Scribble took the internet by storm when it was announced back in May. Artists, geeks, and tech enthusiasts, yours truly included, were blown away at the premise of having a pen and stylus that could copy and paste colors from actual objects. All you would have to do is point the built-in scanner to any object, and the Scribble would replicate its color and let you draw on a tablet or phone or on paper, depending on which type you had.
The project launched on Kickstarter last August 11th and surpassed its target goal in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there.
Some of the project’s backers asked the creators for clarifications on the pen’s specs. The responses left a lot to be desired, and eventually backers began asking for a video showing a working prototype. After about two days, the Kickstarter project was suddenly and unexpectedly cancelled. The reason given by the creators? Kickstarter was asking for a video, and they couldn’t deliver in the 24-hour deadline.
No problem, right? Except after numerous delays and failing to present an actual prototype, tech-savvy backers began to doubt its existence. A lengthy discussion on Scribble’s original Kickstarter page ensued, and further speculation that the whole pen was a scam exploded with Scribble’s relaunch on a different crowdfunding network–sans a commenting platform, which meant that backers could no longer post queries in a public forum.
Drop Kicker eventually covered the discrepancies in Scribble’s initial project description and recent announcements. Their latest video has also come under fire considering numerous cuts and digital editing made that still do not prove the existence of a working prototype. The fact that the project creators aren’t actively addressing these concerns is another red flag.
Having backed the project, the whole thing comes as a disappointment. But what do you think? Is Scribble a sham or do you believe it actually exists?
Note: If you’re looking for an alternative to the Scribble, at least for the style, check out Mozbii.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but come on… a pen that can draw any colour? Seriously? Kickstarter is about creative implementation with current technology, not the birth of a new technology! Have some sense please. If this were possible we would have heard about it before. But there is a silver lining here. With this idea out in the open, a lot of capable companies might start thinking if this is possible after all. We might have this in our hands before this decade is out!