If you have to transcribe handwritten notes into a computer, have we got a device for you. Or maybe that should be a question: Have we got a device for you? Because as clever as it is, the Logitech io2 electronic pen isn’t perfect.

How it works. The pen costs $150; a three-pack of 128-sheet pads of digital paper costs $15. (Go to www.logitech.com for where to buy.) Fine dots on the paper let the pen record each letter’s position. You can "train" the software to better recognize your printing or script in about an hour. There’s also a dictionary to which you can add words. As you write, you can mark text with a "tag"--W for Word document, E for e-mail, and so on--which will send the text to that application. The pen works with Microsoft Word and Outlook and other e-mail programs, including AOL and Hotmail. Place the pen in a stand attached to the computer, and it logs the notes into your PC (the pen won’t work with Macs). The system saves an image of each written page, so you’ll have them even if you lose the notepad.

What we found. Nifty idea, but even a trained pen missed about 1 in 13 words. Also, every line on the notepad becomes a separate line in the electronic document, and you can’t make corrections as you write. You fix goofs later in the software’s “text optimizer” mode.

CR’s take. If a transcription that reads like this doesn’t brother you, give the Logitech io2 a try.