Once an icon in teenage chick flicks and travel films, the handy journal has now taken a backseat in a digital world. And while phone applications are now the preferred method of recording notes on the go, there’s a distinct satisfaction in scribbling or sketching things down on physical paper.
Enter the Moleskine Smart Writing Set, Batik Collection. Batik fans will be pleased with the black, understated iteration of Singapore Airlines’ iconic batik motif on the book’s cover. A cut above the ordinary journal, this smart notebook makes use of Ncoded paper and a rechargeable Smart Pen that converts your physical scribbles into digital notes.
But just how does it do that?
Open the journal and you’ll see that the paper is filled with tiny dots - these act like mini receptors, and they sense where the Smart Pen is on the page. The pen’s regular exterior hosts something that’s more advanced; it has an infrared camera near the tip, which captures everything you write, and converts it into digital format on the Moleskine Notes mobile application.
If you don’t have your electronic devices with you, you can still store what you’ve written (up to 1,000 note pages) on the pen itself. For the creative thinkers who prefer to draw mind maps and icons to visualise ideas, this is your dream office journal. You don’t have to rework your scribbles into a pdf format since the pen transfers your scribbles digitally, and you can then forward the digital version to your team members.
If you prefer keeping neater notes, the app also transcribes your handwriting into digital font. It allows you to retrieve old notes quickly via a tagging function, where you simply add tags to your pages for easy access and categorisation.
But this isn’t a notebook that’s just meant for work. Make use of the real-time sketch function in the Moleskine Notes app and choose from a variety of brush sizes and colours for your drawings. Sketch as per normal on the physical pages and watch them appear on your screen.
If you’re worried about inaccuracy, the pen has just the right touch of sensitivity to adjust the thickness of your strokes based on the pressure you exert in the app. There is also a playback function to watch the entire process of your sketch.
If you’re one for travel journaling, the unassuming exterior of this notebook is perfect for long plane rides. It also feels and weighs just like a regular notebook, making it easy to slot into your daypack.
The pen, which has a battery life of 8 to 11 hours of non-stop writing, is refillable in a compatible standard D1 size, which can be found easily in stationery stores. But don’t worry, the set comes with two refills and notebooks, so it’ll take awhile before you have to purchase new ink and paper.
5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out
5 Ways to Keep Your Mental Health in Check
