Its natural to think of new interactions in the form of old interfaces. I have followed the idea of pen interaction for some time. The idea of a pen that can record interaction is an old one ... manually as early as the Pantograph (1630) ... then with computers using light-pens as early as the 60s ... I used them in the 70s, to interact with early graphical display systems ... They were tiresome to hold up to the screen, and had low resolution ... they are still in use for some applications. Engelbart's mouse replaced the idea for years ... but it is hard for the average user to sign or draw things with a mouse or fill in forms accurately without a keyboard. Cross Pens tried a number of 'recording' pens ... now they make Notebook Pens and accessories. I tried some of their systems, but they never became a habit. In 2002 NCR worked with Cross to produce the PurchasePal for retail transactions, don't know if this pen and key-fob idea still exists. The emergence of tablet computers has re-energized the basic idea. The example below has a Bluetooth connection, which as I read it allows you to download stored information from the pen via a cellphone connection. A tablet is not required, but a grid-registered form is. The article below also contains some detailed technical details about their implementation. 
HP, Nokia mobilize the digital pen
New model can send form data to servers via cell phones, By Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service
Hewlett-Packard's (HP's) "digital pen" technology is going on the road with a little help from Nokia.
The digital pen is a real ink pen that takes 100 pictures per second to digitally record what the user is writing. A new model from Nokia can send that information via Bluetooth to a Nokia phone and from there to a server over a standard mobile data network, the companies announced Wednesday. HP and Nokia teamed up to add more mobility to a system that was designed to quickly and efficiently transfer information from paper forms to databases, according to Eric Chaniot, vice president and general manager of HP's Digital Pen and Paper business. HP's current digital pen uses a cradle wired to a PC via USB (Universal Serial Bus). Users have to put the pen in the cradle in order to upload data.... See HP's post on their digital pen technology.
I really like broad historical sweeps when it comes to technology. We tend to think technology concepts and ideas are always very new when in fact they often have been around a long time - in this case since 1630. Great example.
I too have used digital pens in various forms over the years and have yet to find one useful. Maybe this time.
Posted by: Steve King | February 04, 2005 at 08:44 AM