CeBIT: C Tech Pen is Bluetooth wonder

NEWS The C Pen is no exception. Described as a "mobile information collector", the device is a cross between a Personal Digital Accessory (PDA) and a text scanner. A prototype demonstrated Friday at CeBIT was shown using Bluetooth protocols. The Bluetooth clan, which comprises IBM, Nokia, Ericsson, Intel and Toshiba, aims to develop mobile, wireless technology using standard protocols. The latest version -- due out immediately -- is compatible with Microsoft Outlook and boasts four-language translation software. The device captures text or graphics via a digital camera and stores Information in its 8Mb memory. The C Pen offers a range of PDA-like features, according to Magnus Manhem, vice president for sales and marketing at Swedish manufacturer C Tech. For example, one feature allows the user to scan in a business card, line-by-line, then upload it to a contacts database in Microsoft Outlook. Two-way language dictionaries let you translate, for instance, from English to German and vice verse. The C Pen has a built-in infra-red port for communicating with other computers. But C Tech also showed a prototype which used Bluetooth 0.85 protocols to communicate via radio waves. The company expects to release a dual infra-red/radio frequency version once Bluetooth-enabled portables are commercially available. The gadget boasts an Intel StrongARM 100 MHz processor plus a 3 hour battery, yet it is still small enough to fit in the hand. Predictably, the device is expensive at DM999 (£333). Its chief rivals are less expensive and less complex dedicated text scanners such as the Siemens Pocket Reader which costs £149. Take me to ZDNet's CeBIT coverage.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Membership FAQ

ZDNet UK Live

love the LHC info. Keep up the good work. May God bless all in volved.

5 hours ago by georgiox on LHC to run for longest continuous period

You are quite right. HDS has not been marketing their products well. USPV is miles ahead in terms of ease of use and technology on enterprise...

10 hours ago by sgardia on Will the SUN set on Hitachi Data Systems OEM relationship?

Fedora is the same way as well. The yum update system uses "presto" which shrinks the amount of data needed for download. It's a great system....

21 hours ago by apexwm on Can you believe it - 2765 kB will be freed?

Updated ID cards considered for 2012: [zdnet.co.uk] The government is considering introducing a new generation of ID... http://dlvr.it/KpBZ

22 hours ago on Twitter by cybfor

Google, Viacom trade blows in YouTube copyright spat: [zdnet.co.uk] Google and the US media giant Viacom have issued... http://dlvr.it/Knht

23 hours ago on Twitter by cybfor

Be sure to include an audio option - eg. a beep tone - to intensify and reiterate the action. This will greatly benefit some consumers and give...

23 hours ago by CIMITL

Data disposal is really important to get right. There are standards set by UK and US federal governments to ensure that data is kept secure. If...

23 hours ago by DataSecurityUK

Online Fiber Optic Certification Join a talented group of professionals, who are dedicated to Fiber Optic Networking technology. The online course...

1 day ago by chaycon1 on BT launches 40Mbps fibre-based broadband

Online Fiber Optic Certification Join a talented group of professionals, who are dedicated to Fiber Optic Networking technology. The online course...

1 day ago by chaycon1 on Google to build gigabit broadband to the home

Hi Dava, I'm glad to hear from you, and glad that you see things from the other side. I think that is the most important point of the whole...

1 day ago by J.A. Watson on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and the Latest Tempest

please please please please please please kill that spam bot.

1 day ago by dava4444 on ZDNet UK: faster, smarter, still IT all the way

1 day ago by 253chelisa253 on How security will look in 10 years

it is only greedy[microsoft]?

1 day ago by lezlow on Researchers break into BitLocker

it didn't post the link it's 'Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx Beta-1 First Look' on youtube :) Dava

1 day ago by dava4444 on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and the Latest Tempest

Hi James I disagree, Ubuntu needs a GUI update and this one IMO is quite good. your pics show a low res. here's a high res. on YouTube* The...

1 day ago by dava4444 on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and the Latest Tempest

Hi any news on the comment bot? knocking me back from my own blog is a bit cheeky lol *Mulder to Scully* "I think it has an agenda.." I know, I...

1 day ago by dava4444 on ZDNet UK: faster, smarter, still IT all the way

if you look at the Brentwood exchange on samknows it servers 21,000 residential propertiesm, Lowestoft serves 31,000! Come on BT sort yourselves...

1 day ago by benny boy on BT fibre broadband coming to 69 more towns

[programming] H.264 - a sting in the tail http://reddit.com/bfu4q [zdnet.co.uk]

1 day ago on Twitter by pbreddit

H.264 - a sting in the tail [programming] 13 points, submitted by zigzag [zdnet.co.uk] http://reddit.com/bfu4q

1 day ago on Twitter by reddit

Malware infects second Vodafone HTC phone: [zdnet.co.uk] A second Android-based HTC Magic from Vodafone has been... http://dlvr.it/KhKx

1 day ago on Twitter by cybfor

Featured white papers

Achieving PCI Compliance for:Privileged Password Management & Remote Vendor Access

e-DMZ Security

For multi-store outlets, including retail, banking, grocery, gas, hospitality, convenience stores and others, reducing (or avoiding) the cost of in-store system support and maintenance while maintaining compliance with PCI and other requirements has become a strategic challenge.

Download now

Web 2.0 Security Threats: How to Protect Your Enterprise Network

Qualys

Speaker: Dr. Chenxi Wang, Principal Analyst, Security and Risk Management, Forrester Research, Inc. As Enterprises are increasingly connected to the Internet and as hard organizational boundaries are fast disappearing, security professionals are facing fresh challenges in Enterprise computing.

Download now