Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen Pro Pack (APX-00007)

by Livescribe

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.4 x 0.8 inches ; 1.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B004NOM4GW
• Item model number: APX-00007
• Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #57 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Computer Accessories > Input Devices > Digital Pens

Product Description

Amazon.com

Pencasts allow you to hear, see and relive notes exactly as they were captured

Easily send notes and audio to people and destinations

Take the stress out of tests and meetings with an Echo Smartpen from Livescribe. Record everything you hear, say and write, while linking your audio recordings to your notes. Quickly replay audio from your Livescribe paper, a computer, or a mobile device--all with a simple tap on your handwritten notes. It's never been easier to take notes and stay organized.

Record and Play Back

Smartpens record everything you write and hear so you'll never miss a word. Replay your meetings or lectures simply by tapping on your notes¹.

Save, Search and Organize

Livescribe Desktop saves your notes and recordings to your computer for fast, easy access to what's important. Search for words within your notes and find what you need fast.

Send and Share with Livescribe Connect

Easily send notes and audio to people and destinations such as Email², Google Docs², Facebook, Microsoft OneNote, Google Sites², MyLivescribe, your mobile device or your computer³--all from your paper or Livescribe Desktop.

The Echo Smartpen is Livescribe's most powerful and easy to use Smartpen. View larger

8 GB of Memory: More Space for Recordings and Notes

When digitizing your notes and audio you'll need storage space; with 8 GB of memory, your Smartpen has it. An 8 GB Smartpen can hold over 800 hours of audio* or 128,000 pages of notes.

Included Smartpen Applications

Your Echo Smartpen comes loaded with applications ready to work right out of the box:

Livescribe Connect Premium: Easily send and share notes and audio to Email, Google Docs, Facebook, Microsoft OneNote, Google Sites, MyLivescribe, your mobile device or your computer

Quick Record: record audio without using dot paper with just a press of a button

Quick Calc: Write an addition, subtraction, multiplication or division problem on dot paper and get the answer on your Smartpen screen

Launch Line: launch your favorite app by writing its name

Password: protect your recorded paper replay sessions with a 4-digit number

System Utilities: multiple language support, time, date, storage info, and battery charge

Dot paper allows a Smartpen to capture everything it writes

Livescribe Dot Paper

Livescribe dot paper uses regular paper printed with a unique pattern of tiny microdots. This tiny pattern works a lot like a GPS system for your Smartpen. It allows a Smartpen to capture everything it writes or draws on dot paper.

Livescribe Smartpens only work with Livescribe Dot Paper, so there's a variety of dot paper sizes and types available: College-ruled Notebooks, Lined Journals, Blank Journals, Mini Journals, A5-sized Notebooks, Grid Notebooks, Flip Notepads, and Sticky Notes. You can even print your own dot paper for free from within Livescribe Desktop on many printers.

What's in the Box?

Livescribe Echo Smartpen with 8 GB of memory, Smartpen Portfolio, in-ear headset, Livescribe Connect Premium (includes Connect Basic plus additional connectors for Email, Google Docs and Google Sites), Livescribe Desktop software for Mac or Windows, MyScript for Livescribe, 500 MB of personal online storage, starter dot paper notebook, Micro USB cable, interactive Getting Started guide, Smartpen Tips and Tricks guide, 2 Smartpen caps, 2 ink cartridges.

System Requirements

• Windows XP 32-bit SP2 or higher, or Windows Vista 32 or 64-bit, or Windows 7
• Intel Mac with Mac OS X 10.5.5 or higher
• 600MHz CPU or higher
• 300 MB minimum free disk space
• Available USB 2.0 port
• Livescribe Desktop 2.7 for Windows or Mac OS
• Smartpen firmware version 2.7 or later
• Internet connection

Which Livescribe Echo Smartpen is Right for You?
Total Hours of Recoding Time*	200	400	800	800
Livescribe Connect Basic Evernote, Facebook, Microsoft OneNote, MyLivescribe, your mobile device, and your computer
Livescribe Connect Premium Includes all Connect Basic connectors plus Email, Google Docs, and Google Sites
Smartpen Portfolio
3-D Recording Premium Headset
MyScript for Livescribe Software Converts handwritten notes to digital text
Livescribe Desktop software for Mac or Windows
500 MB of Personal Online Storage
Livescribe Starter Notebook
Micro USB Cable
Rubberized Grip
Ink Cartridges		2	2	2
Smartpen Caps	1	2	2	2

*Actual recording time varies by audio quality setting.
¹Livescribe paper required--don't record without permission
²These connectors are available only with Livescribe Connect Premium
³Mobile device access requires Pencast Player App or Flash-enabled web browser

Product Description

Livescribe Echo smartpen Pro Pack. Echo is the amazing smartpen that links audio recordings to your notes and replays audio from the exact moment your note was written, so you never miss a word! It also lets you save your notes and recordings to your computer, or share them with others as pencast, PDF or audio files. The Livescribe Echo Pro Pack is a complete smartpen suite: one 8GB Echo smartpen and two smartpen caps, a portfolio with starter dot paper notebook, 3D recording headset with earbuds, spare ink cartridge and micro USB cable, plus Getting Started and Tips and Tricks guides. Also includes free transcription software download from Livescribe. Echo smartpen remembers everything you hear, say and write, then lets you replay your recorded audio with a simple tap. Use the Echo smartpen and special dot paper to take notes in meetings or lectures. With just a tap, Echo begins recording the audio and digitizing your handwritingautomatically synching the ink and audio. By tapping your notes, you can replay the conversation from the exact moment your note was written, so you never miss a word. Expand your smartpens functionality with paid and free apps available at the Livescribe com Application Store. Rechargeable smartpen has 8GB of memory and can record 800+ hours of audio* and thousands of pages of notes. Order your complete Livescribe Echo smartpen Pro Pack from Brookstone today! *Actual available memory will be less. Actual recording time varies by audio quality setting. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.What's in the Box: The Echo smartpen with 8GB of memory, Livescribe Connect Premium: Includes Connect Basic (Facebook, Evernote, MyLivescribe, your mobile device, and your computer), plus additional connectors for Email and Google Docs, Livescribe Desktop software for Mac or Windows (download), 500 MB of personal online storag, Starter dot paper notebook, Micro USB Cable, Interactive Getting Started Guide, Smartpen Tips and Tricks, 2 smartpen caps and 2 ink cartridges.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked my LiveScribe pen so much, I had to write a review! July 3, 2012

By Diana

Amazon Verified Purchase

I got the LiveScribe 8GB with the Pro Pack and I had some skepticism, given some of the reviews here. After testing the product for a few hours I am in love! I am able to take digital notes with or without audio recordings, the stylus ink works fine (still, I bought replacements from a swiss pen company, just in case the reviews are correct after some use), and the MyScribe managed to recognize 90% of my terrible handwriting (the other 10% I sometimes struggle to recognize as well). I am about to go to Grad school and this pen will allow me to preserve every single note in searchable format digitally (in my industry that means a lot). As a side benefit, the pen has a number of cool apps I can use to convert my notebook it into a tablet for my computer, create digital tables, calculate units, etc. Thank you, LiveScribe! (I will keep posting updates if anything changes)

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best note taking accessory you can have! July 19, 2011

By Mariah McTamany

Amazon Verified Purchase

Think of this as note recorder + scanner + biro in a fountain pen look-a-like shell with a hand writing recognition software included to boot. When you add up all these features for the price being offered on Amazon, it's quite reasonable. I found the recording sensitivity excellent especially with the 3-D recording headset provided in the Pro-Pack. Great for recording in a lecture theatre. I can't recommend this enough for the university student. I always found it difficult getting down all the notes in time in my university lectures. It comes in handy when you can point to a particular place in your notes and the recorded notes takes you to that exact point in the playback. You never have to be afraid of missing out on an important point from a lecture or speech.

When you plug in the smartpen to your Mac, each page is an exact scan or "pencast" of your written notes. By using the included MyScript software, you can also convert your handwritten notes to digital text. Admittedly the handwriting recognition software isn't perfect but it's 80% of the way there depending on how neatly or how legibly you write. It's better than having to retype out your handwritten notes from scratch. You just have to review the digital text and amend the words that weren't recognised correctly. If you're a student, all this cuts down your notetaking and prep time by half, leaves you with more actual study time. You can use these pencasts to more easily edit your notes to form your final review notes for your exams.

The pen might look a bit clunky and unwieldly but surprisingly is much easier to write with in the Echo version. This is due to the better grip on the Echo as compared to the Pulse.... The biggest design flaw I think is the "smartpen cap" that is used to cover the pen nib and ocr hardware at the pen tip. Once this cap is taken off, there's nowhere for it to be placed on the pen so could easily be lost. In normal pens, a pen cap or lid can usually be placed on top of the pen for the duration that the pen is being used to write with and then taken off to replace the cap back on the tip. But this is not possible with the smartpen as this is where the mini-USB connector and phone jack is located. So I guess just be careful not to lose the pen cap when you've taken it off the pen.

The software that comes with Livescribe is relatively easy to use and quite apparent even without reading the user manual / guide. The smartpen also comes with some apps that can be loaded up on the pen. The apps are really basic but you at least get about 10mins worth of fun out of them. My favourite are the language apps. For when you're bored just repeat some travel phrases, comes in handy when you're ready to travel abroad. Overall, I found the pen and software easy to use, pretty straight forward. If you're a student, the smartpen will be pretty handy especially for those that want to capture every single word in a lecture or tutorial. If you're in a profession that requires notes to be recorded as exactly as possible, the smartpen will deliver on that requirement. Read more ›

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Livescribe Echo Is Buggy and Does Not Work as Promised February 7, 2012

By loudlaf

I bought a Livescribe Echo 8 GB on special and was very excited about using this technology to post solutions to problems for my chemistry class. First, it would not synch. We finally traced this to the fact that the USB cannot be plugged into a hub, which is something they don't tell you.

The next problem is that the pencast pdfs created from the pen are very quirky. Specifically, the ink that is supposed to be light gray (and darkens as you write) is already dark in random spots when you start the pdf and it doesn't change as you write over it. This makes the presentation very confusing.

Another problem is that they claim you can re-order pages in a pencast using "Custom Notebooks" feature of their desktop, and when you export them to a pdf the pages should remain re-ordered. This is essential if you mess up, say, page 1 of a two-page pencast, and then want to re-record only that page. It becomes page 3, but can be re-ordered in front of page 2 in a "Custom Notebook." However, in the pdf, the pages are NOT reordered.

I had four e-mail exchanges with their support and sent them all sorts of files as requested. I probably spent 6-8 hours helping them to troubleshoot this problem. In the end, they are not responding, probably because they can't fix the problems. Worse yet, I bought extra notebooks, pen tips, a case, and an extra USB cable.

I strongly suggest avoiding this product until they have fixes for these and other bugs. It is a slick idea with a very amateurish execution.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Item January 2, 2012

By M. Burgos

I did quite a bit of research before buying this pen. I read reviews on the Livescribe site, Amazon, and others. I was concerned about what people were saying about the ink in particularly. I decided to buy the pen anyway as an Xmas gift to myself.

So far, I have not been disappointed. The ink that came with the pen flows nicely which was surprising since I expected something worse (because of the reviews). I can see that the cartridges are smaller than a typical pen cartridge, and that is probably not by accident :-) Livescribe could still make good money from a regular sized cartridge. They seem pricey as well. Their bean counters should check their math and read up on economies of scale: They'd sell more cartridges if they were priced better. Right now it seems like a lot of folks are looking for alternatives and have come up with some creative solutions, just to save a few dollars. Livescribe pay attention to your extremely loyal base--someone will come along soon enough and see a new marketing opportunity for either 3rd party cartridges or a new brand of smart pens.

As for the pen itself--remarkable. I like the small portfolio with A5 notebooks. Small footprint when I am taking notes at work, meetings, etc. Audio recording is very good, even without the binaural headphones. I love using the calculator, too. Livescribe connect is a snap to use. I frequently email my notes to others. I do wish eventually a wifi transfer method were added, but that could lead to a larger pen and the echo is large enough!

Myscript works great, too. Flawless handwriting recognition. I've let it transcribe a few dozen pages into MS Word and so far not a single problem....

I use OneNote as well, and when I import the notes into my table PC's copy of OneNote, it also does handwriting recognition flawlessly but that is also because my tablet has been trained on my handwriting for well over a year.

I bought the text to table app and it works fine.

Learning curve wasn't steep. If you set an hour aside when you get the pen you can update the firmware, watch the exercise videos, and learn the app functions. It's not that hard at all.

Things I'd like to see in the next version of a Livescribe pen:
1. bigger ink cartridges, for the same price or cheaper as the current ones.
2. Ability to track or even deactivate a pen if it gets stolen or lost. These are both easy in today's technology.
3. Wireless transmission of notes. This is the pen's greatest weakness.
4. A narrower design, if possible. I'd pay more for the pen to have that feature alone.

I would have given it five stars, but the size of the ink and the price of it forced me to knock off one star. Overall I am very pleased with my purchase. Read more ›