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This is just one of those gadgets that is really cool. It received three stars just because there is not anything else that does what it does. I am very disappointed with the amount of space the drawings take up and I don't see the genuine usefulness of this product.

The SmartPad™ is a note pad for a PalmOS device. It uses real paper and a pen with ink. When you write on the pad the image is beamed to the device via the infrared port. As the paper quite a bit larger that the size of the screen, the image is shown much smaller on the screen. You can then zoom in at 2x or 4x to see the image better. I believe this works via an electronic magnet in the pen and the pad picks up what is being written.

The desktop application that it comes with allows you to view and save the image you have drawn to a standard windows BMP file. You can also fax or email these very easily.

The pen is very cleverly designed to have stylus on the other end when you take pen cap off. From what I can figure out the pen and refills are made by Cross. Those of you that know the Cross pen company know that they make quality products. The pen holds a button cell battery. The Pad also has a couple of batteries in it. The SmartPad™ works very well, the only time I really had trouble with it sending the data to the handheld was when I was near any electrical or magnetic interference. I was in a retail store and tried to use the unit, the only flat surface I could find was the top of a computer system. The computer was giving off just enough interference that the unit did not respond correctly.

The unit folds up and has a zipper like a portfolio, this creates a nice and easy to carry package. The surface is simulated leather,  not real leather. For the price of the unit, I think they could have used real leather or even a better simulation. It feels very much like plastic.

This is one of those technical gadget that people will by just for the coolness factor. After having it around for a while I just could not find a real practical use for it, I am sure that there are users that will find a very good use for this device. I guess it is just not for everyone.

Final Words:
The Seiko SmartPad™ does what it designed to do very well. The image you write on the notepad is a copy of what you will get to see on your handheld. This product is not for everyone. Just like anything you would have to have a use for it. The only place I have been able to find the refills for the pen is from Casio directly, the unit does come with five refills so you should not need to buy them anytime soon.