The Future PC as a Set of Pens?

Strudelkugel writes "The Wave Report covers a concept PC that NEC is working on, called P-ISM. (Maybe the name doesn't work, but it looks cool.) The design concept uses five different pens to make a computer. One pen is a CPU, another a camera, one creates a virtual keyboard, another projects the visual output and thus the display and another a communicator (a phone). All five pens can rest in a holding block which recharges the batteries and holds the mass storage. Each pen communicates wirelessly with the others."

Comments

Power Rangers Bastardization

[DarkHelmet]

Five pens put together.. Do they do ninja moves Power Rangers style?
Just imagine, one pen a different color (Red, Blue, Black, Yellow and Pink).

Camera!
Virtual Keyboard
Output!
Phone!
CPU!

I can imagine there would also be Green, Purple and White pens. These would be evil addon pens.

I can't imagine what they'd fight against. It would be the lamest thing since Gumby.

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't imagine what they'd fight against.

Um.. Voltron?
"And I'll form... the head!"

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[thelasttemptation]

So when I get 15, do I get to join the pen 15 club?

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[thestarz]

I can't imagine what they'd fight against.

Pencils?

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[physicsboy500]

No, no you,ve got it all wrong It's: with their powers combined they become: CAPTAIN PLANET

the first pens that are capable of hugging trees on their own, and you thought your show was lame!

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[akadruid]

...Green, Purple and White...Aren't those the colors of the Windows logo?

I think you need a new 'display' pen...

either that or your display pen is using WEP... i should check for a SMTP server on it... you might be peddling gen.er.ic V!I!A!G!R!A! to the world...

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[austad]

Word on the street is that Sun is working on a Java implementation of it called J-ISM.

Thanks, I'll be here all week.

Re:Power Rangers Bastardization

[argStyopa]

The prototype version is of course the PRE(a)PISM.

It's expected to be hard to use.

Chew, chew, chew

[Reinout]

Cool, finally a computer I can chew on!

Reinout

Re:Chew, chew, chew

[danormsby]

How shocking!

Re:Chew, chew, chew

[Snart Barfunz]

To make up for the lack of front-panel mounted drinks holder, you can stir your coffe with your CPU. And if your hard drive sticks, you can stick it in your ear and lubricate it with some wax. Bad news when you lose the SQL server down the back of the couch though.

Re:Chew, chew, chew

[CrazyBusError]

Then again, all you need to make your own Beowulf cluster is an elastic band.

I can just see it now. An office stationary cupboard becomes self-aware and takes over the world with the aid of the geometry section of the local office suppliers and a couple of sets of Hot-Wheels...

Hey! That's My pen!!!

[Sir.Cracked]

And you think you get pissed off now when someone walks off with one of your pens....

I'm reminded of the old Kids in the Hall sketch. "Hey, That's my pen!!!"

A little too out there....

[Anonymous Coward]

The take up for this sort of thing will be very bad.

Make it 5 pocket protectors instead

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want to sell to geeks, you have to know your market

Re:Make it 5 pocket protectors instead

[*weasel]

Static bag pocket protectors - be the first geek on the block to properly protect your new portable!

Looks neat, but

[lavalyn]

I can't see the keyboard taking off. I don't know about you, but I like feeling the keys putting up resistance and knowing that I pressed the keys correctly. Well, that's what they've said so far about the infrared projector keyboard, and I certainly don't see anybody using those.

That projector pen would definitely be nice though, I hope they make it project far and wide (and sharp).

Re:Looks neat, but

[Bushcat]

You don't have to use the keyboard exclusively. It just has to be one of the options available to you at any given moment.

Secondly, there are a lot of "keyboards" out there that don't have any tactile feedback yet sell well enough: think of touchscreen ticket machines, for example (ooh er, perhaps there aren't any in the US since there's precious little public transport).

Also, consider decoupling the projector mechanism from the detector: the projected keyboard is simply a guide for the operator. The detector is a robust, solid-state item that can be made extremely rugged. The "keyboard" could be etched on steel for vandal-proof phones with internet access keyboards, for example. Or keypads in extreme temperature/chemical environments. They don't have to be one of NEC's never-see-the-light-of-day toys.

Finally, the sensor doesn't have to be configured as a keyboard at all. It could be a mousepad area, where you don't need a mouse: any object would do.

Re:Looks neat, but

[BoneFlower]

Without tactile feedback it is impossible to use a keyboard effectively without looking at it. I can detect typos by the feel of the keys, I know when I hit the wrong one. without tactile feedback, I'll be looking at what I'm doing rather than what I'm typing from. That slows me down a lot.

No-feedback keyboards have a place, but not for general use.

Re:Looks neat, but

[HoldmyCauls]

I'm surprised at this. I figured more of the /. crowd was used to typing while looking at the screen. Isn't that the *best* way to know you typed what you meant? Don't you need to know that the *computer* knows that you meant to call the function certainFunction() instead of reference the array cwrtinFunctin[]?

Just typing this, I must have hit the 'i' key 4 or 5 times incorrectly, but you'll notice no typos after I hit "Submit" because I can see what comes up on the screen in *realtime* rather than stare at the keys until I'm done and then search for the typo in the paragraph-stack (I'm a good speller always, but a bad punner on Monday mornings). Then again, this does explain the massive amount of errors in /. posts...

Much love all the same!

Re:Looks neat, but

[darkgreen]

I think the argument here isn't that the user needs the keyboard to be tactile /instead/ of looking at the screen, but in addition.

Especially for situations where I've made notes elsewhere, or I'm following direction from someone else, I'm frequently looking at printed copy while I'm typing. Finding my place constantly in two separate places is not as fast as being able to keep a constant flow going.

I agree that it's nice to see the mistakes as you type them, but I find that my muscle memory tells me my fingers have made a mistake /before/ my eyes register the same mistake.

tactile feedback will always be a good part of an interface - not always practical, but certainly useful. I don't always look at my phone when I dial, and I'm not looking at the display when I'm checking my voicemail - If there were no contours to the buttons, and confirmation of button presses, it would still be usable, but not as much so.

think about the rash of flat keyboards that were attempted in the 80s with calculators and even computer keyboards. Other than form-factor goodness, there hasn't been much change from the style of keyboard - there's still a need for distinct buttons, and a definite button-press.

Re:Looks neat, but

[HoldmyCauls]

I hate to respond to my own post, but I need to cover the lot of people who have been responding that "tactical" recognition and "motor memory" are the best indicators of mistakes.

With a projected keyboard, wouldn't one notice in the same fashion that his or her finger moved to the wrong position? And yes, it is a big learning curve, but this sounds like a device *for* people who are willing to overcome such a curve in order to put it to use.

In that case, the output device would be the only way to provide the stimulus (seeing that the wrong thing was typed) to denote the wrong action was made (finger moved to the 'e' position instead of the 'r') in order to cause the processing and memorizing apparati (whichever parts of the brain those are) to link the two.

So the device works perfectly as what it's meant to be.

Re:Looks neat, but

[BoneFlower]

Looking at the screen is fine when writing code, but when typing something off a sheet of paper for a school assignment or office job, looking at what you are typing is the way to do it. Looking at the screen, back to the original, back to the screen to make sure you are typing properly slows you down immensely.

If what you are typing is all off the top of your head, then look at it, but if you are typing up something off of a hardcopy then you are wasting your time if you can't type without watching the screen.

Re:Looks neat, but

[danila]

Detect typos? Who do you think you are, a spell checker? The computers of tomorrow will be capable of detecting common mistakes and correcting them automatically. In this particular case the P-ISM (BTW, "writing" and "letter" [message] in Russian are "pismo") might be able to understand where you think the keyboard is, based on the relative positions of the keys and on valid character sequences. E.g. if I typed "jwtviard" it would understand that I meant "keyboard", but missed the keys.

Check out As-U-Type, a nice piece of software that fixes spelling mistakes in any Windows application (or underlines them with red, which doesn't work in Opera, though...). That's the kind of technology that may be helpful to P-ISM users.

P.S. There may be errors in this post, since As-U-Type is not compatible with another piece of software, which I use to automatically switch from Latin to Cyrillic. :(

Sounds interesting, but goofy.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll stick to my CRTs and AT-style keyboards, thanks.

We've come full circle...

[chinton]

You will once again be able to identify a geek by his pocket protector.

Re:We've come full circle...

[elwell642]

Perhaps... but the scarier thing will be that you *won't* be able to identify the undercover geeks.

Meet Jim, your average cubicle-dweller. But this is a very different type of cubicle... there's no computer! But wait! What's this? Jim seems to be powering up his pen collection! And his necktie is a printer!

Pocket Protector Commandoes GO!

[Halloween Jack]

Ichihashi-son used as inspiration James Bond and the future of what technology could be. But Ichihashi-son stated that this is closer to reality than what appears in the 007 movies.

I think he used the Revenge of the Nerd movies. Next up: the slide-rule server.

Re:first

[Anonymous Coward]

Doh off by a minute!

=P

Anyway, at the rate people lose their pens, this is probably not too great...

Needless to say: NO, you CANNOT borrow my pen!

Just what we need

[SFEley]

As often as I lose pens...

No Thanks

[UncleBiggims]

People borrow pens without returning them all the time. I don't wnat someone to fo' shizm my P-ISM.

Are you Corn Fed?

Re:No Thanks

[UncleBiggims]

According to urbandictionary.com, "fo' shizzle" means "for sure". Shizzle can also mean the "s" word, but NOT if used with "fo'". It's "nizzle" that should be avoided by white people.

Besides, my post was just a play on words. Notice I used "shizm" and not "shizzle". And yes, there is no inherent meaning... it just sounded funny to me.

I wonder

[Anonymous Coward]

How much you can overclock a pen. I guess it depends on how hot it runs.

Re:I wonder

[millahtime]

"How much you can overclock a pen. I guess it depends on how hot it runs.

If it gets to hot I wouldn't want that pen in my front pants pocket.

Even Better Than That

[Alan Partridge]

If they make these pens look like crystals, we can start living it up in out own personal fortresses of solitude!

voice recognition

[fgb]

If they develop good speech recognition then they wont need a keyboard pen, the pen would then just need to be a microphone.

Re:voice recognition

[thelasttemptation]

That's right, I want a dozen people saying:
left right click click left left start run format c: enter yes enter noooooooo!!!!

Re:voice recognition

[kinnell]

If they develop good speech recognition

True. Unfortunately, people have been trying to develop good speech recognition for years, and it is still a long way from being viable as the main input method.

Re:voice recognition

[Inominate]

Speech recognition will never replace the keyboard completly.

Take any action you do on a computer.
Now figure out a way to SPEAK that action, without any ambiguity. Now compare how long it takes to SAY that, with how long it takes to do via a keyboard or mouse.

Virtually every action take longer to explain than to simply DO. And the only way to have voice recognition come anywhere close is to have the computer try and guess what you mean. I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer it doing what I tell it to do, even if I occasionally make mistakes. The last thing I want is the computer misinterpreting something I said through no fault of my own.

As for simple text input, the biggest draw for voice recognition is for people who have bad or nonexistant typing skills. It is a valid issue, however it is one that as time passes becomes less and less important. Keyboard use has become ubiquitous among the young today, who will eventually push out the older people who never developed thier typing ability.

Also, can you imagine programming, or writing out abbreviations, or non-words with voice recognition?

int main left parenthesis int argc comma char asterisk asterisk argv right parenthesis left curly bracket printf left parenthesis doublequotes Hello World backslash n right parenthesis semi-colon right curly bracket

Re:voice recognition

[vidarh]

Yes, because I really want people all around me to hear exactly what I'm "writing" at any moment... And I really want to hear the e-mails and documents everyone around me are dictating...

Frankly, speech recognition has some good uses for AUGMENTING input, but it's useless as a keyboard replacement for nearly every usage area.

Re:voice recognition

[quantaq]

Due mostly to privacy, they keyboard (or some form of it) isn't disappearing anytime soon. Typing allows much more privacy than vocalizing. Passwords, sensitive letters, etc.

Re:voice recognition

[yandros]

Your point is very good, but it's not the only serious problem with a primary speech-recog system. It turns out that speech systems are much more tiring to use for long periods of time than keyboards.

So, basically, speech recognition systems are:

* hard to do well (requires new tech, eats computing power)

* hard to use in many environments (they both cause and are seriously hurt by noise polution)

* harder on the majority of users (your speech apparatus gets tired faster than your hands, and the degradation makes the whole problem harder)

There are some good, nifty uses of speech recognition systems, and you're sure to see them in the future (automated phone service systems based on speech recog are starting to get really interesting, for example). `Replacing the keyboard' for complicated tasks isn't likely to be one of them any time soon, in my opinion.

Re:voice recognition

[Haeleth]

int main left parenthesis int argc comma char asterisk asterisk argv right parenthesis left curly bracket printf left parenthesis doublequotes Hello World backslash n right parenthesis semi-colon right curly bracket

I take it the syntax error is deliberate?

Re:voice recognition

[argStyopa]

Take any action you do on a computer.
Now figure out a way to SPEAK that action, without any ambiguity. Now compare how long it takes to SAY that, with how long it takes to do via a keyboard or mouse.

It may not replace it COMPLETELY but....

"Power on"
"Sort ...uh....hot asian lesbian cheerleader pr0n"
"Power off"

I can see a big potential in hands-free computing, and frankly, this probably wraps up what, 60% of the market and 80% of /.ers?

Size

[Tarwn]

And these will be even smaller then my handheld....or not. Sure you will be able to manipulate them into differant shap[es in your pocket, but what happens on the day you forget one of your pens? And imagine all the wierd looks you'll be getting at the laundramat when you go insane, not because of the ink splotch, but because of the cost :P

Open channel D!

[kinnell]

He was really inspired by the man from u.n.c.l.e. A james bond pen would dispense acid, and have a built in laser, super electromagnet and rocket launcher.

hack

[millahtime]

Wonder if I could hack the wireless connection to another persons pens at their desk.

The problem with that

[Threni]

is that `virtual keyboards` are horrible. The idea just doesn't work. I have a friend who plays the piano and you should hear the BS that people with cheap, shitty keyboards come up with when they try and get him to play the piano on their horrible $200 midi keyboards.

Re:The problem with that

[Threni]

> what does a virtual keyboard have to do with a real piano vs a midi keyboard

Both a virtual keyboard and a midikeyboard are shitty versions of what they're based on - they both have feedback mechanisms - which let you know which key you've pressed and how hard you've pressed it - which are simply not up to the job of serious typing or piano playing.

Re:The problem with that

[thelasttemptation]

So how does a $200 shitty keyboard compair with a virtual keyboard? They are different. A keyboard makes the same char no matter how you press the key, a piano makes different sounds depending on how you press a key. I just don't see how you can compair them.

Re:The problem with that

[RetroGeek]

which are simply not up to the job of serious typing or piano playing

A real piano has a feedback kick. You press the key, the key lever hits a hammer, the hammer hits the string, then BOUNCES. The bounce hits the hammer, which hits the lever, which hits your finger.

When I first played an electric piano, it sounded right, but something was missing. It was after a few months that I figured out I was missing the slight "kick" against my fingers when I hit a note.

The new high end electric keyboards have a built-in kickback. They feel MUCH better.

I also prefer real keyboards. There is a new virtual keyboard system I saw on TV a few days ago. A light displays a keyboard on any flat surface. A sensor watches where your fingers hit on that flat surface, then translate the location into the key. I would hate this as I like to have that feeling of something being depressed when I type.

Re:The problem with that

[Threni]

> feedback about whether or not we pressed the right key comes from what we see
> not the tactile feedback anyway, so how would a virtual keyboard be a problem?

I think we're talking about two different types of feedback. I look at the screen, not the keyboard, but obviously you can't really feel that you've hit the right key - you see it appear on the screen. But real keyboards provide a sort of cushion against the impact of hitting keys. I'm sure secretaries and other people who type all day every day would get a lot more RSI and related damaged if they were typing on their desks rather than a keyboard.

Re:The problem with that

[Anonymous Coward]

I would hate this as I like to have that feeling of something being depressed when I type.

I felt depressed while reading your post.

pocket protector

[millahtime]

Can I also get a pocket protector that acts as a firewall to prevent my pens in my pocket from getting hacked?

New Sylvester Stallone movie

[JeffHeatonDotCom]

Demolition Man II. Hey, HE doesn't know how to use the five pens!!!

Jeff

What is the benefit of the CPU in a pen?

[oneiros27]

I can see the need to put the other components into a container that can be easily moved and repositioned -- but the CPU?

Unless they're planning on making a 9 slot base, so I can have the 4 I/O pens, and 5 CPU pens, I don't see a real benefit. And I'm guessing I'd see more benefit out of having the storage be more expandable than the CPU power. [I could always replace the CPU item, but having the storage segregated makes more sense to me, so I have my work documents on one, personal stuff on another, music on a third, etc.]

Re:What is the benefit of the CPU in a pen?

[nutznboltz]

When you get down to this level of miniaturization design decisions can't be arbitrary. I'm convinced that if we had more information about the product a reason for a "CPU pen" would be clear, especially if the actual contents of the "CPU pen" were known.

Re:What is the benefit of the CPU in a pen?

[mog007]

I'm more concerned with upgrades. When you want to upgrade just one componant, do you just replace the CPU pen with the new one? How does it operate at the same frequency as the other componants? If all models operate at the same frequency then a LAN party, or computer lab of these things is a big impossibility.

Workplace theft

[clemster]

Think how easily supplies disappear from the workplace..... this just makes it easer to fit a "box" of computers in your briefcase/purse. Clemster.

This is a good idea why?

[MadDog Bob-2]

I can't help but think this is nearly as poor a design as the three sea shells...

Call me a traditionalist...

[WegianWarrior]

...or even a luddite, but: one creates a virtual keyboard?I happen to like the idea of having some sort of tactile feedback when I write. If I'm going to write so much on this sort of future PDA so much I need a keyboard to do it, I would much prefer either a keyboar like the Psion Series5 or a good system for transforming handwritting into input (hey, if they are going to add a camera anyway, why not put it to good use?)

Sorry NEC, but 'hammering' my fingers into the desk isn't high on my list of things to do... which isn't the same as to say that it is a stupid idea for everyone.

Already slashdotted....

[The Fun Guy]

I always thought the old "exploding pen" trick was a lame joke left over from Get Smart.

Plus ca change...

Be honest!

[Lurker McLurker]

Who else saw the headline as

The Future PC as a Set of Penises

Come on, I know it wasn't just me.

slashdotted

[Ween]

16 comments and slashdotted already. There doesnt appear to be a google cache either. I guess I must make the obligatory comment about them running their server on one of these pens.

Personally...

[Metal_Demon]

I'm waiting for the one marker to rule them all!

Projected keyboard

[Bushcat]

Odd that the NEC article would show links to a Canesta solution, with a news release way back in 2002. I hesitate to post the links because both sites will get slashdotted instantly, and the latter site has a silly activex, but this shows a VKB solution for a PDA. VKB itself can be seen here.

I've seen and used VKB technology. It's very compact and an elegant solution. Unlike Canesta, it doesn't need a stereoscopic view of the target area, which means it really could fit into a pen sitting in a charger or other holder.

Re:Projected keyboard

[vidarh]

The slashdot effect only works from the front page. Seriously. Links from comments draw just a small, puny, trickle of hits compared to a link from the front page, driven by the fact that most people reading Slashdot rarely even click on the comments section, and even then few people will bother going through all the comments. So don't worry about posting links....

Remember

[mikeophile]

My pen is

is mightier than the sword.

Re:Remember

[physicsboy500]

But my pen is only running at 900MHz, my sword is OC's to almost 2Ghz

Good heat dissipation I guess!

Re:Remember

[NewbieProgrammerMan]

I'll take "The Penis Mightier" for $500, Alex....

voice recognition in 'hand', not 'pen'

[dpilot]

Reference to "The Demon with the Glass Hand," an Outer Limits episode starring Robert Culp.

His hand was a computer, and the fingers were computing elements. He needed to get all five fingers in order to make the computer whole and save Mankind from the aliens. He talked to his hand, and it answered.

Re:voice recognition in 'hand', not 'pen'

[Endive4Ever]

Umm, Harlan Ellision wrote it. Who cares who they hired as the meat puppet to act in it?

New market for games envisaged

[Operating Thetan]

Upcoming titles include "Poke the Guy Next To You In The Ribs", "Ink Flick Mayhem" and "Draw on The Unconscious Drunk Guy". Still, it's better than the N-Gage.

Ha! One-upped!

[NoData]

P-ISM? A computer built into pens?! That's nothing! I invented a computer that's built into your jeans! I call it J-ISM, naturally.

What? It comes in your pants!

Great! Just when geeks...

[Chris_Stankowitz]

Just when geeks were gettin away from pocket protectors and becoming socially aceptable. Now I'll never get laid. Nevermind, wasn't much chance of that anyway.

Chorded keyboard instead of projection?

[Reinout]

Not that those things have taken off, but this might be an possibility for chorded keyboards. Typing on a projected keyboard on your desk surface won't be so much fun either...

(A chorded keyboard is something you hold in one hand. You have to press a few keys at the same time (just like a piano chord) to get a character. With just a couple of keys you can apparently type pretty well. Perhaps you could fit this in an overlarge pen...)

Reinout

Wizardry

[dapyx]

I propose replacing "pens" with "magical wands".

Ordinary people think that computing has to do with magic anyway. (must be those pesky "wizard interfaces")

What about Storage?

[Lurker McLurker]

The storage seems to be in the base unit, which would seriously reduce the portablity, as the unit also contains a power supply. So it's really 5 pens and a brick.

Of course, there could be some sort of storage in the CPU pen, but not that much, surely.

Sour Grapes

[Catbeller]

Damn. I cam up with the computer-in-the-pen idea a few months ago. Input by penstroke, display by an intelligent led projector in the top of the pen, above the hand, that could compensate for hand movement. I was going to use it in a SF story. If I had been smart as a yoot, I would have an EE and made the bloody thing. The prototype would probably have weighed ten pounds, which would have been amusing in itself.

A pen-as-PC makes design sense, for utilitarian and human reasons. People can deal with a pen. We've used them for millenia.

They also could be cell phones as well, with voice, video, and internet capabilities. Wireless, of course.

I was seriously considering applying for a patent on the idea. Ya know, sometimes working for a living gets in the way of living. No time, no time.

Photonic circuitry can someday make them cool and powerful. Should be a pretty thing to see.

Ah, well. Run with the idea, guys! I want to have one.

I can just see the pocket protectors now.

[nlinecomputers]

Like geeks don't have enough baggage stuck on our image. I can just see the pocket protectors with cooling fans and neon lights on them....*shudder*

I just hapPENed to wonder....

[hardcode57]

... if configured as servers, will they be mightier than the blade?

Mitch Hedberg

[DanThe1Man]

This article remindes me of a standup line by Mitch Hedberg.

"I bought an expensive pen the other day because I keep loseing pens and I was tired of not careing"

And if you assemble them sllightly differently...

[ptomblin]

...it becomes a gun that shoots a golden bullet.

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but

[jrockway]

my CPU needs a 600 gram heatsink to run cool. This CPU pen is going to melt it's casing before the OS even thinks about starting up.

Assuming it manages to start, I think this is going to become a lot more common! (Oops! Time for a meeting. Better pocket m' pens. OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!)

original info at NEC

[snub]

Here is the info directly from NEC:
http://www.nec-design.co.jp/showcase/

and a quote: "These are concept models and not planned to be commercialized at this point"

Conceptualization Stages

[subjectstorm]

Man: Dude . . . i just had a sweet idea.

Dude: Lay it on me man.

Man: You know how superman has all those crystals that he can like, plug into stuff in the fortress? and it like . . . does stuff?

Dude: That is totally sweet.

Man: Oh yah, i know - but what if, like, EACH one of those crystals was also . . . A FULLY FUNCTIONAL PEN!!!!

Dude: . . . . You have just totally blown my mind man.

--- and if you don't like that, how about this ---

Infinium Labs: Behold the majesty of our new, always on, super-terrific awesome badass pen computer thingy!

Person: um . . . that's just a bunch of ball point pens shoved into a styrofoam block.

Infinium: LIES! don't you see the battery?

Person: It's just held on with scotch tape. you don't even have a wire running to it or anything.

Lawyer: You will cease and desist from disparaging Infinium Labs.

Person: whatever.

Darl: excuse me gentlemen, but . . . would that be running linux by any chance?

Re:Hey! That's My pen!!!

[zephc]

that would be here :)

Smaller Not Always Better

[Dun Malg]

In the future, computers will be made out of small, disconnected, easily lost parts.

Anyone else see anything wrong with this plan?

too complex

[fermion]

It is certainly cool that can fit a CPU in a pen, but it seems to be complex. I mean five separate components for a simple computer. Most of us can barely keep up with a stylus for the PDA or power-supply for our portable. We now need to keep up with three pens to have a functional computer. Will not fly. Most of us could barely make it out of the house with all the parts.

There needs to be a single pen for the Cu/Display/Keyboard combo, and then optional pens for peripherals. This would also alleviate security issues of nearby keyboard loggers.

I have a better idea

[drinkypoo]

Instead of five pens, which you are not going to carry on your person, make it a couple pens, some glasses, a watch, and a wallet or something. (Remember all the fuss about e-wallet technology? h0 h0) Who the fuck carries five pens? Given that they're also computers, if they actually work as pens, I'll bet a dollar they're shitty pens. (And no, I didn't RTFA. It's a dumb idea.)

Alternate site for P-ISM information

[nutznboltz]

since we're all slashdotted and stuff...

http://www.nec-design.co.jp/showcase/

Geez...

[sczimme]

I don't know about you, but I like feeling the keys putting up resistance

someone has control issues...!

:-)

There is no "CPU pen"

[nutznboltz]

P-ISM :
A Pen-style Personal Networking Gadget Package
It seems that information terminals are infinitely getting smaller. However, we will continue to manipulate them with our hands for now. We have visualized the connection between the latest technology and the human, in a form of a pen. P-ISM is a gadget package including five functions: a pen-style cellular phone with a handwriting data input function, virtual keyboard, a very small projector, camera scanner, and personal ID key with cashless pass function. P-ISMs are connected with one another through short-range wireless technology. The whole set is also connected to the Internet through the cellular phone function. This personal gadget in a minimalistic pen style enables the ultimate ubiquitous computing.

Obligatory

[wed128]

Talk to the hand...

Ok That Was Bad...

Hey Guys!

[nanojath]

Hey Guys! Is she statisfied with the size of your P.E.N.S.?!

Is that a hard drive in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

The possibilities for jocularity seem endless. Oh, and I'm really looking forward to a computer I can lose 1/5th of through a moment of innatention. "No, waiter, I REALLY need MY pen back. It's got all the third quarter earnings numbers on it!"

New Computer, New Name

[Simonetta]

We should call these 'interactive pens' or 'pen-i'.

That way we can truthfully say:

"I do all my productive work now with my pen-is!"

One Question.......

[vwjeff]

Do they come with a pocket protector?

A new class warfare begins

[digrieze]

Hey folks, remember when laptops and pdas came out and companies started charging $50 - $100 for "leather like" " (i.e. vinyl)cases? I can't wait for the "nappa leather Franklin-covey pocket protectors". Plastic just won't be enough for the PHBs, the $1.00 pocket protector will be so out of it no one will want it, it'll die for lack of sales and the laundry business will have a revival as people try to figure out how to keep pencils from messing up their shirts.

Life is a trip - pack your parachute.

Pen computer?

[lonb]

How many pens would a web site need to not go down when it gets /.ed?

Ah Yes...

[holzp]

But can they write?

Handwriting Recognition

[thebitboy]

Why not use handwriting recognition? Use the display pen to project a virtual page on whatever surface you're using and use the handwriting pen to write virtual ink. I would think it would be much more intuitive and require less space.

I would rather prefer cards than pens

[Anonymous Coward]

Future computer as pile of credit-card-sized cards.

P-ISM

[MuParadigm]

I'm just wondering, if P-ISM is the name of this product, what are they going to call the Java-enabled version?

Existing technology

[vurg]

I believe this has already been done by some people in India. They call it the "Shankara" stones. History said that the evil Mola Ram tried to gain control of them.

They Forgot the Most Important Pen

[EverlastingPhelps]

One pen to bring them all and bind them in darkness...

In other words, the pen that runs Windows.

Battery powered *projector pen*???

[roadrash608]

ppppphhphphtttBAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The other 4 pens are well and good but the 'projection display' pen is going to be sci-fi for a while. I hope you like your 10 minute battery life....ok maybe 20 mins with a nice fuel cell...

Dumb idea

[Fig1a]

Excuse me, I think i just lost my CPU.