Wacom has just developed a new product called the Bamboo Spark that might be the most economical note taking device. It also has app capabilities to send your drawings or annotations to your smartphone or tablet.
The Bamboo Spark uses Wacom’s stylus input technology to allow the folio to capture the movement of the pen, allowing it to record images drawn by the user the pen and paper, effectively creating a digital copy of the drawing or other data as an image file for safe keeping or later editing.
The folio contains an EMR (Electro-Magnetic Resonance) board that works with the supplied Bamboo Spark pen, which also functions as a traditional ink pen. Using an A5-sized pad of paper, the board sits behind the sheets, recording the movements of the special pen. The battery is said to last for up to eight hours of continuous use, while the ink refills for the Bamboo Spark pen will apparently last for up to three months of typical use.
The Spark has a few mobile apps for iOS and Android and you can send data directly to your device via Bluetooth.  It will be available for sale starting this October and will cost $160.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.