Improv Electronics has a new version of its Boogie Board writing tablet this year, the Boogie Board Rip with internal storage. Unlike the iPad, or the new enhanced e-readers on the market, the Boogie Board Rip is not meant for web surfing, gaming or content consumption. Instead it’s a pure slate, meant for drawing and note-taking. And, with the company’s newest hardware version, you can save digital copies of your sketches in PDF form, and transfer them to a PC with via USB.
I bought a Boogie Board last year as a Christmas gift for an artistically-inclined family member. It included a sealed internal battery that was meant to last for “about 50,000 erases,” and only cost $40. It was a lot of fun to play around with, but it was also limited given that you couldn’t save any images. The Boogie Board Rip, in contrast, costs $129.99, but is a lot more practical for artistic creation or hand-written notes. The board saves images as high-resolution vector PDFs, which can be imported into programs like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. The hardware also includes rechargeable batteries that should last a week between charges.
The Boogie Board Rip went on sale last week, and could be a good holiday gift option for tablet lovers who don’t want to be distracted by the web. It measures 11.1″ x 7″ x.05″ and weighs 11.5 ounces. It comes with 8MB of on-board storage.
That’s pretty cool. We have the original Boogie Board and it does what it does well, nothing more, nothing less.
Wish the price of the new one comes down a bit. It’s a great product but I feel the sweet spot is under $50. I wonder how muc it costs to make?