Surf’s Up

No more carrying around a book bag laden with notebooks for every class, the new Boogie Board is here. The Boogie Board Rip is an LCD Writing Tablet with a paper like writing surface that allows the user to write down notes, images, reminders, etc., via a Stylus writing pen. According to their website, the Improv Electronics eWriter has the ability to save written work as files and then later transfer them to a computer. Weighing in at 11.5 ounces – almost half the weight of the iPad – with a 9.5-inch LCD screen, the tablet has a numerous amount of accessories for customization and a smaller 8.5-inch version that clips easily into a binder.

All very well, but as convenient, innovative, and simple as this eWriter looks there are some snags. For the steep price of $129.99, one might be better off with a lower priced tablet like the HP TouchPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab for a couple bucks more. Certainly, the going green aspect and amount of scrap paper possibly saved could make it worthwhile for the environmentally conscious. However, the extremely basic user interface and lack of navigation tools means the device lacks the capability to revise and edit annotations directly, as well as, flip to any previously saved pages that are written on rendering it almost useless for notes in lecture. So if doodling, to do lists, and epiphanies are the main constituents of the day, the Boogie Board Rip is indeed, a more organic option. For more practical use, a pen and paper is still the go to – for now.

Available for purchase at Brookstone and Amazon