SmartPens
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Livescribe axes developer program to focus on the cloud
For the past several years one of the strangest and most interesting platforms with an app store all its own was the Livescribe series of smart-pens. Now, it's just another ditch to be dug in the development graveyard. After three years it will be closing up its SDK shop on July 22nd, and no more submissions too its app market will be accepted. The store will remain open for the time being, but the company won't guarantee compatibility with future models or firmware updates. Instead it will shift focus to cloud services like Livescribe Connect. But, don't get too worried, we're sure the healthy hacker community will keep you knee deep in text adventure ports.
Livescribe gets pensive, unleashes new Echo Smartpen
Okay, so smartpens aren't as common as smartphones, but, hey, they're getting smarter too! That's right, Livescribe's taken the cap off its new Echo smartpen, and not only is it thinner and lighter than the original Pulse pen, but it also packs more power. Like its predecessor, the Echo can capture audio and handwriting, but it's now armed with more storage and features. The $169.95 4GB version promises up to 400 hours of audio recording, while the $199 8GB one up to 800 hours. However, the real updates come in the software arena -- the Echo can now be password protected to safeguard those love letters, err notes / recordings, and has a new function for launching applications. Additionally, new desktop software lets users export pencasts -- what the company has dubbed its visual note and audio recording -- to share with others via social networks and e-mail. But that's not all, Livescribe's promising more updates this fall, and they actually happen to be the most compelling of the bunch. By then you'll be able to send notes via e-mail by just docking the pen to the computer and turn the pen and paper combo into a Wacom-like graphics tablet. Basically, you'll be able to attach the pen to a computer via it's micro-USB cable and just draw free hand on the screen. The latter option could be pretty awesome for designers and such, but we'll have to wait a few months to test it out. Oh, you're looking for some more Echo action now? We've got some brief impressions and a hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-97702% %Gallery-97703%
Switched On: More options for getting from scribble to screen
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment. With all the hoopla around the iPhone 3G, the finger has taken center stage as the input device of choice on the go. However, last week's column on the prospects of the Livescribe Pulse was actually the penultimate one on the subject of smart pens -- at least two alternatives have entered the market. Both are based heavily on reference designs from Israeli companies that have taken a different approach than Livescribe.Rather than relying on a camera to read small dots on special paper, these pens work with practically any paper. And unlike the bulky Pulse with its ostentatious display, they are practically indistinguishable from normal pens and both come with software that can do a decent job of converting handwriting to text. The tradeoff is that some of the electronics have been offloaded to a small receiver that must be positioned on the paper, creating a two-piece solution. IOGEAR's Mobile Digital Scribe, powered by Pegasus Technology, is a follow-on from a similar earlier product that required that the receiver be tethered to the PC. The Scribe can still function this way. In fact, when connected to a PC, the pen can be used to scribble (presumably for quick doodles, otherwise why not just use the keyboard?) just as its tethered predecessor could. Writing appears on an on-screen note that appears as soon as the writer begins to write, and the software can have these pages "float" on the screen as sticky notes..
