PRESS RELEASE
Berlin, Germany – September 1, 2016 – Today at IFA 2016, Wacom introduces the Bamboo Slate and Bamboo Folio smartpads. Two attractive and functional designs, two different paper sizes, and the new features of the Wacom Inkspace app and cloud services, including vector output and handwriting to text, offer users a range of choices to bring ideas from paper to the cloud and into the digital workflow – at home, at school and at work.
“Paper notebooks still play an essential role at the beginning of the idea process,” said Mike Gay, Senior Vice President for Wacom’s Consumer Business Unit. “They are often the last analog step within an otherwise fully digital lifestyle. So our goal was simple: add the benefits of digital technology to the paper notebook and create an intuitive tool to help make ideas, no matter where and how they start.”
Making the future of paper notebooks
Bamboo Folio and Bamboo Slate seamlessly bridge the gap between paper notes and the digital life with smartphones, cloud services and PCs. The smartpads are based on Wacom’s EMR (Electro Magnetic Resonance) pen technology and make use of WILL™, Wacom’s digital ink. This allows users to start their ideas with a pen on their favorite paper and with a simple push of a button turn their handwritten notes or sketches into digital files and save them in the Wacom Inkspace app.
“The challenge of paper is that it’s final and difficult to share,” explains Mike Gay. “But in Wacom’s Inkspace, those handwritten notes are now living digitally, so users can edit their handwriting to shape their ideas and share them.” The Wacom Inkspace app works on any Bluetooth enabled iOS or Android™ smartphone and tablet and offers all the advantages of working digitally, including easy editing, organizing and sharing. Features like the real time mode, the undo and redo option, as well as the pressure sensitivity make it intuitive and efficient.
When connected to the cloud, Inkspace offers even more benefits with a paid subscription. Users can now export their sketches as vector (.SVG) files, making them available for editing in creative software. The handwriting to text feature now supports rich text, which means bullet points and paragraphs are captured in the text. Inkspace offers a free and a paid subscription model.
#makingthefuture
To showcase the advantages of digital notetaking and to highlight the full potential of ink-based collaboration in the cloud, Wacom invites visitors at the IFA booth and followers on social media to start #makingthefuture and share their ideas about what they think the world should look like in the future. Topics range from the future of communication to new expressions in art. A sketch note artist will combine the input into a cohesive piece of digital art. These ideas will be captured and shared in an upcoming ebook.
Innovative design for individual workflows
Bamboo Slate and Bamboo Folio are designed to meet individual demands and support different uses ranging from notetaking and light sketching to mind mapping and visual thinking. The extended line-up of smartpads includes three different versions:
· Bamboo Slate is a slim smartpad to quickly capture ideas. It comes in a small (A5 / half letter) and large (A4/ letter) format.
· Bamboo Folio features an integrated cover with extra slots for business cards and other documents. It is designed to keep notes safe and ideas organized and comes in a large (A4 / letter) format.
Inkspace brings the promise of digital stationery to life
Bamboo Slate and Bamboo Folio connect to the new Wacom Inkspace app, which keeps all digital notes safely stored. Here they can easily be edited and shared. The app exports notes as JPG, PNG, PDF or WILL™ file formats and makes them available for Bamboo Paper, Inkspace, Dropbox, Evernote and OneNote. The Inkspace app is based on WILL™ universal ink and can be connected to the Inkspace cloud service, which offers subscriptions to a range of features for a tailor-made suite of digital solutions.
The free Inkspace Basic subscription only requires a sign up to the free Wacom ID. It provides safe storage of 5GB in the cloud and allows easy sharing across different devices including smartphones, tablets and computers to access ideas anytime from everywhere. The advanced Inkspace Plus subscription available on the Wacom Marketplace unlocks even more features for a professional workflow. It converts handwriting to rich text, includes vector export in SVG and searches handwritten notes for further editing, quick recall and increased productivity. It offers 50 GB storage, professional sharing in teams and allows real-time collaboration in editable digital ink files. Owners of the Bamboo Folio and Bamboo Slate get a 3-month free subscription to Inkspace Plus after which they gain access to the service at a discount.
Pricing and availability
The three versions of the new Bamboo Slate and Bamboo Folio will be available for purchase online at the Wacom Estore and select retail outlets.
Bamboo Slate, Small (A5/half letter) USD 129.95 / EUR 129.90 / GBP 90.90
Bamboo Slate, Large (A4/letter) USD 149.95 / EUR 149.90 / GBP 104.90
Bamboo Folio, Large (A4/letter) USD 199.95 / EUR 199.90 / GBP 139.90
*All prices in EUR and GBP incl. VAT.
The Wacom Inkspace app for iOS and Android is free for download in the respective app stores. The subscription to Inkspace Basic cloud service is free, but requires a free Wacom ID. The advanced Inkspace Plus subscription is available on the Wacom Marketplace for three months for free, then for only $2.99 per month (instead of $4.99).
For more information on Bamboo Slate, Bamboo Folio and Inkspace, please visit the following pages:
Bamboo Slate: http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/smartpads/bamboo-slate
Bamboo Folio: http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/smartpads/bamboo-folio
Inkspace: http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/software-apps/inkspace
Bamboo blog: http://bamboo.wacom.com/
About Wacom
Founded in Japan in 1983, Wacom is now a global company with offices around the world supporting marketing and distribution in over 150 countries. For more than 30 years, Wacom has worked with the most creative people and organizations to inspire and equip them to make the world a more creative place.
Wacom’s products have been used by loyal customers to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and product designs. They have also played a significant role in making technology accessible in a natural and intuitive way through pen tablets, interactive pen displays, digital interface solutions, stylus products and creative companions. These all make it possible for everyone to express their creativity in digital media, whether artists, business executives or people enjoying everyday creativity. Wacom’s interface technologies are offered as OEM solutions to leading manufacturers of tablet devices, smartphones and PCs.
