New Smart Pen is Mightier than The Sword

The new Pulse smartpen sounds like an incredible device for learning, recording and processing new information. When you think of how technology is changing us, how mobile phones are extending our sense of self, now there is a new tech device that parents should put in the hands of their children for an educational tool and in the hands of adults as well. As a processing tool, this links audio and visual information.

Now in beta, Livescribe has produced the Pulse smartpen that lets you  "never miss a word"  and is priced at 1G $149,  2G $199. 
The first releases had a college-bound size journal but this month the company is releasing a leather-bound small journal. The company execs say that this is an idea in the application of paper-based computing, a new mobile computing platform that will fundamentally change the way people use pen and paper.  It is "an evolutionary disruptive technology"  that lets you take notes and add a new layer of information on, allowing to think differently while taking notes because you can process the information as you are hearing it and can write down key concepts -- capture the detail and access it," allowing for the capturing all the sensory input... ability to recall things from anyplace, anytime.

As one of the things that will change the world tomorrow, it was featured at TED2008's conference last month: "It looks like a big pen but has two microphones to record sound, a speaker to play it back, a small display and the capacity to capture handwritten notes and drawings in digital form. So it can record what you write and simultaneously it captures the surrounding sounds/voices. It requires a special paper with "buttons" and navigational tools. It can also be loaded with other features, like on-the-fly translation (click on a word in a language and the pen spells it out on the display and by voice in the other desired language), interactive books, and more."

I could use this; my children could use this for their studies. The dyslexic children I know could use this. Can you imagine the business applications for recording business meetings? 

Comments

[allison]

I want one! Too bad we've finished our graduate studies. Maybe universities should consider giving incoming freshmen this useful tool, instead of a laptop or iPhone.

[Bellezza]

Wow, it sounds a bit like the electronic book. Convenient, perhaps. Makes me miss my Moleskine, most certainly.

[Lauri Griffin]

This definitely has promise for children with learning disabilities! Paper based computing - very interesting.

[Hattie]

I'm trying to imagine how it works.