Wacom is primarily known for its professional graphics tablets, which are used by animators and designers around the world. However, the company does more than just that.
It also sells its components to other technology companies, such as ONYX, which produces e-readers. We decided to take a short digression into the past and tell why Wacom technologies have conquered the world market, and, using the example of ONYX products, show how e-book reader manufacturers use the company's solutions.
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Wacom technology that changed the market
The first graphics tablets appeared in the 60s of the last century. They an alternative way to enter data into a computer. Instead of typing characters on the keyboard, users drew them on the tablet with a stylus. Special software recognized letters and numbers and inserted them into the appropriate input fields.
Over time, the scope of graphics tablets has expanded. In the 1970s and 1980s, engineers and architects began to use them to work with computer-aided design systems like AutoCAD (its first version was just in 1982). The two most famous graphics tablets of that era were the Intelligent Digitizer and the BitPad. Both devices were produced by the American corporation Summagraphics, which for a long time remained a monopoly.
It even supplied its solutions to other organizations under the white label (when one company manufactures a product and another sells it under its own brand). By the way, based on the BitPad system, Apple its first graphics tablet, the Apple Graphics Tablet.
But tablets produced in the 80s had the disadvantage that their styluses were wired, which limited the degree of freedom and made drawing difficult. Engineers from the Japanese company Wacom, founded in 1983, decided to correct the situation. They patented a new coordinate input system for controlling the cursor on a computer screen with a wireless pen.
The principle of operation of the technology is based on the phenomenon of electromagnetic resonance. Engineers on the tablet, a grid of many sensors emitting a weak electromagnetic signal. This signal generates a magnetic field that extends beyond the working surface by five millimeters. The system registers clicks by analyzing changes in this field. As for the stylus, a capacitor and a special coil were placed inside it. Electromagnetic waves above the working surface of the tablet generate a current in it, which provides the pen with the necessary energy. As a result, he does not need any wires or separate batteries.
The first tablet based on new technology Wacom WT-460M introduced in 1984 He quickly began to conquer the world market. In 1988 the firm representation in Germany, and three years later - in the USA. Then Wacom entered into a partnership agreement with Disney - the studio used their devices to create the Beauty and the Beast cartoon.
Around the same time, Wacom wireless technology entered the world of DOS and Windows PCs. They built a computer system on it. . The device had an E Ink screen and recognized handwritten characters. Soon the system of the Japanese company was used even in the US government. In 1996 President Bill Clinton Telecommunications Act of 1996 digitally using a Wacom device.
During the existence of the company, several directions have been formed in Wacom. First with the production of professional tablets for designers and artists. Wacom products have become a standard in the art industry. Work with the company's devices from Riot Games and Blizzard, as well as studio artists . Another Wacom works are business tablets. They allow you to digitize the workflow and start working with electronic signatures within the organization. For example, for these purposes, devices from a Japanese manufacturer the Chilean car rental company Hertz, the Korean hotel Nine Tree Premier and the medical organization Sharp Healthcare from America.
Products for professional artists and businesses are the hallmark of the brand, thanks to which it has gained worldwide fame. Wacom's share of the pen tablet market 80%. However, the Japanese manufacturer has other developing areas.
Another niche - components for electronic readers
The company develops CAD for electrical design and supplies components (in particular, touch screens and styluses) to other companies. One of the reasons why their technology is in demand is the high precision with which the stylus allows you to control the cursor on the screen. Throughout the existence of the company, Wacom engineers have filed many patents that improve electromagnetic sensors and software algorithms. In general, they strive to make the experience of working with a pen like drawing on paper.
On the basis of Wacom components, partner companies build not only graphics tablets, but also other electronic devices, including readers. One such company is ONYX, which its first e-reader - ONYX BOOX 60 - with Wacom touch technology in 2009. On the "board" of the reader 6" E Ink Vizplex touchscreen display from Wacom. The pressure-sensitive part was located under the glass screen of the reader and with a special stylus. It could be used for navigation (choosing menu items on the device) and taking handwritten notes.
Wacom solutions are also used in modern ONYX readers. Only now the Japanese manufacturer has expanded the functionality of the pen: it has become better to respond to pressure. The stylus has built-in elements with variable - depending on the intensity of squeezing - resistance, which allows you to change the thickness of the line when drawing on the display. This feature has turned a simple reader into a multifunctional gadget with the capabilities of a tablet.
On photo:
The first ONYX BOOX device of this type was . It has a 10,3-inch high-definition E Ink Mobius Carta screen. The display of this size allows you to comfortably read educational or technical literature. The device comes with a Wacom pen that supports 2048 degrees of pressure. A similar stylus comes with readers ΠΈ .
Using the pen, you can take notes directly in documents - this feature will be convenient for those who use readers to work with technical documentation or abstracts.
On photo:
The latest ONYX BOOX with Wacom pen are devices ΠΈ . They are equipped with E Ink Mobius Carta displays with a diagonal of 10,3 and 7,8 inches, respectively. At the same time, unlike previous readers, their screen has two touch layers. The first is a capacitive multi touch display for turning pages of books and controlling the reader with gestures. The second is a Wacom induction layer for pen work. The induction layer paired with the stylus has greater positioning accuracy than a capacitive sensor alone. With a stylus, it is easier to select a word on the screen for translation (for example, if an unfamiliar phrase is encountered in an English-language document) and click on the on-screen keyboard buttons. The position of the hand with the stylus is more natural - less likely to develop carpal tunnel.
At the same time, the Note 2 and Nova Pro pen itself recognizes 4096 degrees of pressure, which increases the range in which the thickness of the drawn line changes. Therefore, ONYX BOOX Note 2 can be used as an album for small sketches and sketches. If necessary, you can draw directly on PDF or DjVu documents if the appropriate mode is enabled. The reader will allow you to save and export edited files to your smartphone or computer.
The touch layer and the Wacom pen are installed in large ONYX readers with a screen of 7,8 inches. For gadgets of this type, the ability to take notes and sketch is an important feature that greatly expands the options for using the device. In fact, it combines a reader and a "digital notepad" based on E Ink. The ability to work with documentation in PDF and DjVu attracts engineers and other technical specialists - according to our estimates, the demand for Wacom pen readers is lower than for "small" readers, but very stable.
New projects and upcoming developments Wacom
At the end of November, the Japanese manufacturer, together with E Ink Corporation a new type of color E Ink displays. The system is called Print-Color ePaper - in this case, a special color filter is applied directly to the E Ink film. There is already a prototype device with a 10,3-inch screen that supports a special Wacom stylus with 4096 degrees of pressure. Readers with the new screen will be made by Sony, SuperNote, Boyue and ONYX and can be expected in the second half of 2020.
Note that ONYX already has experience in developing devices with color screens. At the beginning of the year at CES-2019, the company Reader Youngy BOOX. It has a 10,7-inch screen with a resolution of 1280Γ960 pixels, which displays up to 4096 colors and supports the Wacom stylus. However, this device did not go on sale - only some Chinese schools received it as part of an educational project.
In the future, ONYX plans to expand the line of readers with color screens. Some products will be shown at CES-2020 early next year. However, not all new products can enter the market. It all depends on the demand for color readers, which is still much lower than for classic black and white devices.
Also Wacom at the beginning of the year new consortium - Digital Stationery Consortium. Samsung, Fujitsu and Montblanc have already entered there. Together they will look for fresh applications for E Ink and create cloud services for devices based on it - for example, for exchanging e-books between readers or synchronizing bookmarks. The consortium plans to hold four conferences each year to promote e-ink technology in the global market.
Reviews of ONYX readers with Wacom sensors:
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Source: habr.com