Wacom and Microsoft partner to deliver intuitive digital pen for instant access to Windows Ink Workspace and pen-enabled apps, helping creative thinkers capture and advance ideas at the speed of thought
Tokyo – May 31, 2017 – Today Wacom announced the availability of Bamboo Ink, a new smart stylus for Windows Ink Workspace that lets idea makers capture notes, sketch ideas or mark documents within Windows Ink and across most Windows 10 platforms. With its natural feel, compatibility across Windows 10 pen-enabled devices, and customization options, Bamboo Ink lets users tap into the full potential of Windows Ink, Windows Ink Workspace and pen-enabled apps to bring ideas to life.
“Bamboo Ink brings the traditional pen and paper feel into the digital world,” said Mike Gay, Senior Vice President of Wacom’s Consumer Business Unit. “We are excited about our partnership with Microsoft, as it pairs 35 years of Wacom’s pen innovation with Windows 10 – the best of both worlds for making ideas. With Wacom’s natural writing and sketching pen technology, you’ll forget that you’re using a high-tech smart stylus on a digital screen.”
The potential for bringing ideas to life is now limitless. By pushing the top of the Bamboo Ink stylus, users can launch Windows Ink Workspace, the quick and easy pen-driven feature on Windows 10 devices. With Bamboo Ink and Windows Ink, users may doodle and take notes directly on their screen in a dedicated inking environment such as Screen Sketch. The stylus can also launch a pen-enabled app like Sticky Notes or Bamboo Paper, where notes or drawings created in the Bamboo Paper app can soon be synchronized across devices with Wacom’s Inkspace service to store, access, and manage ideas in the cloud.
“Bamboo Ink is ideal for users who want to get more out of their Windows pen-enabled device,” says Jerry Koh, Windows Ink Group Program Manager at Microsoft. “We are excited to work with Wacom to offer pen technology that empowers anyone who wants to write, draw or mark-up documents to take their ideas further, wherever inspiration may strike.”
Smart Inside, Ergonomic Outside
Bamboo Ink is designed for a customized, natural writing and sketching experience with a choice of three different fine nibs (soft, medium, firm), an ergonomic triangular design and a soft-touch surface for comfortable use. The Bamboo Ink is a high-precision stylus that continuously detects and transmits the pressure a user applies on the surface of their Windows devices. This makes every stroke into a precise digital reflection of the user’s ideas.
One Pen for Many Devices
Bamboo Ink is optimized for Windows Ink and works with the broadest range of pen-enabled devices. The stylus is preset for the Wacom AES protocol. If one is using a device with Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP), switching is as easy as simply pressing and holding both side buttons. Bamboo Ink is a versatile choice to buy alongside a new Windows enabled device, to make full use of its functionality, or to replace a lost pen. See the list of tested devices under www.wacom.com/comp
Configuration, Pricing and Availability
Priced at $79.95 USD, Bamboo Ink will be available at U.S. Best Buy retailers and at Best Buy online, as well as U.S. Microsoft stores and Wacom.com starting June 1, 2017 and rolled-out to other U.S. retailers in January 2018. Bamboo Ink will be available in select regions globally in August 2017, priced at 79.90 EUR / 69.99 GBP*.
*Prizes in EUR an GBP include VAT
About Wacom
Founded in 1983, Wacom is a global company based in Japan (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6727) with subsidiaries and affiliate offices around the world to support marketing and distribution in over 150 countries. Wacom’s vision to bring people and technology closer together through natural interface technologies has made it the world’s leading manufacturer of interactive pen tablets and displays as well as of digital styli and solutions for saving and processing digital signatures. The advanced technology of Wacom’s intuitive input devices has been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world and provides business and home users with their leading interface technology to express their personality. Please visit www.wacom.com for further information.
For further information, please contact:
Wacom Europe GmbH
Jeroen van’t Hoofd
jeroen.vanthoofd@wacom.com