Customer Reviews

SolidTek DM-L2 DigiMemo L2 8-1/2-by-11-Inch Digital Notepad

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I have used the 8-1/2"x11" Digital Notepad every weekday for the past month to teach high school math classes. I use the on-line writing feature with a laptop connected to a projector to put notes on the board. I print these notes to pdf format using PrimoPDF and post them to a website. I use the Notepad off-line to write out and save solutions to exercises which would take too long to type in mathematical notation: these pages are easily downloaded from the Notepad's memory to a computer and printed to pdf format for posting on the web. After about 90 hours of use, I have found this product to be reliable and well worth the price.

I was really excited about this product and very happy with it for the first 3 months of ownership. I used it every single day. I go to a lot of meetings and consequently take a lot of notes. I found it very convenient and unobtrusive to use this notepad instead of bringing along a laptop or having to scan my notes after the fact.

Operation is pretty simple. Press the power button and there is a little number indicator to show which page the clipboard is on. If there is already data on the "page" the indicator will show filled text. It also indicates if the page is blank so you can begin to write.

To download the information, I just would plug in my USB cable and download. Their custom software is required because a format of *.DHW is used. That is sort of inconvenient because then I'd have to convert to either pdf or jpg. The pdf conversion results in a not very high quality file. And doing jpg conversion is a pain because its necessary to convert page by page. And there are no options to change quality or resolution of the conversion.

I was okay with all these things and planning to just live with it, however, a few days ago the unit just broke on me. The clipboard would freeze on a specific page and none of the buttons would respond. I had to take out the batteries to get it to reset. Also, I have lost 10 pages of data because I cannot download the files anymore. When I plug in the digimemo tablet, the folders will show up at first. Then when I try to download, the data disappears and show only 0 bytes on the drives. It is very frustrating.

I don't know what to do now since I just have a plastic clipboard which has no functionality.

To sum up:
NEGATIVES
* Proprietary file format which requires conversion
* Converted files (pdf) are either poor quality or tedious (must do page by page for jpg)
* Poor quality. The unit already broke after 3 months!

POSITIVES
* Uses normal paper
* Uses regular batteries
* Can just plug in via USB port
* Stores 1000 pages

But, the quality issue is most troubling because I've spent > $100 for a unusable product with no service or support!

I had earlier version (692) and this model (L2) is much better. I really like this product, and my colleagues are instantly impressed too. What I liked most is the in-line writing and tablet features. I plan to use this gadget to teach classes using the in-line feature so that I can have a complete copy of my classnotes in digital form for my own. Students will get the notes from my website as well.

I gave it a 4-star rating because of two issues:

1. There is no "erase" feature. I make a lot of mistakes when I write with a pen and I'd like to be able to correct them right away. If I were an engineer of Acecad, I'd make an "erasor" that erase mistakes on both paper and electronic copies simultaneously. The erasor could use the "liquid paper" to cover the mistakes on paper, and the tip sends the signal to do the same on the electronic copy. That should be easy to do.

2. The digimemo can't convert files to PDF directly.

I'd pay $100 more for the erasor feature, and $30 for the PDF conversion. I hope the Acecad CEO listens. Or, if some other commanies' CEOs listen, I'll switch.

I've used this product for the last two months. Reviewing now that I've decided it's a great business tool and not just a cool gizmo. This product excels in creating quick meeting notes and diagrams.

Main selling point for me was a normal sized pen but the included software turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

I can save directly to PDF when viewing the doc online or copy the images into word, etc.

Also allows a real-time whiteboard, in online writing mode, that can be shared via LiveMeeting or WebEx - allowing folks on conference calls to see what is being discussed in the room.

Included software does a great job in grabbing shapes when you wish to colorize your offline work. This allows generation of in-team documents very quickly instead of using diagram software that could take hours.

Love that it uses regular paper and that you can buy extra pens for alternate colors while drawing.

Great communication tool!

I purchased this 4 days ago primarily to help me write a white paper, with concept flows and diagrams. Transfers to the computer perfectly; saved as a Pdf and sent a copy to a coleague. Today I'm working on version 2! The erase ability that a reviewer said wasn't there; is doable; but online. In which case you'd have to correct your written notes manually. Not perfect; but the primary function I would like out this...concept writing, meeting notes, and turn them around almost instantly in typed form is there! Great value for the money.

I opened the box, read the directions and was using the notepad right away. I'm still amazed at the precision and clarity of the notes from the pad to the computer. I was skeptical if I could actually use a full pad of paper and still get the image digitized - well it works great with a full pad of paper. I do find that I would like to use my own pen but it's a small sacrifice to get the notes into my computer. It saves a lot of time that I used to spend scanning my notes. The on-line writing feature that lets you use the pad as an input device directly to the PC that can then be used to connnect to a projection device works very well.
You can also use it as a tablet pad and seems to work very well (I don't have much need for this feature).
Be aware that it may not fit in a portfolio you may already have because it is larger than a normal 8.5 by 11 pad of paper. Also, if you lose the pen you'll need to order another one ($25 TO $30).
I would recommend this for those of you who scan your notes or could use it for classroom instruction.

I attend a lot of meetings in which I have to take notes (many of which are in the form of diagrams). Sometimes I'm at the "big" table, sometimes I'm in the seats along the wall. When I'm at the table, this device is a lot less distracting and less intimidating than my laptop. When I'm in the cheap seats, I can still take notes without trying to balance a laptop on my knees.

The character recognition S/W works pretty well and saves a lot of transcription time. Still, even without the OCR, for the reasons above, it's an effective device.

On the lighter side, it captures my doodles and cartoons I make while taking notes.

I must say I'm pretty happy with the purchase and recommend it to anyone who attends meetings or has to take notes in the course of their day.

I purchased this product because I seem to take a lot of notes at meetings and have a hard time organizing them. The first one I received had some issues. I emailed the company about the problem, but never did get a real response. I sent the product back to amazon and was immediately sent a replacement (amazon has the best customer service I ever seen).

The second product works exactly as advertised. I've been using it daily for about the last 2 weeks. It reproduces my written notes on the computer exactly as they are on paper. The ability to edit the notes with the ACECAD provided software and save the file in PDF format has been invaluable. My only desire (not a complaint) would be wireless connectivity to the computer; the USB cable can get in the way at times.

Overall this product has turned out to be exactly what it was advertised to be. I would do it again for the same results.

I bought this a few months ago and I think it is a great product. I bought the Digimemo the padfolio and also the Writing recognition software. The Digital notepad works great, I can draw and write and everything is captured in the internal memory card, or the SD card that you can put in the side slot.Best of all I can use it with LINUX, and it is much easier to use than with the windows software and I can use an image editor to do all sorts of things with my notes.(NOTE: must use third party software for linux)

As far as the writing recognition goes, I have sloppy hand writing so it didnt work that well with me but I am sure if you have neat handwriting it shouldnt be that big of a deal.

I use this for college and I think it is a much better alternative than a tablet pc because it doesnt draw that much unwanted attention from thieves since it looks like an ordinary notepad.

I just received my notepad. It was very easy to use right out of the box. The software loaded easily and I could use the features right away. It seem very user friendly. I do not have to press hard and just write as I would on any notepad. The pen is light and is not too big or chunky. I find that it seems to be as good or better than the reviews lead me to believe. I think this product is better than I thought it would be. I am very pleased.