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]

We got an up close look at the Livescribe Pulse, and found out for ourselves what it could do. Livescribe's CEO, Jim Marggraff, is the same man responsible for Leapfrog's Fly Fusion Pen. He left to found Livescribe and work on more advanced smartpens. The Pulse is about 6 inches long, about a half inch in diameter, has a 96x18 OLED display, up to 2GB of memory (good for 150-200 hours recording time or 60,000 pages of notes), dual embedded mics, and a data/charging dock with a similar design to a magsafe charger.

The main feature of the Pulse is that it digitally transfers handwritten notes and links it to audio recorded at the same time. For example, if you were to begin recording audio while writing, you could go back later, tap anywhere on the page and bring up the audio that was recorded while writing in that specific part of the page.

The written notes are transferred to the computer via USB dock and are imported into Livescribe's own software interface. From here notes can be organized and manipulated as you see fit. One feature is the ability to animate pen strokes, so that they sequentially appear on screen like you wrote them on paper. It also comes with handwriting recognition software so that you can search for keywords in your notes. The early software we saw had a few bugs, but it should be ironed out before the pulse hits shelves. All of these notes can also be uploaded to your own personalized page on Livescribe's server (250 MB free) where you can share with others, or just keep it as backup for yourself.

One of the neater functions of the Pulse is the 3D recording headset that comes with the pen. The headset looks and functions like a normal pair of headphones, but on the backside are a pair of binaural mics that enable 3D audio recording. If you have the headset in your ears, or draped over your shoulder while recording, and you go back and listen later, the audio sounds exactly the way you experienced it earlier. If someone is walking around you while talking, you can hear the sound transfer from one ear to the other.

The specialized dot paper is the key to the Pulse's functionality. While Livescribe will produce notebooks catered around specific functions of the smartpen, templates can also be downloaded and printed from home for free. At the bottom of the paper are a series on controls (Record, Play, Stop, etc...) that run the main functions of the pen. Tapping on a section of your notes will bring up the corresponding audio that was recorded as you were writing on that spot of the page. Menu navigation is carried out through a cursor, which is also on the page, or can be drawn anywhere on the page. From here, some of the more advanced functions of the pen can be accessed.

The calculator and translator show off some of the more powerful abilities of the Livescribe Pulse. If you bring up the calculator app, and write "10x4=" on the paper, the Pulse will spit out the correct answer of 40. Likewise, with the translator, if you pick to translate from Spanish to English and write down the word "coche", the Pulse will analyze the text and show the word translated as "car." These functions are just the tip of the iceberg; Livescribe not only plans to make more productivity apps like this, but open up the platform with an SDK available to all in the second half of 2008.

The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen is expected to ship in March (PC only, Mac support to follow soon) with the 1 GB model selling for $149 and the 2 GB model for $199. Both pens come with a 100-page dot notebook, 3D recording headset, ink and stylus refills, USB cradle, Livescribe Desktop app, and 250 MB of online storage.

Livescribe Unveils Pulse™ Smartpen and Developer Program
Livescribe invites developers to create applications for Pulse

DEMO - Palm Desert, Calif. - Jan. 28, 2008 - Livescribe, Inc. Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jim Marggraff will unveil a new category of consumer electronics on Tuesday with the introduction of
Pulse™, the world's first smartpen.

The Pulse smartpen from Livescribe is a computer within a pen that captures handwriting and
simultaneously records audio and synchronizes it to the writing. Users can simply tap on their notes to
replay what was recorded from the exact moment they were writing, so they never miss a word they hear,
write, or speak. Further, the smartpen is a general purpose computer with rich I/O capabilities and a Java
development environment that enables a wide range of applications.

"Pulse is a new type of mobile computer that supports the four basic modes of human communication -
reading, writing, speaking and listening" said Jim Marggraff. "Using an embedded speaker and display
for audio/visual input, and microphones and a pen for audio/visual output, Pulse advances the power and
flexibility of mobile computing - it's the missing link that now connects the paper and digital worlds."

Introducing the Pulse™ Smartpen from Livescribe

The Pulse smartpen is available for preorder at www.livescribe.com and will arrive on doorsteps in
March. Key features with every Pulse smartpen purchase include:
• Pulse Smartpen - With a sleek, ergonomic design and charcoal blue anodized aluminum
housing, the smartpen weighs in at just 1.3 ounces. Pulse is available in two models. Priced at
$149, the 1GB model provides storage for recorded audio (over 100 hours), digital notes (over
16,000 pages), or add-on applications. At $199, the 2GB model doubles the storage capacity and
provides more flexibility for downloading future applications.
• Paper Replay™ - Pulse's core application enables users to record and sync audio with whatever
they write, so they never miss a word. With Paper Replay, users can tap on their notes written on
paper to hear exactly what was said. They can also fast forward, rewind, jump ahead, pause, and
even speed up or slow down their audio recordings using controls printed on the bottom of each
page.
• Smartpen Technology - The Pulse smartpen is a sophisticated mobile computer that includes: a
high speed infrared camera with a Dot Positioning System (DPS); rechargeable lithium battery;
high contrast display for easy indoor/outdoor viewing; dual microphones for clear recording and
noise cancellation; an embedded speaker and an audio jack for Livescribe's 3D Recording
Headset.
• Dot Paper Notebook - The nearly-invisible micro dots printed on notebook pages tell the Pulse
smartpen exactly where a user is writing or tapping. The Dot Positioning System enables not only
printed controls for recording and playback on each page, but also paper-based applications
including a full-function calculator on the inside front cover of every notebook. Additional
notebooks will be available for purchase at prices comparable to ordinary paper notebooks. Users
can also print dot paper for free on qualified laser jet printers beginning in April.
• 3D Recording Headset - Livescribe has created a revolutionary 3D Recording Headset. Each
earbud has an embedded microphone that creates a new standard in recording quality in large
rooms or noisy environments.
• USB Mobile Charging Cradle - This light weight magnetic cradle connects the Pulse smartpen
to the PC to recharge, transfer digital ink and audio, and install new applications.
• Livescribe Desktop Software - The digital hub for notes and audio, Livescribe Desktop allows
users to store, replay, and search for words within their handwritten notes on their PC.
• Livescribe Online Community - Every registered Pulse user receives 250MB of online storage
to upload and share notes and audio as interactive Flash movies or PDF files. Users can choose to
share with the Livescribe community, selected contacts, or other sites like Facebook. Text and
audio transcription services will also be available online.
• Additional Applications - Users can customize their Pulse with additional applications -
ranging from language learning to productivity tools to games - via download from
www.livescribe.com.

Developer Program Makes Pulse Smartpen Even Smarter

Livescribe also announced the launch of the Livescribe Developer Program, inviting developers to build
innovative, paper-based computing applications to enhance and broaden the functionality of the Pulse
smartpen. The program provides a suite of tools and services for users, casual developers and professional
developers to create, publish, share and sell their applications. Members will have access to developer
tools, technical documentation, starter guides, sample code, community forums and technical support.

Some of the applications already underway by developers for Pulse include foreign language translators,
productivity tools, games, interactive books, transcription services, and specialized educational aids:

Languages
• Binary Labs is developing a complete Spanish translator for Pulse, providing a powerful tool for
people that want to learn or communicate in Spanish. Consumers simply write words in English
to hear and read the Spanish translation on Pulse's OLED display screen. Users can also look up
Spanish verb conjugations and Spanish idioms.

Productivity
-Living Paper will develop the Elephant Calendar, best known for its paper-based personal
organizer, into an interactive digital organizer that works with Pulse.

Entertainment
• Stiletto Ventures will offer several games and entertainment applications designed to provide
Livescribe customers with an engaging, interactive paper experience.

Interactive books
• J-PEA will make the Bible, the most widely distributed book in the world, interactive by printing
it on dot paper. Readers tap on pages with their smartpen to hear verses read to them, hear
pronunciations, read definitions of specific words, or jump to cross-referenced verses.
• Audio Tutor will create the first interactive birding journal. The dot-enabled field journal
provides bird visuals and information, in both text and audio. Consumers can also record their
birding expeditions through handwriting, drawings and audio recordings.

Transcription
Livescribe provides several options to help consumers easily transcribe handwriting and audio
into digital text:
• Living Paper will provide ink to text transcription services.
• Vision Objects will provide handwriting recognition software that converts handwriting captured
by Pulse into digital text.
• Winscribe will offer integrated workflow and speech transcription technology for Pulse.

Specialized Education Tools
• The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute will develop applications to assist visually-
impaired students with learning through Pulse.
• ViewPlus will produce embossed color images with their Emprint™ SpotDot Braille Embosser
that works with Pulse.

By providing an open platform, building a strong developer support program, and offering targeted
distribution channels, Livescribe will provide an attractive business opportunity for developers. Software
developers interested in designing applications for Pulse should e-mail developer@livescribe.com.

LiveScribe [Gizmodo]

I don't know about you, but if I had this in school, my written notes wouldn't have just sat there, unused in my notebook. You can click on the paper, and the whole audio segment plays itself back. That's also nice because you don't have to write every little thing down; you can take loose notes, and then actually spend time thinking about what the teacher/interviewee is saying.

The amount of RAM wasn't indicated, but I heard that the pen will store an hour 100 hours [UPDATED] of audio. Good for short assignments and lectures. The paper? You can print out the templates on almost any laser printer, and on many inkjets. They're more into selling the apps than the paper. And the pen's software development kit is going to be nice and open, so geeks can write their own apps on top of the ones you can buy. (And the pen already does neat stuff like the math and translation.)

The pen also uses some neat logic built into our hearing system to filter noise. The microphones are in the earbuds, in stereo. When your brain hears the same signal equally in both ears, it has a much better time focusing on that noise. As the microphones record the sound as your ears would ear it, it plays it back in the same stereo resolution. So your brain has an easy time filtering out the background rumble.

A very cool app, and Jim Marggraff's 6th generation paper interface device (He also made that cool talking globe for kids you can click on for geography lessons.) And if you're wondering if this thing'll read your handwriting, I can say with first hand knowledge that Jim's handwriting absolutely sucks, and it still read his. – Brian Lam

Livescribe Launches New Mobile Computing Platform

Smartpen, Applications, and Developer Tools Connect Paper and Digital Worlds

D: ALL THINGS DIGITAL, CARLSBAD, Calif. - May 30, 2007 - Livescribe Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Marggraff today unveiled a new chapter in mobile computing - a new paper-based computing platform. The Livescribe platform turns plain paper into a computer screen and bridges the gap between the paper and digital worlds. The platform enables a broad range of new applications in personal productivity, learning, communication, and self expression.

The Livescribe platform includes:

- Smartpen: a Montblanc-size computer with advanced processing power, audio/visual feedback, and substantial memory for handwriting capture, audio recording, and applications
- Dot Paper with Dot Positioning System (DPS): technology that enables interactive, "live" documents using plain paper printed with micro-dots
- Software Applications: a breadth of solutions that leverage audio/ink capture, handwriting recognition, and Internet connectivity to enhance personal productivity, learning, communication and self expression
- Development Tools: easy-to-use tools for consumers and developers to create, publish, and share or sell new applications and content online

The possibilities for paper-based applications are endless. Livescribe's first key application is "Paper Replay." When taking notes during a discussion or lecture, the smartpen records the conversation and digitizes the handwriting, automatically synching the ink and audio. By later tapping the ink, the smartpen replays the conversation from the exact moment the note was written. Notes and audio can also be uploaded to a PC where they can be replayed, saved, searched and sent.

Additional applications will be available for download from www.livescribe.com. Some use handwriting recognition. For example, when a user writes a math problem, the smartpen interprets the writing, calculates the answer and speaks or shows it on the smartpen's OLED display. When a user writes a word, the definition or even translation can be heard or seen. Other applications use pre-printed materials to bring paper to life. Tapping a magazine ad, map, customer survey, or study guide instantly launches an application and enables interaction. Still other applications use the power of the Internet to let people broadly share and collaborate. Handwritten messages can be sent as emails. Animated, hand-drawn "movies" can be posted and shared online. Spoken messages can be recorded, linked with written notes and emailed directly from a notepad. Livescribe holds intellectual property around these and other paper-based computing solutions.

"The basic modes of human communication - reading, writing, speaking and listening - are enhanced by Livescribe with a completely intuitive, portable, low-cost tool," said Marggraff. "A smartpen that captures your notes, records what you hear, solves your math problems, translates languages, and sends handwritten emails is extraordinary to experience. It is the harbinger of a new era of mobile computing."

"The Livescribe platform takes paper-based technology to a radical new level, integrating software applications with physical paper," said Rodney Brooks, Director of MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. "I see the smartpen as just the beginning for a new class of device with almost unlimited potential."

Livescribe is funded by VantagePoint Venture Partners and has an executive management team with deep experience from successful consumer technology companies such as LeapFrog, Palm, Apple and IBM. Marggraff is best known for inventing LeapFrog's billion-dollar LeapPad platform and the award-winning FLY Pentop Computer. Joining him at the D conference are Chief Operating Officer Sasha Pesic and Chief Marketing Officer Byron Connell.

Anoto AB, inventor of optical pen technology and dot pattern, holds intellectual property that allows quick and reliable transmission of handwritten text from paper to digital media. Livescribe has licensed this technology for use in its smartpen and dot paper.

Product Availability
The Livescribe paper-based computing platform - a smartpen, dot paper, software applications, along with development tools - will be available online beginning in Q4. The smartpen will be less than $200. Additional dot paper will be available at prices comparable to standard paper products.

About D: All Things Digital
D: All Things Digital is a gathering of the movers and shakers who are at the forefront of the digital revolution. Producers Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher invite the best people in the business each year to participate in D, including the individuals making news and successful leaders and pre-eminent thinkers who are shaping the digital world. The conference, which is sold out, takes place May 29-31 near San Diego, Calif. For more information, see http://d.wsj.com/.

About Livescribe
Located in Oakland, Calif., Livescribe has developed a new low-cost mobile computing platform that connects the paper and digital worlds. Founded by Jim Marggraff, an entrepreneur and inventor of paper-based computing, including the LeapPad and Fly Pentop Computer, the company is designing innovative solutions that enhance personal productivity, learning, communication, and self expression for anyone who writes with pen and paper. For more information, visit Livescribe at www.livescribe.com.