Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers) - Gizmodo Comments

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

ziba — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:31:25 EDT

The pen is ok. I got one and have found that it does not do much. How many of you have 10 pens, but can't find one when you need it? I am afraid of loosing this thing all the time and that is why it lives in my brief case and I don't get much out of it. Also, it needs a special type of paper. I don't want to walk around with the special paper all the time, I have to jot things down and I need tons of post-its and note pads everywhere. Their note pads are not very versatile.

I have heard that the pen can crash and burn. They apparently will replace the pen for you. I think there are some bugs that they need to work out. Maybe a later version of the pen will do more and have more attraction. But if I wanted to bet, I would say that it is a gadget that will fade away as fast as it hits the market.

ziba

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Alan Thomas — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:12:35 EDT

There is a huge difference between this pen and the others mentioned, although they all have licensed the Anoto software/IP. What's unique about this pen is the sound/writing synchronization. The other pens digitall capture your writing and have the "paper" interface, microdots, etc. This pen has the audio recording, which it can sync with your notes. (The OLED screen might be unique, too.)

My wife's offered me one of these for father's day. The troble is, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to use it at work, if it's not a standard USB interface and the audio files are in some proprietary format. I definitely won't be able to install the software on my work computer, and I cannot have sensitive work info on my home computer under any circumstances. I'm also pretty sure my coworkers would be wigged out by my recording them all the time.

If I were in college still, or taking other classes, this would be so awesome. I think it would probably rock for taking sermon notes, but I'm pretty sure it's a non-starter for using at work.

Maybe I'll ask her for a Chumby instead...

Alan Thomas

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

terpmusings — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:47:11 EDT

Should I get this thing? My boss refuses to learn to type and handwrites EVERYTHING, from short emails to long papers, and I have to type it all. Either he's gonna get murdered or I will quit, which I don't want to do. I've been reading up on these types of devices but they seem either unreliable or not practical with the special custom paper.

All I want is a pen or a tablet that can take hand writing and turn it into digital characters. DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT EXIST???

terpmusings

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Brian Lam — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:54:02 EDT

@kevincognito87: You should read before you comment. This is vastly more complex of a device.

Brian Lam

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

kevincognito87 — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:40:48 EDT

[www.logitech.com]
Also known as-- the Logitech io digital pen... released in 2002 for $150. What is so special and new about this idea? The Logitech pen used the same system of micro-spotted "Digital" paper way back when... the only new thing on this is the display and the microphone.

kevincognito87

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Atunu — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:30:46 EDT

Looks a tad-bit on the fat side. The cumbersity is a huge negative. What good is it if I can't finish my notes in time because I had a...err..middle heavy writing apperatus (aka a 'pen') ?

The idea is pretty cool though.

Atunu

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

doofusgumby — Sat, 03 May 2008 23:38:23 EDT

show me the steampunk'd fountain pen version and I'm sold.

doofusgumby

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

vesuvian — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:41:55 EDT

I saw them at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books last week in the Far Siberia of booths. Two women were demonstrating them. Yes, they did all this post says. And they said that you could go to their website and download the PDF for the paper - which, as we know, has tiny grey dots at regular intervals for the pen to use for orientation.

I found it extremely bulky in my (right) hand. I was also not sure about how I liked the flow of the ink, which is a major consideration when buying a pen. Even more important than paper, are the refills single-source?

Conceptually clever. If I were a Popular Mechanics reader I'd be all over it.

vesuvian

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Eminy — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:11:11 EDT

Who the hell holds a pen like that??????

Eminy

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

EracMan — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:15:24 EDT

@Silverstone78:
Incorrect. It is $20 for a pack of 4 100 sheet notebooks. That equates to about 5 cents a sheet.

In the future they are promising the ability to print your own paper although it is not currently available. When you factor in the cost of ink, wear and tear on your printer, and time required to print 100 double sided sheets of paper, I don't conside $5 a notebook too much for the extra features and abilities it provides.

EracMan

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Chelseafc65 — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:26:34 EDT

I lost my pen, shit.........

Chelseafc65

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

hakubak — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:07:03 EDT

Lefties are fine, but you upside-down-pointing-the-pen-at-your-junk freaks need to be rounded up and put in camps.

hakubak

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Silverstone78 — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:01:55 EDT

That you have to use their special paper sucks.....it's 20$ pr. notebook
20 cents a sheet!!

Silverstone78

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

NumbersGuy — Sat, 03 May 2008 07:35:18 EDT

As a teacher, one use that I might find for this is an easy way to take notes for students. We are often asked to provide notes for students with handwriting/processing issues. This can be a photocopy of transparencies, a handout with fill-in the blank spots to help guide the notes, or perhaps notes from a SmartBoard document. Typing notes up is not always easy, especially when you use so many math symbols.

I use the pen to make my own notes ahead of time, then just print them off--might be a useful time-saver. Of course, I'd have to choose whether I wanted to spend $200 of my own money on this...

NumbersGuy

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Modano — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:20:53 EDT

@Sora57: Punny!

Modano

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

shmokes — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:24:18 EDT

It's funny that you mention the Leapfrog Fly pen. This pen is made by the guy who made the Leapfrog Fly pen. He left Leapfrog to form his own company . . . Livescribe.

shmokes

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

LJN — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:22:26 EDT

I'm all about tech (obviously, I'm here on Gizmodo) but I just don't see the need to technify every little thing. Pens and pencils might be at their pinnacle. Post-it notes are another. Maybe paper clips are next.

LJN

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Sora57 — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:03:46 EDT

This penis looking hard to handle. And it has a piano feature? So it's like having a pianist in your hand!

Sora57

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Amiash Loves You — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:53:29 EDT

hail to the lefties

Amiash Loves You

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

P3nnst8r — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:16:20 EDT

@sisedi:
@Adrian Covert:

The greater beings, us lefties are.

P3nnst8r

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

Adrian Covert — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:48:12 EDT

@LoobyLoo352: wrong.

lefties FTW!

Adrian Covert

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

LoobyLoo352 — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:26:53 EDT

@sisedi: he might not be a leftie

he might be right handed so held the camera in his right :P

LoobyLoo352

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

nailscars — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:12:50 EDT

So it is basically just a glorified LeapFrog Fly pen?

nailscars

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

sisedi — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:26:30 EDT

Hi Adrian, I don't know if I've ever seen your posts before but...lefties FTW!

sisedi

Review: Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen/Recorder (Verdict: It's Good for Notetakers)

scoobydoo — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:49:03 EDT

Have any of these products ever been successful? I remember SonyEricsson had one, then Logitech, and now this thing. And they were all made by Anoto, I'm surprised they are still in business...

scoobydoo