Epos intros cheap handwriting recognition

There are two variants, a wired USB and a wireless memory stick version. They both take the same pen, a normal looking thing with two watch batteries in the top, and capture all you write on a normal 8.5 * 11 inch sheet of paper.

The receiver clips to the top of the paper and remains steady, so you get a clear image. The wired version on the top left above simply plugs into a USB connection. The wireless one captures on the fly, and when you plug it in to the PC, it will download all the data. It has a rechargeable battery and also functions as a memory stick, basically, it is quite nifty.

Both worked very well, the thinness of the lines, the accuracy of the capture, and the speed at which you could draw were quite impressive. Epos uses an ultrasonic technology to track the pen, and at least in the brief demo I saw, was more accurate than the IR ones shown at CESes past.

You will never see either of these products for sale in a store under the Epos banner, they do not manufacture them. Epos makes tracking technology, from light guns to game controllers, with ranges of inches to across a room, but they don't make the devices themselves.

Interested parties can either license the tech or license the design, depending on your business needs. Epos will help you make one, or point to their manufacturing partners if you don't want to do it yourself. No matter who makes or brands them, the wired version is set to sell for under $50 and the USB stick variant for $70-80. Both come with a pen and may vary in price depending on what options you want, like USB memory capacity. In either form factor, look for them in Q1 or so. µ