All right, this is cool: Wacom, best known for its high-end professional tablets, is showing off the Bamboo Sparks at IFA this week. The device is a pad of paper that digitizes the writer's notes onto a smartphone or tablet.

Actually, the paper is more or less incidental to the process. Wacom sensors are built into the folio that holds the paper and ink pen used to write. Once pen is put to paper, the app begins digitizing the notes.

It's an extremely clever use of Wacom's existing technology, one that may well hold appeal for those who wouldn't otherwise consider picking up a Wacom. However, the $160 price point is probably enough reason to think twice about doing so.

The system isn't Wacom's top of the line, and as such, it is better used for scribbling down notes during meetings or writing down reminders. Those who use the company's devices to digitize drawings will want to look elsewhere for a place to put pen to paper.

Of course, the beauty of such a system is the ability to go back and fix your mistakes once the writing is digitized.