Livescribe 1 GB Pulse Smartpen (APA-00001) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start out by saying this is a cool product, and I do recommend it with the reservations mentioned, below.

On the plus side, it's a cool toy. If you want to record ephemeralities
rather than writing a lot of stuff out, it's great.

I don't know whether I would really want to use it to record entire
lectures, though, but that has to do with learning styles. I am not
an auditory learner - I prefer reading and writing. The more I write myself,
the more likely I am to remember the information. For an auditory learner,
however, this would be wonderful.

Some of the features need work. The advertised "translation" function is
not that great. Here are the languages it can translate: Arabic, Spanish,
Mandarin, and Swedish.Not much use to us German-, French-,
Italian-speaking folks. But then, it's really not much use to anyone else,
either, because it only has a capacity for a relatively small number of
basic words.

The desktop software that allows you to transfer your notes to your computer
can only be put on one computer at a time. This is a real mistake, IMO. Many
people have a desktop and a laptop and don't want to spend a lot of time
trying to figure out which they're most likely to want to use with the pen.
If you travel a lot, the laptop might win out. But whenever you're home, you
won't be able to transfer your notes to the desktop.

The software itself seems to work well, and it has lots of bells and whistles. It can upload
my notes to the Internet or share them with my classmates. For students, this is undoubtedly a great feature.

Since the pen uses a special kind of paper, Livescribe should offer it in
more than one form and size. It comes in a one-subject, spiralbound notebook
that is wider than an average college-ruled one. It would be helpful to have
the option of a non-spiralbound pad or one that is bound at the top, and to
have different sizes: steno-sized or even smaller, and perhaps a
three-subject full-sized notebook as well.

One final comment: this pen isn't going to be comfortable for anyone with
small hands to use for any length of time. It may not be all that
comfortable for people with big hands, either, unless they favor the fattest
fountain pen on the market. This isn't a pen-sized pen - it's a Cuban
cigar-sized pen. It's manageable, but after using it for half an hour, it's
a relief to switch to a regular pen. The Pulse is probably as small as it
can be, given the current state of technology, but if I were redesigning it,
I would go with a little longer and a little thinner and weight it so that
it's heavier toward the business end.

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Product Description:
Capture Everything:The Livescribe Smartpen records audio and links it to what you write. Missed something? Tap on your notes or drawings with the tip of your Livescribe Smartpen to hear what was said while you were writing. No Need to Lug the Laptop:The Livescribe Smartpen automatically captures everything as you write and draw. Transfer your notes to your computer, organize them, and even search for words within your notes. Find what you want in seconds. Share Your Notes:Transform your notes and audio into interactive movies. Upload your creations online for everyone to see, hear and play. The 1.3 oz. anodized aluminum Livescribe™ Smartpen records audio and links it what you write. The 1GB of memory can hold over 100 hours of recording.Actual time may vary. Requires Windows XP with service pack 2 or Windows Vista

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Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Wow! This is truly an extraordinary technological wonder and products like this don't come along often - I'm certain that it will change the manner in which I study. While the Livescribe 4GB is rather expensive, its abilty to record notes, while seamlessly attaching audio to those notes is simply amazing. I've been using Microsoft's OneNote for most of the classes I've been taking recently - and that has been a fairly good product, but the ability of Livescribe to literally record your handwritten notes, attach audio to them, and then allow you to go back and review those notes (with audio) - all without the use of a laptop is simply phenomenal!

While the software that comes with the pen is sufficient, there are a few limitations that I suspect will be improved in future versions. The most notable problem seems to be the need to have a special notebook for each class (as one cannot, yet, separate existing Livescribe files into smaller units). Just the same, it's possible to examine the files on a computer although the the included software program is required to use all of the available functions when viewing/listening to files. Files can also be exported in a variety of formats (again, not all features will be available dependent upon how your files are exported) such as .pdf and Flash. While this may be a bit of an inconvenience, for me, this device is absolutely wonderful.

Another cool feature is the ability to upload your notes to a special location so that they may be shared with others - I've already tried doing this (as a test) with someone I know who is not very techogically savy and, again, the results were very cool!

I'm certainly going to show this to others I know (especially students) - this pen is certainly going to help many, many students.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen

Product Description:
The Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen makes it easy to take notes without lugging your laptop around. With the ability to record everything you hear, say, and write, this handy tool links your audio recordings to your notes to help you retain and organize important information. And it's easy to use--to replay the recorded audio, simply tap directly on your notes.
4 GB Pulse Smartpen
At a Glance:

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Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen (APA-00002) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My brother ordered two of these pens when they were first available from the manufacturer. His thinking apparently was that he would have a backup should he ever lose one. Quickly realizing that he might have over-ordered, he offered one to me to try.

There were a lot of reasons I was not enthusiastic about his offer. The first was that unlike my brother, I actually do lose pens from time to time, even expensive ones. So if I lost this thing I would owe my brother money. Second, I am a Mac enthusiast and the desktop software for a Mac platform will not be available until the end of 2008. Finally, the necessity of the product escaped me.

But being a toy lover I put aside my objections and accepted his loan. A few weeks later I was calling customer support on a desktop issue (I installed it on my only Windows computer, a Toshiba tablet). The problem was a software glitch, since in reality the pen was still in beta. The customer service rep solving the problem asked if it was registered in my name. I assured her it was. I then told her that my brother had bought the pen but that he was never getting it back. I could hear my statement relayed around the support department where it was greeted with shouts and laughter. They knew. I was a convert. I had drunk the Kool-aid and was forever theirs.

Okay so what do I use it for? I take it to hearings and depositions (I am a lawyer, remember?). These are public events under Florida law and there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.This is important since the pen doesn't just record the strokes of the pen, it records everything being said. And it records it very well. Here is the cool part, touch a word in your notes and you will hear whatever was happening at that time. My favorite demonstration to date is to touch a word from a contested trial where I got to ask a witness if he had ever told people that he spoke to the dead and that they spoke back to him. The guy nearly came across the table at me, a point also recorded. Now an aside to lawyers, law students and pro se litigants-do not ever ask someone this question unless you have an email from the witness attesting to his ability to commune with the formerly alive.

The recording capacity of this pen is astonishing. The manufacturer suggests that the 2GB pen will hold 200 hours of audio. I have no reason to doubt it, since constant use has barely tapped its capacity.

When the pen is uploaded to the desktop software (currently Windows only) images of the notes and the audio are loaded into the computer. From there it can be uploaded to an online site where it is Mac accessible. For now this satisfies my Mac needs at least till the end of the year.

You need special paper to take advantage of the upload features. Fortunately, the supplies are reasonably priced and available online. However the notebook supplied with the pen is most generous.

There are lots of other features in the pen. It is possible to draw a keyboard and play notes (musical notes) on it. My daughter, a music ed major, particularly enjoys this. There is even a cute animation demo built in whose 3-D sound as heard through the earbuds is astonishing and mildly amusing.

So who could use this pen other than trial lawyers? Students seem to be a logical group. Perhaps physicians and nurses could use it. Did the patient really say he had a condition or did he say something else? Livescribe needs to produce industry specific paper for just such uses, or to allow outside vendors to create it.

This product will revolutionize the workplace in ways that we cannot now predict. All we can predict is that it will prove to be one of the most significant technologies of this decade in the same way the personal computer was in the 1980s. Click the"Buy" button now. You will not regret it.

BREAKING NEWS

The Mac Desktop (not the Beta) promised for the first quarter of 2009will be available on 11/24/08 for download at [...]. It promises certain enhancements over the original windows software and the original beta released in November, 2008,

"The Mac version of Livescribe Desktop also offers two additional features not available in the Windows version. First, Mac users will have the ability to export their recordings into AAC audio files. Mac users can also export their notes as PDF files directly from the Desktop application. All current and new users of the Pulse smartpen can use Pulse with Mac computers for free. "

Addendum: As of February 2009 a full version of the Livescribe Desktop for Mac is available for download free to registered users. The Mac Desktop is fully functional and comparable but not identical to the Windows desktop. The Mac version lacksone major feature at this time-the ability to print the special paper found in the Windows version. Some users have reported that they are able to print paper using the Mac software and Adobe so this may not be that important an omission. Printing also does require a color laser printer at 600 dpi, the feature may be of limited utility in any event. On the plus side the Mac version allows the audio capture to be saved in AAC format which makes it playable on standard CDs. Third party software which converts handwriting to text is not currently offered for Mac.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen (APA-00002)

Product Description:
Capture Everything:The Livescribe Smartpen records audio and links it to what you write. Missed something? Tap on your notes or drawings with the tip of your Livescribe Smartpen to hear what was said while you were writing. No Need to Lug the Laptop:The Livescribe Smartpen automatically captures everything as you write and draw. Transfer your notes to your computer, organize them, and even search for words within your notes. Find what you want in seconds. Share Your Notes:Transform your notes and audio into interactive movies. Upload your creations online for everyone to see, hear and play. The 1.3 oz. anodized aluminum Livescribe™ Smartpen records audio and links it what you write. The 1GB of memory can hold over 100 hours of recording.Actual time may vary. Requires Windows XP with service pack 2 or Windows Vista

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Livescribe 4 GB Echo Smartpen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am a great believer in Livescribe's smartpens. The first offering three years ago Livescribe 2 GB Pulse Smartpen has worked perfectly ever since. It is not exactly svelte, but it had the capacity to record 200 hours of audio and has proved to be an extremely reliable and useful tool for a busy litigation practice.

The Echo is a refinement of the original Pulse. It is slimmer, and doesn't quite look like one of those metal cigar containers. It has twice the memory of my original smartpen. The price has come down over the years significantly making an investment in a smartpen even more attractive.

I use my pen to record initial client interviews as well as depositions. I am able using the Livescribe Desktop software to export a recording to a CD and send it to a client to hear. However the best feature is its "point and play" technology which allows me to listen selectively to a recording on my pen by touching a word in my notes. The audio immediately syncs to the part of the conversation and has a five second "skip back/skip forward" feature to account for slow writers like me. I can also listen later to my notes and add additional points of interest.

Audio fidelity is amazingly good. The pen has settings for different environments like lectures or office meetings. Even if you just use the default settings you will be pleased with the output.

Besides being thinner, the new Echo no longer requires a cradle, and attaches directly to a USB port on your Mac (that's me) or PC.This eliminates one more gadget I need to lug around in my briefcase.

Livescribe's special paper should not intimidate any prospective purchaser. First it is possible to print your own paper. Livescribe suggests that this requires a laser printer, but I have actually done it with an injet. You have to test in any event whether your printer is compatible which is how I learned some inkjet printers will work.

However users will find Livescribe notebooks to be very reasonably priced. I buy Livescribe ANA-00018 Single Lined 100 Page 5-8 Notebook - 4 Pack which makes the cost per notebook very comparable to ordinary spiral notebooks. Clearly Livescribe is refusing to adopt the model of printer manufacturers who make most of their money on supplies.

There are applications available for the Echo including a text recognition app that offers a 30 day free trial. However my handwriting is usually indecipherable to even myself so I have never tried it. However the idea is great.

In the universe of Livescribe pens this is probably the one which should command your most serious consideration. 4GB is an an enormous amount of data and recording. I have never come close to filling 2GBs although I do remove recording from the pen from time to time while maintaining the audio on my Livescribe Desktop.

Livescribe has perfected a product that, as a tool for lawyers, for students, for physicians, and salesmen, as well a host of others was nearly perfect.

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Product Description:

At work. In class. Find what you need with a tap. The Echo smartpen from Livescribe records everything you hear, say and write, and links your audio recordings to your notes, so you can find what you need.

The Livescribe Echo Smartpen (see a larger schematic image of all features).

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Livescribe 2 GB Pulse Smartpen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is an excellent pen in its own right - extremely reliable right up until the cartridge runs out of ink, but additionally adds a great deal of utility in terms of being able to do voice recordings and get what is essentially a movie of yourself writing while recording sound.The pen is tremendously under-marketed by Livescribe and (in my opinion) most people are not really made aware of its full potential.The only way to really get what it's capable of is to watch some of the video reviews on Youtube.

Features I would like to see on future pens include better battery monitoring (currently, the meter is a little inaccurate), ink level monitoring and a small, compact tool for removing spent ink cartridges.Also, it would be nice if I could charge the pen with something more common like micro USB rather than the proprietary dock.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Livescribe 2 GB Pulse Smartpen

Product Description:
Capture Everything - The Pulse smartpen records audio and links it what you write. Missed something? Tap on your notes or drawings with the tip of your Pulse smartpen to hear what was said while you were writing.

No Need to Lug the Laptop - The Pulse smartpen automatically captures everything as you write and draw. Transfer your notes to your computer, organize them, and even search for words within your notes. Find what you want in seconds.

Share Your Notes - Transform your notes and audio into interactive movies. Upload your creations online for everyone to see, hear and play.

What You Get
- The Pulse smartpen (1.3 ounces, anodized aluminum housing)
- 2 GB of memory (actual user available memory will be less)
- Livescribe Desktop software (download)
- 3-D Recording Headset
- 50 sheet dot paper lined notebook
- USB mobile charging cradle
- Smartpen case
- 1 black fine point ink cartridge
- Interactive Getting Started Guide
- Tips & Tricks Guide

What You Need
- Windows XP™ 32-bit SP2 or higher, Windows Vista™ 32 or 64-bit operating system, or Intel Mac with Mac OS X 10.5.5 or newer
- 600MHz CPU or higher
- 300 MB minimum free disk space
- Available USB port
- Internet connection

The Pulse smartpen works only with Livescribe dot paper.

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