Rocketbook Is a Microwaveable Notebook That Lets You Send Notes to the Cloud

In this weekly column, we look at the latest from the world of crowdfunding to see what's worth backing on sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We've seen that some of the coolest new developments in recent times - such as the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, and the Pebble smartwatch - have come out of crowdfunding instead of the big companies. We're on the lookout for the gamechangers, but we also try and point out fun projects that might be cool to back.

Of course, crowdfunding isn't pre-ordering, and a project getting funded doesn't guarantee a product being delivered, but with that caveat in place, we're still fans of the concept, and that's because it has led to so many interesting new gadgets.

The most exciting crowdfunding project this week is the Rocketbook. This is a notebook that tries to bridge the gap between analogue and digital. The things you write or draw on the notebook can be easily sent to the cloud using a device running Android or iOS. The idea is clever and has a lot of takers, as the project has been funded nine times over its goal of $20,000 (roughly Rs. 12 lakh) in just one week.

The best thing about the Rocketbook is that you can keep reusing it. Its makers say that if you use FriXion Pilot pens, you can put the Rocketbook in a microwave for a few seconds to erase it completely. The ink in those pens turns clear under heat, which gives the Rocketbook an advantage over normal notebooks. It has been designed to be microwave-safe.

There are some other cool features in this notebook. It has seven symbols below each page, which act as tags and you can use these tags to send your notes to folders. All you need to do is mark a tag before you take a picture of the page and Rocketbook automatically sends the note to a pre-assigned folder. That's handy for quick sorting.

You can see all of this in the concept video below:

The idea is pretty cool and unites the pen and paper with the cloud in an easy way. If you want one of these, you can pay $25 (Rs. 1,500) for one 50-sheet Rocketbook and one FriXion Pilot pen. International shipping is $15 (Rs. 900) extra.

To see more stories from the world of crowdfunding, click here.