Demonstrating strong progress in expansion of digital stationary through growing partnerships, communities and open ecosystem
Shanghai, China — June XX, 2017— Wacom held its second annual Connected Ink Shanghai event at the Peninsula Shanghai during CES Asia on June 7, commemorating the continued strong growth of the Digital Stationery Consortium, Inc., (DSC), and the further proliferation of smart digital stationary solutions among a growing number of partnerships and communities across a wide swath of industries.
The event attracted over 100 guests and speakers including from the newly inducted DSC board member Fujitsu Client Computing, representing the PC arm of Japan’s IT giant Fujitsu. Other speakers included executives from a variety of partner companies such as E Ink, Shanghai Hero Pen and NeuroSky, each of whom offered their unique perspective to the consortium’s underlying mission to inspire creativity and encourage collaboration, through establishing digital ink as a universal and openly used format, based on the Wacom Ink Layer Language (WILL™).
Wacom President and CEO Masahiko Yamada provided updates on the consortium’s latest initiatives including its three newly installed working groups, including the Developer Engagement Working Group, Customer Use Cases Working Group and Technology Working Group.
Connected Ink aims to inspire creativity and engage creators, developers and startups, through the use of smart digital stationary technologies. This year’s Shanghai event launched the latest version of WILL™ 2.0, and Wacom is committed to continuing to work closely with the DSC and its members to ensure open and coordinated, industry led efforts to advance the use of digital stationery products and solutions.
Wacom has introduced a number of initiatives for developers and startups to facilitate continuous growth and creativity surrounding digital ink-based apps and technologies. Inkathon is a hackathon for innovative ideas for WILL™-based apps and services, and the recently launched Wacom Innovation Hub is a startup support program providing technical and business mentorship, and access to Wacom’s extensive partner and community networks. Marketplace offers an online source for monetizing the products coming out of such programs. Wacom, through Connected Ink and the Digital Stationary Consortium, will continue to aid up-and-coming startups to ensure their innovative products and services are recognized by industry experts and leaders.
The first Connected Ink launched in Las Vegas in 2016 at CES, and subsequent events followed in Shanghai, Berlin and Tokyo in the same year. Upcoming Connected Ink events are scheduled in 2017, in Berlin, Germany (Aug. 31) and Tokyo, Japan (Nov. 2). For more information, please visit the Connected Ink and Connected Ink Shanghai 2017 websites.
About DSC
Founded by Wacom, The Digital Stationery Consortium is an association of global industries and thought leaders with the shared mission to advocate the value of human creativity and to lead the creation of a new market category of smart digital stationery solutions that are serving any creative minds in a most natural and intuitive way. The consortium’s focus is to establish digital ink as a universal, open and smart content format and a common framework for sharing and collaborating with ideas based on WILL™ digital ink. For more information about DSC and its membership benefits, please visit http://digitalstationeryconsortium.org.
About Wacom
Founded in 1983, Wacom is a global company based in Japan with subsidiaries and affiliate offices around the world to support marketing and distribution in over 150 countries and areas. It is the world’s leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays, and digital interface solutions. 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. The company also offers its products 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 device and PC manufacturers count on the advanced features and reliability to deliver a superior user interface experience.
*Wacom, WILL, Feel are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Wacom Co., Ltd.
*All other trademarks and product names are property of their respective companies
Contact Information
Corporate Communication, Wacom Co., Ltd.
Tel：+81-3-5337-6702
Email: Wacom-pr(at)wacom.co.jp