May 7, 2013
I’m a believer in simultaneous finger and pen touch. See my blog from January: “Microsoft’s Jeff Han keynote at the SID Bay Area Display and Touch Technology of the Future conference.”
Today I had the chance to meet N-trig, one of the leading suppliers of active pen technology, DuoSense. Gary Baum, the AVP of product marketing at N-trig showed me dozens of pens and demonstrated the palm rejection and hover features of their technology.
Figure: N-trig’s pen and touch on Fujitsu’s hybrid notebook tablet PC
Source: N-trig, photo by Jennifer Colegrove
Several companies have announced plans to supply active pens. I asked Gary what he thinks about the competitors. Gary smiled and said, “It took Wacom over twenty years to get the pen right. And it took us over ten years to have the best pen. I don’t think other competitors can catch up so fast, it’ll take them at least three, four, or five generations of pens to get it right. On the other hand, it’s a good thing to see more competitors, since it means the market is demanding a pen.”
What new products will N-trig release in the next few months? How much funding has N-trig received? Who are the other competitors in the active pen industry and what are their roadmaps? What are the critical characteristics of the best user experience with pens? What’s the market forecast for active pen technology? A detailed analysis can be found in the Touch and Emerging Display Monthly Report.
Thanks for reading,
Jennifer and team