Casio’s Paper Writer tablets are designed for people who want a digital life but can’t let go of paper or are more comfortable dealing with a pen. The Paper Writer V-N500-WJ, V-N500-J, V-T500-WJ, and V-T500-J not only feature pen input on the tablet screen but also come paired with paper notepads that allow users to convert scribbles into digital files.
This is accomplished via the front-facing camera, which takes pictures of the pages in your notebook or any other paper and saves them as digital images. Accompanying software organizes the images and makes them searchable (presumably through OCR). There’s even a business card reader app.
Specs for the 10.1-inch tablet are pretty average: 1.5-GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, Bluetooth Ver.4.0 + EDR / LE, front and rear cameras.
Not so usual for tablets is NFC support with RFID write capability. Plus, users get both a microSD and full SD card slot plus a USB host port and HDMI. For connectivity, the Paper Writer supports wi-fi and LTE.
The Paper Writer series is primarily aimed at business users, which makes sense given the form factor. Casio touts the tablet’s ruggedness, pointing to excellent shock absorption from drops and the ability to operate at -20 degrees Celsius. Plus, there’s the digitzed pen (sold separately), just like on the Samsung Galaxy Note and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet.
Casio hasn’t announced pricing for the tablets or their accessories yet. Launch is in about a month, so we probably won’t have long to wait. Of course, there’s no indication that these tablets are coming to U.S. soil — a shame, really. Perhaps if the Galaxy Note 10.1 is successful Casio might consider it.
If not, would you buy the Japanese version?
Source: Casio – via GottabeMobile
This thing is getting sweeter by the minute. Too bad it is likely going to rival that Lenovo Thinkpad tablet in price if it ever shows up anywhere other than Japan.