French startup Iskn raises $2M to bring the stylus to iOS devices

For a good while now, we have come to find usefulness in air gestures, eye-tracking, gyroscopes and predictive keyboards. Still, handwriting is considered one of the most natural and personal ways to convey a message. French startup Iskn (pron.: I-Skin), wants to bring handwriting back, and make it natural enough for iPad users to enjoy.

The company’s new iPad cover, named iSketchnote, is comprised of a special stylus that can be used like a common ballpoint pen, on the included stack of paper within the enclosure.

Iskn has already received $2 Million in seed money to bring this concept to reality.

Anything the user draws or writes on the paper pad is transferred on the iPad screen in real time, through the iSketchnote App. Drawings can be edited in real time, saved into multiple formats, and shared.

While the concept is simple, bringing popularity to the stylus pen in iOS has presented consistent challenges, in consideration of the fact that the iPad, as most Apple products, is designed to be as thin as possible, which leaves no room for the docking of input devices, unless through an enclosure, such as iSketchnote.

Iskn is indeed on the right track to create an attractive product with the potential to accomplish what other startups have failed to achieve, by integrating the element of plain old paper. A simple, easy to overlook, stroke of genius, proving that no matter the sophistication and advanced technology under the hood, something as simple and “retro” as a paper pad can often appeal to an audience often desensitized by buzzwords.

The applications are limitless. Illustrators and designers can use it to sketch concepts, quickly and efficiently, without needing an expensive graphic tablet. Signing and drafting documents becomes simple and feels more natural than using fingertips.

One big advantage of iSketchnote versus other products, is that the stylus doesn’t touch the iPad’s screen, but rather translates directly everything that is drawn on the adjacent paper media. Most stylus pens tend to slowly scratch the surface of a tablet overtime, depending on how frequently a stylus is used. Iskn went with an elegant solution that protects iPads from mechanical damage, while providing a different experience.

iSketchnote is expected to be released for iOS, and possibly more operating systems, early this year.