Why HTC Flyer's lack of included pen is old news and why I'm still excited to receive my pre-order
Many have commented in the past 24 hours about how the soon-to-be-released $499 WiFi HTC Flyer will not include the HTC Scribe digital pen.
However, to my knowledge, HTC and Best Buy never said that it would. In fact, even though the leaked Flyer manual clearly states that the pen is included, the companies' joint CTIA press release states that it's an optional accessory. That said, the $80 cost of the pen sure seems out of line with the cost of other digital pens on the market.
This will certainly make it more difficult for HTC and Best Buy to sell the Flyer. Its biggest differentiator is the ability to use it with the digital pen to: 1) capture and annotate on-screen content with notes and drawings and 2) use the preinstalled Timemark software to synchronize handwritten notes with audio, as well as Evernote. Not including the pen and then pricing it at $80 will mean that many consumers with either not buy the device at all or buy it and then never use its most unique feature.
For me, an avid Evernote and OneNote user, the HTC Flyer is still a must–have device. I'm not happy about having to spend another $80 to get this functionality, but I will; others, of course, will not.
