The Mac version of Livescribe desktop can export audio as an AAC file or export your notes as a PDF (via OS X built-in function). This gives users the option of sharing their files with people who may not have a Livescribe smartpen or the software. These same features are planned for PC users eventually, but for now, they're exclusive to the Mac.

I also had the chance to get a quick hands on with the new Mac software and found it to be fairly smooth and polished, despite still being in beta. The software is laid out in a manner similar to iTunes (when you're viewing album covers in a grid), and is very easy to use. Click on a thumbnail and it brings up the notes for that section. If you're looking for a specific section of notes you can do a text search. And if you're only interested in audio, you can bring up a list of recordings. It's nothing radically different from the earlier software, but it's nice to know that Livescribe didn't cut any corners for the Mac version.

Not to be outdone by the Mac version, the PC software also comes with a few new features. First, it now has the ability to transcribe your handwriting into text and export it as a document. Livescribe teamed up with Vision Objects to provide a one click handwriting to text transfer of your notes. This feature, like the handwriting search feature, works best with handwriting that's actually legible. It will be available for download on November 24 for an extra $30. They also have plans for an audio transcription service where someone will listen to your recordings and transcribe them (for a fee of course). Release and pricing are still in the works on that.

On a more minor note, the 1.4 version of Livescribe Desktop for Windows will now be fully compatible with Vista 64, as users had issues in the past. Users will also be able to print their own paper from Livescribe Desktop for free, eliminating the need to purchase notebooks.

As mentioned earlier, the new versions of Livescribe Desktop (Mac and PC) will be available from the Livescribe site on November 24, along with the handwriting-to-text software add on. [Livescribe on Giz]

Useful, Effortless, and Now Mac Compatible – Livescribe’s Pulse Smartpen Ready for the Holidays
Livescribe to release major new features just in time for Thanksgiving

OAKLAND, Calif. – Nov. 17, 2008 – Just in time for the holidays, Livescribe, Inc. (www.livescribe.com) announced today the public beta of its native Mac desktop application – Livescribe Desktop for Mac. Livescribe also announced key new features for its Pulse smartpen, including handwriting to text transcription software and the ability for consumers to print dot paper notepads for free.
From college students to business professionals, from medical workers to detectives, and from parents to attorneys, Livescribe’s Pulse smartpen solves the need for a simple, affordable and effective way to never miss a word they hear, write, or speak again.

“Given the current state of the economy, people want gifts that solve real problems,” said Jim Marggraff, Livescribe’s founder, chairman and CEO. “Forty-three percent of people we surveyed between the ages of 25-54 said they are looking for technology gifts that are ‘useful’ this holiday season. Pulse fills this need. It’s a useful solution for anyone tasked with gathering and organizing information – college students, professionals, or anyone who uses pen and paper.”

Now Mac Compatible
Livescribe Desktop for Mac Public Beta: Just in time for Thanksgiving, Pulse smartpen is now compatible with all Intel-based Mac computers with Leopard OS. Beginning Nov. 24, consumers can download the public beta software for free at www.livescribe.com/install. The software makes it possible for Mac users to upload their notes and audio recordings, play them back, search for words, and easily browse through digital copies of their notes.

Livescribe is inviting all owners to share their feedback on this public beta release through www.livescribe.com/support. Version 1.0 of the Livescribe Desktop for Mac will be available in Q1 2009.
All current and new users of the Pulse smartpen can use Pulse with Mac computers for free. Additional details can be found at www.livescribe.com.

New Features for Windows Users

Handwriting to Text Transcription: Responding to the number one requested feature among users, Livescribe partner Vision Objects is offering “MyScript for Livescribe” text transcription software, which allows note takers to seamlessly transcribe handwritten notes taken with the Pulse smartpen into text. The software will be available with the Livescribe Desktop for Windows (version 1.4) to be released on Nov. 24.

With MyScript for Livescribe, consumers can make edits to the text and even create a personal dictionary of frequently used words, resulting in a more accurate conversion. Once downloaded and purchased from the Vision Objects Web site (http://www.visionobjects.com/handwriting_recognition/pulse/pulse.htm), the transcription software is accessible through a toolbar within the Livescribe Desktop application. The text can be copied and pasted into a variety of applications, including Microsoft Word and Outlook. MyScript for Livescribe transcription software can be downloaded as a free 30-day trial or purchased for $29.95.

Print Your Own Paper: With the release of Livescribe Desktop for Windows 1.4, consumers have the freedom to print dot paper notepads for free. Dot paper notepads can be printed directly from the Livescribe Desktop toolbar on most color laser jet printers that are Adobe Post Script compatible and print at 600dpi or higher. In addition, Livescribe provides a variety of dot paper notebooks, including lined and unlined journals and college-ruled notebooks for purchase at prices at or near similar paper products.

Additional Support: Version 1.4 of the Livescribe Desktop includes full support for Windows XP 32 bit, and Vista 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

Livescribe Pulse™ Smartpen Now Ready for Mac

OAKLAND, Calif. – Nov. 17, 2008 – Just in time for the holidays, Livescribe Inc. (www.livescribe.com) marks a major milestone today with the announcement of the public beta launch of its native Mac desktop application – Livescribe Desktop for Mac.

Beginning Nov. 24, all existing and new Pulse smartpen owners can download the beta software at www.livescribe.com/install for free. The software includes several key features:
• Paper Replay – For the first time, Mac users can transfer the notes and recordings they've captured from their Pulse smartpen to their Mac computers to play them back. They can click on their notes with their mouse to hear the conversation play back while their notes and drawings animate in the order they were written.
• Page Viewing – From within Livescribe Desktop for Mac, note takers can view virtual pages of their notebooks. They can zoom in and out of their notebook pages to easily find and browse through their notes.
• Search – Mac consumers can search for key words within their notes to easily find and recall specific information.

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 – so they can listen to them privately via iTunes or an iPod. Mac users can also export their notes as PDF files directly from the Desktop app.

The Price: $199

The Verdict: I like the Livescribe Pulse quite a bit. I think it performs as advertised and is relatively easy to use. That said, this doesn't offer anything enticing or groundbreaking for people who don't use a pen and paper on a regular basis. It's a product for the likes of students, journalists, or even doctors, who are constantly scribbling things down with a pen. Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons of the Pulse.

As a quick refresh, the Livescribe Pulse uses special dotted paper for spatial recognition to digitally replicate the notes. In one regard, this is good, because it doesn't require any secondary hardware. On the other hand, you cant just use any old piece of paper to make this thing fully functional. each sheet of paper has controls on the bottom, allowing navigation of the pens menu system, recording controls, bookmarking, playback controls, and speaker volume.

The note-taking/digital recording/replay function works smoothly. You hit the record button on the paper before you begin to write, then as you jot down your handcrafted masterpiece, it simultaneously records the audio and keeps the two linked. When you stop recording, you can tap anywhere in the vicinity of your notes and it will playback the audio from that moment when you were writing. It's awesome.

These can also be uploaded into Livescribe's Desktop software, which archives your notes according to the notebook they were written in and the page it was on. Text with audio linked to it appears in green, and when clicked, plays back the audio. There is also a search engine with handwriting recognition that works exceptionally well. I laid some chicken scratch on the page and it picked every word up, save for one word I couldn't even recognize. It doesn't currently support OS X right now, but they say its in the works.

Many of the secondary functions are neat, but I don't know I would use any of them on a regular basis. The Paper Piano is novel. The written calculator seems semi-practical, when in the middle of note scribbling, but the printed material on the inside cover of notebooks just isn't that useful. There's another calculator, a visual keyboard (which isn't yet supported) and status buttons for time and date. Also strange is that the settings can only be adjusted by the interfaces printed on the inside covers of notebooks. There's no on-screen system for adjusting this using the cross-based navigation.

The highly touted translator is also missing (though promised in the future), replaced with a demo that translates 20 words into Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish or Swedish. And one issue I had with the written calculator and translator was that I tend to write without picking up my pen between letters, and it couldn't recognize what I was writing. They say cursive support will come, but I'm not sure it will fix the recognition for people with poor handwriting.

The build quality of the pen is good, with a metal exterior that doesn't feel too light or heavy in the hand. It has an OLED screen that brightly displays pertinent info, stereo microphone, a loud speaker, and a magnetic dock/data connector. However, it's closer in size to a magnetic marker than a pen, and you have to hold the pen relatively high so as not to block the sensor. This feels a little cumbersome in the hand, but you mostly get used to it. Mostly.

The Livescribe Pulse is an amazing piece of tech, and I enjoy using it, but has an admittedly limited appeal. I'd love to see more creative and functional uses implemented with future "apps," and a touch of refinement in the current interface. But this is recommended for anyone who takes a lot of notes. [Livescribe on Giz]

Digital Pen from Hitachi Maxell [101Reviews]