Consumer Electronics Review: Cross :Convergence Pen


Cross :Convergence Pen

Reviewer: Joel Evans
Posted: 4/12/2001

Cross :Convergence Pen


At A Glance
Description   Pen/scanner that lets you scan in barcodes found on thousands of products and packages as well as Digital:Convergence Cues found in print and electronic media. Once the pen is connected to a PC, the stored codes turn into corresponding URLs.
Highlights   No cord tethering you to the PC; can be used as a high-end pen and ships with additional ink refills; holds 300 barcodes
Lowlights   Requires serial docking instead of USB (USB expected in 2001); could use a "starter guide" that walks you through the interface
Manufacturer   The Cross Pen Computing Group

US$89.99 (only found on the Web)

Have you heard of digital convergence? How about the :CueCat (see our August 2000 news item)? I'm sure you know what that is. It first came on the scene by being bundled with some very high-profile magazines and is still currently being offered for free at Radio Shack--you have to ask for it, though. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, it's a little device that connects to your computer that looks like a cat and is designed to let you scan in barcodes on just about anything and then launches the corresponding Web pages.

While the :CueCat is a very cool toy to have around, it does require you to sit at your computer in order to take advantage of it. Enter the Cross :Convergence Pen. With Cross's version you have a pen that also doubles as a scanner. In addition, it's completely wireless, thereby allowing you to go about your business and scan in codes without having to be in front of your computer.

When the :CueCat first came out, I was sent a number of them in participating magazines. I was even given one at Radio Shack. Regardless, I could never be bothered to free up a serial port and/or read magazines or media with the barcodes while sitting in front of my computer. When I saw the Cross :Convergence Pen I knew that Cross had figured out a way to truly utilize this new technology. The Cross Pen itself not only has a built-in scanner for scanning barcodes, but is also a fully functional pen. It's also the size of a normal pen, so you can easily integrate it into your lifestyle.

The package the pen comes in includes free ink refills, software for connecting your Cross :Convergence Pen to your computer, the "OptoLink" pad (essentially a docking cradle for the pen that lets it connect to the PC), and some documentation.


The documentation leaves a lot to be desired. For starters, it's barely the size of a CD holder and it basically explains that you should just put the CD in the drive and let it do its thing. Feeling skeptical, I put the software in the drive, hooked up the OptoLink to my serial port, and followed instructions. The program walked me through a tutorial and then a setup process, during which it showed me how to scan barcodes and even had me scan the codes that came in the package. After I completed a number of steps, it required a reboot.

When it came back up it asked me to test the serial port and then test transferring information between the OptoLink and the pen itself. During the serial port test the OptoLink Coupler flashed to show that it worked correctly. Nice touch. At that point I had to select the browser and input source and then I needed an activation code. I chose to get one online since I couldn't find an activation code in the papers that came with the device. It looks like the only purpose of the activation code is to force you to register. Just make sure that you're already connected to the 'Net before starting this piece of the installation, as the registration is a Web-based process.

After you register, the code comes through via your e-mail address. You then create a username in the software, put your e-mail address and activation code in, and you're done.

After installation, I double-clicked on the CRQ icon on my computer screen and started playing around. Neither the program nor the documentation really told me what to do next, so I decided to scan a few more barcodes.

Scanning codes in
The scanning process is pretty straightforward. The pen has a button on the side of the cap that, when pressed, activates the scanner. You'll know the scanner is active because the tip of the pen will have a red beam on it. Next, you just swipe the top of the pen (scanner) over a barcode. As you swipe, the red light glows more intensely and another red light appears inside the pen. When you successfully scan in a code, the inside light in the pen glows green.

scan button
scan button

scan beam
scan beam


Pen and OptoLink interact
After I scanned in a few codes, I put the pen in the cradle and kept it there until I heard a "dong" sound. I assumed that meant that the codes had been transferred but decided to keep it in there a little longer. I kept hearing dongs and the interface kept receiving the same codes over and over. At that point it appeared to be filtering out the duplicate codes. Yet another nice touch.

pen connecting with OptoLink

The interface

Digital :Convergence screenshot

The interface itself features an area that shows you the type of barcode scanned and a description of the code. If a description is not available, you have the option of going to the website and typing in a description of what you scanned in. This is a nice feature because it allows the user to automatically update the main database that all users tap into. You can also set the program to launch the corresponding websites in one browser window, multiple windows, or wait for you to launch them yourself.

:CueChannel screenshot
shrunk from 1024x760 resolution

In addition to the above interface, there's also a navigation bar called the :CueChannel that sits on the bottom of the screen and has tabs for each section. Sections include Business, News, Fitness, Technology, and more. It's essentially just a navigational tool for navigating to specific sites on the Web that really doesn't have that much to do with the overall :Convergence concept. The :CueChannel is actually not that obtrusive since it hides itself when not in use.

Overall comments
The concept of being able to take a wireless barcode scanner with you is a great idea. I've been using it whenever I sit down to read the paper. It's a great tool for that since the paper can be overwhelming and sometimes you find an article that you'd like to read later but don't want to waste time either clipping it or putting it aside. I also enjoy being able to scan barcodes of products and perusing their websites later on.

Ratings Defense
For Quality, I gave the Cross :Convergence pen a 4 out of 5 Geekheads. The reason for the points off was the lack of documentation. Since I'm geeky it wasn't too hard to figure out how to navigate the actual interface, but I'm sure others would find it overwhelming. I did manage to locate a PDF of the User's Guide which had 32 pages. For the money Cross is charging, one would expect this guide to come with the product. In addition, the fact that I have to use a serial port instead of USB leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Otherwise, it's a very solid product and the fact that it doubles as a pen is a definite plus.

For Geekness I gave the Cross :Convergence pen a solid 5 out of 5 Geekheads. Digital :Convergence is still on the road to acceptance, but the fact that you can take a wireless scanner with you and then later connect it up to your PC brings it to a whole new level. I also like that the OptoLink flashes during the test process to let you know that you've successfully set it up. I can't tell you how many devices I've tested that I've had to plug into the serial port without knowing whether or not they're hooked up correctly.

On the downside, it seems that when I scanned barcodes from my local newspaper, if the newspaper was a day old the URLs that were pulled up were no longer corresponding to the correct story. I can't fault Cross for that, but there should be some sort of standardization on how the codes are used.

As for a Pick, I couldn't award one simply because the price of the device makes it a little tough to swallow. I would have preferred a not-so-fancy ink instead to bring in a price point of $50 or less.