Review: The fine points of a high-performing pen (Fly Pentop Computer)

Iria · Nov 19, 2005, 04:17 PM

The holiday season may be a time for love, hope and all that jazz. But let's face it: For many people, a big part of it is getting new toys.

Sometimes, "toys" means playthings for grown-ups, like iPods and flat-screen TV sets. But for the younger crowd, "toys" still means toys. And one toy in particular, though it has been available for only a month, already appears high on the "hottest toys" lists prepared by eBay, Toys "R" Us and others: a $100 educational gadget called the Fly Pentop Computer.

There's something a little odd about the term "pentop computer." Terms like laptop, palmtop and desktop tell you where you use the computer - but you do not use the Fly on top of a pen.

Instead, the Fly is a pen - a fat ballpoint pen. (The company says that its focus groups found the term "pentop computer" infinitely sexier than "pen computer." Nobody ever said consumers are logical.)

The Fly is so fat because it contains an AAA battery, a computer chip, a speaker and, mounted half an inch, or 12 millimeters, from the ballpoint tip, a tiny camera. For all of its educational, interactive tricks, the Fly pen requires special paper whose surface is imprinted with nearly invisible microdots. As you write, the pen always knows where it is on the page, thanks to those dot patterns and the camera that watches them go by.
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Read More / Source: International Herald Tribune

Nov 19, 2005, 04:17 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Review: The fine points of a high-performing pen (Fly Pentop Computer) The holiday season may be a time for love, hope and all that jazz. But let's face it: For many people, a big part of it is getting new toys. Sometimes, "toys" means playthings for grown-ups, like iPods and flat-screen TV sets. But for the younger crowd, "toys" still means toys. And one toy in particular, though it has been available for only a month, already appears high on the "hottest toys" lists prepared by eBay, Toys "R" Us and others: a $100 educational gadget called the Fly Pentop Computer. There's something a little odd about the term "pentop computer." Terms like laptop, palmtop and desktop tell you where you use the computer - but you do not use the Fly on top of a pen. Instead, the Fly is a pen - a fat ballpoint pen. (The company says that its focus groups found the term "pentop computer" infinitely sexier than "pen computer." Nobody ever said consumers are logical.) The Fly is so fat because it contains an AAA battery, a computer chip, a speaker and, mounted half an inch, or 12 millimeters, from the ballpoint tip, a tiny camera. For all of its educational, interactive tricks, the Fly pen requires special paper whose surface is imprinted with nearly invisible microdots. As you write, the pen always knows where it is on the page, thanks to those dot patterns and the camera that watches them go by. __________ Read More / Source: International Herald Tribune