iSketchnote Kickstarter Aims To Make Digitizing Drawings And Notes Easy

No matter how advanced drawing tablets get, the feel of real pens on real paper can't quite be replaced (yet). With this in mind ISKN Team has launched a Kickstarter for its upcoming iSketchnote, "a smart iPad cover" that digitizes what users draw on regular paper with mostly regular pens and saves their lines to their bluetooth connected iPad in real time.

The notebook basically opens with a flat sensor array on one side and the iPad on the other. Users pop paper on the sensor array and scribble away on top with otherwise ordinary pens fitted with special magnets. Their notes show up in a note-taking app on the iPad instantly (at least in theory, there may be some lag).

The hook is that users can still get the feel of normal pens on normal paper while backing up their work instantly, giving them prompt access to a digital version of their work that's ready to be shared handily on social media, e-mail or whatever else. It's a principle kind of similar to Wacom's $99 Inkling and a few other devices on the market. For comic book creators, the device would probably work best for the most basic work (plotting, sketching), although it could potentially be solid for creating simpler pages or strips from scratch.

The Kickstarter has already more than doubly surpassed its $35,000 goal with 27 days left in its campaign, meaning its limited number of backing options are going fast. The $119 option that gave backers an iSketchnote cover and three pens has been claimed, meaning the least expensive way to pickup a unit through Kickstarter is the $149 level for now. If you want to wait until the product is manufactured and has some reviews online, it's said to retail at around $200 when its estimated May 2014 release date comes along.

You can see the iSketchnote at work below.