Livescribe 4 GB Echo Smartpen

PROS: As a reporter and writer, this pen is mature enough to be reliable in the field, as well as in a conference. The old way of note taking was to have a recorder held underneath my pad as I wrote. Trying to get quotes and facts accurate was a long and tedious process afterwards. Having to listen to the takes and playing sections over and over again made writing stories from my knows created more work for me. With this pen, I can record the interview, and write notes at the same time. If I come up with a fact or a quote that I want to use in my story, I do not need to search possibly 10 pages of notes in my pad. I use a symbol either during or at the end, then I can just tap on that part of my notebook and play the actual quote, or get the facts right. I did my job quicker. Also, with the software included, and the optional MyScript software, I can download my notes, send them to my editor with the audio, and MyScript is an OCR program that creates a text file of my notes. Yes, I do have to correct some of the mistakes the OCR makes, but it is a time saver over listening to the whole tape and typing my notes manually. I can save four hours there alone. The paper is of great quality, thick and durable, and once I have downloaded my pages into the provided software, the micro-tearing allows me to rip the page out and file my notes. The computer software creates a 100-percent duplicate of the page I wrote. As a reporter, my notes from stories jumps to different pages. The software allows me to create custom notebooks where I can categorize my notes by story, not matter where they appear on my pad. CONS: The pen is fatter than a regular pens, even though new pens coming out on the market have larger grips. My first interview I did was an hour long, and I had cramps. But the more I used the pen, my hand and fingers got accustomed to it. The ink cartridges hold a lot less ink, yet my current A5 notebook I have written 35 pages, plus the many pages in the reporter's note pad without any issues. RECOMMENDATIONS: Even though you can buy a binder for the A5-sized pads, I would recommend buying one of the carrying cases to protect your pen, and to be able to clip it inside your shirt pocket. Also, since I do work on multiple projects, I wished I ordered the 3-subject notebooks. They can come in real handy. Also, buy the charger that plugs into the wall. Otherwise, the only way to charge this pen it by connecting it to your USB on your computer. I would recommend this pen to anyone who is a reporter or writer who does interviews, or talks while taking notes. It is also great to record classes and lectures, while writing the highlights to retrieve the more important recorded data later. The 4GB is more than enough to hold thousands of pages.

LED display stopped working after a while making it difficult to use. The software has huge problems - in particular, one cannot edit the sound track (e.g. to delete confidential elements, or eliminate silence). Also, One cannot remove the lines that show up in the pdf files - and the lines in the pdf are not exactly where the lines were on the page. The company is totally irresponsive to complaints about these issues that have been raised for many years. I bought the device to create 'explained solutions' for my students. I have now moved to doing a screen capture of solutions written on an iPad. You do not need a frame rate of more than 2 fps, and compression works well - because almost nothing is changing from frame to frame. The final file size is ermined primarily by the audio sound track - and so there is little difference between an mp4 and the pencast (annotated pdf) created with Livescribe.

I have the 4GB ECHO. I generally won't post a review on a product like this until I have used it for at least one year, and in this case, I waited longer than that. The pen works well to its stated function, at least for me. I use the pen now and then, and have recorded in the presence of hundreds of clients. The pen works well with my Livescribe desktop application on my PC. The PDF pencast application is a major plus, and I have used it many times to provide secure copies to clients. 4GB is more than most people need before a download. I recomend the 2GB product. What problems have I encountered? I have noticed the scratchiness in the recording reported by others. It usually isn't overwhelming of my voice, but might be for recording the voices of people around me. It has not been a limiting problem for me. It is my perception scratchiness is louder on the smaller notepads than for the notebooks. As reported by others, the display is dimming quite a bit. It is not gone yet, and it is initially brighter when I first turn on the pen. I am not sure how much longer the display will last. I am careful with the pen, and try to turn it off quickly after use to preserve the display. The cap that protects the writing point is easy to lose. Be careful with 3rd party pen refills. I have found them to be unpredictable in quality and lifetime. The refills from Livescribe work better, but are more pricey. When saving to a PDF Pencast file, the Save Dialog box does not necessarily rise to be the top window. After searching, I often find it as the bottom window. This programming glitch needs to be addressed. I have encountered one super major problem. I often have to record many clients, simultaneously, but on separate pages of the same notebook. I need to provide separate copies to clients for their page content. Unfortunately, the voice/page-content on one page can't be separated (as PDF pencasts) from the voice/page-content on another page unless one turns off recording for one page before starting for another. This is tedious to do when having to jump back and forth between different conversations. Livescribe desktop needs to be modified to fully isolate the content of one page from another (when making PDF Pencasts for each page), if needed, regardless of whether they were recorded in the same continuous session. It is probably easy to program this, and I think Livescribe should undertake the task. It will improve the utility of their product. Now my commentary about Livescribe: I haven't used the SKY product, but I have seen many complaints. I could not use the SKY product because it forces content to Evernote, and I would not be permitted to deposit information of clients on a 3rd party server. I was warned by other Livescribe users to avoid SKY for this reason. If they hadn't warned me, I might have purchased the SKY. What troubles me is that I think many people who purchase the SKY are not well enough informed. I really think Livescribe needs to be more explicit in explaining the difference between the ECHO and SKY. Also, they need to state that the PDF pencast is not available for the SKY, and at the same time, explain that some people really value the PDF Pencast. I should also point out the ECHO has some useful dedicated applications available to it that are not available to the SKY. Even though Livescribe provides 500MB of free access to Evernote for the SKY, with more storage space being available as a cost based service, 500MB would be quickly filled by a moderate to heavy pen user. So, 500MB is really not enough for many (if not all) users; you likely would have to quickly start paying to store your information. I recommend that Livescribe provide PC desktop access to the SKY so that Evernote does not have to be used. Bottom line: My ECHO meets my needs. Purchasers of the SKY need to be wary of its limitations. Evernote might be fine for some people, but from the many confused and unhappy reviews, it is clear that many purchasers didn't know that they were getting locked into Evernote. Frankly, Livescribe would have likely gotten better reviews and had happier customers if they more clearly defined what their different products CANNOT do. I believe Livescribe has done themselves no favors by not enabling the SKY to directly store to the user's PC. It would have helped Livescribe (and its customers) immensely if the SKY could do everything the ECHO could do, AND, additionally, wifi connect to Evernote, as well as blue-tooth or wifi connect to one's PC. I would've purchased the SKY under that circumstance, and I would likely be regularly upgrading my pen with each advance of added flexibility. However, I can say that after my ECHO fails, I may not purchase another pen from Livescribe if I have to choose between functionalities and deliberate dysfunctionalities of the different products. It would be nice to have wifi (or blue-tooth), if it went directly to my PC laptop, and not to Evernote on a 3rd party computer. AMAZON is culpable with the confusion between the ECHO and SKY products by merging the reviews for all. I have suggested to Livescribe, in other comments, that they request that the ECHO and SKY reviews are separated, but that hasn't happened. My fundamental strategic recommendation to Livescribe is to ensure that each successive new innovative product is capable of doing everything that could be done by earlier products. This is the successful Apple model of development. This is what customers want to see. What they don't want are new products where features are disabled from products they have previously used. Am I wasting my effort with this recommendation? Maybe. It appears to me the company would rather coerce customers into a subscription service, rather than concentrate on innovation and improvement. So, 4 stars for my Livescribe ECHO pen. 1-2 stars for the Livescribe company. Overall, 2.5-3 stars. Read reviews carefully so you understand what you are getting. Update 10/1/2014 I just yesterday received an email from Livescribe indicating that they intend to replace the Adobe PDF Pencast file with their own "LIvescribe PDF" file. If I understand correctly, this file may not play the audio through the ADOBE Reader(?), but it will provide a separate MP4 file of the audio. If this is correct, then, unlike the ADOBE Reader enabled PDF Pencast, one presumes the audio of this MP4 might not play synchronized with the pen strokes of the ADOBE Reader, and the synchronized utility of the PDF Pencast will be lost? Again, not sure if I have interpreted this correctly. Perhaps Brian, the representative of Livescribe, who patrolls these reviews, can clarify if the ADOBE Reader PDF Pencast will effectively be lost for future versions of the ECHO? If the ADOBE Reader PDF Pencast is lost, then I will be compelled to abandon Livescribe after my ECHO fails. My clients rely on the synchronized audio/pen-strokes of the ADOBE Reader version of the PDF Pencast. Livescribe came out with the Pulse, and then an improvement, the ECHO, developing an ardently enthusiastic customer base. After that, they have been struggling with product developments that often don't meet the needs of their original Pulse/Echo customers. I realize they are trying to forge new market directions, and anticipate technology evolutions, but as one other reviewer pointed out, more often than not, they seem to be trying to lead their customers into accepting a product Livescribe wants to make, rather than have their customers lead them into manufacturing what the customers really need. Update 11/8/2014 The audio playback sometimes no longer activates when I touch the page where I have written/recorded. I sometimes have to jam the pen down multiple times, and can't necessarily always get the audio portion I am seeking. I presume the internal switch audio activation may have failed or is wearing out? Don't know. I can still download the entire content to my computer and still create pencast PDF files. The pen has become less reliable for me, and I am getting closer to stop using it entirely. I will not replace the pen when I stop using it. I always update my reviews if anything new comes up, and will do also for this review, if need be.

Edited to add review on new power adaptor that I mentioned before. I am a writer and a student; both require a lot of writing. I prefer a pen and paper because I can take them anywhere. But then, having to type up what I have written is a pain. With the Livescribe Echo Smartpen, all of my problems are solved. I can write anywhere I want with the pen, upload and then convert my writing to text using MyScript and only have to do some minor editing. Price: I give this a 5/5 because $ 169.95 seems to be a very reasonable price to me. I only paid $140.30, but I was more than willing to pay the full price. Here's why: you get a pen with a 4 GB of memory which can capture what you write, and, if you want, record audio as you write which syncs the audio to what you are writing. The piano app (draw some lines, press the "keys" and music comes out of the pen) comes pre-installed. You get an 80 page A5 starter notebook. You also get two inks (one installed and an extra) and two pen caps (one on the pen and one extra). For what the pen does and what it comes with, this price seems reasonable to me. Note the fact that the lower end pen that is only a hundred bucks comes with just one ink and one cap. Getting Started: I give this a 4½/5. The pen comes with a guide called "Interactive Getting Started Guide" which instructs you on how to use the pen. The guide has eight simple steps to set up and teach you the basics of using the pen. The inside of the guide is dot paper so as you set up the pen, you write on the guide to do this, and it ends up in the active notebooks in the Livescribe Desktop. I took off half a point because there should have been more information on how to use Livescribe Desktop or where to find this information. I had to learn through trial and error and by going on the forums on the Livescribe website. Otherwise, this is very helpful. Livescribe Desktop: I give this a 4/5. Basically, it's a library for your notebooks that you download for free from the Livescribe website. You can rename the notebooks to whatever you want. You can create a custom notebook from pages of the notebooks. So, say you have a 3-subject notebook for school you can write so many pages for one class and then right after that for another class, and then you can drag them to their own custom notebooks. You can even mix pages from different notebooks of the same (A5 and A5) and different kind (A5 and 3 Subject). Then, once you fill you a notebook, you archive it and it removes the notebook from the pen to clear up space. One thing I would like is the ability to erase words or sentences within the notebook images before using MyScript for Livescribe for conversion in case you misspelled a word or whatever. Battery: I give this a 5/5. I use the pen for several hours a day over several days before charging it when only using the writing capturing part. In my two hour and forty-five minute class, while using the audio recording too, it drains about half the battery. I would estimate that it would take seven hours to drain the battery this way. Charging the battery takes an hour or more, depending on how drained the battery is. There is actually a warning sign that appears on the pen when it is almost empty of battery life, this is rather nice. I ran down to empty a few days ago, so this was a welcome surprise actually because it would have been really annoying if I had continued writing when the pen turned off. Power Adaptor: I have found on the Livescribe website a power adaptor charging option that is not available on Amazon. I give this a 4½/5. When I am away from my computer and my pen gets down to the warning sign, it is a nice way to charge the pen. I have found that using the adaptor instead of connecting to the computer that the pen charges faster. When I had drained my batter, in about two hours, the pen had charged to a little over 80%. It takes about two hours to charge from 50% to 100% via the computer, so this adaptor is very good. My only complaint is the shape of the thing which is why I took half a point off. This design looks nice, much nicer than the brick like chargers, but it is an awkward shape in that it is rounded on top so it is narrower width wise. This makes it thick enough that it is a little awkward to put into pockets in my small messenger bag. Overall, this is a great device that makes this pen much more versatile because it is no longer depending on the computer to be charged. Pen Design: I give this a 4/5 because I like the design. It's not very heavy. It's thinner than I thought it would be. At first, it was awkward and tiring to use the pen, but after a while, you'll get used to it. The flat bottom to keep the pen from rolling, only works if you set it down exactly right, otherwise, it will roll. The moment the pen starts to roll, the bottom does nothing to stop it. Cap: I give this a 2/5. The cap needs a total redesign. While it comes with two and they keep the ink from drying out, the cap is so hard to take off of the pen. The little ridges are barely any help. I also wish there was a way to put the cap into the top of the pen so that the cap won't be lost, like a regular pen. Ink: This earns a 5/5. I finally finished my first ink cartridge and it lasted 110 pages (A5: 66 pages, 3 Subject: 32 pages, Flip Note: 12 pages); however, I should warn you that I write pretty small, I cross things out heavily if I make a spelling mistake or I don't like what I wrote and sometimes I would leave the cap off for a while because I'd forget about it while doing research and such. So, I'd estimate it could last for several more pages, which for such a small ink container, that's pretty good. The ink dries instantaneously and size of the point does not come out too thin or thick. The one thing I wish was that the metal casing was plastic so I could see how much ink is left. Audio: This earns a 4/5. This semester in school I have a three hour linguistics class in which I am using the pen. The classroom is small, and the teacher walks back and forth, but he can be heard clearly on the pen. The pen does pick up your writing, papers moving, the people around you, but that does not take away from the teacher. However, the fact that you can hear the pen scratching on the paper can be annoying at times. The sound is louder on the computer, but the pen does produce a loud enough volume that I can hear it just fine when I am in a noisy area. Writing Capture: This gets a 5/5. You can write light or hard and the pen captures it. I have to confess there are times when I forget to turn on the pen and have written stuff. If you turn the pen on and write over what you have written before turning the pen on, it will capture the writing. The ink does not seem to block the camera ability to pick up new pen strokes. It works wonderfully. Writing/Audio Syncing: This earns a 5/5. When I first got the pen I used this feature when setting it up with the getting started guide. As you write, you can sync audio to what you have written. However, here is one caution. If you start speaking before you start writing, then what you have said before you began writing won't be synced to the text. You have to start writing before you begin speaking. Also, you do not have to keep writing for the audio to still record. On the third day of class all that was up were pictures, so I wrote out "writing systems" and put the pen down and then wrote "end" before pressing the stop button. I was able to look at the pictures and listen to the lecture without killing myself to write down what he was saying. However, if you are not a fast writer when taking notes, like me, then there may be times when what is being said may not link up to what you are writing if you still are on the previous point. 4GB Storage: I have 110 pages and six hours, forty-three minutes and fifty-one seconds of audio on my pen. I have 3,148MB left (according to the pen and I have no idea why it's in MB and not GB), so a little over 3GBs is left on the pen. This pen can hold a lot. Dot Paper Notebooks: I wrote a review for the A-5 Single-Subject Notebook and will write reviews for the others when I get a chance. If you want a detailed review, go to my profile and look up my other Livescribe reviews. My mini review here: Each notebook is numbered because there are four notebooks (1, 2, 3, 4) for each kind of notebook (A5, 3 Subject, 1 Subject, Flip Note...). I don't know about the journals though, I think there is only one of them. When you finish book one of the A5 sized notebook series, you cannot buy a new book one and use it; you have to archive the book you finished to be able to use a new book one. I am writing in two of the 3 subjects, the starter notebook, two of the A5 notebooks and one of the flip notebooks. So, you can write in all four of one kind and have every kind in use too, so you can potentially have sixteen notebooks going at once, more if you get the journals or they make more. Apps: the pen comes with a piano app. I have played around with it and found that if you have already drawn the Piano, you can just use it over and over again. Overall, for the apps, it depends on what you want. I have no use for apps because I use the pen for school and writing. They'd just take up space and be a distraction I don't need. MyScript for Livescribe: This is a program you have to buy separately and from a different company for $30 for one computer. Basically, this program will take your handwritten pages from the Livescribe Desktop and converts it into text. This actually works fairly well. A few mistaken conversions pop up, but not a lot. I write pretty small and quite messy, and it can recognize about 95% of my writing. There are a couple of things to note. 1) Indents in the notebook will appear as spaces once converted. 2) The only thing you can do when you make an error is put a line in the middle of the word or words which will appear as an underline when converted, there is no way to delete something. However, I think it is totally worth it. If you want to be able to write anywhere and whenever without having to worry about typing it up, then this is the perfect program to compliment this pen. Overall, this pen is a great buy for a student, business person, a writer, a right handed person, or a left handed person. Not only will you have a notebook of your writing, but you will have them backed up on the computer as images and as text in a document if you get MyScript. This pen gets a 5/5 from me.

I picked up one of these pens after wrestling with the idea for several months. Here's my thoughts: 1. It's fairly easy to use, but you can tell right out of the box that these have been in the box for a little while. At least in computer terms, that is, because it needs an immediate update to the firmware on the pen. That's not bad, unless you were planning on turning it on and using it first. That matters to me with electronics. 2. Work: I mainly use the writing capture for work. I haven't tried the add-on of handwriting recognition, but I do use the "Connect" system to send emails that are hand-written. It works well, although it has some trouble with selecting the right email address from my handwriting. For sensitive stuff, you're better off to load it into the Desktop Client and then right-click and email where you can really verify you've got the right address. Also, handwritten notes and speaking plans go easily into the software or directly into Evernote (which is a different company's app, but Evernote and Livescribe pens seem made for each other). This allows me to sync from one pen into multiple computers without plugging the pen into multiple computers. And as most Windows users know, the fewer hardware changes you make, the better off you are. It also works well for taking notes in meetings, but I haven't done much of that. I do have the sticky notes Livescribe ANA-00043 Sticky Notes Voice Recorder and love being able to jot a note for someone and still have the digital copy of what I gave them. 2. School: alongside work, I'm trying to finish a master's degree. Yay, me. I'm a glutton for punishment. Anyway, since it's a program with some semester classes and some week-long intensive seminars, this pen has been great. I've used it take notes in class, and it keeps recording, even as the professor drones into his 3rd or 4th hour. So, if I've brain-fuzzed out, I can go back and pick up what I missed. It is interesting to find out what audio is linked to the doodle on the side of the page, though. It's an unobtrusive way to record classes for note-taking purposes. Since it doesn't really distract, it doesn't bother the professor the way some of the guys with tape recorders do---and it's nowhere the distraction that the kid with the laptop webcam was. 3. Personal writing: grocery lists, book reviews for Amazon, love notes for my wife (hey, it's not as "impersonal" as a typed email!)---all these things go very smoothly. What can I find to fuss about? A couple of things: To protect the digital works of the pen, it comes with a nice cap that goes over the sensor and writing tip. When you need to use the pen, you take the cap off and write with it. Then, when you're done, you spend 5 minutes looking for the cap. I appreciate the update from Pulse to Echo that unrounded the pen, so it doesn't roll off the desk. The next change needs to be a way to clip the cap on the top of the pen when in use. Second, the pen pretty much downloads all of its data to the computer it's connected to, then syncs its settings to that computer. This hurt me once on the Connect Email feature: the pen had my addresses, then I connected to my work computer and lost my addresses from the pen. That's why I try to just connect to my laptop and let it all sync through other software: I don't have to keep up with what addresses are where. Finally, it's a little big and bulky. It doesn't quite "disappear" in your pocket, but that may not be a bad thing. Given the cost, I'm very careful with mine and don't just carry it in a pocket. If you want lightweight, this isn't for you. I use a Quiver-brand pen holder on my journal (the Livescribe journal is the same size as a large Moleskine)), and the pen fits in a two-pen quiver very securely. That's where mine lives when it's not working. So, for note-taking and writing, I don't know of a competing product to consider anyway, but this beats trying to write on a tablet PC (or iPad) with a stylus. The battery life seems better, there's less digital to fire up, and you have the written, just in case.

I recently went on the hunt for something that would capture my mostly mathematical notes digitally for easy filing, storing, searching, etc. First I tried the Motorola Xoom Tablet, but the handwriting recognition was terrible and interactivity with pdfs and word (even with the expensive apps) was just too great a hassle for daily use. (In fairness, the Xoom doesn't bill itself as a tool for replacement of handwritten notes.) I returned the Xoom to Amazon and then tried the Bamboo Tablet, which is a pad and stylus that you plug into a USB port for handwriting. The Bamboo tablet was decent, but it actually decreased mobility because it required both the laptop and (of course) the tablet. I found there were just too many instances in which I wanted to capture something quickly...waiting for the laptop to bootup was just unacceptable. Also, I was frustrated with the writing/editing options within word and the options with adobe were even worse....I don't have any specific, illustrative examples to cite here--using the toolbars and stylus was just too great an inconvenience for me relative to a $3 notebook and mechanical pencil. Also, from a student's perspective, it was inconvenient to have everything stored electronically, with no physical copy for studying on the go. Thank goodness, I didn't abandon the quest for the ultimate notetaking tool. I returned the Bamboo Tablet and purchased the Livescribe Pen. It is a superb product and should be in the pocket of anyone preferring idea capture and storage in long-hand form. The reason I am now never without my livescribe is that the pen and paper feel no different than any other paper...the best technological advances give us efficiency improvements without requiring us to change our habits. This is one such advance. The pen references and tracks which notebook it's writing on and where it is on the page; when I upload, the digital notebooks are stored on my hard drive separately for easy browsing according to the (customize-able) subject of the notebook. What's more, if you wish, you can use the record feature and capture audio with good quality. For example, if I want to capture a professor's explanation of a math problem, I just press record and begin writing. Later, I can return to the problem in my notebook and simply press the spot on the paper with the pen and and the pen will playback the professor's words in sync with the presentation. I don't use this feature very often mostly because my professor's lectures are hard enough to endure live...one undersold capability though is the ability to produce your own pencasts. (See below.) It is gloriously portable...the only thing I carry are the notebooks and the pen, which is only slightly larger than a Mont Blanc pen. No more worries about sitting within cord length of an electrical receptacle...the LiveScribe has allowed me to shed the laptop in lectures and meetings completely. Once/if I return to my laptop after a day's classes or meetings, I simply plug the pen into a USB port via the included cord and the software pulls the notes (organized automatically by notebook) into a homepage for viewing. From there, you can print your notes to pdf, email or whatever. My favorite use for the LiveScribe pen is the ability to produce a pencast...this is incredible! I simply write and record my real-time narration in the notebook; once finished, in about 60 seconds, I can upload my pencast to livescribe online and publish it. If you choose to make the pencast public, you simply select that option from the website, then copy and paste the link for the pencast into emails to friends or associates for viewing at their convenience. Where has this pen been all my life? Things they could improve: 1) as others have said, the cap for the pen could be easily lost; 2) they may have this already, but it would be great to have livescribe personal organizers along the lines of DayRunner; 3) it would also be great to have a product the size of the pocket Moleskin; 4) on several pencasts, I have paused the recording to gather my thoughts and forgotten to resume recording...it would be nice if the pen had a pencast mode that would autoprompt you to record when the pen is back in motion. 5) there is a 3rd party that offers writing-recognition software for the LiveScribe...it's only average...improve that. (Although, an incredibly useful feature of the livescribe software is the ability to search handwritten notes...I write codes in the margins of my notes such as "review"...later, I can use the software to search for, then print only those pages I made a point to review.) I run Windows Vista and have had no problems with the software about which others have complained. To the contrary, for the first time in a long time, I have found the manufacturer's software adds true value to the product... Sorry for the length of this review...I first purchased the other products mentioned in the review in part because I didn't see a complete review from someone on the usefulness of the livescribe pen relative to other electronic notetaking options. I took the time to write this review in the hopes that the thorough description of my experiences may save you some time and money in your purchase decision. Good Luck!

I have use this pen for 11 years! Wow, that long. It works well. I use it at work for notes, meeting notes, design work, sketches. Some meeting audio as well where apropos. Being able to search on key words is very useful, the software does a great job, although after 11 years of notes the results get a bit long if you don't set the boundaries. The Pen display faded at about 5 years but the audio beeps let you know when it is active. Been through several packets of ink cartridges'. The notebooks work well and even the printed pages if you want to have a special set for a project. It is a good way to sketch and send the image electronically. The battery life is still good at 10 days or so. Good investment. Haven't upgraded as this works and I don't mess with the backward compatibility. Good handwriting helps but I'm amazed that some of my scrawl can be interpreted and searched. I gave the tech support only 3 stars as they were un-helpful on software upgrades compatibility suggesting a hardware upgrade. Yes it is old, but it works and it works well.

I purchased this pen for my college classes. I have to take lots of notes and listen to hours of lectures. Most know the drill, so after looking at countless tablets and other ways to record the lectures, I decided on this pen. And I like it fine. It does a nice job of recording and keeping track of my note taking. But the software is years out of date. If you are not connected to the internet and ready to send every note session via Livescribe.com you are stuck with a useless pen. After class I download my notes and then forward them to my email account, or try to. An hour of lecture runs about 12 mgs and with the headphones/microphones it doubles that. To send it, it has to go through Livescribe.com then to your account. The larger files never make it. And when I wanted to connect to my laptop, which is not connected to the internet, forget it. It must call home, and not being able to do so, well that all folks. Customer support? Send emails and wait for them to request copies of all your log error files and several other files like they need that after Mircosoft Vista has been around for, how many years now? So they're looking for bugs that should have been killed years ago and using me a guenie pig on my time? Like I don't have papers to write from all those notes I transfer so I must rewrite in order to use with the laptop that is not connected to Big Brother. Why don't they have a phone number or online chat like everyone else? Yes, the pen is real nice and comes in handy for recording lectures and taking notes. No, it isn't if want to get them out the desktop software to another machine. One other thing, everytime I connect the pen to my desktop computer there is an annoying error message. I ignore it and the pen downloads, but it is still a compatability issue that should not be there. Why can't the software be like that of simular products, i.e. my Palm Pilot that needs no internet connection to do my work? Buy the pen again? I don't know. With the pen, case, and notebooks I have $200 invested. A tablet isn't that much more.

An absolutely brilliant device. I often take notes for the production of minutes in meetings that may be three hours long and involve a dozen people. Using the pen and the dedicated A4 notebooks means that a scribbled note can be easily expanded into a full-blown discourse by playing the entire meeting along in real time through the computer speakers as you type up the minutes (using the Livescribe Desktop software supplied). In the event of subsequent dispute you can quickly locate the section of the meeting concerned and play the entire discussion back. The microphone on the pen is surprisingly sensitive, clearly picking up speech from a distance suitable for all meetings although the quality of playback from the pen speaker is not brilliant (a decent set of desktop speakers gives very good reproduction). Can't imagine life without it now.

Ich nutze den LIvescribe-Stift nun seit etwas mehr als 2 Wochen und bin nur begeistert!! Ich arbeite im Therapie/Coaching-Bereich, das bedeutet es muss in den Sitzungen immer sehr viel mitgeschrieben werden. Zwar habe ich bislang die Sitzungen immer noch auf Video oder Audio aufgenommen, wenn man da allerdings "mal kurz" was nochmal nachhören möchte, ist das eben sehr zeitaufwändig, bis man tatsächlich die entsprechende Stelle im Interview wieder gefunden hat. Daher war bislang mein großes Problem, dass ich einfach immer viel zu viel mitgeschrieben habe und am Ende hat dann manchmal trotzdem etwas wichtiges gefehlt. Aber jetzt ist das anders! :-) Mit dem Livescribe kann ich es mir erlauben, bei den Interviews wirklich nur die Schlüsselsätze zu notieren und kann mich daher viel besser auf den Patienten konzentrieren. Wenn ich an irgendeiner Stelle etwas unklar notiert habe, dann kann ich ja später jederzeit schnell und unkompliziert nochmal nachhören: Stift per USB an Laptop anschließen, das Hochladen geschieht automatisch. Danach den Aufschrieb ansehen und an der interessierenden Stelle einfach anklicken, schon wird das Interview an diesem Punkt nochmal abgespielt. Echt genial! Das erhöht die Arbeitsqualität wirklich ungemein und ich möchte nicht mehr ohne den Stift arbeiten. Die Aufnahmequaltiät ist überraschend gut, ich hatte vorher schon einige Mikros probiert, die eine schlechtere Qualität hatten. Natürlich hört man den schreibenden Stift und ähnliche Nebengeräusche. Aber das ist in dem Fall ja egal, das was ich hören will (die Stimme des Patienten) kommt sehr deutlich und absolut verständlich rüber. Natürlich hat man Folgekosten, da man ja nur die Livescribe-Blöcke und -Stifte nutzen kann. Das der Stift selbst aber nicht so wahnsinnig teuer ist, finde ich kann man damit wirklich leben. Der Nutzen wiegt das allemal auf. Theoretisch kann man die handshriftlichen Notizen sogar über die Handschriftenerkennung der "MyScript"-Software (kostet ca.29,- EUR, in der 8GB-Verion mit enthalten) als Word-Dokument konvertieren lassen. Bei meiner Sauklaue funktioniert das allerdings nicht wirklich gut. Aber bei einer etwas ordentlicheren Handschrift funktioniert das bestimmt besser. Aber auch ohne die Handschriftenerkennung, für mich ist der Livescribe eine Riesen-Erleichterung. Auch in Vorlesungen, Seminaren, Weiterbildungen werde ich ihn künftig nutzen, anstatt auf dem Laptop mitzuschreiben. Denn: der Livescribe bringt einen wirklich dazu, nur die wichtigen Sachen aufzuschreiben. Man muss nicht krampfhaft versuchen jedes Wort mitzukriegen (ist ja alles aufgenommen), und das erhöht die Konzentration ungemein. Also: uneingeschränkte Kaufempfehlung! Nachtrag im Juli 2013: Ich nutze meinen Livescribe nun schon über ein Jahr und bin nach wie vor begeistert. Nun wollte ich mir die neueste (WiFi-)Version des Stiftes gönnen,diese wird aber morgen wieder zurückgeschickt, sie ist für mich nicht brauchbar. Gründe: - es wird NUR noch Evernote unterstützt, also keine Desktop-Software mehr. - auf meinem Tablet bekomme ich die Pencasts nicht zum Laufen, kann also nur Seiten lesen. - die Synch. dauert relativ lange. - Aber was mich am meisten stört: für jede beschriebene Seite wird eine extra evernote-Notiz angelegt. Da ich Therapiesitzungen dokumentiere sind das meist mehrere Seiten lange Berichte. Wenn da jetzt jede Seite als Extra-Notiz gespeichert wird, ist das für mich natürlich so nicht organisierbar und somit nicht brauchbar. Bin sehr enttäuscht, dass man eine so offenbar unausgegorene Version auf den Markt bringt. Bleibe also bei meinem alten, Nicht-Wifi-Echo und von dem bin ich nach wie vor begeistert. Da muss ich zwar jede Sitzung manuell ins Evernote hochladen. Dafür kann ich aber bestimmen, welche Seiten in einer Notiz zusammengefasst sind. Den "klassischen" Livescribe-Stift kann ich nach wie vor uneingeschränkt empfehlen. Ich hatte bislang keinen einzigen Aussetzer, verlorene Daten oder ähnliches. Ach ja: ich habe mir noch diese Mikrofon-Kopfhörer als Zubehör gekauft, die sind echt klasse, der Ton ist damit glasklar und ohne die störenden Schreibgeräusche.

A[près avoir comparé avec d'autres stylos numérique, je me suis arrêté sur ce modèle et je ne le regrette pas du tout. Le transfert vers PC: facile. La reconnaissance de caractères parfaite. Je conseille sans réserve.

Le top des stylos numériques, une fois essayé c'est adopté ! Mais si vous ne savez pas à quoi çà sert c'est surement pas pour vous...

Keeps going wrong. I contacted the supplier after it went wrong and they sent me some reset instructions. Which did not work. The pen lasted only the 100 pages of the first book and then it failed to work thereafter. The display screen does not work. With no way of getting support on this product and no interest from the company it the fault I'd recommend not buying this.