Wacom Co. Ltd. said its Universal Pen Framework (UPF) initiative has entered a new stage with Microsoft Corp. licensing its Microsoft Pen protocol to Wacom.
In the near future Wacom´s digital pen solutions will incorporate both Microsoft Pen and Wacom Active ESTM Pen protocols. Wacom is working to build pens that support both protocols, targeting delivery this holiday season at the end of 2016.
Wacom has been supplying its Active ES pen solution to a number of OEM customers since 2014. In order to ensure interoperability of digital pens among multiple platforms, Wacom has been developing the multi-protocol pen technology in collaboration with key IT industry players such as touch controller suppliers, display manufacturers and platform developers, under the name of UPF (version 2.0).
As part of the UPF 2.0 initiative, this agreement between the two companies makes it possible for Wacom to manufacture multi-protocol pen solutions including Microsoft Pen and Active ESTM protocols on demand. It is hoped that this will help to bolster broad consumer demand for digital pen and ink as enabling tools for communication, expression, business, education and entertainment, covering various aspects of people´s daily activities.
On January 7, 2016, Wacom introduced the Digital Stationery Consortium, which promotes the digital inking experience across multiple mobile ecosystems and solutions through collaboration with companies across a range of sectors, from IT hardware, software and service providers, through to businesses in stationery, publishing and education fields. The agreement on digital pen protocols is a huge step forward toward the era of simple, high-quality digital pen and ink experience, and it will form one of the pillars of the Digital Stationery Consortium
Founded in Japan in 1983, Wacom is now a global company with offices around the world supporting marketing and distribution in over 150 countries.
