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EnchantMoon handwriting tablet unveiled, first orders sold out in an hour

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Ubiquitous Entertainment Inc. (UEI for short) is a Tokyo-based startup well known for providing backend-centric software/hardware solutions. The company recently started receiving orders for its new tablet PC for handwriting, called EnchantMoon. They quickly got more than 1,000 pre-orders, selling out in just an hour. EnchantMoon runs on the Enchant OS, which has been developed using technologies from Enchant.js and microZEKE. Enchant.js is a framework for developing simple games and applications in HTML5 and JavaScript, and microZEKE is the startup’s own original middleware for developing Android-based platforms. The tablet gives users the capability to execute commands with handwriting. The startup hopes to change all the world’s paper works to digital format, making them easier to manage and distribute. Many notable people are involved in the design and development process of the product, including the famous film director Shinji Higuchi, Japanese cultural critic Hiroki Azuma, and anime artist Yoshitoshi Abe. On Wednesday a presentation and launch party was held for the product in Tokyo. There was a long queue in front of the venue, and I was waiting my turn for more than one hour but had to give up in the end. According to the company, there were 250 people…

enchantmoon

Ubiquitous Entertainment Inc. (UEI for short) is a Tokyo-based startup well known for providing backend-centric software/hardware solutions. The company recently started receiving orders for its new tablet PC for handwriting, called EnchantMoon. They quickly got more than 1,000 pre-orders, selling out in just an hour.

EnchantMoon runs on the Enchant OS, which has been developed using technologies from Enchant.js and microZEKE. Enchant.js is a framework for developing simple games and applications in HTML5 and JavaScript, and microZEKE is the startup’s own original middleware for developing Android-based platforms.

The tablet gives users the capability to execute commands with handwriting. The startup hopes to change all the world’s paper works to digital format, making them easier to manage and distribute. Many notable people are involved in the design and development process of the product, including the famous film director Shinji Higuchi, Japanese cultural critic Hiroki Azuma, and anime artist Yoshitoshi Abe.

longqueueOn Wednesday a presentation and launch party was held for the product in Tokyo. There was a long queue in front of the venue, and I was waiting my turn for more than one hour but had to give up in the end. According to the company, there were 250 people are waiting for a ‘touch and try’ session.

The tablet was first exhibited at CES (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas earlier this year, and they’ve generated some buzz among event attendees and international media. The device is available online for 39,800 yen (approximately $398), but sales are temporarily on hold until the next production lot is available.

Ubiquitous Entertainment was founded by award-winning programmer Ryo Shimizu, and it raised 500 million yen ($5 million) from Japanese VC firm Jafco. In late 2012, they established a subsidiary called Enchant.js, Inc. in California to market the Enchant.js framework and sell the EnchantMoon tablet for the North American market.