November - gadget-lovers' monster month

Tablet PC, meet the Logitech Io Pen...

Microsoft Tablet PC devices are not going to be entering the mobile computing market alone when they launch in November. Logitech will be attempting to steal some of Gates' thunder with the launch of its Io pen. In technology terms the Io pen is not in the same league as the Tablet but it does go some way towards being considered a worthy rival. The Io pen offers users the opportunity to take notes in a meeting and then save them straight onto their computer. David Henry, VP of control devices at Logitech, said: "It's a natural extension of what you do today. A lot of people take notes and a lot of people want to transfer those notes to their computer. Typically they type up those notes - this is a much easier way." This level of functionality shares a great deal with the Tablet. If all you want is a way to take notes digitally then it provides a compelling anti-Tablet argument. With the Io pen, the user writes onto a paper pad and the pen records the digital information. The paper is in essence just a normal pad - leafed and ring-bound - though it is coated with a pre-printed 'screen' and will be sold with a 10 to 15 per cent mark up on normal A4 pads. The pen can record up to 40 pages of notes and a USB docking station means you can easily upload information onto your desktop. The Io pen will be priced at $199 when it is released in the US in November. The pads of paper will be available from stationery shops for around $7.50 each. David Henry was talking to David Corsey at News.com.