Livescribe 1 GB Pulse Smartpen (APA-00001)
by Livescribe
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List Price: Our Price: $80.00 You Save: $49.95 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Livescribe 1 GB Pulse Smartpen (APA-00001)
Customer Review: Studen't Dream
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a college student (at Penn) and am using the pen for lecture notes. I must say, this thing is amazing. Last semester, I had been using my tablet PC. The pen is so much more convenient instead of lugging around my computer. Also, some teachers don't allow laptops in class so this bypasses that restriction. The audio capture works well and sync's perfectly with the written notes. Later, when studying, you simply tap the text to hear what was being said at the time the notes were written. There is even a setting that automatically plays a few seconds before the actual note was written down (allowing for the natural delay in note taking situations). Audio quality is very good for such a small device and the speaker is loud (don't forget to mute it while in class!). The battery lasts pretty well. I have about 6 hours of lecture notes with audio each day and still have plenty of juice left. You do, however, need to drop it into the syncing/charger device afterwards so you don't run out (I haven't forgotten yet but will be quite upset if I ever do and run out of battery). The pen comes with 4 black ink cartridges and you can buy others for about a buck a piece (in packs of 5, I think). One useful trick: use one color of ink for in class notes and another for book notes. That way you can tell them apart and know which have audio associated with them (assuming you don't recite from the book when taking notes at home, which would be totally anal). This pen is really smart and allows you to play back the audio and add to your notes, which then become sync'ed with the audio as if you had written them in class. This feature lets you write less and listen more while in class. All you really need to do it write the main points and fill in the rest later (or not). My only gripe is that it is a bit heafty in the hand and the OLED screen can't be turned off, making it more obvious at times than I would prefer. Otherwise, this pen is a godsend. I highly recommend buying it. I'll never go back to the old way again.Customer Review: A must have for any college student
Summary: 5 Stars
Just for a little background I am a senior at ASU studying marketing. I wish I had this device when I first started.
The pen is very technically loaded. It has a computer, two mics, and a camera running at over 70 frames per second. The mics allow you the pulse to record the audio as you write. The camera allows you to link what you write to what you are hearing at that same moment. It is very impressive.
So what would you possibly use it for? If you're like me you probably have been in one or more classes where you struggle just trying to copy charts, graphs, diagrams, etc of the board let alone understand what the teacher is explaning. You then would try to learn the topic on your own spending hours just trying to put it all together. Second, many times I will be in a class and just space it for a minute or two to find myself coming back to reality panicing about what I missed. Third, I wished I could have my notes transferred to my pc so I wouldn't have a combination of handwritten, printed, and online. With the pulse pen you have it all.
Probably the best part about it is the price. Some of you may be thinking, "$149 that's a bunch of cash." However, when you put it in perspective that is about the same price of the books you are purchasing, except this one you won't want to return at the end of the semester and you can go on to use it throughout your education and professional experience.
On top of the main ability of recording and linking audio the pen can perform simple math equations by writing them out, as well as performing advanced equations with the calculator, it can draw and play a keyboard, it has a demo translator with full translators a great possibility for the future. The amount and limit of the applications that can be designed for the pen are limitless.
Overall, this pen is a must buy for any student. It will pay for itself in the time it saves and the grades it boosts.
Customer Review: Works in NEAR DARKNESS & WITHOUT INK!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Others here have listed many great aspects of this "pen" (thanks!!), and I haven't even gotten to use all of the features of this pen, but I do want to point out that it works in NEAR DARKNESS. I am taking a film course and most our classes are spent watching films. I like to take brief notes during the film so I can reference certain scenes or emotions at a later time. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough "light" in the room for the little Livescribe Camera to work, but I am elated to report that it works just fine! I will add that I do sit in the front row (closest to the screen/source of light in the room - I am right-handed and I sit with the screen to my right, so my writing does block some of the light, as well) and I try to write during brighter scenes; however, my pen, so far has picked up ALL of my notes, even those written during darker scenes. I am truly shocked.
Also, at a meeting recently, my Pulse "pen" ran out of ink and I didn't have a refill on me. I had faith in my Pulse and continued to write as I normally would, being careful not to overlap lines since I could read the embossing. When I got home, I docked my Pulse, transferred my notes, and lo-and-behold, there were the "invisible" notes from my meeting, as easy to read as if they were in ink! This is useful in a pinch, or if you are in a meeting or another situation where you don't want your notes to be (easily) read by those around you.
Other cool features (with purchase of apps, ranging from free to $25, mostly around $1-$2): Measurement tool, stopwatch, translator, travel phrases, databases, converter, scientific calculator, music player, & more!
It's so much MORE than a "Pen"...Whichever edition/version fits your needs, I say this TOOL is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I rely on reviews here at Amazon to help me make informed buying choices. I hope this review has helped you in the same manner. If you voted this as helpful, I Thank You! :)
Customer Review: Livescribe Pen now my constant companion
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the 1GB Livescribe pen about two months ago and have been using it consistently since then for two things: daily journaling, and taking notes at business meetings.
For journaling, I don't use the audio recording feature. My goal here was to have a backup of my handwritten journals on my computer in case the originals were ever lost or damaged. Livescribe does the job with a bonus -- all of my handwritten notes are completed indexed. I've written in both cursive and non-cursive, and the indexing is absolutely flawless. It easily and quickly highlights whatever text I search for.
For business meetings, I do use the audio recording feature. I've used it in both small settings (2-3 people) with just the pen, and also in large seminar/conference settings (using the included mic'd earphones). I've been pleased with the sound quality in both settings -- far better than I expected. I've uploaded several of the meeting records to Livescribe online and then sent them to the meeting attendees, keeping them private from everyone else. I've also shared some non-private notes via Facebook. It all works just as advertised.
The export to PDF feature in both Livescribe Desktop and online works great. The audio export also works well, although I was a bit surprised that it exports to MP4, not MP3. I understand that MP4 is a higher-quality format, and I can play it just fine with QuickTime or Windows Media Player on my computer. I can convert it to MP3, but it would be nice to have MP3 output of the audio as an option. The only other thing I'd like to see is a way to rename the audio sessions on the Livescribe Desktop to something meaningful, but I can do that with the MP4 if needed.
Bottom line -- I use this pen every day and am very happy with my purchase.
Customer Review: A polished product, everything works astonishingly well
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this at my local Target (pleasantly surprised that Target would have such a high-tech device), hunkered down at a local restaurant with the pen, and within an hour I had written a full-page of notes on the special paper. I downloaded the Livescribe and MyScript handwriting recognition software for my MacBook Pro, and voila, an almost perfect page of transcribed text in my Pages document! Amazing! It's really satisfying to have a technology that works so well out of the box. The whole process of learning to use the pen and its software is about as easy as it gets. I experienced no glitches, and everything works really well: the pen has a nice, solid feel to it, it writes like a quality writing tool, the digital recorder is excellent, the software simple and intuitive, and so on. Indeed, the quality has a real "Apple" feel to it.
Even though I've only owned the pen for a couple of days now, I've fully integrated it into my work routine; it already feels like a natural extension of my writing and research. As others have noted, the pen is a bit large for a writing implement, but it has a solid, comfortable feel and I had no problems getting used to it. I can easily see why so many students have raved about this device, since it really does transform the whole process of notetaking in classes. With the recording of the lecture being tied to your notes, it's virtually impossible to miss anything now. For library research and the like, I really like not having my laptop on all the time to take notes; the Smartpen replaces this very nicely.
As an academic, I can readily see that this may become one of those "paradigm-shifting" devices on campus, it really does give those that have it a decided advantage in their studies.