With a touchscreen keyboard and interface, the iPad has made great strides in pushing printing and writing towards extinction. But Casio sees a different future with its new Paper Writer tablets — a future where handwritten notes and tablets live side by side in perfect harmony.
When it launches in Japan in September (pricing to be determined), there will be four models to choose from. As far as tech specs go, the tablets are decidedly run of the mill, with a 1.5GHz processor, just a 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC/RFID support are notable additions, but what makes the Paper Writer tablets truly unique is the front-facing camera that can digitise handwritten notes, documents and business cards using the tablet’s notepad-packing case.
It also lets those more comfortable with pen and paper use a stylus directly on the tablet’s touchscreen display for taking notes or navigating the UI. So maybe it’s best to think of Casio’s new hardware as a way to help hesitant users finally make the transition to a tablet-only lifestyle. At least users who live in Japan, because there’s no word if these will be made available worldwide at any point. [Casio Paper Writer via Ubergizmo]