21-02-2012, 05:04 PM
smart note taker
Livescribe, the maker of various “smart pens,” has just launched its line of products in Canada. We laid our hands on the top-of-the-line 8GB Echo ($219.99) and here are our initial thoughts on the ambitious product.
While the Livescribe Echo pen does deliver on its promise, the best feature of this pricey product is an add-on app that costs an extra $30.
We’ll get to that in a moment — but first, a word on what it is and what it gets right.
Slightly thicker than a regular ink-tip pen, the black Livescribe Echo records everything it writes or hears. With the former, whatever you write or draw on special lined paper (50-sheet Starter Notebook included) is “remembered” by the pen, which is then digitally transferred to your PC or Mac when connected via the bundled micro USB cable. In other words, once synchronized, what you see written on the paper will be identical to the digital pages on your computer.
A tiny camera at the base of the pen, near the ink tip, reads the “microdots” that line the paper — barely visible to the human eye – which is what tracks everything you write down. Plus, these notebooks have other functions at the front and back, such as a calculator, time and date, battery life and other info you can “touch” with the pen and then hear and/or read on its OLED screen.
Thanks to the pen’s built-in microphone and memory, it can also record when it hears, be it your own words, a boardroom meeting, a nearby teacher or professor, and so on. Simply tap the “record” icon at the bottom of each page to begin the recording. There are also icons to playback audio it has recorded, plus you can jump to different tracks and even adjust playback speed. So when you’re flipping back a few pages to read some notes, when you tap to hear audio it’ll be what was recorded when you were on this exact page.
The audio is surprisingly clear given how small this device is, which you can hear through the pen’s speaker or with headphones for private listening (not included).
You can also record audio without the special paper by pressing and holding the power button on the pen.
While the downloadable Livescribe Desktop software is supposed to let you print notepads with those necessary microdots, I received an “error” message when I tried to print it off a few sheets (and no, it wasn’t my printer). Too bad. Also from this desktop program you can share notes with others, be they written pages or audio recordings.
Even more annoying, however, is the fact your handwritten notes are not transcribed into text for a word processing document. This very handy feature is found in cheaper “smartpen” products that debuted in the past, such as Logitech’s io2 digital pen ($150) and Leapfrog’s Fly Fusion Pen for kids ($80). Instead, you must buy the MyScript app for $30 app from the Livescribe Application Store. I’m sorry, but this is nickel-and-diming it, as a $220 pen should have this feature built-in.
Other optional apps include language translators, dictionaries, games, and more.
Except for the fact dotted pages weren’t printable, the Livescribe Echo pen worked as promised. A gadget like this could help students and professionals stay organized while taking notes, be they handwritten or recorded. But there’s no question the MyScript app should be included given the relatively steep price for the product.
Available exclusively at Future Shop, there’s also a 4GB Echo smartpen for $189.99 and a 2GB Pulse smartpen for $149.99, along with accessories such as dotted paper, pen tips, and more.
Sync readers, have you tried out the Livescribe product or any other “smart pens”?
