Review: Boogie Board

No not for you surfing dudes. So take off the board shorts and sit back and chill.

This is a scribbling pad that can be reused 50,000 times.

There are three models 8.5 inches, 10.5 inches and the Boogie Board rip which you can save the images from and transfer to your PC.

In addition you can buy magnets to attach to the fridge and a case to carry it around in and a spare stylus but at £12.99 that struck me as a bit steep considering the price of the device.

It is a great way to save paper for quick notes such as a shopping list, a message board in a busy household, a telephone pad and a million other uses I’m sure.

If you have young children who are learning to write this is a great way for them to practice without filling your bin and costing you a fortune in paper.

You get supplied with a board and a stylus. The 8.5 inch one does not come with a clip to hold the stylus and so you do have to be careful to keep track of it. The 10.5 inch one does come with a clip for the stylus and to be honest I think this is essential.

So my enhancement suggestion will be a pen clip on all models.

It’s pretty simple you write, draw or whatever on the board and when you are done with it you hit the erase button and start all over again. So if you take down a phone number and it gets deleted you have no way to recover it. So don’t use it for anything critical! Well not unless you have the RIP model! The 10.5 inch board does have an erase lock function.

The Boogie board is an LCD reflective surface so when you write with the pen you get a kind of green writing. I would not expect to see your writing in the dark but it does work well in sunlight! It is a lovely smooth writing experience.

If you put it in a bag then the image can get a bit marked as it tends to smudge while in transit but in fairness I did not put it in a proper case. I just put it in my travel bag.

Power- The 8.5 inch device does not have batteries. It is designed to last 50,000 uses. The 10.5 inch version uses batteries and the RIP model has a rechargeable battery.

Pricewise The 8.5 inch model in interesting colours(white, red, cyan, green, pink) is £36.99 and in business like black £34.99. The 10.5 inch model is £49.99 and the £99.99 for the RIP model which is a bit chunky and heavier I suspect. I’m not sure why you have to pay more for the fun colours!

I’ve tested the 8.5 inch model and to be honest I’ve had a laugh with it. I’ve played hangman, I’ve doodled when I should be paying attention, I’ve drawn crazy pictures, written notes, planned all the fun things to do the next day in a mix of pictures and words. Then I delete it all and start again. I did wonder about using it for business to save me typing up attendance notes but I don’t think the RIP model lets you convert your scrawl into text – if we get one for review I’ll try and find out.

So I think this is great for car and plane journeys…no risk of getting covered in crayon, ink when the bumps in the road hit. It’ll save you a fortune in paper and if you really love the picture you can just grab a photo with your phone.

For more details take a look at www.improvelectronics.com