Livescribe's smartpens get smarter

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 12:27

Business IT - Technology

Livescribe, the company behind the smart-paper based Pulse smartpen, has announced a new model, the Echo smartpen, several significant software enhancements and previewed a number of new developments slated for introduction later this year.

Livescribe's smartpen incorporate a digital voice recorder, computer and display. When the pen is use to write on Anoto smart paper, which is peppered with a matrix of barely visible tiny dots, it is able to remember its track on the paper and to synchronise a recording with what was written at the time.

That recording can then be replayed simply by touching the pen on the paper, or can be uploaded to a PC (or Mac) enabling a facsimile of the page to be displayed along with its associated recording. The entire writing session can then be replayed on the screen, or uploaded to Livescribe's web site from where it can be viewed as a 'pencast' - recreation of the original writing session accompanied by its associated recording. iTWire carried a detailed review of the product in August 2009.

With the company's Pulse smartpen - its first product that has been on sale for two years - recording were uploaded and the pen charged by docking it into a cradle connected to the computer's USB port. Earphones, with inbuilt binaural microphones were connected via a proprietary connector in the top of the pen

Its new model the Echo www.livescribe.com/en-us/media/mp4/portable_presskit/echo_demo_5.mp4 uses a micro USB connector for charging and upload and a 3.5mm standard jack for audio, both in the top of the pen - which means that the pen can be in use and communicating at the same time.

It comes in 4GB and 8GB versions able to capture, respectively over 400 hours and 800 hours of audio and "thousands of pages of notes." The 4GB version will sell in Australia for $259 and the 8GB for $299. A 2GB version of the Pulse smartpen will remain on sale for $209. They are available from Officeworks, Dick Smith and JB HiFi.

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