There are many ways to switch student documents like notes and study materials, between paper and digital format. Students can scan their papers into computers, or take pictures of their work using their phone and email it to themselves. They can also take their notes out of the computer by easily printing them onto paper.
But what if there was a way to do both at the same time? A way for students to have not only a written copy of what they are writing out, but also an automatically synchronized, digital copy?
It is time to toss aside the traditional pencil and paper, and unplug that keyboard, because Livescribe Smartpens are the new way to take notes, study, draw and just about any other activity or task that you can do with normal writing utensils.
“Why use a smart device instead of just typing my notes on my laptop?”
For centuries, humans have been using pencils and paper to write, then came the typewriter, followed by the personal computer. Although typing has become the common replacement for handwriting, is it still as effective as writing with a pencil when it comes to absorbing information, when taking notes and studying?
Studies have shown that using pen and paper to take notes, instead of laptops, boosts memory and understanding of concepts [1]. Even though this fact is broadly known, many students still opt for the keyboard instead of the pen and paper, due to the ability to store notes in one place and back them up in either cloud or external storage devices. The solution to this is the Livescribe Smartpen and its ability to allow these students to have both digital and physical copies of their notes recorded simultaneously.
“What does the SmartPen do?”
The Livescribe not only uses a digital notebook to record your notes, it can also record audio. This is extremely useful for students attending lectures because they can synchronize the professor’s lecture with the notes that they have taken, which helps make studying a breeze. The company has made this feature even better with the help of the digital notebook. The notebook has buttons that allow the user to press to stop, pause and resume the audio recording, and as well as the option to jump forward or back, or even bookmark certain parts of the recording for future access [2].
In addition, to make the audio recordings easier to use, users can tap certain parts of their notes that they took while recording and the pen will then play the recorded audio, while the user was writing that exact pen stroke. Essentially, the notebook that comes with the pen acts almost as an alternative digital screen. Livescribe Smartpens provide the same results as if you were to use a stylus on a touch screen tablet of laptop, but with all the convenience of having a written paper copy as well.
“How does the device recognize what I write?”
The Livescribe Smartpen has a tiny camera located at the end of the pen. The Livescribe Smartpen uses the camera to recognize the tiny dot patterns on the Livescribe paper to assist the pen in tracking motion [3].
Essentially, the pen does not see the ink of written words or artwork on the page, it just remembers where the user writes, and then transfers that information to the computer. Simply, the pen does not synchronously transfer what you wrote stroke by stroke, onto the computer screen. But instead, it records your movement and then plays it over again when you plug your pen into a computer, mimicking your every movement.
“How can I access the notes I take with the Smartpen?”
The Livescribe Smartpen has many different features to meet your every need when it comes to writing. By plugging in the Smartpen through USB to a laptop or desktop, students can download their newly created, interactive notes. However, a computer is not required, because students can use their mobile devices to view their notes.
Through the Livescribe+ mobile app, users can organize their notes, and even convert them to text. However, most people tend to just use the desktop application "Echo Desktop" to access their notes [4]. No longer will students need to carry around multiple binders and notebooks for each class or lecture. Now, students only need a single special notebook, a Livescribe Smartpen and the willingness to learn.
“What other options do I have when it comes to Smartpens?”
IRIS Express Digital Pen Scanner (left) and Neo Smartpen N2 (right).
There are many Smartpen-like devices on the market. There are devices that try to mimic the functionality of the Livescribe Smartpen, like the IRIS Express Digital Pen Scanner for Windows devices [5]. Or the Neo Smartpen N2 for iOS, and Android smartphones and tablets [6]. But like many revolutionary devices, the Livescribe Smartpen is often imitated but never quite recreated.
These two pens offer the same base features of the Livescribe Smartpen. At a fraction of the cost, they both include the physical to digital writing capabilities. But unfortunately, they lack the more advanced options of high-tech gadgets. Neither of these pens can record audio alongside of the writing.
Nor do they offer a compatible notebook that allows for audio rewinding, fast-forwarding and playback. Although there are many stylus devices that fall under the same category as the Livescribe Smartpen, these devices are extremely cheap in comparison, but only offer writing capabilities on touch screen devices and offer no other functionality to the user.
“How much does a Livescribe Smartpen cost? Where can I get one?”
The Livescribe Smartpen provides users to change the way that they write, without breaking the bank. The Livescribe Echo 2GB Smartpen, is the version that allows users to record up to 200 hours of audio, costs $219.99. The other version, called the Livescribe 3 Smartpen, does not allow for audio recording and comes in at $214.99 per device [7]. To make up for this lack of functionality, users can use the app available for iOS and Android to record the audio along with each pen stroke. Anyone can purchase both devices online and in-store, from retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.
“What are the cons of this device?”
Unfortunately, this device is not perfect. To have the pen record what you write digitally, you have to write on the specific paper developed for it. This paper is available in many different forms, shapes and sizes. Users can purchase the paper in notepad, binder and book forms, and can have the notes printed if they own a laser printer [4]. The positive that one can
take from this however, is that although the pen cannot record writing if it is on anything but the paper required, it still has basic pen functionality- you can still write with it using the pen's ink.
Both the developers of smart devices and users of said devices can consider this device to be something in between physical writing and digital typing. Handwriting is still very common in today's society, but this tool acts to smooth the transition into a digital world involving less paper and ink, and more cloud-based data and files.
Essentially, the Livescribe Smartpen acts as an in-between for those still not fully embracing the digital world. The device is a giant leap in how we write, but we are still not fully there yet. Handwriting is old but not obsolete—not yet.
Livescribe Echo® Smartpen Introduction
References
[1] Why Using Pen And Paper, Not Laptops, Boosts Memory (2014, February 6). Retrieved Jan 19, 2018, from http://www.medicaldaily.com/why-using-pen-and-paper-not-laptops-boosts-memory-writing-notes-helps-recall-concepts-ability-268770
[2] Livescribe FAQ (2010, July 19). Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/presskit/assets/Livescribe_FAQ_071910.pdf
[3] Livescribe Smartpen 3 Black Edition review (2016, March 07). Retrieved January 24, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/07/livescribe-smartpen-3-black-edition-review-digital-notes
[4] Anoto Livescribe Smartpen (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2018, from
http://www.livescribe.com/en-ca/smartpen/ls3/#compare_section
[5] IRISPen™ Express 7 (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2018, from
http://www.irislink.com/EN-AU/c1053/IRISPen-Express-7---USB-Pen-Scanner.aspx
[6] Neo Smartpen (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2018, from
https://www.neosmartpen.com/en/?noredirect=en_US
[7] Livescribe Echo 2GB Smartpen (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2018, from
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/livescribe-livescribe-echo-2gb-smartpen-apx-00008-apx-00008/10171541.aspx
[8] Livescribe Echo® Smartpen Introduction (2015, May 29). Retrieved January 30, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg5QQHlepF0
