OhGizmo Review: The Picopad

By David Ponce

I like it when I come across something that reeks of smart design. It doesn’t have to be anything complex. It doesn’t need to levitate, climb walls or turn lead to gold. Sometimes the simplest things show the most innovation and attention to detail, and it’s this sort ingenious creativity that I admire the most. As an example of this, look at The Earbudclip.

When I first stumbled on the Picopad, a credit-card sized notepad with included pen, I thought “Huh, that’s neat!”, but forgot about it quickly. I only saw pictures, and didn’t realize the amount of thought and effort that had been put into its manufacture.

Now that I’ve received a few samples for review, I’ve changed my mind. This stuff is great! Will it drive you to quit your job, eat nothing but chocolate chip cookie dough and jot down notes all day, effectively ruining your life? Well, no, but I firmly believe no stationary store in America (or anywhere, for that matter) should go without these.

Come inside for all the gory details.

The Picopad‘s premise is simple: 15 sticky notes, one tiny pen, and it all fits in your wallet, in a credit card slot. So how is it? Well, it comes in a very nice packaging, in sets of three. At least I got it in a set, though I’m not sure if retail outlets will sell them individually.

The pads themselves are made from what seems to be cardboard and come in a variety of colors. And of course, they do fit in a credit card slot. But why am I so frothy-at-the-mouth over them? It’s in the little details. For instance, they feature two little push-out tabs to make it easier for you to pull it out of your wallet. There’s one on the long side, and one on the short side, making it possible to use with top and side loading wallets.

Also, some of you might have thought that the included pen might be too small to use. Not so due to a little folding cardboard wing attached a quarter of the way up. You simply rest your index finger in the fold of the wing, and suddenly the pen becomes quite easy to write with. It’s not quite as natural a feel as a full sized pen, but hey, you try fitting those in your wallet.

You have fifteen notes, a small back portion of which is sticky, like post-its. They cost all of $4 each, and if you own a store of any kind, they can (obviously) be ordered in bulk. So, to sum up, the Picopads are cheap, useful and smartly designed. If I didn’t already
have my review units, I’d go right out and buy some.