Price Comparisons Through Different Vendors

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

with Bluetooth Transmitter

History of the Product

Ace Cad Enterprise Co. Ltd., established in 1989 in Hsin Tien City, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan, introduced the world’s first digital notepad with memory in September 2004, known as ACECAD DigiMemo. Later in 2004, the ACECAD DigiMemo won the Best Choice of COMPUTEX Taipei award in the area of Innovative Technology of 3C Products. Now, the company creates pen-input devices, digital notepads, and graphic tablets and supplies them to the world. Ace Cad’ goal is to continue to improve the DigiMemo and make it a mainstream product, aiding clients in today’s business world.

Description of the Product

The ACECAD DigiMemo is a digital notepad with storage capability. It is a stand-alone device. The DigiMemo digitally captures and then stores every stroke of the pen with ink on ordinary paper, without the use of computer and special paper. ACECAD DigiMemo sends your handwritten notes as e-Mails or Multimedia Messaging Services (MMSs) by Smartphone via Bluetooth, without using a computer. With the included software, it is easy to view, edit, organize, e-Mail, and share your handwritten documents in Windows. 

Features of the Product

Utilizing electromagnetic technology, you can lay any regular paper or notepad on the DigiMemo digital pad and write with ink. The digital inking pen writes like a ballpoint pen on regular paper, but digitally records your notes, ideas, drawings, sketches, and flowcharts instantly in the pad's flash memory. You can also increase the storage available by inserting a Secure Digital (SD) memory card. 

The DigiMemo digital pad has an ergonomic design and is small, lightweight, and portable. The digital pad is strong and operates on four AAA alkaline batteries, which can last approximately 80 hours. It weighs only 660g (1.45 pounds) with the batteries. The DigiMemo has a power saving feature as well that automatically turns off to conserve the battery after 30 minutes of inactivity. The pad contains a small LCD to aid user in interacting with it. This also displays page number, ink status, time clock, and battery status. The DigiMemo is designed to be held easily in one hand or on the lap. It fits into briefcases or laptop bags, and it can be operated from anywhere.

The digital inking pen is ultra-thin and lightweight too. It runs off one 1.55 volt button cell battery and a normal replaceable ink cartridge (67mm/2.64" length x 2.3mm/0.09" diameter). The digital inking pen weighs only 13.8 grams (0.03 pounds), almost as light as a standard ballpoint pen, and the battery life is approximately 14 months.

The ACECAD DigiMemo goes where you go, without the need for a computer. It is designed for both business and fun. By connecting it to the USB port of DigiMemo and getting power from DigiMemo, you can use the optional Bluetooth Transmitter and transfer your handwritten documents in DigiMemo, to your Smartphone, and then email or MMS them back home or to the office. Capture your handwritten notes on even the thickest of paper, up to 14mm (0.55 inches) thick, or about 140 sheets of paper, and you do not need special papers. The DigiMemo can use both the on-board 32MB storage device in the digital pad and an optional SD memory card, or depending on the memory size, up to 999 pages for each storage device.

DigiMemo includes the DigiMemo Manager software for Windows, which allows you to easily view, edit, and organize your digital pages in Windows or save it as an e-Book and share your documents with others via e-Mail. No special driver is needed. The DigiMemo Manager software offers an on-line writing function, which instantly synchronizes your writing in the corresponding position on the paper with the digital page in the software window. The By connecting it to a PC through a USB port, the DigiMemo can be used as a USB tablet device or cordless mouse in Windows.

With impressive accuracy, the DigiMemo Handwriting Recognition OCR software translates your handwriting into text for use in office software, such as Microsoft Word, OneNote, Outlook, or Lotus Notes. This software supports over 15 languages and has a smart user interface. You can convert your handwritten text, shapes, diagrams, tables, and freehand drawings from the DigiMemo to digital text, and it maintains the original layout of your notes. It also timestamps your files allowing for easier file sorting.

Advantages/Disadvantages of the Product

Advantages

The DigiMemo has a variety of possible business and consumer uses. The DigiMemo is designed to be portable and lightweight to optimize note taking, allow business to be more mobile, and improve electronic form filling with its and storage capability. It is useful for everyone from secretaries to executives, from journalism to designers, and from students to the elderly. It is particularly advantageous for on-the-go professionals to note minutes during meetings, lectures, conferences, or anywhere else they need to take a note. The ability to send e-Mail or MMS written on paper by Smartphone via Bluetooth provides flexibility that allows businesses to achieve enhanced communication, teamwork, and production.

The DigiMemo is the ideal answer for form-filling application that must be on both a form hardcopy and on a digital data file. By using the inking pen on the paper form, the digital data is immediately stored in the DigiMemo's memory and then processed by a form application on a PC later—without retyping or re-scanning. The DigiMemo provides a company with not only the paper form hardcopy but also the digital data file they need.

Disadvantages

The only disadvantage that I could find for the ACECAD DigiMemo is the fact that, by using four AAA batteries, the owner would have to continuously buy batteries or frequently switch the rechargeable batteries.

Availability of Product

Widely Available.

Service Available in Area

No special services are necessary in general. Internet connection via Smartphone or PC is required for some activities, such as sending e-mails.

Distributors of Product in Area

Ace Cad's DigiMemo has been successfully selling in several key retailers all over the world. These include such retailers as Misco, TigerDirect, Office Depot, Amazon, NewEgg, DataVision, J&R, PC Connection, PC World, Dixons Stores Group, RadioShack, Harvey Norman, Carrefour, Fnac, Yodobashi, Yamada, and Big Camera.

Price Comparisons through Different Vendors

Competitive Comparisons

According to a product review by Squidoo, LLC, the DigiMemo is ranked second compared to similar products. The top four electronic notepads, in descending order are the Digital Ink Pad with Voice Recording iVistaTablet, the DigiMemo L2 Digital Notepad, the CrossPad Portable Digital Notepad (8 .5 inches by 11 inches), and the Boogie Board 8.5 Inch LCD Writing Tablet.

The Digital Ink Pad with Voice Recording iVistaTablet and OCR Handwriting Recognition Software allow you to take, share, organize, and edit notes, minutes, sketches, and diagrams and to also convert the files to BMP, HTML, PDF, JPEG, ONENOTE, TOP, TXT, Word Doc, and ZIP files just like the DigiMemo. It has 32 MB of memory built-in just like the DigiMemo, too. However, it also features a built in voice recorder and a 4-color ink pen. It also operates off a rechargeable poly-lithium battery instead of AAA batteries, which will provide 20 hours of operation per charge. It is priced at around $889.99.

The CrossPad Portable Digital Notepad (8 .5 inches by 11 inches) can easily transfer notes to a PC. It uses a 6 inch by 9 inch tablet. You can store 50 pages of notes or more, and by uploading the notes, you can cut, paste, and send notes via e-mail as well. This digital memo pad operates off four AAA batteries just like the DigiMemo; however, the pen operates with one AAAA battery, instead of a button battery like the DigiMemo, and may run as long as 12 months. It is priced at around $320.

The Boogie Board 8.5 Inch LCD Writing Tablet is a different kind of electronic writing pad devices. It does not store your notes; however, it makes a great scratch pad, small drawing board, or whiteboard. It features a pressure sensitive writing surface. You simply write or draw on it with the included stylus, your fingernail, or any other non-marking or scratching instrument. The Boogie Board is great for kids as well as adults. It measures 8.8 inches by 5.6 inches by 1.5 inches. It is priced at around $25.02.

Customer Reviews and/or Ratings