When a paper notebook also doubles as the archive for all of your hand-written notes, it makes sense to buy a new one once it’s full. But when that paper notebook can be easily digitised and backed up to the cloud using a smartphone, there’s no reason not to reuse it. So the Rocketbook notebook can be easily erased by just tossing it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
The notebook itself is filled with 100 microwave-safe pages so it doesn’t just burst into flames as soon as you hit the start button. But in order for that handy disappearing trick to work, you will need to stick with Pilot’s special FriXion pens which use a special ink that turns invisible when exposed to heat. The Rocketbook notebooks come with one, but the special pens are also available at most office supply stores.
And the reason you’re able to erase the Rocketbook notebooks without worrying about losing months of notes is because they work with an accompanying smartphone and tablet app which can quickly digitise each page and automatically upload it to your preferred cloud service — be it Dropbox, Google Drive, or what have you. The bottom of each page features a series of icons you can activate with an X that tells the app exactly where each page needs to be stored as it’s uploaded.
Notebooks with similar functionality already exist for Adobe’s products and Evernote, but the Rocketbook appears to make the process even simpler, and you get to reuse the book afterwards which is a big selling point. As for how to get your hands on one, the Rocketbook is currently available for pre-order through Indiegogo, and a donation of $US45 gets you two letter-sized notebooks and a black FriXion pen for taking notes.
Delivery is anticipated to be as early as July, but take that with a grain of salt since the vast majority of crowdsourced products hit delays. But the Rocketbooks also aren’t re-inventing something as complicated as a smartwatch. They’re just improving a tried-and-true product.
[Indiegogo – Rocketbook via Taxi]