Apcom Digiscribble PC Pen review

When is a pen not a pen? When it's a motion-sensing digital stylus with the power to store 50 pages of handwritten text.

You could think of the Digiscribble as a sort of missing link between a mouse and a touchscreen stylus, or simply as a magic pen. It looks and feels like an ordinary pen, and can write on ordinary paper. What you write, however, is recorded by a controller unit that clips to the top of your page, and it can then be downloaded to your PC as editable text. You're probably already starting to think of situations where that might come in handy.

The pen/controller arrangement is simpler than systems such as the Acecad Digimemo (search for 113575) which rely on a special pad, and more cost-effective than the likes of Logitech's io2, which need special paper. Even ink refills work out at just £1 each. While away from your PC, or just mercifully free from a USB cable, the pen and controller can work solo, storing up to 50 pages of handwritten notes.

Handwriting recognition using the supplied MyScript software was surprisingly accurate. Individually printed characters were identified without difficulty, and we only had to neaten up our joined-up writing a little. But the controller is very sensitive to movement, so it needs to be used flat on a desk. Working on the train? Forget it.

Gestures proved problematic, too. These enable you to do things like crossing out, but in practice often left MyScript trying to decipher more and more obscure 'words'. Striking through 'at' to delete it, we were asked if we meant 'aft', 'affect', and eventually 'argentite', by which time our squiggles resembled a cluster of angry bees. Using the Digiscribble to control Windows posed similar problems, leaving us pining for a mouse.

Some people may find the Digiscribble useful. It does work, which is remarkable in itself, but few buyers will find it comfortable or practical enough to justify its £60 asking price.

Author: James Nixon