Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen

by Livescribe

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 0.8 x 6.2 inches ; 1.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002DJTMSW
• Item model number: APA-00004
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,705 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

  #28 in

  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Mice & Keyboards > Digital Tablets

• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 19, 2009

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen makes it easy to take notes without lugging your laptop around. With the ability to record everything you hear, say, and write, this handy tool links your audio recordings to your notes to help you retain and organize important information. And it's easy to use--to replay the recorded audio, simply tap directly on your notes.

4 GB Pulse Smartpen At a Glance: Captures over 400 hours of audio or 64,000 pages of notes Instantly play back your recorded audio by tapping on your notes Online and private sharing capabilities--500 MB of free online storage USB connector lets you transfer notes and audio to your Mac or PC Includes audio jack and 3-D recording headset for far-field recording

The Pulse smartpen only weighs 1.3 ounces, so it feels light in your hand. View larger.

Plug your 3D Recording Headset into your smartpen when you're recording in large or noisy environments. View larger.

Never Miss a Word
The Pulse Smartpen records everything you hear and write, so you always have clear audio backup of key information. Ideal for meetings, conferences, or classes, this compact tool is as easy to carry as a traditional pen-and-paper set, but it's far more useful. Replay your recorded audio anytime, anywhere, with a quick tap on your notes.

4GB of Memory
The Pulse Smartpen offers 4GB of memory to hold over 400 hours of audio or 64,000 pages of notes (actual recording time varies by audio quality setting). It works exclusively with Livescribe dot paper (starter set included), which activates all Smartpen applications.

Save and Search
Packed with useful features, the Pulse Smartpen helps you put your notes to work, so they're always accessible. Using Livescribe Desktop, you can save notes to your computer, which makes it a snap to integrate them into a report or presentation. You can also search for specific words or phrases within your notes.

Send and Share
Via the Lifescribe community or Facebook, you can share your notes or recordings (the Pulse Smartpen comes with 500 MB of online storage available through Lifescribe.com/community). You can even export your notes or audio locally as PDF or audio files via the USB connector, or you can use the audio jack and 3-D recording headset (included) for far-field recording--a perfect option for people on the go.

What's in the Box
Pulse Smartpen; Lifescribe Desktop software for Mac or Windows; 3-D recording headset; starter dot paper notebook; USB mobile charging cradle; protective soft case; two ink cartridges (one preinstalled); Getting Started guide; and Tips and Tricks booklet.

Product Description

Capture everything. The Pulse smartpen records audio and links it to what you write. Missed something? Tap on your notes or drawings with the tip of your Pulse smartpen to hear what was said while you were writing. No need to lug the laptop. The Pulse smartpen automatically captures everything as you write or draw. Transfer your notes to your computer, organize them, and even search for words within your notes. Find what you want in just seconds. Share your notes. Transform your notes and audio into interactive movies. Upload your creations online for everyone to see, hear, and play. What you get: • The Pulse smartpen (1.3 ounces, anodized aluminum housing) • 4 GB of memory (actual user available memory will be less) • Livescribe Desktop software (download) • 3-D Recording Headset • 50 sheet dot paper lined notebook • USB mobile charging cradle • Smartpen case • 2 black fine point ink cartridges • Interactive Getting Started Guide • Tips & Tricks Guide What You Need: • Windows XP™ 32-bit SP2 or higher, Windows Vista™ 32 or 64-bit operating system, or Intel Mac with Mac OS X 10.5.5 or newer • 600MHz CPU or higher • 300 MB minimum free disk space • Available USB port • Internet connection The Pulse smartpen works only with Livescribe dot paper.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Amazing Device, October 28, 2009

By	BookMan (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen (Electronics)

Wow! This is truly an extraordinary technological wonder and products like this don't come along often - I'm certain that it will change the manner in which I study. While the Livescribe 4GB is rather expensive, its abilty to record notes, while seamlessly attaching audio to those notes is simply amazing. I've been using Microsoft's OneNote for most of the classes I've been taking recently - and that has been a fairly good product, but the ability of Livescribe to literally record your handwritten notes, attach audio to them, and then allow you to go back and review those notes (with audio) - all without the use of a laptop is simply phenomenal!

While the software that comes with the pen is sufficient, there are a few limitations that I suspect will be improved in future versions. The most notable problem seems to be the need to have a special notebook for each class (as one cannot, yet, separate existing Livescribe files into smaller units). Just the same, it's possible to examine the files on a computer although the the included software program is required to use all of the available functions when viewing/listening to files. Files can also be exported in a variety of formats (again, not all features will be available dependent upon how your files are exported) such as .pdf and Flash. While this may be a bit of an inconvenience, for me, this device is absolutely wonderful.

Another cool feature is the ability to upload your notes to a special location so that they may be shared with others - I've already tried doing this (as a test) with someone I know who is not very techogically savy and, again, the results were very cool!

I'm certainly going to show this to others I know (especially students) - this pen is certainly going to help many, many students.

127 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars buggy, November 10, 2009

By	Erica Ford (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen (Electronics)

this pen has a problem with keeping time. over time, the clock speeds up. you have to keep resetting it to get the time to stay right.
other than that, the pen works as advertised. the pen speeds up about 10 seconds per day. that's a lot of time to be off each day. also, the battery over time loses its ability to hold its charge. the battery sealed in, so you can't replace it. you'll have to replace this pen within 2 years for sure because the battery won't hold its charge.

86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is probably the future of note-taking, December 20, 2009

By	Michael G. Romano (Bend, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen (Electronics)

Length:: 1:23 Mins

I have given this pen a week to impress me, and it has. I bought one for myself and one as a gift for my father. You can tell after using the pen a bit that it is probably the future of note-taking. The reason is not because your notes are put into PDF format (you could simply do this by taking regular notes and then scanning your paper into PDF format), but rather because you can make an audio recording of your meeting in real time along with your notes. Two things to be aware of: (1) I don't think this pen would be very helpful for a college student that sits in the back row at lectures. The audio quality is excellent, but is geared for having a meeting with two to several people in a room-- I think I would sit close to the sound source if I was going to use this for taking notes at a seminar or lecture. (2) Most states require that you let all parties to a conversation know that they are being recorded. Sometimes you cannot record (i.e. conferences or seminars often don't allow audio recording and my local courtrooms do not allow audio or video recording while the court is in session).

This pen would be a God-send at a meeting of four or five people discussion a project at work. The person taking notes can not only record the conversation, but simply write down the key points and then later click on the key points to see who offered what sort of ideas. As an attorney, I think cops should be required to carry these pens so that there is no misunderstanding as to what was said or how it was later noted in a report. I am going to use this pen for my client meetings and for taking notes from witnesses.

Here is my overall verdict:

Pros:
Great value for the technology that it is.
It really does work as advertised.
Easy to use.


Cons:
The digital rendition of pen strokes is a little sloppy (but you can still see what was written).
Ink cartridges run out very fast.
Special paper is required (although it's not very expensive).