Acecad DigiMemo A502

The DigiMemo A502 is a thin electronic clipboard. By placing ordinary paper on it, and writing or drawing with an included, battery-operated pen (which also writes in real ink), an electronic copy is captured by the device. It can capture up to 120 sheets of paper at a time. Using a "real" pen is optional -- an included plastic stylus can replace it for digital-only note-taking.

Handwriting recognition software called MyScript Notes converts handwritten notes to machine-readable text (this conversion takes place on the PC, not the tablet). The DigiMemo's onboard 32 MB storage holds 999 digital pages of notes, and that storage can be augmented with a Compact Flash card. Both the special pen and electronic notepad run on AAA batteries.

Aiptek MyNote

A new product from Germany, the Aiptek MyNote Digital Notepad lets you take digital notes, which you can later synchronize with your Windows XP or Windows 2000 PC via USB. The tablet is the same size as a standard paper tablet and stores notes on SD flash memory cards. AAA batteries last 20 hours on a charge, according to Aiptek. The device holds more than 180 pages of notes and, for now is Available only in Germany, but should become available abroad in the near future.