The unit utilizes handwriting recognition software to translate handwritten material into electronic form for upload to a PC via a standard USB cable connection.

The user puts normal paper on the digital pad, turns on the power, then writes down everything wanted with the digital pen, the company explained. What is written is immediately saved in the digital pad memory. The built-in memory can store more than one hundred pages, and there is a file management function.

“You won't lose anything you wrote, and you can manage your recordings very easily and efficiently,” said Genius.

“The handwriting recognition is so good…that professionals across the board will appreciate the overall outcome and the beauty of no longer dealing with special paper, which is used by most tablets on the market today,” the company added.

The unit comes with two wireless pens and is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista, the company noted.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $159.

Further details are available at www.geniusnet.com.

o For large-scale environments, Eastman Kodak Company announced the “Kodak i1860 Scanner,” which is designed for production document scanning applications.

According to the Rochester, N.Y.-based company, the new scanner captures images at up to 200 pages per minute. It offers a color touch-screen panel and a variety of ergonomic features, including automatic height adjustment and easy-to-reach input and output areas.

The i1860 is designed for paper-intensive environments such as service bureaus, insurance company claims operations, or financial institutions that handle high volumes of transactions, the company said.

Other features include three independent ultrasonic, double-document feed detection sensors, black or white background option, and a 500-sheet feeder, said Kodak.

The unit has an estimated list price of $85,000, the company noted.

Further information is available at www.kodak.com/go/docimaging.

o In the data storage area, PowerFile Inc. markets the “Permanent Storage Appliance,” a network-attached storage system that uses a DVD-based subsystem “with the capability to store files online for many years.”

For organizations with large and long-term data storage requirements, including insurance and financial services companies, “failure to both safeguard records and retrieve them in a timely fashion could result in fines and penalties,” said Santa Clara, Calif.-based PowerFile.

“Whereas traditional archives are stored offline and offsite on tape, which is equivalent to banishing the data, the Permanent Storage Appliance allows enterprises to quickly access stored data as any other network volume online,” he added.

According to the company, the product offers an approach to long-term, “unalterable” data that enables both online access and long-term storage.

The system comes configured with storage management software that virtualizes the DVD subsystem into storage volumes in any required increments.

“With the Permanent Storage Appliance, we are combining the rapid data retrieval of online access with permanent, non-erasable media to satisfy the most stringent retention requirements at the greatest cost-efficiency,' stated Kirk Dunn, CEO of PowerFile.

The Permanent Storage Appliance is powered by Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 “for seamless integration with existing infrastructures,” said PowerFile.

It is available at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $11,495 for a starter kit, with add-on capacity at about $1,700 per terabyte.

Further details are available at www.powerfile.com.

o Pyxis Mobile recently announced “mAdvisor for Insurance,” described by the Boston-based company as “a real-time tool that provides instant access to the client and prospect information needed by insurance agents while on the road.”

According to Pyxis, the software can be used with an agent's mobile device of choice. It is an extension of the enterprise system agents use while in the office, “further untethering them from the physical constraints of their desks,” the company said.

Using mAdvisor for Insurance, agents can generate policy illustrations and quick quotes; access and manage client policy information; log and manage contacts, enter notes, order literature and manage schedules in the field; and track commissions, business conference targets and underwriting policy status, said Pyxis.

The company noted that mAdvisor for Insurance is part of Pyxis Mobile's upgrade of its mPlatform Solutions Suite to version 5.2.

Among the new features of this version are a click-to-map function–which seamlessly integrates mapping capabilities–and expense tracking, analytics, and fund performance data, the company noted.

Pricing for mAdvisor “varies on the number of seats but would be similar to an average cell phone bill,” said a company spokesperson.

More information is available at www.pyxismobile.com.