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Posts Tagged ‘Livescribe’

Livescribe expands its line-up of Pulse smartpens for digital writing

It may seem like an uphill battle, but Livescribe is still trying to replace the 99-cent ballpoint pen with a $199 computerized smartpen known as the Pulse. And it’s not doing such a bad job at it.

Today, the company is launching a couple of new models that will expand its line-up of Pulse pens, and it is also expanding its sales reach by signing up Best Buy, Apple Stores, and Staples as new retailers. The pen is already sold through Amazon.com and Target stores.

The appeal of Livescribe’s digital pen is that it can record lectures while you take notes and it can translate your handwriting into text. Livescribe has a built-in computer and flash memory. With that, it can store audio and handwriting and synchronize between the two. If you put your pen on some notes that you have written during a lecture, the optical reader in the pen will detect the words. The pen can then play back the audio that you were hearing as you wrote down those words. That’s a terrific tool for college students listening to their professors. You don’t have to worry about missing something that the speaker said. That’s just one of many benefits that come from the digital capture and recall system that is built into the smartpen and its accompanying smart paper. Other benefits: you can highlight some words and it will translate them into another language.

The company will now offer Pulse pens with 2 gigabytes ($169.95) or 4 gigabytes ($199.95) of flash memory. The latter can store more than 400 hours of audio.

For $249.95, Livescribe is also offering the Pro-Pack bundle, a new option for the business professional. The Pro-Pack includes the 4GB Pulse smartpen in a black color, an A5 size starter notebook, a leather carrying case, handwriting to text transcription software, and the new Pro Charging Cradle.

Livescribe says it has been pleased with the sales of its pens. The company won’t say exactly how much it has sold since launching in the spring of 2008, but it says the numbers are well into the six figures. By no means is that an outstanding performance. But it certainly looks like it’s enough to keep Livescribe in the game as it tries to educate more people about the benefits of spending lots of money on a pen.

The company was founded in 2007 and has 70 employees. Over its history, the company has raised $48.8 million. Investors include Aeris Capital, Lionhart Investments, and Vantage Point Venture Partners. There are related smart pens on the market from Leapfrog Enterprises, but those pens are aimed at much younger users. Livescribe targets its smart pens at college students and adults.

Later this year, Livescribe plans to launch an application store, much like Apple’s iPhone AppStore, where users can download apps related to entertainment, education or productivity. Livescribe encourages partners to create third-party applications for the pens.

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Duo brings pen-based computing to almost any display

Continue reading Duo brings pen-based computing to almost any display

Filed under: Peripherals

Duo brings pen-based computing to almost any display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe for Mac gets handwriting recognition thanks to Vision Objects

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Software, Odds and ends, Leopard

When it comes to cool tools for the Mac, the Livescribe Pulse smartpen is one of the most innovative. It’s a pen that works with special dot paper to capture your handwriting and drawings, and links what you write to what you hear since it also records every word within earshot. All of that information is transferred to your Mac for future reference.

The Mac software that comes with the Pulse has been lacking in comparison to its Windows sibling in that it couldn’t convert handwriting to editable computer text. Livescribe and Vision Objects today announced the Mac version of MyScript for Livescribe, handwriting-recognition software that converts handwritten notes from Livescribe into editable text.

Owners of the Pulse smartpen can create their own dictionaries of commonly used words, abbreviations, names, or terms for even better conversion accuracy. MyScript can directly receive handwritten notes from Livescribe Desktop, convert shapes, tables, and drawings from the pen into editable images, and send converted text from MyScript to Microsoft Word for further editing or to Apple Mail.

A 30-day free trial for Pulse smartpen owners is available here, and the program can be purchased for US$29.95 at any time. MyScript requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher on an Intel processor.

TUAWLivescribe for Mac gets handwriting recognition thanks to Vision Objects originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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