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Livescribe Connect upgrade lets you share doodles in several ways, just not wirelessly (video)

Sharif Sakr — Mon, 23 May 2011 07:51:00 EST

Pen pushers who took a chance on Livescribe's note-recording smartpen have benefited from some nice apps, hacks and upgrades along the way. Now the company's latest productivity-booster is a software update called Connect, which lets you share your scribbles via Email, Google Docs, Facebook and Evernote, as well as through Livescribe's own Pencast platform. Some of these sharing options were already available but Connect tries to speed things in an interesting way: by letting you set sharing instructions even as you jot down a note. Simply draw a double line and write, say, 'Facebook' or 'Google Docs' somewhere on the page, and the sharing will take place automatically the next time you sync to your Mac or PC. Most of the sharing options are free, but if you own an older Pulse model or the new entry-level $99.95 2GB Echo you'll need to buy a $15 upgrade before you can share via Email or Google Docs. Heck, we'd pay way more than that if only Livescribe would come up with a way to sync and share wirelessly -- docking this thing feels about as cutting edge as a quill. Video and full PR after the break.

Continue reading Livescribe Connect upgrade lets you share doodles in several ways, just not wirelessly (video)

Livescribe Connect upgrade lets you share doodles in several ways, just not wirelessly (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe Pulse Smartpen records heated Delta / airport conversation, leads to chaos

Darren Murph — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:37:00 EST

Whoa, Nelly! Talk about a whale of a story. Ben DeCosta, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's general manager, loves gadgets. So much, in fact, that he purchased a Livescribe Pulse Smartpen, which is capable of recording audio onto its 4GB of internal storage space. While details on the story remain murky (disputed by both sides, actually), it's fairly clear that Ben and Delta didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on everything. To that end, Mr. DeCosta figured he could flip the recorder on during a private conversation between airline executives and personnel from the city of Atlanta, and now the whole thing seems to have backfired. Ben maintains that he didn't intend to record Delta's negotiations, and he even went so far as to suggest that Delta stole his pen in order to discredit him. In the end, the city's investigation found that there was "insufficient evidence that DeCosta intentionally sought to record the private conversations of Delta's team," but that's not stopping Ben from retiring when his contract expires in June. Hit the source link below for the whole drama-filled thing, but unfortunately, the discussions held on the pen have yet to leak. TMZ -- you on that, or what?

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen records heated Delta / airport conversation, leads to chaos originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe's Pulse smartpen app store now ready for hot 96 x 18 pixel action (video)

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:09:00 EST

You know what Livescribe's $170/$200 Pulse smartpen with 2GB/4GB of storage is missing to keep it from going mainstream? More apps. At least that's what Livescribe's execs seem to be thinking with the launch of its new application store featuring more than 30 paid and free applications that augment the smartpen's ability to record and link audio to your handwritten notes. Paid apps range in price from $0.99 for the mature rated "Sexy Oracle" app on up to $100 if you're looking for a revolutionary way to learn Hebrew chanting... and really, who isn't? The company claims to have a community of more than 5,500 registered developers which likely equates to a 1:1 dev-to-owner ratio. Sweet. Check a video demonstration or both the pen and app store after the break.

Continue reading Livescribe's Pulse smartpen app store now ready for hot 96 x 18 pixel action (video)

Livescribe's Pulse smartpen app store now ready for hot 96 x 18 pixel action (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe Pulse smartpen hits 4GB, launching app store (video)

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:11:00 EST

Not much has changed in the year since we last checked in with the Livescribe Pulse, the smartpen that captures and syncs your handwriting and audio back to your PC or Mac using a built-in infrared camera and mic. Today we get a new titanium color on the outside and bump from 2GB ($170) to 4GB ($200) within. There's also a tease of an Application Store launch later this year. Oh boy, that's exactly what's been holding back the smartpen industry from replacing all those pesky laptops in collegiate lecture halls.

Continue reading Livescribe Pulse smartpen hits 4GB, launching app store (video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Livescribe Pulse smartpen hits 4GB, launching app store (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe Pulse smartpen gets OS X support

Darren Murph — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:02:00 EST

For months now, dutiful Mac users who refuse to load any flavor of Windows on their precious machines have longed for the ability to use Livescribe's Pulse smartpen. Now, those holdouts can finally say the wait was worth it, as Livescribe has announced that a native Mac desktop application (Livescribe Desktop for Mac) will be made available in beta form on November 24th. Additionally, a few new features for the Pulse have been added over on the Wintel side, including handwriting to text transcription software ($29.95) and the ability for consumers to print dot paper notepads for free. Finally, something for OS X users to digitally write home about.

Filed under: Peripherals

Livescribe Pulse smartpen gets OS X support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: Livescribe's hot recording artist seeks mass appeal (Part 2)

Ross Rubin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:28:00 EST

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment

The last Switched On discussed the innovative approach that Livescribe has taken in its core note-taking function while touching on some of the company's grander plans to create a wide array of applications and content, taking it far beyond its failed predecessor, the Logitech io2.

Livescribe is building an ambitious house in a neighborhood that has seen a lot of foreclosures; Pulse will need to rewrite history to be successful in the traditionally challenged smartpen market. Indeed, between the time that the Pulse was announced and shipped, Logitech announced it was writing off the market for now. In addition to improving on note-taking, the company points to the reduced size of the Pulse as being less obtrusive than previous smartpens and thus more appealing to use. One of the keys to smartpen use is that it is less obtrusive than, say, a PC using Microsoft OneNote, which also has the ability to synchronize audio to written notes.

However, the Pulse's OLED display offsets at least some of the gains made toward discretion by shrinking the pen's girth. Worse, to get the full benefit of the Pulse's cool ability to resolve conversations in a room using 3D audio recording, you must wear earbuds that contain embedded microphones. It's hard to imagine something that could be more off-putting to a speaker than seeing an audience member wearing earbuds, and it would engender curiosity when that speaker notices that they are connected to a pen. Fortunately, the Pulse does a very good job of recording even without the earbud-based microphones.

Continue reading Switched On: Livescribe's hot recording artist seeks mass appeal (Part 2)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Switched On: Livescribe's hot recording artist seeks mass appeal (Part 2) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: Livescribe's hot recording artist seeks mass appeal (Part 1)

Ross Rubin — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:39:00 EST

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment

If the pen truly is mightier than the sword, Livescribe's Pulse smartpen ($149 with 1GB of flash memory, $199 with 2GB) may be able to take out a tank at 50 meters. Arguably the most technologically advanced writing instrument not intended for killing a Bond villain, the Pulse includes an infrared camera (for recording text), dual microphones, a speaker, a headphone jack, and an OLED display that can even play back short "movies" (animations synced with sound). And it manages to pack it all in a pen size that, while still a bit thick, is relatively comfortable and thinner than its closest technological ancestor, the now-discontinued Logitech io2.

Using its noise-canceling microphones and ink recognition system, the Pulse can be used to either take written notes that are uploaded to the PC, or record audio. But its greatest advance for note-taking over previous smartpen systems such as the io2 is the ability to synchronize written notes with audio. Simply put the pen into "Paper Replay" mode and tap on some text to hear what was being said as you scribbled. The result is the next best thing to real-time transcription. It can be used to check what may be an unclear or hastily scribbled note, focus on commentary while the pen captures the content, or create or copy a diagram while it is explained via audio.

But first, whatever is being written will have to be done so on paper designed explicitly for the pen. Like previous products that use Anoto technology, the Pulse needs smart "dot paper" to make transcription work. Without a doubt, this requirement will be a deal-killer for many, and limit the Pulse's everyday utility for some time to come. In contrast, simpler products such as the IOGear Mobile Digital Scribe uses ultrasound to track a pen's position and can be used on any paper (and the pens in such systems are smaller as well). To make dot paper more readily accessible, though, Livescribe will offer a template that should allow many customers to print their own dot paper at home. And dot paper enables the Pulse to pull off some pretty slick feats. Read on.

Continue reading Switched On: Livescribe's hot recording artist seeks mass appeal (Part 1)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Switched On: Livescribe's hot recording artist seeks mass appeal (Part 1) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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