Synnex Launches Own Brand Of Products

The first two products are PC NoteTaker and Mobile NoteTaker, which use positioning technology to capture handwritten text and drawings that can be uploaded to a PC or notebook, according to Synnex.

The devices sense the movements of a digital pen that also writes in ink. The pens can be used on paper or any surface, according to Paget.

"It's like a tablet without the screen. That has a lot of uses in educational and health-care markets," Paget said. "Doctors have been reluctant to let go of their ability to write. Here's an opportunity to continue to use traditional 'technology' and still be able to upload to a PC."

The handwritten text can be converted into text recognized by Microsoft Word using a Word handwriting recognition add-on utility and Pen2Text, a bundled application with the devices.

PC NoteTaker connects via a USB port and the handwritten text is immediately recognized on the screen. Mobile NoteTaker can be used independent of a PC and notes can be uploaded at a later time via USB.

Mobile NoteTaker has a suggested retail price of $149 and PC NoteTaker is $79, according to Synnex.

Synnex plans to launch other NexConcepts products, but Paget would not detail what they are or when they might be released.

"They will not be products that typically we carry. We're trying to find products from a different set with price points a lot lower than the average ASP," Paget said. "We will do a lot of research. We have to make sure we hit windows of time with these products, for example around certain holiday buying seasons."

The products will be available through distribution, direct marketers and retail, Paget said.

"Some products we will be involved in the manufacturing, some we will source. We spend a good amount of time in China and Taiwan evaluating series of products that make sense for resellers to offer as auxiliary products to their IT product lines," Paget said.

Synnex is not likely to offer higher-end products like white boxes or whitebooks, Paget said.

"These are not products like that. These are products like add-ons, auxiliary-type of products, not the white box itself. We already support a lot of white-box manufacturers," he said.

The NexConcepts division will be led by Mike Del Vecchio, senior vice president of OEM marketing services.