Hello Random Tuesday!

Do you have a professor who talks too fast and won’t repeat? Or get distracted too much to get all the important information written down? Well, today I am going to tell you about a device I have used quite a bit over the years. I originally purchased it for taking notes in my classes when I was still in school. This device certainly would have been handy when I was in high school, unfortunately it didn’t even come out until 2007.

Taking Notes

I was so happy when I found out about the Livescribe Smartpen. It became a lifesaver for getting more of the important things said in my classes. I still use one today for the various things I do.

What is a Livescribe Smartpen you ask? It’s a pen that has a camera at one end and a microphone at the other end. The camera is located where the ink goes in for writing and records everything which is written down. On the opposite end of the camera, the microphone records everything being said. It even comes with it’s own set of headphones for a better quality and blocking out unnecessary noises.

For example, let’s say you’re in a Chemistry class; but the teacher is talking too fast or has a slight foreign accent. You can use the smartpen for taking notes and as you are writing it will pick up everything being said in the class. Once the class is over you can go and tap on a part of the lecture where you didn’t quite get everything written and it will repeat back what was said at the time you wrote it down.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen

The Pulse Smartpen was launched in 2007 and since it was the first pen it was the simplest one. There’s probably one thing I would have changed about the Pulse and that is that it didn’t come with a lid to prevent it writing over everything when in a bag. Everything else worked great!

Back when the Pulse first came out, when I was working on my Psychology Bachelor degree, you had the ability to connect it to your computer and upload your notes to the Livescribe Desktop program. Before I got use to using it, I would try to write every single thing down even though technically I didn’t have to.

Livescribe Echo Smartpen

Ha! I purchased the Echo Smartpen mainly because at the time my classes started when I moved to Gulfport, MS area in 2010, I was unable to find my Pulse within all my packed boxes. Since I’m an electronic person and am always saving up for the next best thing, I certainly wasn’t complaining about having to make the purchase. Eventually, when I finally found my Pulse, I was able to have it as a backup.

The Echo Smartpen has basically the same functions as the Pulse. They changed the pen physically by making the Echo’s shape fatter so to speak compared to the Pulse’s shape was sometimes harder to hold because of the grip.

Livescribe Smartpen 3

Back in February of this year, I took a certification class to become a Marine Protected Species Observer Galveston, TX. Since I have been out of school for several years now I didn’t know the first place to look for either one of my smartpens I already had, so I purchased the newest one available. This one they named the Livescribe Smartpen 3.

I absolutely love this version of the livescribe smartpens! It has a Bluetooth connection so as you are writing in the handy notebooks; it is uploading the notes right then and there along with the audio. In addition it also has a stylus on top of the smartpen, so it’s basically a two in one deal. Other than these upgrades, the smartpen itself functions basically the same as far as the voice and writing recording goes.

Comparison

Unfortunately, the Livescribe Pulse is no longer available directly from their website but it is available on Amazon.com. Personally, I would recommend the latest version (Livescribe 3) to get the best possible use out of it. Since there are so many other functions to compare the Livescribe Echo and Livescribe 3 visit here for their comparison chart they have provided potential customers.

Though I haven’t used the function, they now have teamed up with a company where you can transfer the written notes and audio and it will transcribe them for you without you having to type them yourself. This function certainly would have been useful if it had been available when I was still in school. I guess if anything else, I can use it when and if I make it back for my Masters degree in MS.

That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed my topic on Livescribe’s Smartpens. If you are currently in school (high school or college level), make the leap to purchase one of these pens for taking notes in your classes, as they have really come in handy over the years. Let me know what you think!

Have any questions about the Livescribe Smartpens? Please feel free to comment below and I’ll try to respond back as soon as possible! Thanks for visiting! Hope to see you again!

Have a great day!!

Crafty JBird