Customer Reviews

I-Pen Digital Pen Writer Ipen Optical USB Mouse Input Device

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I bought the I-Pen hoping it would help with my aching wrist from grabbing a mouse all day; I was looking at graphics tablets, but I use dual monitors at work, so that was not an option. I tripped across this little doo-hickey, and thought I'd give it a shot.

First of all, the mouse works great; it can be used on almost any surface (except clear glass or white paper). The pen's a little "full-bodied", which makes it difficult to grab, at times, but other than that, it's a nice tool to have. I can hardly wait until they release the wireless version(s), but the cord dangling off it is not too bad.

Second, their customer support is GREAT!!!!! When my I-Pen arrived, I noticed that the right mouse button was sticking, and I could only get it to work about half of the time. I went to their web page and got a response back within a few hours indicating that my unit was defective, and another one was on the way. The second unit works great, and thus my faith in capitalism was restored :)

As for the carpal tunnel, I'll keep you posted....

UPDATE: Just wanted to let you know about the carpal tunnel issue; this thing has really helped me. I now have writer's cramp, but that's another story (j/k). Seriously, I love this product. I'm still waiting for the wireless version, but I have found that this simple tool has really helped me be more productive for longer periods of time.

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There are very few standalone "digital pen" mice available; people who wish to use the ergonomic pen design often have to cough up additional funds for a digitizer tablet [...] that is bulky. This particular model has been around for several years, apparently, but they have not updated it.

I bought this specifically for ergonomic reasons and because I did not want a bulky tablet component (though I do own a Wacom for special uses). It's a bit chunky; while it was uncomfortable for me to use, it's probably fine for others. It feels light, and while this is could be a good thing if you tend to get finger-fatigued, the cord hanging off the end unfortunately seems to weigh all that much more.

The most important problem for me, however, was that this digital pen-mouse doesn't seem to be calibrated correctly. A 2003 review article elsewhere also pointed out this problem: Assuming the mouse button is supposed to be positioned at the top of the pen where your index finder rests, you cannot write or draw in a straight line across the screen. The cursor will slant upwards from left to right, effectively rendering any drawing potential useless; the other article also commented that the handwriting recognition suffers from this weirdness. You can try to hold the pen at a different rotation, but it's not perfectly round, so it will end up being more uncomfortable.

For average mousing, I suppose people can get used to the quirk, but for uses that require a bit more accuracy, look elsewhere. It's a good idea, and I really hope someone will finally deliver a good pen-mouse that doesn't use ink or special paper or pad.

I've used this 3 ways.

As a digital artist: I absolutely HATED it the first time. I do my drawing via scans and mouse, combining old school pencil media with Photoshop. It grew on me.

Drawing with this was best described by a friend. It's a lot like trying to use the pens you sign your name digitally on the pads for credit cards for the store. You know, the ones where you try to write something legible and it comes out looking like a drunk monkey did it.

Within 20 minutes, however, I was able to do basic and familiar shapes freehand in Photoshop. They looked no better nor worse than a mouse. With practice, I've begun to like the infernal thing. Although our "relationship" in the first hour started with me wanting to rip it out of the PC and boil it in hot lava from frustration, I've come to find if very useful in several ways.

My advice is to understand it may take patience and practice to get used to it if you're using it for art. If you're an artist, you probably aren't a stranger to either.

It worked fine in Win XP, Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop without any special software except what came with it. It was fast and easy to install. Put in the CD, install, plug in the pen and it worked.

My signature looks slightly less like a drunk monkey did it and is almost legible now...

Replacing your mouse for common tasks: For simple PC use it's great. When it's plugged in I use it as my mouse as well as a digital drawing device.

If you're picking this up to replace a mouse because you need something which won't hurt your hand, have disability, etc. I'd highly recommend it. I have no real trouble using it for basic point/click. It does seem to need a fairly smooth surface, but comes with a small pad.

For Video Games: I've been a long time fan of 3rd person PC games where you use a mouse to point to an area on the screen, click, and the character walks. I liked the I-Pen better than my mouse and it was much easier and faster to maneuver my people with it. It also worked well on Java applet based games like Yahoo and Pogo because it was a little faster.

For marking pages in IE I don't know. I seldom use Internet Explorer, and didn't buy it for that, so I've never actually tried it.

I had high hoped for this product, and looked forward to doing some writing with it. The very low dpi makes this product incredibly inaccurate--this means I can write better with my real mouse than with this pen.

I was looking for a tool that would allow me to "write" notes on my laptop. Although a tablet PC would be "snazzy", I couldn't justify it while still needing my tower PC and laptop for their specific features. BUT sometimes you just HAVE to "write" something - it's just easier. While searching around, I found the I-Pen... but was it going to work with my Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit installation?

Works with Windows 7: I have installed Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. Initially, I just plugged the pen into the USB port to see what would happen. Sure enough, Windows identified the pen (specifically as the I-Pen product) and commissioned it into use immediately. I could "mouse around" just fine. I started writing with it right off, too. Then I installed the software that comes with the pen. It all installed fine, although it is still 32-bit software, and it all works fine... but you don't really need it for most applications in Windows 7. Windows 7's script recognition works just fine with the pen and writing and changing "ink" colors is no trouble at all. (I don't need to "write notes on my Windows desktop", as one included app lets you do, so when it didn't work quite right, I wasn't concerned - no loss for me.) Even the "whiteboard" app works - even though I haven't found a compelling need for it yet.

Works with Microsoft OneNote: In particular, my desire to be able to "write" on my laptop came about due to my discovery of the beauty of OneNote in Microsoft Office 2007 (much improved from previous attempts). I was "taking notes" immediately with the I-Pen's installation, albeit slightly kindergarten level! But after some regular use here and there, and rest during frustrating moments (very few and early on), I am doing well with my note taking and following the lines. (Teacher would be so happy!) Highlighting notes is a breeze (OneNote allows a free form highlight line, not text-line constricted like in the rest of the Office apps), not frustrating like doing so with a mouse. What drew me to OneNote was the ability to put notes all over the page without having to create a new column or do a column break and such, like is necessary in Word - OneNote lets me "think" all over the page, like I would with a paper tablet and ink pen! The I-Pen simply extended that freedom and made it more natural!

Character recognition: The character recognition feature works well across Microsoft Office 2007 software. Without any intervention, I was able to start printing and writing cursively in Word and my scribblings were reliably translated into the typed word. While left in cursive form, OneNote is able to search the I-Pen entries just fine.

Portable: I carry my I-Pen with me in a hard case, now, so that I can have it available at work if I need it. It is not my most favorite mousing device, but I didn't buy it for that primary purpose - that it mouses at all just adds to the propensity for its use: I don't have to lay it down if I just want to change pages in OneNote or move to another app. The I-Pen does not interfere with your mouse driver when both are installed, so they can be used in tandem when needed.

It works: The I-Pen has worked fine for me ever since I took it out of the package! Tracking works best with the patterned mat supplied with the pen and works well with other deeply patterned surfaces. It will get confused if there is no variation in surface pattern, but that is understandable for an optical device and is not a drawback, just something to remember.

Body style is a selling point: Some products in this category and specifically in the paper-writing-capture version emulate sleeker standard pen bodies, thus making it difficult if you do have repetitive motion irritation. If you have carpal tunnel problems right now, this device could be handy as its fuller body is comfortable in the hand and does not require the tighter grip like the sleeker units. I have had carpal tunnel problems in the past and am an advocate for ergonomically considerate products. I have used the I-Pen for extensive periods without any disturbance to my (corrected) wrist.

If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive input device that captures handwriting and doesn't encourage cramps or carpal tunnel aggravation, this device should definitely be among your top considerations. I considered the devices that capture what you write on paper, but as I considered the advantage of this on-board device, the I-Pen won out. For the price, it is definitely a find.

Don't bother. Concept is good but execution is awful. After installing (finally); it is not truly plug and play, I could only get the pen partially functional. I tried for a week to get technical support, calling at least 5-6 times, leaving messages, etc. The main number does not have any product support. They give you another number to call...and that number appears to be a dead end. No email or website support that is worth using. The only thing good I can say about the product is that Amazon's return policy is helpful, efficient, and honest.

I love this pen! I know a few other reviewers commented about how they disliked the positioning of the hand in order to use the pen. I did not have this problem. It is a bit oversized, but if you are like me and write a lot throughout the day, this actually helps to alleviate any stress that has already been placed on the hand/wrist. I also did not find working with a cord attached to be cumbersome, as other reveiws suggested. I particularly love this pen for drawing/painting! It is great! There are also some cool things that it does (such as writing notes directly on your desktop or document)that make it just a little more fun.

Although the purpose of a review should be to give one's own take on the product, I found myself in the unusual position of finding two reviews (Brian Dickman and Kathleen Goodyear) with which I agree 100% and would have made most of my review redundant. Rather than repeat their points, I'd rather confirm them.

Despite those problems, I would not rule this product out completely.

If you do wish to install their software, create a restore point first. It may be that your experience with the "drivers" will differ from ours, but if not, you can back out easily. You may not wish to install the drivers at all. Windows will recognize the device as a mouse and might give you the functionality you need.

The drivers/software on the disk are from 2003. You can get updated drivers on the website, but the main website listed in the software does not work. The current "driver" installation did not give me a way to install all of the other software, and subsequent installs did nothing but ask if I wish to uninstall, making it impossible to change anything. Fortunately, a restore point gives you a way to recover. Incidentally, the more up to date drivers are from 2004.

I put "driver" in quotes for a reason. First of all, the installation process requires plugging the device in before loading the software. At that point, Windows will load its own driver. When their installation is run, you end up with a tray icon, and an extra tab in the mouse property page. Any changes I made there did not take effect, and Windows still showed that the driver in use was the one that came with Windows. The device will be seen by Windows as a mouse, not a pen. They never claim otherwise, and it may not affect you.

I found that the pen works reasonably well with the Windows 7 handwriting recognition, but not so well with the Math Input Panel. I had the same experience as others who found the pen less accurate than a mouse for the same purposes. Depending on your needs, you might be able to get by without their outdated software and without buying new software.

I found that it does not work well with anything but the included mouse pad. I tried many surfaces. The pad is the type with the smooth top, and I cannot control things as accurately with that type of pad. Make sure you feel comfortable with one if you intend to buy this.

The FingerWhite software might come in very handy. If you wish to use a projection display in a conference room, you'll be able to mark up your presentation just like John Madden marking up a football replay. If you have such a need and won't need to save your markups, this might work well for you.

Finally, this product may be outdated and limited in scope, but it is also cheap. For conference room presentations alone it's worth the price. I'd suggest looking around more if you need something to take notes with, and keep your changes.

I bought this particular product for the trip from the UK, to the US. The touch pad on most laptops is a stopgap device for most {to judge from the whinging I hear}. Travel mice are only good for about 15 min for most people before they want to pitch the thing out the nearest window. How ever, a full size Mouse on a airplane truly isn't an option either. The I-pen is as portable as a Highlighter Marker. Fully as useful/ functions as, any two button mouse. Additionally it requires NO additional software if used in that mode. The only gripe I have is that I've currently found no workarounds to use it' s more esoteric abilities {Like making written notes ON a web page, saving it and then being able to send it.} that work for my Linux machine. If you only use it for productivity during travel, the price is well worth what you get. If you can use it for more it's a steal.

I bought this pen because a mouse just doesn't give me the same level of precision, control, and coordination that an ink pen does. This, I believe, is the case because the mouse's position is controlled mainly by my elbow and shoulder joints, whereas a pen is controlled primarily by my fingers, which are far better trained and are at a geometric advantage anyway. While it is possible to position a mouse precisely (to within one pixel) using the large muscles, there is a lot of eye-brain-hand-screen feedback needed for that, which slows me down and which is what I wanted to avoid.

Unfortunately the pen-mouse doesn't do that. The problem, as I see it, is that it is sensitive to the angle at which the pen is held. Thus if you maneuver it strictly with your shoulder and elbow, it can be kept at a constant angle and there is a linear relationship between the tip and cursor positions; but that misses the point. If I use my fingers, as I do in writing with an ink pen, the angle is not constant and so the positional relationship is not linear and so I have to go closed-loop (i.e. hand-display-eye-brain feedback) in order to get exactly the shapes I want. That is no better than the old-style mouse.

As an exercise, I tried drawing a series of Os (little circles) both open-loop (eyes closed) and closed-loop (eyes open, slowly) both with an ink pen and with the pen mouse. The results were dismaying for the pen mouse, because the open-loop circles had up to about a 50% variation in radius at the point they should have closed; that is, they were spirals. With the ink pen the circles were about as good either way, which is to say pretty good (I do calligraphy and have practiced writing for many years). In closed loop mode (with my eyes open) I could get a good circle from the pen-mouse but it took about as much concentration and effort and time as if I was using a conventional mouse. With the ink pen it was effortless and required no thought.

My handwriting, when I tried that, looked like that of a third-grader. So I don't use the blasted thing.

What bothers me about this is, it's so unnecessary. Angle sensitivity? That's a ridiculous problem to have.