Smart Pen that Records While You Write

This LiveScribe Pulse SmartPen may look like a pen, but it is not just any ordinary pen.

Wikipedia calls it "paper-based computing platform".
Engadget says it's a "Pen That's a 10".
It has also been known as the pen that talks back.³
It's even been featured on Oprah (here and on YouTube)

This pen records while you write. Record what? It records the audio of the speaker who is talking to you while you take notes.

Sure you can use any other audio recording device. But when you want to find a particular section of the audio, you either have to play the whole thing or skip forwards and backwards hoping you catch it at the right place. With LiveScribe, the audio that it records is linked to the the writing that you wrote. That means that you can play back particular sections of audio by tapping particular sections of your notes. Of course, it has the tradition no fast forward and backward as well.

LiveScribe also records the writing and drawing that you wrote or drew. Just put the LiveScribe pen in its USB cable to your computer (PC or Mac) and you can transfer the notes to your computer screen. While it is in its USB cradle, it is charging up the pen as well.

Great for Lectures and Meetings

Great for Students

A pen traditionally makes a good graduation gift. The is especially true, if the student is going to college and needs to take notes. I wish I had this kind of technology during my college days, But alas, technologies like this was not invented back then.

You can even share your notes online at the PenCast Community.

Great for Business Meetings

Of course the pen is not just good for college students. It is great for business meetings as well. The review of this customer said "The Livescribe Pulse has enhanced my career".

LiveScribe Pen's Other Applications

LiveScribe is called a computing platform because it takes writing as input and output results in the form of audio and display. It has a SDK (Software Development Kit) for developers to create new applications.

See More Reveiws

See what some reviewers have to say about the LiveScribe Pen...

How Does It Work

The pen picks up noise from its built in microphone that is right on the pen or from the ear-piece that you put in your ears. The pen can play back the audio through its built-in speakers that are right on the pen itself.

You have to write on special "dot paper" which you can purchase as a notebook, or you can even print your own dot paper what your are 600 DPI printer. It has an infrared camera at the tip that takes 72 pictures per second. Since you are writing on special dot paper, it can see the tiny dots and know where the pen is on the paper. That is how it is able to capture the path of the pen's movement. And that is how it is able to link the audio to the location of the pen tip.

Some model of pens can hold 2GB of memory. Although actual time may vary, 1 GB of memory amounts to about 100 hours of recording.

LiveScribe was founded by Jim Marggraff who had invented the LeapFrog FLY Pentop computer and creator of the LeapPad Learning System.¹ So LiveScribe uses similar technology as in the LeapFrog Tag Reading System where a child can touch a pen to certain areas of the children book and appropriate audio will be played.²

Article published August 2009. Author may receive Amazon Associates commissions and Google AdSense revenues via the display ads and links.