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Product Description

Sleek ergonomic design with anodized aluminum housing, high speed infrared camera, 300 mAH rechargeable lithium ion battery, smartpen microphone, 3-D recording headset, and USB mobile charging cradle.

Customer Reviews:

• Solid, but needs refinement for the professional user.
  I thought this product was good and was impressed with the software's ability to understand my handwriting when searching for words. That said, I'm not a college student carrying a back pack, I'm a sales rep, and found a few features annoying.
  
  1. Single Computer- Software only works on one machine, I have a work and personal machines, need info on both.
  
  2. Ergonomics- Writing with it is awkward and it's rather large. You need to maintain the pen relatively perpendicular to the paper to ensure it encodes properly.
  
  3. No Cap/Lame Leather Holster- They made a huge pen even huger with the holster. It's too bulky for a chest pocket in a dress shirt or blazer. And holster is just annoying, they need to atleast make a cap version, ideally shrink it a bit too.
  
  4. Archiving- I don't want to use their stupid software to archive my notes, I should be able to save them as a PDF or something.
  
  5. Docking- It's a stretch, but it'd be nice if it were wireless/Bluetooth to sync notes without having to dock it. Though you'll need to dock to charge anyway sometimes.
  
  6. Ink - I found the first cartridge died in less than week. Is that normal? Or was it because it was the default unit that it was packaged with? Could get really annoying if that's typical.
  
  7. Notebook Options- For professional use I found the Moleskin style option to very nice and reasonably priced. However it's still too large for a suite pocket. A 3"x6" option might be nice.
  
  8. Exporting - there may have been a way to do it, but it wasn't obvious in the software. I'd like to have another option to export the Flash sessions other than only uploading to the website.
  
  9. Limited space one website, 250meg??? Seems kinda cheap.
  
  Verdict: I was impressed, but not $150 impressed. I returned mine to Target and I will probably buy the second generation one if most of the issues above are addressed.
  
  Good Luck....more info
• I friggin' love this thing
  The lack of handwriting-to-text is not an issue for me -- I like knowing that my notes are solid and I always have the backup of an audio recording. I work in corporate communications, so I always like knowing that I'm quoting my sources accurately and never missing a word from the boss. She's even offered to reimburse me, she was so impressed!...more info
• Awesome Pen
  This is an awesome purchase. The pen really works the way it claims to. It records, then everything downloads to the computer all your written notes and the voice. Great invention....more info
• I LOVE This Pen!
  I an a secretary and often record meeting minutes. This wonderful tool has made that job a million times easier. The only bad thing I can say is that the software that allows you to turn your hand written notes into editable text that can be exported is an add on that costs an additional $29.95 and is available on the LiveScribe web site. Without this piece, this tool would be more or less useless to me as I would not distribute my handwritten notes as official minutes. Therefore, I would wind up transcribing my notes, which I could just as easily do from a regular notebook without the smart pen. Otherwise, if you're taking notes that you want to save to your PC and email or otherwise share with others and you and they don't care that they're hand written, this pen is awesome!...more info
• An amazing device!
  I recently purchased the 1GB Pulse Smartpen for use at work and school. I am extremely impressed with the included items and the pen itself. It it well built and has a lot of potential. The system itself could be described as a cross between a notebook, pen, Tivo, and a Tablet PC - without the bulk! I was able to begin using the pen right out of the box, as it came partially charged. The tutorial notebook and cards were extremely easy to use and follow, making learning a breeze. The pen includes built-in microphones and a speaker, and yes it will literally talk you through the tutorial! You may use the included headphones with built-in microphones to record in stereo, or any 2.5mm (adapter required for 3.5mm) headphones, or just the built-in speaker to listen to recorded notes.
  
  Pros:
  Very lightweight
  About the size of a large Mont Blanc pen (i.e., not too bulky)
  Ready to record within 5 seconds of being turned on, or instantly if already on
  Quick transfer speeds when syncing with the computer
  Ability to print your own dot-based paper on a supported color printer
  Ease-of-use
  Speed of recalling recorded audio, as it is synced with your note taking!
  Ability to easily add new applications or features to the pen
  
  Cons:
  Use of dot paper - probably no way around this, as it's required to properly record the pen position
  
  I wish something like this was around when I started college - it would have made note taking so much easier!...more info
• Excellent Product
  This is a wonderful product and I would recommend it to anyone that needs to remember important information and keep track of it with written documentation.
  
  Excellent Product!...more info
• Your needs/uses will determine if this pen is right/write (pun intended) for you...
  I've had the 1 gig Livescribe pen for about six weeks now and love it. I'm 51 y/o and not a student. Most of my note taking occurs during conversations that are 5-20 minutes long. I have pretty good organizational skills, so I haven't yet had the need to search through pages of lecture notes for a particular piece of information. In my case, as long as I have the audio, I don't really need the notes...since my notes are strictly reminders of what was said. ;-) The notes are handy to have, in case you're not at your computer or haven't had the chance to upload the session to your computer, yet. But once I upload the session to my computer, if it's something worth saving, I've figured out how to "rip" the audio as MP3 and I'll "file" that away on my computer, for future use, should I need it.
  
  There are some shortcomings, but again, this product is still in it's infancy. These are things (based upon my usage) that I would hope would be implemented soon (and that's the only reason I didn't give it five stars):
  
  1) No security. If you recorded a session where sensitive data was mentioned and your pen gets lost/stolen, if someone is savvy enough to know about this pen & the software, they could download the software, install it, register your pen & download all the info from your pen into their desktop.
  2) No backup of the pen. Say you have all your sessions uploaded to your desktop & your pen gets lost/stolen/breaks & you replace it. There is currently no way to download the audio from your desktop to the new pen. (Same thing if you delete a session from the pen.)
  3) Software needs to be able to store the data in a user defined location.
  4) Smaller notebooks that would fit better in a tote bag or purse should be added to the product line. As it is now, I often tear out some blank pages & store them in my tote - a true notebook would be nice to have.
  
  I suggest you peruse the message boards on the Livescribe website before purchasing.
  
  For me, this pen is a real lifesaver. I've always found it difficult to take thorough (and legible!) notes while still trying to listen/digest what is being said and this pen is a welcome addition to my tech toy arsenal. ...more info
• Don't buy this pen
  I purchased the Livescribe pen (shorter memory model) about 2 months ago. It has never downloaded anything. I have spent many hours on the phone with technical service. Tech serv has gotten to the point where they tell me they will call me back then never do. When I call for help they are as lost as I am. The first question they ask is my computer a 34 or 64 bit model? Because they say the pen will most definetly not work with a 64 bit computer. Nowhere does this warning appear in any of their sales literature. My response to this query is ask how do I determine how many bits my computer has. They cannot answer that question so we move on until all their downloads and suggestions have been exhausted and they say they have to check into this with their engineering staff and call me back - which never happens.
  I have tried to make this pen download to a stadard Gateway desk top running windows XP. I have tried to make it work with a Gateway Tablet PC running XP, a MacBook Pro running Parallels and Vista and the straight MacBook Pro running Leopard. Now I know their literature says the Livescribe product will not run on a Mac but since everything else they represent is wrong I thought it was worth a try.
  Bottom line is this is a 150 dollar ball point pen - and not a very good one at that.
  Signed
  Fumming in Marysville...more info
• Don't listen to the nay-sayers- it's great!
  I've read a few of the negative reviews, and they all seem to find the Livescribe software to be of issue. I use Windows XP, and I haven't had the first problem. I use mine for college, I'm 49 and going back to school after so many years, this has really helped me keep up with all the lectures and notes. It works wonderfully. The recordings are clear, playback is easy, and I sync all my notes to my computer with no problems. The only negative I have of the pen is it is a little large, but, not so much that it is uncomfortable to write with, and for the size, the weight is very light.
  To the reviewer who said his ink ran out after a week, I'm still using the original cartridge and have written over 35 pages of notes, in a 5 week period, so he may have gotten a bad cartridge.
  I only paid a little over $100 for mine, I got it on sale at Target. I would absolutely buy it again, and I recommend it to everyone that asks me about it. ...more info
• Great . . . . but . . .
  Great product, prompt service.
  I use it to record meetings and transcribe notes - excellent! Would also be great for a college student.
  
  Only wish that the software would: 1.) load in a VM 2.) allow you to load and sync on more than one computer. Someday companies will learn that restrictive licenses cost sales.
  
  Also wish they get on the ball and release the SDK so I can print my own paper...more info
• Great product, expensive shipping to Europe
  Like already mentioned in other reviews, the pen works remarkably well. The only thing that I like less is the relatively high pressure that I need to apply to make the pen register what I write.
  
  On the positive side the PC SW, which needs to have at least twice as much features to make it really useful, manages to find a search word in my written text. Sometimes I hardly can read my own handwriting, so this is remarkable.
  
  Major drawback were shipping and customs fees to Europe, almost doubling the price. If had not really, really, really wanted the pen, this surely would have stopped me from buying. And at the time of ordering, Amazon did ship the spiral notebooks to Europe but not the journals, pity....more info
• Great for business!
  I have been using the 1GB Pulse pen for five months now. I work for a financial investment firm and, as you would expect, have numerous meetings every day. I originally purchased the pen hoping that it would provide a good platform to archive my notes and use the audio to make sure follow-on work was done correctly.
  
  The pen's vocal and note recording quality is excellent. I have found that the pen is a) able to pick up my handwriting so printouts actually look like I wrote them and b) the audio is clear and crisp - I'm actually able to make out words said by someone who was sitting across the room. Also, the on-pen speaker is also very clear. I've used it several times after meetings when someone asks, "What did so-and-so say? I couldn't get it down in time." Because I have my meetings recorded, I have also found that I no longer need to rush to take down every single note. If I need to, I can always come back for greater detail.
  
  My biggest complaint WAS the lack of note-to-text conversion that would allow me to actually SEARCH through my notes.
  
  That has been corrected. Now, I am able to type in the name of any company / person / date (e.g., March 2) and have computer platform find all of the pages with that information.
  
  This is game changing. As a professional, I am now able to SEARCH my notes! In seconds, I can pull up any information I need regarding a company or person. For anyone who has ever taken notes, the biggest problem has always been that you can't seem to find what you wrote down in a meeting, lecture, etc. Now you can. THIS is what I was hoping for. Several of my coworkers are now investing in these pens.
  
  There are only two drawbacks I can think of. Are a) customer service and b) pen ink quality.
  
  I had one problem with my pen (which turned out to be an easy fix) and I had to call customer service. The customer service reps actually have no idea how to fix the pen, but insist on sending me step-by-step walkthroughs via email. When the first walkthrough didn't solve the problem, I then had to call back in and complete another walkthrough.
  
  The other complaint is the ink pen. The ink pen is a standard ballpoint pen and would be the equivalent of a $0.10 Bic pen you find for free in a hotel room. As a result, you have to push harder than I would like in order for the ink to really be a nice, clear width and color. After taking notes for a couple hours, it can begin to hurt.
  
  Overall, this pen will change the life of anyone who takes notes and wants to review them later. I highly recommend the pen for professionals....more info
• awesome tool!
  I bought this pen for my college bound son. I asked him if he would prefer a laptop or this pen, and he chose this. He is thrilled with the results and keeps thanking me for getting him this!!! It works beautifully and so easily. I am confident that he will be able to keep up with note taking now and not miss the lectures! GREAT PRODUCT, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!...more info
• Cool idea, first review on initial use, so far, so good.
  This will be the first of several reviews:
  
  I couldn't resist any longer.
  I read the reviews and having long used a paper notebook at work during meetings to jot down notes (rather than typing as often I sketch), at first I was tempted to go to consider a tablet PC. Not that tempted, they average $1200. Then I considered carrying a graphics tablet linked to my laptop. Well, the display of the laptop would have to be used, and all that equipment not so easy to tote around...My timing must have been perfect, as when I went online to see what I could get, I found the smart pen. Or it found me.
  
  Being a skeptic, I was hesitant to invest $200 or even $150 into a pen...
  Well nearly 100 reviews on Amazon helped convinced me and I purchased the 1MB model 3 days ago. I figured since I would rarely record sound, I did not need the memory.
  
  The first thing that struck me with this product, was the amazing graphics. The packaging is wonderfully done, the Quickstart guide; quite nice and the notebooks very well done. Guys, you did your research.
  
  Regarding the industrial design of the pen, however I have some less than glowing feedback. Not really bad, but some room for improvement.
  
  First of all I'm a Human Factors engineer. I have been tasked to evaluate ergonomics of handheld items, so am a bit sensitive to these aspects.
  
  The diameter of the pen using a scale comes in at 0.56 inch. The ideal diameter should be about .25-.62 inch (see Woodson: Human Factors design handbook, 2nd edition, page 453), so it is at the high end of this measurement. For me personally, though I have a fairly large hand, the pen is a bit big.
  
  Another thing, this pen is slippery and could use a rubberized sleeve, to keep it from sliding in my hands. Given that it is large to start with, maybe the finish could be altered instead. Maybe the offset pen nib contributed to the pen pivoting a lot in my hand.
  
  Since this pen cost me $150, I'm very concerned with its safety. Since it is completely cylindrical, I spend a lot of time trying to keep it from rolling off my desk. How about a pen clip, to minimize that?
  
  Additionally for those of us who have gotten used to gel pens, I was a bit worried that the conventional ink in this pen, would introduce more drag. When I have switched to conventional ball point pens, I have found my keyboard-trained hands have had issues with the drag on the pen tip, which caused fatigue. I'm happy to say, even though I have recently transcribed 20 pages worth of notes, it has not proven to be an issue. Luckily, I'm not likely due to do that many pages in one sitting again.
  
  Length of ink cartridge, provides a pause. I have not ran a cartridge dry yet, but I am concerned this will happen quickly, rendering my expensive new tool inoperable, given how short they are. I can't comment on this as yet, but I am concerned, that it will be an issue.
  
  Onto the software.
  
  The software loaded uneventfully, which is a good thing, but since I goofed and did not hook up the USB with the pen in the dock, when the screen told me to and hit Next, I created a bit of a glitch. The computer could not find the pen. I realized the issue and placed the pen in the dock and hit Next, but it still could not find the pen. Rebooting quickly fixed this however. It concerned me that it was that fragile, but was a minor issue and due to my own mistake, so I am a bit forgiving in this regard.
  
  My pen required a firmware update when I first linked it up and this took about 5-7 minutes. I know firmware updates can be hairy so I was very careful not to disturb the pen, especially in light of my earlier goof.
  
  I have not played with the software much yet, but found the instant appearance of my pages on the computer quite nice with each docking of the pen. It appears that it also transfers these files as well. Nice! I have tentatively tried the search and it recognized my hen scratching quite well. Fantastic, as this is why I wanted to have my notebook electronic.
  
  I'm not quite understanding the software well just yet. I was hoping it was a bit more intuitive, but I have yet to give it a real test drive as yet. That will be my next review.
  
  So far, I'm keeping the pen...
  
  Please note...though I am a "Vine Voice", I did not receive this pen, through this program. I bought it at Target.
  ...more info
• Awesome pen (Software's a work in progress) that will change your work or school life
  I'm a graduate student in a humanities program--lots of seminars with ideas being batted around. I've found that I feel really inspired in class and think of a lot of great topics for research, but it always seems hard to piece those back together after class (through memory, notes, etc), and even if I take detailed notes, I can't possibly connect all of the comments made by other students that led to my idea.
  So, when I saw that Target was having a special on this pen ($15 gift card with purchase) I did some research, which included reading Amazon's reviews, and then bought it. I used the pen for class in a seminar room and for a large lecture hall course that I TA in, and the audio is entirely serviceable--this isn't concert hall quality, but I don't need it to be.
  I've got a Mac and the software install was no problem. My chicken scribble notes mostly don't register on the "search" function, but I have no doubt that if I write larger they will. The software isn't ideal, but it's still thrilling to be able to use the replay functions and re-experience discussions--I've even started to write notes to myself on the page to "listen here" when I know I've missed something in the dialogue because I was writing, didn't know how to spell something or was distracted for a moment.
  This is a great tool, and gives you plenty of bang for your buck. I expect the software upgrades will resolve any beefs other customers have had, but I'm totally satisfied with the pen as-is....more info
• Livescribe Smartpen
  This pen is awesome, and the programs that are going to be added will make it even better. The pen has really helped me out with my school work and is very good. I love my smartpen. I recommend this pen to anyone that is a student, especially if you are in college....more info
• Not 64-bit OS compatible
  I was given this pen as a gift... I was very excited to use it, but couldn't get the software to install because I run Vista 64-bit. Apparently the drivers aren't 64-bit compatible, and the maker doesn't have specific plans to provide them -- says we are too small a market segment. Sadly, there's no information about this MAJOR incompatibility on either the box or on their web site, so it'll be returned. Hopefully they'll come to their senses and 1) make it clear that it's not 64-bit OS compatible and 2) update the drivers (or replace their vendor)....more info