Wacom Bamboo Slate

AS JOURNALISTS working for any publication, we get called to a wide variety of events and meetings, both in our own offices and across the globe. And at those events, we write. A lot. Whether it’s on a laptop, a notebook, a tablet, or the ever-reliant pen and paper, we write. Notes, interviews, product reviews, concepts, ideas, drawings, brainstorms, insults, and nonchalant doodles of breasts, we write.

The problem? Space. Unlike bulky and energy-hungry tablets and laptops, a pen and paper is unbeatable in its ease of use. Combine that with a relatively small footprint and vast versatility, and it’s the obvious choice. The only downside? Transferring those thoughts to a digital format to be shared across platforms. Wacom believes it’s come up with a solution in the form of the Bamboo Slate. It’s a neat little device, coming in either A4 or A5 sizes, and you can sync it to your smartphone or PC via Bluetooth, press a button, and immediately save anything that you’ve written down using the included pen.

It’s an exceptionally niche product, but it works rather well. Whether you want to take the equivalent of a print to digital screenshot, or transcribe your writing down automatically, the Slate has you covered. It’s not infallible, and it is quite pricey for what it actually is, but being able to convert your designs straight from pen to pixel can be exceptionally useful for any budding creative professional. – zs $130, www.wacom.com