Gadgets: Paper products for paperless age

Apps like Evernote are intended to cut down on use of paper. But hold off on the paperless revolution. There are elegant notebooks made specifically with such apps in mind.

For example, the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine is ruled with subtle dotted lines that are supposed to help Evernote's "page camera" straighten notes or drawings. Test notes, though, when photographed, did not seem any straighter than those made on regular paper.

Moleskines also come with sets of stickers Evernote recognizes and uses to categorize notes. For instance, put an airplane sticker on notes about travel, and you can find them under the app's travel tags.

Springpad, a service similar to Evernote, also recommends a paper product as an accessory -- Whitelines notepads. These are especially compatible with cameras because they have a slightly gray background ruled with white lines that are supposed to disappear when scanned. Whitelines has its own app, Whitelines Link, for capturing notes and drawings.

Cygnett, an Australian maker of gadget accessories and cases, is strengthening its brand in the United States with a new line of slim-fit cases for the iPhone 5.

Cygnett joined with some visionary artists for the line, the Icon Art Series, to create some striking looks, including bright graffiti designs by Tats Cru, the Bronx-based muralists, and hypnotic birds by the Australian illustrator Nathan Jurevicius. Others have an out-on-the-edge feel.

The minimalist cases, which cost $30 each, snap onto an iPhone 5 easily. The hard shell is durable, with a soft finish that makes it easy to hold, but it's slim enough to slide in and out of pockets. The cases do not have much padding, but they offer enough protection to safeguard a phone when it's dropped.