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By popular demand, we’re going to try to finally answer your most burning questions in your blog comments.
Before we start, there’s one little caveat. Until we hit our official product announcement in late January, we will not be able to share key product and platform information (including detailed specs, pricing and other information about the product and platform). Please bear with us, and keep the questions and feedback coming. We will answer what we can. If you haven’t yet, sign up to pre-order a smartpen, and you will be among the first to know the remaining specifics about the product at launch.
So, without further ado - here is the first installment of our “FASAQ” Top Ten:
1. So what happens when the smartpen runs out of ink?
The smartpen has a removable ink tip, so when your smartpen runs out of ink you can easily take it out and replace it with a new ink cartridge. The smartpen will come standard with a few ink cartridges and others can be easily ordered online. Note: It might surprise you to know that even if your ink ran out, the smartpen would continue to capture all of your strokes and audio as well as work with pre-printed applications.
2. What kind of paper will be available?
Initially, we’ll offer college ruled notebooks and a smaller journal-style option. Other details will be available at launch.
3. Can I transfer my handwritten speeches/notes/stories/etc. to a word document or something similar?
You’ll be able to transfer your recorded audio and notes to your PC as well as review them, search them by keyword, or share them online. Information on 3rd party ink-to-text transcription solutions will be available at launch.
4. Is the smartpen and platform Mac-compatible?
Livescribe is committed to serving both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. The first release of the Livescribe Desktop software is for Windows XP and Vista operating systems. A Macintosh version of the Livescribe Desktop is planned for the second half of 2008. More precise timing and details will be announced after launch.
5. Will the smartpen be available outside the U.S.?
At launch in late January, the Livescribe smartpen will be available in the U.S. market for purchase online. More details on our international distribution plans will be announced later.
6. How much memory does it hold?
Sorry, we can’t share until launch. But we can say that users would easily be able to record the audio from every episode of Lost and still have significant room to spare!
7. Can I record audio without writing?
Great question - yes!
8. What kind of applications are on the smartpen?
The Paper Replay application, as shown in our Sneak Peek animation here will be a standard part of our smartpen experience. Other bundled software and applications available for sale online will be announced later. What applications do you want? We’d love to hear what applications you have in mind.
9. Will the smartpen have a cap?
The smartpen will include a bundled solution that will protect the tip of the smartpen and the smartpen itself. (Come on, don’t you want to be surprised?!)
10. I’m a lefty. Will that be a problem?
Nope - you can toggle the direction of the smartpen’s OLED display, so lefty’s or righty’s can easily read the screen.
Tags: applications, audio, cap, FAQ, ink, international, launch, Mac, memory, paper, PC, text transcription
Good info. Here are some comments (some of which have been posted elsewhere):
1. Ink__________
I’m sure everyone knows that it’s critical that the pen writes well. I’d like to offer that it seems everyone in my office thinks that the best pen out there is the Uni-Ball Vision Elite Fine Point pen, so it would be great if there were something like it (a fine point gel).
2. Paper Availability__________
Please produce a top-bound micro-perforated letter pad (like legal paper, but 8.5″x11″) ASAP.
3. Transferring Files & Transcription__________
Something like a PDF with clickable audio overlay would be great. Your preview seems to suggest you can email the file to someone, so I assume you’ve got that type of thing going. You note 3rd party transcription is available. I assume you mean integration with OCR software, or do you mean something else. As you mention transcription of text, I would be interested in any integration with audio transcription. I don’t know what technology Vonage uses to transcribe their voice messages, but it’s nearly perfect. If you could use similar technology (even if 3rd party payments are needed by consumers), that would be quite powerful.
4. Mac Support__________
I guess I’ll see if I can dust off Parallels or Boot Camp. Hopefully re: #3, there will be a good way for Mac users to export files usable on Macs.
Bonus 1 A & 1B__________
You say that lots of info will be available at launch and that the product announcement is in late January. Could you please elaborate on what happens at this point? Since the home page says that the pen will become smarter in January from the countdown, I assume that means that the product will be shipping then. If the details aren’t even available until then, it casts some doubt as to the ship date Will the product start shipping at the date on the countdown?
Bonus 2__________
The pre-order screen notes that we’ll get free shipping if ordered by 12/31, yet there still is not a way to truly pre-order. Is submission of that form sufficient, and when will we actually be able to make a true order?
Sorry for all the questions/comments. I’m really looking forward to the product!
Careful, audio recording under some circumstances may be unlawful, or violate copyright.
I think it would be awesome if livescribe could manage to get partnered up with the Moleskine people and offer an application bundled with livescribe compatible Moleskine notebooks. Being able to write information into my Moleskine planner and then have that transfered onto my computer would be great.
Schalliol - thanks for your comments. When you fill out and submit the preorder form, we will keep you updated via email on how to confirm and finalize your order. For now, the submission of that form is all you need to do to get free shipping.
Z - good suggestion. Moleskine notebooks come in different sizes. What kind of versions are you interested in?
Thanks for the answers. But one more question here : )
I see you are giving free pens for a lucky few even before the date of release at the beginning of Feburary. Since you are giving few pens for a selective few, can I actually purchase pens from you before the release date? I have been waiting for quite a long time and really love to use it when I travel to take notes to China and Hong Kong during my Winter Break.
Please helps this poor little boy, can you?
I definitely think there would be a market for the planners. The one I use right now is the large daily planner. I’ve found that even though I have a PDA I am more likely to use my Moleskine because I don’t have to worry about charging it, and it’s a lot faster. I realize that livescribe could develope their own brand of planners, but the reason I’m suggesting Moleskine is because they are high quality with a built in market.
I’d also like to echo schalliol’s suggestion regarding a good quality gel ink refill. Assuming gel ink would work with the technology, I think it would be very popular. It writes a lot more smoothly and reduces fatigue when taking a lot of notes.
Will we be able to print out dot paper like it was initially planed ?
Will the pen be able to recieve common ink cartridges ?
All the “unanswerable” questions make me think this product really isn’t ready for prime-time yet. How can there be so many things still unknown (or still secret) when the product is supposedly launching in less than two months? Don’t get me wrong, it sounds great, but it seems like all the hype might be a little premature.
Will there be any education discounting. I a library media specialist (teacher librarian) in a high-needs school district. In my school, we have a high percentage of children with learning disabilities - auditory processing etc. Might it be possible to download the same audio to multiple pens — and handout duplicated copies of “notes” — allowing students to access the info in both written and audio form?
Sarah
The hype sounds amazing, and I’d love to get my hands on one, but alas I’m not in the US. Do you have any distributors lined up in Australia I could contact? Or do you need one?
How soon to you expect to be exporting?
On the subject of paper, I’d also love to see Moleskine as an option.
I’m partial to carrying around a small journal with me, around the 3×5, 4×6 size because it’s so easy to carry around in a pocket or small purse. I’d love to see a small size like that offered. It’d be nice to have paper that’s as portable as the pen.
I will use the pen and then transfer to my Tablet PC…so requested features are Bluetooth (but make sure it stands discovered..bluetooth is flakely…why wireless, I don’t want to haul around a cradle), which leads to second request…regular (1 - AAA battery…if you are out of juice on rechargeable and need to use you are out of luck) and third request is tight integration with OneNote 2007 (pretty much a standard on Tablets these days…and most early buyers will probably be Tablet users).
None of the other products in the market solve all three of these issues…think like a user (I have been playing with these products for several years and all miss the mark by not addressing basics like discussed above).
Definitely a useful product. Please sell it in Australia too.
Another Australian here. It will be available on line, but will you ship overseas or maybe resell through Amazon who will?
I agree with RobertW. Wireless is a must. Being able to email voice and writing directly from the pen without having to bring back to a computer and hookup would be a real productivity booster. I could record a memo as I think of it and email directly to a transcriptionist. Record a meeting as it occurs and email to appropriate team member to take the appropriate action without leaving the meeting and maybe forget about it.
A4 blank paper with dots so I can print forms onto it for filling out would be great. Could the information then be transmitted into the correct fields in a similar electronic form? EG A loan application form?
I would second the Moleskin initiative, Pick one. I would agree that your specifications are very light at this point in the game. Especially when you are trying to convince people to by this $200 product over the $80 product you were born from.
I would like to understand what you see as the future of your company and products. Where do you see this going? Dot paper is simply the wrong answer. I understand it as perhaps a launch vehicle but long term? RobertW is correct in the need for wireless integration and interoperability are key for success.
I think you are doing good from what I have read and observed so far and I know I will buy one just for the purported side effect of a better sex life.
Steeb, I would say that what this product has over the other products is the voice recorder that syncs up with your notes. At least, that’s the appeal to me.
One paper suggestion:
I am an Engineering student and use lots of engineering/graph paper. It could be very useful to have the dot-paper solution in engineering paper.
Sounds like a great product. Will there be an ability to update the firmware as glitches or improvements come up? Thanks.
David,
Yes, there will be an ability to update the firmware. These details will be available at the time of launch.
Sounds great! I am looking forward to the release. I am in Canada, and hoping you will be shipping outside the US in January as well.
Canadians are anxiously awaiting the ‘international’ release date of the pen!!
I’m a published writer and do a lot of prep work for books by hand. To keep notes in a pen, as well as on paper is a God-send. Transcribing will be a dream. Cannot wait for this pen!
As a Tablet PC user and a OneNote user, I would like to second (or third) the request for interoperability with OneNote. That is where I collect and store all of my notes and other information, and I would love to be able to add LiveScribe-written notes as an input method.
If that’s not possible, I would hope at least that the note search capability uses the Vista search, so that I can search from Vista for all content related to a particular subject or keyword, including my LiveScribe notes; and not be required to search the notes only from within your application.
Carla - thanks for your interest! More details on our international distribution plans will be announced later.
I would like to use the pen for grading student papers or editing documents from workgroup co-workers. The audio synchronization will enrich the feedback able to be given to the student or the co-worker. Today’s solution is to use Microsoft Word Insert Comment which is OK, but strictly text and keyboard driven. I have tried to use the pen feature of a tablet PC for grading and that is a marginal solution since the pen- tablet screen technology is not as good as paper and pen and also I am limited in the space on the page to write comments. I have tried to use digital recorders to voice record comments, but there is no synchronization and the process is more hassle than it is worth.
But, using a magic pen that synchronizes pen and voice with paper document is very cool and has great sex appeal. In my opinion ladies hate guys with laptops (boys with their toys), but love giuys with pens (Makes them think the guy can and will communicate). So I presume what would be needed is to be able to print out the text document on the special paper so the text could be OCR’ed and then pen and voice annotate it. Is this how it would/might work? If so, I would go to the trouble of taking this printing step for the benefit of the voice/pen annotation. Grading papers or giving feedback to peers is more fun when you can convey emotion and that is best done audibly.
I would suggest that a useful feature/enhancement would be to have wireless data transfer to a local laptop via Wi-Fi and then forwarding to an online server. This would be similar to a new product called Eye-Fi that fits a Wi-Fi antenna into a 2Gb SD card in a digital camera. It makes the user experience very fun and convenient.
Another application that builds on the sex appeal notion is to write a poem and then narrate it. Then send the handwritten poem and play the narration.
Will you be able to dock the pen to more than one computer at a time?
ie: Can I throw a dock on a computer at home and at the office, and just drop it on the dock and sync? Can you set up the sync software to just sorta happen automatically? I’d like to not actually have to use Windows if I can avoid it
Is there a chance of Bluetooth? I like that feature on my Nokia SU-1B.
“At launch in late January, the Livescribe smartpen will be available in the U.S. market for purchase online. More details on our international
distribution plans will be announced later.”
umm, does this mean you will ship to destinations outside the US if they’re purchased online?
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please
Two burning questions, plus a couple suggestions
Questions:
1- I watched the animation for your flagship note-taking app (forget the name off the top of my head). Amazing. Just amazing. But I’m curious. The animation shows that I will be able to share/email notes that I take to my study partners, who will be able to view/listen to them on their computers. Presumably the files I send them will be saved in some proprietary format, that will be opened in some kind of LiveScribe desktop application. Does this mean that I will actually only be able to share my notes with other people who have purchased a SmartPen (less desireable) or is the application itself downloadable and free to use by anyone (more desireable)? I’m hoping its the latter. Frankly, I can’t imagine you would want to work it any other way. Think about it . . . if somebody only sees me taking notes with this strange thing, they’re not going to get what’s so great about it. But if I send them my notes, and they can actually click on them and use them, well . . . how long is it gonna be before LiveScribe has another customer? Not long. So, can I send my notes, fully-featured with audio and everything, to people who don’t own a LiveScribe SmartPen?
2- Does LiveScribe rely on the speaker/headphones for navigation through the different modes and applications, like the Leapfrog pen? As a law student I am envisioning classes in which the professors simply won’t stand for a student wearing headphones in class (and obviously the built-in speaker is out of the question). Explanations about the purpose of the headphones, and the fact that I can hear everything perfectly won’t matter. Will I be able to use it fully, including switching between applications, etc., without the benefit of audio?
Suggestions:
1- This actually builds on the second question. I know that there will be classes in which I am not allowed to wear headphones. To be perfectly honest, there will be classes in which I just don’t want to be wearing headphones. It has a disrespectful air about it. To this end I think you simply must make available a light, high-quality microphone that will plug into the headphone port. No cumbersome cables, just a nondescript device that plugs into the headphone port and essentially becomes part of the pen. If it can still record in stereo, that’s great, but even if it means resorting to a mono audio recording, this is a product that I would definitely buy. In fact, the absence of this accessory would probably be a deal breaker for a lot of people. Imagine headphones coming out of your pen when you’re sitting in a conference room with a board of directors, or when you’re in a court room representing a client. Imagine the journalist . . . who wants cumbersome wires sticking out of his pen when he’s interviewing someone for an article?
. . . Just a thought.
2- Oh yeah, and for version 2.0, give us Bluetooth!!! And while you’re at it, give us a tiny bluetooth headset (like a phone headset, but with a mic made to pick up the lecture)
I’m preordered, but please for the love of god, get these produced!!!
I need this.
Do you have a list of printers yet that will work for printing the dot paper? I’m sure I will be purchasing note-pads for convenience, but I will probably want/need to supplement them with paper that I print at home. I currently own a Dell color laser printer, and would be extremely disappointed to learn that I cannot print dot paper on it. Replacing the printer is out of the question.
Not having mac support out of the box is hugely limiting. It’s one thing if your pen was aimed at business users like the other anoto pens, but…
In the education market you’ve targeted, mac users comprise a huge percentage of the student body. I’m sure your resources are limited, and you’re focusing them where you can, but you guys are kneecapping yourselves from the get-go, just throwing away potential revenue. Bootcamp and parallels just will not provide a seamless and easy user experience. And the second half of 2008 usually does not mean June, but more like December or sometime in 09.
I’d put some extra guys on this pronto if you want more than a niche product. Even in the business world, how often do you see folks with IO’s? Aside from certain tiny targeted markets, never.
Picking the student market is brilliant, and your product fills a clear need. Get a mac version and you’ve doubled your chances for success.
I have to second the desire for a Moleskine brand notebook. If you would partner with Moleskine on the 5″x8.5″ notebook, I would buy one of these things every time you released a new model.
Also - Mac support is huge. I can get by right now using Parallels or Fusion with this, but native Mac support is key for me.
Signed up for the pre-order. Can’t wait for the release.
One more suggestion - a Behance Action Book equipped for use with the pen. Great product for note taking.
http://www.behance.com/Outfitter
Even though it said information on third party support was pending, I still thought I’d go ahead and ask in the hopes of maybe getting an answer in time for pre-order. Is there a chance that the stored notes will be capable of being converted into a Microsoft Word document? I’m excited for the product, but if it means that I have to try and flip through multiple screens as I transcribe from the software to Word, it makes me hesitant to invest, despite my general enthusiasm for the pen.
As others continue to say…
1. Yes, integration with OneNote and Microsoft’s digital ink format!
2. Moleskine paper!
3. A variety of good ink tips (if it’s a bad ‘grey’-black ballpoint or a smudgy, goopy gel, I’m out.)
I’m sure later versions will advance the tech in other ways (wireless, etc), but these are the IMMEDIATE MUSTS.
Not sure from reading everything that this will be able to play sound through headphones. Might be handy to have mp3 player function.
Bluetooth would be awesome. See this link to see what might be possible with bluetooth:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/
With bluetooth, it might be possible (assuming the positioning cues could be worked out) to use the pen to convert any display into a touchscreen. Hmmm….
Need Linux support.
Need C support.
Need gel ink support (tamper resistant).
Need Bluetooth.
Immagine 3 or 4 people in a room all using their pens to play back different parts of a meeting at the same time. The pens would become resented very quickly. Now immagine the pens transmitting to the wireless earpieces people already have. Like night and day.
I think instead of developing a new pen with bluetooth it would be great if the Livescribe can just announce a bluetooth-enabled protective cap, so when the cap is placed on the pen the notes are automatically transmitted to a cell phone or a computer…
This ‘cap’ could be purchaced later by early adopters who will buy the first version of the SmartPen. Otherwise I think many people will not rush to buy it right now and will wait for the next model with bluetooth
I realize this isn’t the same purpose (I don’t think it can be used without a pda or computer) but it has bluetooth:
http://www.fingersystemusa.com/
I like the cap idea above. Modularity is good. I would definitely like that option.
Also, if I could use bluetooth headphones (also suggested above) with it…wow.
During the course of a day, one often hears something noteworthy like a good quote, funny remark, etc. The nature of such events is that they are spontaneous and usually unexpected. The only way to capture them would be to record all of the audio one hears and probably the only practical way to retrieve them would be to mark them shortly after they occur. Could the smartpen be used in this way? Does it have enough battery life to record all day? Would you have to get out the special paper to mark the moment?
A quick question about desktop application: is it possible for a 3-d party to print the notes and upload the audio to his Pulse pen, so he can use the pen with the printed notes the same way as with the original notes? i.e. to navigate by toching the words on the printout?
i.e. basically the question is: will the ‘dots’ be also printed on the paper the same way they appear in the original?
I guess it is obvious, but just wanted to clarify.
As a college student this pen sounds amazing to me, it could cut the hours of note writing down to nothing. But i have one question regarding the pen. nowhere that i have seen mentions the batery life that this pen is expected to have. Can you offer me any clues as to what this figure might be around (hours)? As i am hesitant to buy without the knowlege that i will be able to write all day through my lectures without the pen dieing.
Excellent point, Mike!
Given that you want to take your notes with you after the pen has been re-initialized (or you want to take a spare one or your notebook has gone), there should be the opportunity to download all relevant information from your desktop to the pen PLUS having a printout at hand that allows for all functions of the original notebook. Data integrity at all circumstances!
Besides solving business issues that could be a great new approach to self paced learning. Instead of what-so-ever-casts simply download the script + lecture (audio) of your class and read/hear it anywhere only using some printouts and your pen.
Markus, I also think that it should be implemented, but so far there is no reply here from the Livescribe team about it, so maybe it’s in their ‘wish list’ and not implemented yet… though it would be nice if somebody from Livescribe could say something about it.
Bruce, your Pulse smartpen can be used in so many ways and yes you have the right idea. For more detailed information about battery type and recording capabilities check out our tech spec page http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/techspecs.html
Thanks for all your comments, suggestions and support.
-Livescribe
I’m starting to get disappointed. After reading all the remarks above, it seems like I can’t easily copy the notes directly into Microsoft Word (or other type of document) without going through some other application first (2nd party transcriber?). It’s just one more step, and cost, that I’d like to do without. The pen has OCR right?, but is it only good for Pulse proprietary software applications? I work for a company were we deal with proprietary information and I wouldn’t want to got to an external transcription service to have the text put into a format that I could use with MS Word.
Another feature that would be good is if I could create a table on paper and transfer the info into an Excel spreadsheet. The same thing goes for a form. At work I have created forms in MS Word that I print out, fill out in the field or in a lab where no computer is accessible, and then later go back to the computer and fill the form in with the info from the paper copy.
Finally, I still don’t know if it could be used to play MP3’s. Hey you have to be able to relax at work too sometimes
Cliff.
Great idea and I will be one of the first to buy one. If there is one thing I could add, it would be to press a button and record voice memo’s without having to use the paper. I have often phoned my office and told them to leave a message on my desk to remind me to do something on my return. Maybe this could be added on the newer version.
One other thing, You should be aiming higher than education with this pen it’s great.
Good luck with the launch
Russell
OK I give up. Where can I get one of these pens from?????? I am in the UK and I can’t pre-order one unless in the states. Now as much as I won’t one (or more) of these, I don’t think it worth travelling to get it.
HELP PLEASE.
Russell
Russell - at launch, Pulse will be available in the U.S. market for purchase online. More details on our international distribution plans will be announced later.
If I buy the Pulse now with Windows-compatible software, will I be able to buy the Mac-compatible software without having to buy another pen? Will I also be able to transfer notes recorded into the Windows app to the Mac app?
I’m really excited about this product, and would like to buy it as soon as it becomes available, but will hold off for the Mac version if the answers to these questions are “no”.
Is there any up to date news on the launch yet. Nothing seems to be happening.
Don’t be mean, I wan’t one, I need one, actually I need 4.
Please keep us informed.
Russell