I picked up the pen and started writing a short message on the tablecloth in the hotel where I was having breakfast. The tablecloth was unmarked, but the words were being picked up with remarkable accuracy by a nearby phone thanks to the new Bluetooth wireless technology built in to the pen.

A couple more clicks with the pen - which doubles as a remotely controlled mouse - and the message was dispatched. My first text message using Bluetooth was a success. The technology behind the Vpe, is awesome. It uses a tracking engine developed by the Israeli company OTM, which uses lasers to measure motion in three dimensions (length, breadth and depth), unlike a computer mouse, which is limited to two dimensions. So, if you are writing the letter "X" it can tell when you lift the pen off the surface to do the second stroke. The phone that sends the message could be up to nine metres away, but what you write is recorded without any wires connecting the two devices.

OTM only makes the tracking engine - which is also being adapted to be a three dimensional navi-roller on a mobile phone and a mouse for a PC. OTM is leaving manufacturers to develop applications. Thanks to Bluetooth, it will soon be possible to strap the GSM part of your phone, which carries most of the weight including the battery, on your belt, have the screen on your wrist watch, leaving the Vpen to be the writing device and handset as well. The prototype Vpen I used was light. It was larger than an ordinary pen but can be made lighter and smaller without losing functionality. Vpen is hoping that because it makes text messaging easier, the operators will incorporate it to boost their revenue streams.

That may be easier said than done, since texters have got used to the present system. But I don't doubt that this technology will be a success somewhere. Technological advances are breathing new life into products that did not quite make it first time round. When I tested, more than 18 months ago, a pen scanner to read lines of text, it was a seductive but unreliable product. It took longer to do the corrections than input it. Which is why I was impressed with how efficient the C-Pen 10 is. After inserting the software (on CD-Rom) and opening a new Word document, I scanned in a poem with virtually no mistakes other than my own. It works through a two-dimensional scanner using a tiny digital video camera connected to a PC or Mac through a USB (universal serial bus) port.

This model has to be connected to a computer or laptop and therefore does not have a built-in screen. It can also be used as a mouse (with a specially made active mouse pad). It costs £64.99 (incl VAT) and can scan 22 languages at more than 1,000 words a minute. It is sold in the UK by DataMind.