Anoto Group - ANOT

The digital pen market is growing at a significant rate, due to various factors such as ease of access, instant transfer of data into digital equipment, such as computer and other electronic media, benefits of keeping data organized, and providing notes and audio with backup file. . Digital pen can even record the speech of people and plays back, whenever required.

On the basis of technology, the digital pen market can be categorized, as position based digital pens, camera based pens, trackball pens, active pens, and accelerometer based digital pens. Based on platform, the digital pen market can be categorized, as windows, iPhone operating system (iOS), and android. On the basis of applications, the digital pen market can be categorized, as clinical documentation, billing and back office utilities, and communication applications. The clinical documentation segment includes surgery drawings, assessment and intake forms, and progress notes. On the other hand, billing and back office utilities include record archiving and access; while the communication applications, include cellular phone messaging, and email.

The digital pen is used to capture consumers’ brush strokes and handwriting, along with translating it into digital records, for putting them to use, in numerous applications. Digital pens can be used on platforms, such as smartphones to accomplish tasks like drawing, note taking, and functions that finger touch cannot perform effectively. The digital pen is operated with the help of battery to capture handwritten drawing, and notes, digitally. Generally, universal serial bus (USB) is provided by the digital pen manufacturers for allowing the consumers to upload hand written notes in the digital equipment, such as tablets and PC. The digital pen requires a digital paper to capture the written notes, by the consumers. The digital paper contains small dots, which allow the consumers to read the content written on it.

The digital pen has numerous advantages over conventional technology, such as flexibility to convert hand written notes, into digital text. Furthermore, certain useful applications can also be downloaded in the digital pen, which includes gaming, music making, languages learning, and dictionary. Some of the factors restraining the growth of the digital pen market are high cost, privacy issues, and inability to download handwritten notes perfectly.

Digital paper and digital pen technology, allow the digitalization and collection of written notes in form of texts and sketches, which are used in the electronic medical records (EMR). Conventional paper handling activities, such as transcribing, scanning and other processing, and storage can be significantly minimized, by using digital pens. Smartphones and tablets have flat surfaces, which could be easily fitted in the consumers’ hands. Therefore, smartphones are the most significant applications of digital pen. Digital pen is used in various applications, within the tablet such as Unidoc’s ezPDF Reader, MyScript Notes Equation, Mobile and Shape, and AutoDesk's Sketchbook Pro.

Earlier, it used to take more than two months, for disease reports to reach the decision makers, which made the detection of diseases very difficult. But now, with the evolution of digital pen, the issue has been solved. Some of the competitors in the digital market are PolyVision Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Wacom Co. Ltd., I.R.I.S. S.A., E-pen InMotion Inc., Livescribe Inc., Logitech International S.A., and Hitachi Maxell Ltd.

Earlier, it used to take more than two months, for disease reports to reach the decision makers, which made the detection of diseases very difficult. But now, with the evolution of digital pen, the issue has been solved.