touchpen
Latest
Panasonic Electronic Touch Pen lets you scribble on your screen, we go hands on (video)
You know what's wrong with most TVs? The fact that you can't draw on them, right? Well as we learned this morning, Panasonic has developed its own solution to the problem with the newly announced Touch Pen and we managed to get hand(s) on. The wireless pen allows you to draw directly onto compatible Panasonic TVs, annotate, draw, whatever takes your fancy, and then share these images via a range of different connectivity options (via a paired tablet and Panasonic's Viera Remote 2.0 app, or save to USB etc). Panasonic was keen to point out that, unlike existing solutions, the Touch Pen doesn't need any extra hardware, just the TV and the device itself. The actual hardware part is somewhat large, but not cumbersome, and it's pretty clear that this was designed to be comfortable for most hands, yet durable, particularly suitable for children. This comes as no surprise considering that the pen is also effectively a HID device, doubling as a stylus for input and game control. While we were at the booth we loaded up a simple game, and used the pen to control the penguins on the ice, much like flicking angry birds on a phone. In actual use, if you are watching something and you have a sudden burst of inspiration, all you need to do is hold the pen to the screen, and after a short wait the TV grabs a shot of the screen, much like taking a screenshot on a smartphone. With the picture snagged, a simple art interface comes up, with options for colors, pen types, undo, save and so on. We spent a few moments amusing ourselves by adding comedy facial accoutrements to the onscreen protagonist. We can definitely see that this would be a fun novelty for home use, of particular interest to kids. There is also potential for some simple business use too. Whichever case use appeals most to you, over all it's just another input option, and if you're like us, that's always a welcome addition. Once again, Panasonic were tight-lipped on when we might see this, and for how much, but don't be surprised if you see this pop back up some time around summer.%Gallery-175342% Sean Cooper and Steve Dent contributed to this report.
Panasonic shows off Touch Pen for annotating images on Smart TVs
During the Panasonic press event at CES 2013, Toshi Hiramatsu showed off the new Touch Pen for use with compatible Smart TVs. After flicking a picture from an iPad to a TV screen, he used the stylus to annotate the image right on the display. A mention in the official PR for Panasonic's 2013 Smart VIERA Plasma lineup adds a little more information -- using Swipe & Share 2.0 software for Android and iOS, you can push photos to the new displays, modify them using the Touch Pen, then send the changes straight back to the source device. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Animal Crossing styli to help Tom Nook pay for his hot tub
Hey, a thing with Animal Crossing characters on it! Must buy! Seriously, Nintendo did a bad thing by making a game full of super-adorable characters and then designing it such that players are required to interact with these characters on a daily schedule. Then, when you see Tutu or whoever on a toy, you feel more compelled to buy it because you've formed somewhat of a relationship.We recognize this manipulation, but it still works. We may have to buy that Snowman stylus. We love the snowman.
The Legend of Zelda: Pen of Touching
This fall, you'll be able to show everyone that you're all about Zelda and also that you don't care that your DS doesn't fit in its case anymore. To commemorate the release of Phantom Hourglass, Yujin is creating a set of six Zelda styli, each with a Rupee on top and a screen-cleaning strap attached, all designed to dangle from your DS. These won't be out until the fall, so preorder now and hope you still like the game. Also, you should hope you either find five like-minded friends or five more DS's (and ten more hands) because this item comes in packs of six.
