Remember those 4-hour classes and the hand cramps that resulted from scrawling the professor’s lecture as quickly as your fingers would allow? Well, college may have just gotten a lot easier thanks to Livescribe’s Pulse™ smartpen, which captures handwriting and simultaneously records audio, synchronizing it to the writing.
For individuals well past the days of school, the smartpen is a tool for professional conferences, interviews and depositions. Despite its commonplace appearance (it looks like a normal pen - just slightly bulkier), the smartpen actually contains a computer and recording system. The Pulse uses an onboard camera to track a user's handwriting, and it remembers page position by examining a tiny dot pattern on the accompanying special paper (the price of a Paper Replay Notebook is about the same as a regular notebook, or paper can be printed from a home computer). As the Pulse’s microphone records audio, it connects the words being recorded to the notes the user is making.
So, if notetakers miss something during a presentation, they can simply move the tip of the pen to the area of notes where they got lost and tap it twice. The Pulse will automatically replay the audio segment associated with that portion of the notes. This means that people can just jot down the major points, since they can always go back and listen to any part of a speech later.
The Pulse smartpen is produced in two models to cover a range of note-taking needs. The 1GB model comes with 100 hours of audio storage and a 16,000 pages of digital notes (priced at $149). Fifty dollars more will buy the 2GB model with twice the storage. The Pulse won’t take up too much room either – it weighs in at an airy 1.3 ounces, and is no longer than a traditional pen.
The Pulse’s 3D recording headset was invented specifically for recording in large auditoriums and noisy environments. Each earbud has a microphone that’s designed to record the sound just as the ear would hear it. There’s even a software component that provides a way for users to store, replay and search for words within their handwritten notes on their PC. Downloads for language learning, games and other useful tools are also available on Livescribe’s website.
The Pulse smartpen is slated to hit the market in March 2008.
