- by Don
Livescribe Pens
For those of you who are considering a Livescribe Pen purchase, I received this ad about a sale on Livescribe Pens. You may want to compare to other options from other retailers such as amazon.com.
If you buy directly from Livescribe, trying entering UBX15RAF93H2E at checkout. It should save you $20 and earn me $20 (although I don’t know if it will work on sale items).
What do I like about Livescribe? In the words of the Livescribe ad:
Well, it’ll make note-taking a whole lot easier. Your smartpen records not only what you write but also everything you hear. Later, simply tap anywhere on your notes to play back what was said at that exact moment in time. You can also send an interactive, digital version of your notes and audio to your computer or tablet, so you access your important notes on the go.
It is sort of the best of both worlds: you get the freedom and speed of writing with pen on paper, and you get an electronic version, so you don’t need the paper.
I really do like mine. There are only a few drawbacks:
- It’s kind of big
- When you pull out a big pen that lights up, people tend to freak out, thinking you’re using some kind of spy pen or something. And of course, you could really be recording your conversation…
- It only works with special paper. It comes with a trial notebook, and you can buy additional notebooks from Livescribe or retailers such as Amazon.com. You can also print your own paper using their software. So getting the special paper is not a problem — you just need to remember to carry it with you and to keep refills on hand.
On the positive side:
- It has helped me move towards being paperless — once I sync to Evernote, I no longer need the paper, and I can access it from my computer. phone, or tablet.
- Being able to record a lecture, and go back and hear the pieces you missed and add to your notes can be really useful. (I wish I’d had this thing in college!)
- I recommend the 4G pen. I’ve never run out of memory, so I don’t think it’s worth getting the 8G version, and the 4G usually comes with some extra accessories that I think are worth the upgrade from the 2G.
I also recommend trying the MyScript application, which converts your notes to text. It comes with a 30 day free trial, and costs about $30 for a full license. It does a pretty decent job on my handwriting.
Good luck! Be sure to post below if you have any questions (or if you decide to get one).
Did you enjoy this post? Sign up to receive my newsletter and be notified of new posts. You’ll also get my free guide, Outsmart Your Phone: 12 Easy-To-Use Apps YOU Need.
