Moleskine has announced a new product which it hopes will allow users to "bridge their analog and digital worlds." The Smart Writing Set is a system that includes the Paper Tablet, a specially-made Moleskin sketchbook which works in tandem with the Pen+, a digitally-enabled pen that recognizes the notebook and tracks the user's movement. The Pen+ then sends this information to the new Moleskine Notes App (for Apple users) or Neo Notes (for Android) in order to record the user's notes digitally, in real time.
The Smart Writing Set is powered by Ncode technology patented by NeoLAB Convergence. In the Paper Tablet, individual pages are embedded with an invisible grid that is recognized by the Pen+. This allows the Pen+ to recognize which notebook and page it is writing on, making archiving your notes and sketches in the app as simple as turning the page in your notebook.
Once the app has recorded your sketches and notes, it also gives plenty of options to edit, share or search your work. Tags can be added to notes to organize them, and handwritten text can be automatically converted to searchable type. The App also gives the option to record and synchronize audio with your writing, allowing you to use your own notes to efficiently revisit lectures or meetings. The Smart Writing Set also allows you to record your ideas on the go and synchronize to the app later, with memory temporarily stored in the Pen+.
With the launch of the Smart Writing Set, Moleskine has also announced the launch of its Moleskine+ range, which collects together all of its products which incorporate digital elements into its famed paper sketchbooks. "We see demand for our paper-based collections grow in double digits year after year, showing the continued relevance of paper in the digital age," explains CEO of Moleskine Arrigo Berni. "On the other end we are well aware of all the advantages of digital, for editing, curating and sharing. This is why we see analog and digital as a continuum." The Moleskin+ range also includes the Livescribe notebooks released in 2014.
The Smart Writing Set, including the Pen+ and Paper Tablet notebook is available for $199, and the companion app is available for free. Replacement Paper Tablet notebooks cost $29.95. Find out more about the Smart Writing Kit here, and see all products in the Moleskine+ range here.
