TOKYO, Japan and VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb.
26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Human thoughts and expressions
cannot always be captured by typing pre-determined signs and
symbols from a keyboard. A handwritten memo or drawing (either
digital or physical) is still the most natural way of capturing and
expressing ideas. Today's smartphones and tablets are starting to
support note-taking and digital inking. However, they are still
limited by OS, application platform and hardware boundaries. What
we need is a universal and open standard for digital inking which
will allow users to work across OS, hardware platforms and Cloud
services. WILL is the initiative to create a seamless digital
inking experience across every mobile device and ecosystem.
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Wacom has been a leading supplier of pen tablets and interactive
pen displays. Wacom has contributed to the evolution of creative:
digital expressions, digital imaging, industrial design, games and
movies. Creative professionals across the world are exploring and
pioneering new horizons in digital expression. Wacom's pen
technology also enables smartphones and tablets to offer unique pen
features for ideation and note-taking in a mobile environment.
WILL is a logical step for Wacom to expand its commitment for
creativity from the realm of digital expression to creative
ideation.
WILL offers a new universal standard that creates a natural and
high quality ink experience. It guarantees cross compatibility of
ink data that enables users to freely communicate and collaborate
across hardware, ecosystems, as well as the Cloud. WILL will bring
digital inking to people as the most powerful tool of personal
creativity and expression.
Technological Background
WILL is delivered by Wacom to partners as a Software Developer's
Kit (SDK) to integrate into their hardware or software, ecosystem
or enterprise infrastructure – enabling everyone to speak the same
universal inking language. WILL will also come with an ink engine
with a variety of graphical tools and features that will run
consistently on most existing platforms. Its innovative ink data
format is an abstract language that describes strokes independent
from any particular input technology. WILL contains a set of
development Application Programming Interfaces (API), to make use
of hardware features. This, in particular, is one of the strengths
that Wacom has developed over 20 years in pen input technology.
WILL: Open for Partnership
Being a high level referential framework - a computer language -
WILL is open to different input technologies including finger
touch, various Wacom pens, as well as third-party pen technologies.
Upcoming Wacom technologies will also include WILL support as an
integral part of their feature set.
Wacom has a long history of collaboration with a broad range of
industry partners to deliver best in class solutions for business
users and consumers alike.
Wacom invites hardware manufacturers, software and service
providers, as well as system solution providers; to join the
initiative and help their users benefit within the broad range of
applications that they provide.
In addition to individual note taking, idea sharing and group
collaboration; WILL could be used to create an unlimited canvas
space for global brainstorming, collaboration and project
management.
As WILL will allow the integrating of metadata, one could also
include a security certificate in a solution as well as enhanced
ink-based workflow solutions on mobile platforms. Consumers will be
able to share and memo on their travel diary, sign POs, integrate
pictures and also show their location in mapping applications and
services.
Future Outlook
WILL is the proof of Wacom's commitment for human creativity. It
will lead the evolution of IT tools toward digital stationery and
everyday creative tools (paper, pens, ink and paint tools) with the
power of digital technology. Based on Wacom's inking experience and
long history of business partnerships in broad areas, it will drive
the evolution of digital inking standards. Wacom strongly believes
that drawing and writing with a pen on a mobile device will become
a natural behavior in the future. WILL will bring human creativity
to the hands of people in the digital age, allowing us to create
and shape the ideas that make the world a more creative place.
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.
Millions of people worldwide use the wireless and battery free
pressure sensitive digital pen technology to operate their
smartphones, media tablets or desktop computers and express their
individual creativity. The company offers its products also as OEM
solutions to leading manufacturers serving incremental markets.
Wacom's interface technology, called Wacom feel IT technologies, is
also offered as an integrated solution to strategic partners. Most
Tablet PC manufacturers count on the advanced features and
reliability of the brand to deliver a superior user interface
experience.
For further information about the products of Wacom see also
www.wacom.com
For media requests please contact:
Wacom Co., Ltd.
Stefan Kirmse
willpress@wacom.com
More information:
will.wacom.com
SOURCE Wacom Technology Services, Corp.