display on the Palm as the "Palm OS resources were not sufficient" but Pocket PC's OS were.

And that they would only be too happy to refund the money. Difficult if, as I am, based in Asia and the product purchased through a Palm accessory shop in yet another Asian country. Seiko Instrument's web site clearly tries to hide the fact that both the SmartPad and SmartPad 2 can't display same size resolution on any colour Palm powered device. What's the point of buying a writing device that does not enable you to read your own handwriting?! Basic function of a "SmartPad" wouldn't you say?!

So, please check that this SmartPen InkLink can display in colour Palms at same size resolution before you purchase it and don't expect the software to be developed too much in the future if Seiko Instruments' historical actions holds true.

Disgrunted ex-SmartPad2/m505 user.
F.L.Kin
fe@spm.com

Just want to throw in my $.02 that I think it's great that someone from Seiko support is posting responses to comments here.

Ed, given that corporate people do seem to read these boards when their products are mentioned, have you ever encouraged them to do what this Seiko guy is doing and directly participate in addressing people's concerns, etc? It'd be even better if they used "official" support logins to do it, so the info isn't provided by "anonymous." I remember someone from (maybe?) ababall doing that here a while back.

I would like to know if the viewer will eventually run in 320x320 resolution on the CLIE. (and in light of the new CLIE, 320x480 :)

Gary

How long does the 3 button cells and the AAA last?

Thanks.

Does anybody know if this could be used to transfer notes to whiteboard in Netmeeting? Thanks.

M. Church

My daughter, who is disabled, has difficulty keeping her class notes organized. Keeping paper in order is a major task. If she used InkLink when she took notes in class or when studying, would she be able to by a file naming scheme or by folders organize her notes? Can an output file represent more than one page of notes? This product could be a huge boon to students, who could take handwritten notes, digitize them as they are created, then transfer them to a desktop and keep them organized by class and if named appropriately, in order by date. Am I "blue-skying" or is this possible using the product as it currently exists?

I just bought one of these Seiko InkLinks. Very cool. I'm jotting everything now and have stopped generating a notepad a week of waste paper.

The device is elegantly cool. I like that it isn't so clumsy that it breaks up the meeting when you pull it out.

Any idea what the little black protrusion to the left of the right hand microphone does? I thought maybe it was another PF key but it doesn't do anything.

Brad

Is there an option for the PC software that will allow me to write without switching to the application? This is my only gripe with the InkLink, the application must be the selected app in order for writing to appear. Perhaps, if when you start writing it brought the Ink app to the top would suffice but ultimately just being able to jot things down all day and then save the work at the end without having to keep switching task would be best.
Chris

I thought I posted something here a week ago but I don’t see it now.

My comment then was, “is there a way to make the Ink program automatically take focus when you use it on a PC so you always capture the stuff you write?” Even better is just to automatically capture from the pen and put it on Ink regardless of application focus.

My new comments are:
The IR clip on does not work well on the Kyocera 6035 Smart Phone due to the antenna. It pops off constantly (works ok on my Palm Vx).
The Pen feels cheep to hold and with the cap stuck on the back makes it just under 7.5” long wile a typical pen is only 5.75”. This seems a little to long, considering it is only because of the poor fit of the cap.
More force is needed to write in Ink than on paper so if you are a light to medium weight writer get used to sections of text not showing up.

I am not sure I would recommend this product to others. Starting to feel more like a toy than a productivity enhancement.

Chris D

1)Is it compatible with the Sony NR70V? Is resolution an issue? will it be viewed on the same size or differently from what one writes?
2)How does one email handwritten notes?
3)hows the SmartINk and SmartPad differ?
4)Hows the SmartInk different from the Anoto Pen?
5)Can it be used with ANY paper and on ANY surface?
6)How long do the batteries last?

I went to obtain the latest software from the seiko website. They redirected me to "leadertech" for
the "secure ordering". However, it appears their ssl cert has expired (as of today). Of course, technically,
the order process will still work; but, how am I supposed to trust a company with my data when they
can't even keep up with their security?

I like the InkLink alot. The resolution is great. It is small, and relatively inexpensive. The software lets you graphically edit what you enter, so you can clean up your "handwritten" notes. The software also contains a filing system that lets you organize and label each collection of notes. Each page can be exported as in one of three standard formats (jpg, bmp, png).
The cons: It is not possible to directly copy and paste drawings into other applications! Also, there are no simple drawing tools that allow easy creation of straight lines, boxes, or simple figures. (You can straighten a line, but you can't snap it to a horizontal or vertical). And there are annoying glitches. You can be writing away and then find that you've lost focus on the application window. The data clip has locations you can tap to perform common tasks, but there are no mnemonics to help you remember which location performs which task. Conclusion: The InkLink hardware is terrific in its responsiveness and resolution. It has the potential to be a powerful, general purpose input device. But right now it is limited by the software. I'd like to know what Seiko's plans are for future software releases.
Marc

how long does ink last? do you have to buy special refills from seiko for $$$$?

thanks

how can import images and write over them? This would be the perfect tool for writing over digital pictures and e-mailing them. Does anyone know of any additional software or techniques to import images as an underlay on the "writing pad"?

Thanks