Kindle Review – Kindle 3 Review, iPad Review

TechFlash dug up an electronic pen patent that Amazon just got awarded (on June 9th, 2009) and might be part of Kindle 3 and Kindle DX 2 or perhaps even a new member of the Kindle family -

An electronic input device such as an electronic pen is provided to annotate a paper document. The input device records an annotation and an image of human-comprehensible content in the document …

Here’s an image of the Kindle Pen -

A review of the Kindle Electronic Pen patent indicates that the Kindle Pen -

1. Might be a stand-alone device or might be usable both independently and with Kindle 3 and Kindle DX 2.
2. Lets you sync your Kindle version with a paper version.
3. Has a camera and a voice recorder.
4. Adds anything you write or record (image, audio) via Whispernet to the Kindle version of the document.
5. Has send to print functionality – probably means a Print from Kindle feature.  
6. Has been under development since early 2005 or earlier (patent filing date is March 30th, 2005).

When Mr. Bezos hinted that the Kindle would eventually replace paper, perhaps he meant that it would be a transition aided by a phase during which you could just write on paper and have that show up in the Kindle version.

Reviewing Details of the Kindle Pen

Here’s a link to the patent so you can review the kindle pen patent. The things that caught my eye were -

1. You can turn on or off the ink => the electronic pen can be used on Kindle screens or on regular paper. 
2. The pen can capture ‘an audible annotation’. Obviously an audible file for the Kindle will get added to the kindle version. 
3. The pen has a processor in-built. 
4. The computer processor (presumably on the Kindle) has the capability to print the digital annotation (not clear whether its document with annotation or annotation itself).
5. There’s a camera in the tip.
6. There’s this exciting little snippet - 
   

   apply a recognition routine to the annotation and determine if the annotation includes an electronically-executable instruction;

   That means you an actually write down commands and execute them automatically once its uploaded to WhisperNet.

7. Your annotation can be stored as text, audio, or image.
8. A few other interesting things -
   

   * lots of mention of spatial recognition and it seems it might have additional importance.
   * wonder why this is supported – the image of human-comprehensible content is obtained at approximately the same time the annotation is recorded.

9. There’s also Optical Character Recognition built in. Pretty impressive.

The Amazon Kindle Pen might be a stand alone product

 The patent actually never directly relates the Kindle to the Kindle electronic pen, which raises the question of whether the Kindle Pen will be a stand alone device?

1. There’s Optical Character Recognition. Hinting that it does more than just add annotations.  
2. The pen is pretty self-sufficient i.e. processor, camera, ink, audio recorder.
3. It always talks about talking to a computer or to a network – nothing kindle specific.
4. This image is the strongest hint that Kindle Pen is an independent device -
   

   Kindle Pen to WhisperNet

 It certainly seems that the Amazon Kindle Pen will be able to work independently of Kindles. To see what’s available now, check out the Kindle 2.

Will add updates on the kindle pen as more details trickle out.