Digital pen learns to write in Mac

Following through on several of its promises, digital-pen maker Livescribe this week is announcing a Mac version of its desktop software, handwriting recognition software, as well as the ability for digital-pen owners to print special "dot paper" using their own printer.

Mac support was tops on the list of feature requests, CEO Jim Marggraff said at a recent press event, while the ability to convert handwriting to text was the No. 2 most-requested feature. The digital pen had required 32-bit versions of Windows XP or Windows Vista, although it is adding 64-bit Windows support, along with the Mac option.

Meanwhile the ability to print one's own paper could help assuage some of the cost concerns around a pen that costs $150 and also has required comparatively pricey custom notebooks.

That said, there are some limitations with each of these new features. The Mac software is still in beta, the handwriting recognition software comes from a third-party and costs $29, while the print-your-own-paper option requires a color PostScript laser printer. The handwriting recognition software and print-your-own paper options are Windows only for now, with plans to add them to the Mac version in the first quarter of next year, when the Mac product goes final.

Oakland, Calif.-based Livescribe hasn't released any sales figures, but the company has been featured prominently at Target stores nationwide and recently expanded sales to include Costco. Also, Marggraff noted that the company recently sent a survey to 10,000 of its users, which he said represent a fraction of its total users. (No word on whether that fraction is more like one-thirtieth or two-thirds.)

One of the big concerns for gadget makers these days is whether their products will be seen as frivolous luxuries in these tough economic times. Marggraff said that his hope is that it will still seem like a bargain to college students looking for a way to capture their lectures.

Livescribe's big advantage over digital pens of the past is its ability to synchronize its ink captures with audio recordings, enabling users to click the pen on a specific part of their notes and hear the audio from that point.

UC Berkeley student Kenji Kurita has had a Livescribe pen since July and found it extremely handy for taking notes in his science classes. It allowed him to focus on diagrams and to not have to catch every word the professor was saying, knowing he could go back to the audio.

Kurita became such a devotee that he's now one of three dozen "campus scribes" paid by Livescribe to evangelize the product at their school. Kurita has also become popular with his classmates since he posts digital copies of his class notes on the Internet.

[maverick_nick]

I now see this as a useless technology. Pretty much every notebook after the release of Windows 7 will have touchscreen capabilities. I predict that touchscreen notebooks will go mainstream very quickly, unlike tablet PCs. Those students whom prefer writing over typing ( a dying breed) will be able to write directly onto their notebook screens.

Besides, every environmentally conscious person wants to decrease their paper usage as much as possible. Livescribe would have been brilliant quite a few years ago, but I'm afraid that they're entering the market at a time when not many people see it as a necessary technology.

[Seaspray0]

I agree, maverick_nick. With touchscreen, litescribe doesn't have the same appeal. But, where it can be useful is where a computer doesn't have a touch screen (like the mac).

[jypeterson]

I have to dissagree, maverick_nick. Microsoft will have to dig itself out of the hole created by Vista, and from the first reviews that I have read about Window 7, it looks as if it is just Vista SP3. Here is another issue, touchscreen technology will not be adopted by the general public as it is more expensive -- especially under the current economic situation (whether perceived or real).

This is where users can purchase a product like this. It is cheap, light, and very usable. The Anoto technology is quite remarkable and is built into products like the new Leapbook learning products. This is where the technology acceptance will grow, in the 3 - 10 year old students. Once they get into high school and college, they will have pens that look and feel like pens today and will probably link to their PC/Mac with no wires or over the network.

To make it more interesting, take this pen and add bluetooth (like previous "smart pens" by Logitech) so that it can sync with your iPhone and you have a stunning email/text/voice tool.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I don't know that I'd call it 'cheap'. Remember that to get the full functionality you have to buy a third party software package and a color printer. The part I'm concerned mostly is that it requires "comparatively pricey custom notebooks." I don't know what that means, but if you can't use it on a cheap laptop that the consumer can afford, then this isn't going anywhere.

[kalpit210]

I agree with jypeterson. I'll preface my comment by saying that I'm a college student and well informed on technological matters. Sure the Windows 7 touchscreen computers look cool but, again as a student, I'm not willing to dish out 1500 (which is what I'm guessing the price of a nice laptop would be) to do what this smartpen does for a $150. Also, this is assuming there will be programs available (for a price) that records audio and syncs them to your handwritten notes on your Windows 7 PC.

As for the cost of the paper goes, Vegaman_Dan, the notebooks cost $5 per notebook of 200 college-ruled pages. The same sized notebook costs 3.99 at my campus bookstore - so its really a "rip off'. I think if I were to print my own pages using the new feature, I'm pretty sure the ink costs would make a notebook seem a lot cheaper. And, I use the Pulse in my classes and I'm running on a Gateway I bought 3 years ago for $600. Keep in mind, memory is a lot cheaper now...

Hope this helps!

And if you're going to buy the pen, use the discount code i used: SCRIBE5A25... i think it takes off a few bucks.

[sanenazok]

This sounds interesting only to someone who generates paper notes...at this point that's only students and some technophones who let's say won't be using this. I thought about it, and realized that using it would only make me lazy and not attentive during meetings.

[bryceandcallie]

I'm a student as well and I have been using the pen since the beginning of the semester. One thing I prefer about the Livescribe method is the light load. I now just bring my pen and notebook and am set for most classes. It does an exceptional job at recording in different lecture halls. I especially use it for studying for midterms or filling out study guides.

Now that the Mac crowd is getting it I'm sure the student segment will grow remarkably. I highly suggest it to those students out there.

Also, Livescribe is doing a special promotion now till Thanksgiving where they will take 5% off if you use the code Scribe5A03 at Livescribe.com