I-pen Mouse is a pen-shaped mouse for PCs that allows natural writing just like using a real pen. Utilizing the latest optical navigation technology, I-pen is lightweight, durable, and accurate. With I-pen Mouse, the user can perform natural handwriting to do more creative work or special tasks that were previously impossible with a mouse. I-pen Mouse is designed to work in "mouse mode" for fast point-and-click action and also in "pen mode" for writing and drawing actions. Two modes can be changed manually with the switch of a button. Because it requires a very small surface to write on, it is ideal for laptop users and perfect for places where limited workspace is available. Applications: Write a note on your presentation just like a paper with Finger WhiteTM. The traditional way of showing a presentation used a laser pointer to mark the point of importance which leaves no marks for later references. Now you can write a note, mark, draw, and keep it until you erase it. Browse your favorite website and write a note when there is something of interest as if you were marking the newspaper. Your notes will be saved even after you've visited other pages until you erase it. Draw and write on your desktop like a drawing board. Leave an important message on your desktop for reminder. You can even save your inputs and e-mail them later. Write a letter using the I-pen Mouse like a pen and the OCR converts your handwriting into typewriting text. Too lazy or slow to type letters? Then grab the I-pen Mouse and simply write like a pen. You can also input your signature.

Optical navigation & mouse-hover technology

Pen-on-paper feeling, natural handwriting by sensing contact pressure

Standard mouse driver and USB connection, just plug & play

No special pad required, free to use on almost any surface

Compact and light, perfect for laptop users

Average Customer Review: ( 114 customer reviews )
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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.

93 of 93 found the following review helpful:

Good idea, faulty implementation.Aug 23, 2006
By oion
[...]

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.

50 of 50 found the following review helpful:

Varied Uses-Digital Art, A Mouse, and PC GamesJul 21, 2009
By Wandering Vargr "Wandering Vargr"
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.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:

AtrociousJun 08, 2009
By N. Dalal
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.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

I-Pen Wins Out for Handwritten Note Taking!Jan 20, 2010
By Vera Blake "A Bookworm from Michigan"
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.

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