Dear friends of Technical English,
Nowadays high technologies are everywhere around us. Even a well-known pen, which everybody uses, is supposed to serve us better when becoming digital. The main idea of the wireless digital pen is to capture handwriting and convert it from a graphical form into text, and then transmit it to a nearby digital device for storage or further transmission.
As everything the digital pen has its advantages and drawbacks. We have started to discuss the topic concerning the digital pen in the course of English lessons at the Technical University in Prague. The students´ positions, above all else regarding to the pen necessity and its applicability maybe its practicability, differ from each other very much. Below you will find two students´ positions, which are at opposite ends of the opinion spectrum.
In the beginning the digital pen seemed to me quite needless. However, I gradually took the position that it could be beneficial. Now it is your turn to signify your attitude.
And first of all answer please the question:
Do we really need the digital pen?
The detailed description of the digital pen is given on http://www.flyworld.com/whatis/index.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2171883,00.asp
Enjoy the texts and put your opinion into comments. Thank you in advance.Good luck!
Galina Vitkova
Mightier than the Pen
By Vít Bejček
From the course of history we can see what an important invention is the pen. Maybe it is the greatest invention ever made. It’s logical that we are trying to develop a more sophisticated device than a usual ink pen. I agree with the idea of improving the current pen, but I am afraid this research is running in wrong direction. The most of the world is now advanced and a very large percentage of population is connected to the Internet or at least have own computers. It might seem that the digital pen is a necessary technology in present days and life without it would be beyond imagination. But if we really think about it, could you imagine at least one practical thing for which the pen could be used? I cannot do so.
What is expected from the pen? It has to be cheap to avoid fear of losing it, small and easily movable and always ready for use in any circumstances. This digital pen seems to be a mobile device, but the truth is different. We cannot use it without proper connection to the computer system. The price is another disadvantage. I am afraid that the digital pen cannot meet requirements of common users. In my opinion the technology like the digital (electronic) pen is not ready to be released.
Digital Pen
By Robert Arzumanov
Anoto comes from Sweden. It is an invention of Swedish engineers. Anoto is a unique pen that can convert human’s handwriting into a digital form. It also has a unique design. The pen looks like the normal one, but in fact it isn’t. Anoto uses wireless technologies to transmit handwriting to a computer. It has the Parker patented golden nib and wooden body and weighs only 30 grammes.
The meaning of that outstanding pen is to enable a user to transmit the written text to a computer and also save it in its normal form – on a paper. The paper is not usual – it’s special paper with a pattern of almost invisible dots, 0.1 mm across that are printed on its surface. The pen is equipped with a tiny camera that scans the pattern of dots in order to see where the pen is going. The pattern consists of two areas – one for making notes and the other for ticking the box that says “Send this note as an e-mail” or “Send this note as a fax”. Anoto developers predict that, one day, consumers will look at adverts in newspapers and magazines, and tick Anoto – patterned boxes on them saying “Buy this” or “ Send more information”.
The pen can be useful for school and university teachers, in some scientific laboratories, for mass media workers: reporters, editors and so on.
Anoto can be used by students at schools and universities for writing tests or essays as class work. It is more comfortable to solve mathematical problems, count something and write essays on paper than on a computer, but its incomparably easier to correct tests in digital form. So teachers can solve their time problem – they don’t need so much time to „encode“ what is written on a paper. People can share messages internationally – they don’t need to have a computer or PDA or even a mobile with them. They are only to write it down on a sheet of paper and choose ”send as E-mail”. Anoto can solve a lot of problems and help to increase the world’s integration, can break barriers in human communication.
Anoto is better than conventional products because it has elegant unique design, it is more comfortable in use, it allows customers to send written messages as e-mail or a fax, it has a very comfortable body and the unique Parker patented golden nib. Don’t hesitate and order your Anoto through the Internet on AnotoDigitalPenor call 00123456789. You also will get 50 sheets of our special paper absolutely for free!
technical texts in english
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