2GB Echo Smartpen

I have been using this for about two weeks to take notes at university. I am a social science student and as such there is a lot of note taking and lectures in my courses which is the reason I wanted this pen, as I thought it would better help me prepare course outlines and study guides by not having to retype my notes. Software 4/5 The Echo desktop software is great and very straightforward to use. There is an app-store that was relatively tricky to find as the software sends you to livescribe store for pens instead of the app-store. The app-store is quite limited although I did have to pickup Myscript from there as the Echo software cannot convert handwriting to text which is why I deducted a point of it. There is a lot of potential to develop interesting apps but most where quite primitive falling in the realm of language phrasebooks and games instead of productivity tools. Pen 4/5 The pen has plenty of amazing features such as the ability to play music and record audio in addition to recording handwriting. I wish there was a full translator as the demo included is a great concept but presently unavailable for purchase even if you want it. If I could I would have bought the translator as the ability to translate would have been phenomenally useful for taking language classes and for self study, its a shame its not included. The pens menu interface was also user friendly with a large variety of settings to play with. The cartridge is easy to change too you simply pull it out. My only serious gripe with this pen apart from the lack of a translator was that it was not ergonomic to write with as it is too large. The pen's weight was much lighter than I expected it however it was too thick and I found my fingers fatigued from holding it for too long, I have fairly large hands and still thought it was too hefty to hold. Despite this the pen writes quite well and the cartridge doesnt smudge. I find my handwriting has slightly improved as it needs to be legible in order for it to be converted into text. Overall 4.9/5 This pen exceeded my expectations however I wish that it was more comfortable to write with, had the translator, and included handwriting to text conversion without the additional cost. These shortcomings were greatly offset by its features which definately work as advertised and the simple desktop software and pen UI made this a breeze to setup and use. Overall I would recommend this product to other students especially those with disabilities but wish that future models will have the missing features and be more ergonomic to write with.

Ok, this thing is simply cool. I had been looking for a very long time for a way to digitize my notes to make them easier to find. An associate of mine has one of these and after I asked he showed me what it can do and how it works. First off the fact that it gets my notes on the computer is great. If you are anything like I am, you take a lot of notes and then lose them. With this they are always available and the best thing is that the software makes them searchable. That is brilliant and it actually works. The second coolest thing about this is that it records the meeting / class / etc. as well. I haven't reduced the number of notes that I take (I thought I would) but I have noticed that when I have a question about a note that I can just listen to the recording. The part that makes it cool is that by tapping the pen on the note it plays the recording starting from that point. I don't have to try to find where it was discussed it just plays it. The pen is pretty nice. It feels like it is a quality device. The refills for it aren't very expensive and the paper that you use with it comes in a lot of varieties. So far I really like this but I have to say, my boss is not a fan. Now when he tells me something its recorded. Next time we talk about it and his memory of what he said doesn't match what I heard I can refer back to the note, tap it and he can hear exactly what he told me to do. Everyone in the meeting loves the look on his face when I play something back for him. 3 other associates have purchased these over the last couple weeks, our meetings are starting to look like a LiveScribe user convention.

So, this is somewhat wide-ranging, since I've had a rather extensivly bad experience with livescribe. I'll try and keep it brief and to the point and do my best to contain the frothy rage I feel at the waste of time and money this company has caused me. Step one: bought a used Pulse pen. didn't have time to get to using it for a bit over a month, when I finally booted it up, it was unusable. the display was dim to the point of only being readable in the closet, and it couldn't transfer anything to my computer. I never found out if that was the pen's fault (that would be my guess) or the software (which was the problem with my second try, with a brand new Echo.) But apparently it worked ok when the other person sold it, so somehow in the interim of a month and a half, just by sitting around, it because completely non-functional. Great ire and wrath that I could not return it to the seller, but them's the breaks. Breaks being the key word. So, unfortunately, I thought the problem was buying something used. I Got the echo. and it at least worked as advertised, when I was just using the pen to write and then replay audio by clicking on the pages. However, when I tried hooking it up to my computer, the real problems started. The software is horrible, unintuitive, ugly, hard to use, generally very poorly designed and not well maintained/updated. Even all that would have been manageable, but then I did a clean instal on my computer, and everything else worked fine, but when I tried to download the (very important) conversations I'd captures with the Echo, the software wouldn't recognize my pen. It was apparently bound to the previous install of the computer, or something? I proceeded to wait for customer support, and then spend over an hour doing things I'd already tried, until they finally sent me a janky little program that looked like one computer programmer had written it as a quick work-around one day, not for public consumption, that was supposed to deregister my pen so I could re-register it to my computer, but even that FAILED TO WORK. And they in effect said, "oh well, we can't help you" with a pathetic excuse to try calling apple support for help. Yeah, right, get charged for apple support just to have them send me back to Livescribe because this is obviously a problem with their software/hardware. I'm not wasting anymore time on this black hole company of ineptitude. It has been many, many years since I've encountered tech support and software that was this horrible. I can only assume they have a corner on the market or something that has made them just stop trying to give a consistent or even barely acceptable customer experience. BUYER BEWARE. Maybe it will work for you, if you're lucky, but such a company, who says "oh well, our software is glitchy, too bad, you can't use your $100-ish piece of tech anymore. Tough. Try wasting time with the obviously-not-responsible manufacturer of your computer" is not deserving of ANYBODY'S patronage. Go find another company that actually cares about it's customers. If you give them your money you're just encouraging bad customer support practices. Alternately, if you want to experience the absolute pinnacle of tech rage, by all means, get this pen and try use the computer software interface as much as possible, as this company and it's software is the very best rage generator I've encountered in years. Five stars would feel uncontrollable desire to smash computer again.

Even though this Smart Pen is expensive, it is a game changer for those who have ADHD, hearing loss, or other challenges that impede their learning in classrooms, business meetings, and so forth. I've worked with high school and college students, recommending this pen often. I myself have hearing loss and though I sit in the front of the classroom/ business meeting room, wear hearing aids and read lips well enough-- it is this pen that has helped me the most. You do need to purchase the special dotted paper in order for the smart pen to sync the audio recording with what the pen writes at the time. The option to print your own paper is valid: I've done this myself but it requires a high quality ink and printer. It's easier and cheaper to purchase the notebooks. The pen works with the touch of a few 'key pads' that are printed on the paper. You turn on the power button (on the pen) and then use the paper 'key pad' for the remainder of your options. The pen comes with good instructions and there are several you tube videos for this pen-- but the truth is that you learn best by messing around with it on your own. Find a youtube video of something that you'd like to learn-- something difficult to understand, something technical, and something that you'd need to take notes for if it were a real-world meeting or classroom setting. Play the video and start taking notes to learn how to use the pen. Do this BEFORE you actually need it. Hit the record button and the pen will begin to record the audio. Each time you make a mark with this pen on the smart paper, the sound syncs with the ink marking. The sound will not sync if you write on the paper with any other pen or if you use the smart pen on other paper. Each time a new subject or idea is spoken and you want to mark it, you don't have to jot down the time stamp, unless you want to. Some students use stars or the circled numbers on the top of the page. I use bullet points. When you are unable to write down as much as you had wanted to because the presenter/ instructor spoke too fast (or several people spoke at the same time), leave a large space on your paper. You can to back to that paper space later (explained below). When you wrote something down and you didn't make the symbol/star/mark in time (or you forgot to leave space for later), you can still make a symbol or jot that time down. When you are finished recording and making your notes, stop the recording session. If there is a break in recording, you have the option for pausing without stopping. You could also just record two sessions. Reviewing your recorded notes can be a help or abused as a crutch. Do not rely on this pen to do the thinking or listening for you. Don't think that you're going to learn better by recording and then sitting back during class! That isn't how learning works. Be actively engaged in taking physical, hand-written notes with this pen! Later you can review these notes. Turn on the pen and touch the part of the paper you want to review with the synced audio. The pen should automatically play at that spot. For parts of the recording that you left a large space for, you can touch the pen to the writing just before the space. The pen will play the audio right before the space. Listen to the recording and write in that large space the notes you would have taken at the time. It's like going back in time to take notes. Later, you can touch the pen over these 'time-traveling' notes and the pen will play with the synced audio as if you had made them during class originally. You can upload your notes, handwritten and audio recording, online on your own account. What I personally like to do (and this may seem crazy to some but feasible to others who cannot afford the smart paper or smart ink) is to create a system that works for me. I use the smart pen and smart post its for the recording, but I take my class notes on regular blank copy paper with a regular ink pen. Before class I take regular ink and write in a series of numbers like this: (Date of Lecture) (Start) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ...etc. Once the professor starts the class, I hit record and draw a dot on the "start" I originally drew with regular ink. I draw the dot with the smart pen. This way, when I review the recording, the pen will start playing where the dot is. If I draw the (start) or numbers with the smart pen, the timing gets messed up. Each time the professor makes a new point, I'll draw a dot on the next number with my smart pen. But on the regular paper with regular ink, I then write the corresponding number so I know that the rest of my handwritten notes correspond with this number. It's a system that works for me but I've seen others use regular ink/paper and smart ink/paper that works for them. A former coworker used her smart ink and smart paper with colored regular ink, all on smart paper to organize her notes. It's what works best for you and that will come to you as you continue to use the smart pen. The only reason I do this is because I like to combine text notes, lecture notes, and video notes a few weeks later on regular paper. I don't like mountains of original notes-- that makes for messy study time when exams are looming. (See What Smart Students Know for more information on note-taking ideas). Other students do this because the paper and ink can be pricey after having had to pay for the smart pen itself. Still, others pay for all of it and do everything on the same smart paper because it's not work the headache for them to do something complicated. I just thought I'd put this out there for others who might wonder. Other thoughts: Be kind when using a smart pen. Other people might not understand why you are recording a lecture or meeting. Some don't care and some get offended. I simply ask if it is okay to use a smart pen when I meet with someone in their office. In class, I let them know if they don't already. There are ADA accommodations that professors are required to respect. If you have legally-binding accomodations, as set through your ADA resource office at your school or employment, then no one can deny your use of the pen. However, you cannot abuse this law. You must go through the proper ADA resource office procedures in order to have this protection. I normally delete sessions after I'm done gleaning anything else that I've recorded and did not get down on paper. The idea of note-taking is to get what is "out there" into your brain. So the condensing of audio notes, class notes, text notes, etc... to get into your brain is part of the note-rewriting process. Other than hearing loss or ADHD, this pen has helped students who suffer from PTSD, mobility loss, sensory perception, etc. I've even suggested to some of my students who were veterans to use this pen. One student in particular served in Kuwait and Iraq. When he decided to go to school after retirement, he had PTSD and could not bring himself to sit in the front of the class to pay better attention. His mind was too stuck on everything happening behind him that he was unable to see. Yet, when he sat in the back or sides of the class, he could not pay attention the teacher. After using this pen, he called it a 'game changer.' So many students have shared that with me. I feel the same way!

I really do like the livescribe pen. There is not anything else that compares, believe me I tried to find a different product with the same capability. After a bad experience with the Livescribe Pulse I really didn't want to buy another Livescribe. One problem they didn't tell us about the old pulse was that if you don't charge and use it regularly the OLED screen will become very dim to entirely dark. If this happens after the warranty period they will do nothing. In my opinion this was a defect and they should have issued a recall. So now the review for the Echo 2GB: Cons: 1. Based on my experience I have to consider this to be a disposable device. 2. I purchased this with the expectation that it will last for 1 year (the warranty period) anything after that is bonus. 3. Also they claim the OLED problem is fixed but I will not count on it. 4. Having to keep it charged and use it regularly if nothing but to scribble random notes. Even during the summer when I am not taking classes. Pros: 1. The pen is great for taking notes in lectures. 2. I can spend more time listening to the lecture and only jot down topics or key points rather than detailed notes. 3. I can go back and listen to what the instructor said and make more detailed notes or study guides after the lecture and hear exactly what the instructor said. 4. Prevents the age old problem of missing something important because I was trying to write down something else. 5. The pen records very well in all my class rooms large and small, floors with carpet or tile. 6. The pen will record basically anything you can hear. ** (one note here not really a con but might be for some, if someone in the back of the room asks a question the pen doesn't do a good job of recording it. Of course neither do my ears. So if YOU can't hear it clearly then neither can the pen.) All in all it is a good product with a unique set of functionalities and for now I would recommend it to others noting the above cons.

I bought this pen because my counselor recommended me purchasing after giving me a accommodation to use the LiveScribe Echo Pen. It's the coolest pen I ever had. I am a college study at a university and its my first semester with online learning. Before the semester started I even tested the audio of the pen with my boyfriend in the other room and we video chatted each other and I recorded it to make sure its great for virtual learning. Luckily, this semester most of my professors have been recording the lectures and I can go back take notes with the pen at my own pace. The software and directions were easy to understand and get started with the pen. One of my classes I have to keep up on my own with the notes, and the recording and taping on the page where you took the notes is amazing! I am able to playback at anytime of the lecture. The only downside of this pen that it is larger than other pens I use to write. I have pretty small hands so gripping the pen and writing sometimes gives me hand cramps. I prefer pens that write clearly and such I normally use a Pilot G-2 pen to write my notes since the ink will be very visible on the paper but the LiveScribe doesn't write that well on the paper. Call me spoiler but I do prefer my Pilot G-2 pen. BUT OVERALL GREAT PEN!

I have had a 4GB Echo for a couple of years. The other day, I picked it up after a few months of not using it, and the display was dark. I thought that the pen was broken. I played around with it for a while, and found that it was indeed working, just no display. I got it a tad brighter, but still virtually unreadable. I can tell that it is on. Checking the Livescribe bulletin boards, it became very clear that this is a well documented problem. Page after page after page of faded display. In reading through these, there does not seem to be any response to directly address the issue, and it is on a "case by case" basis. In warranty is covered. Out of warranty is hit or miss, regarding assistance. Note that the Livescribe 3 does not even have a display. Hmmm. Maybe that is the long term solution. For now, I filed a ticket with Livescribe and will take a shot at resolution. As for the performance when the display was working? Love it. Going back over notes taken when recording is an extremely powerful recollection tool. The pen itself is not great for writing, which is why I stopped using it. I prefer roller balls. There is a Swiss company, StarMinen that sells cartridges that supposedly fit. They have to be shipped internationally. The reports from others indicate pretty high satisfaction. Originally they had to be modified, but Starminen currently has a size that is supposed to be a direct fit. Interesting how so much good design went into the concept and application. Yet technical execution on the display is a clear failure with no correction. And the ink / writing experience is another clear dissatisfaction, which has not been addressed. Livescribe bulletin boards have plenty on this. "We're working on it", or "It's complicated", or some such answer. Clearly Starminen thought enough about the inquiries to modify their product as an after market replacement. So purchase with your eyes wide open. When working, functionality is amazing. But if you're picky about your writing experience, you will have to go an extra mile, and satisfaction is not guaranteed. I don't feel like I have been taken advantage of or screwed. But researching the issues I have encountered, it is very clear that there are unaddressed problems and complaints. Five Star product, with One Star product management.

I am a graduate student and attending class at night can sometimes be overload at the end of a long day, so being able to record the lecture and team activities while taking notes is indispensable. Being able to replay the lecture and everything else that occurred in class at a time when you are fresh is the goal. What makes it even that much better is that unlike a standard digital recorder, these recordings have mileposts in the way of the notes you were taking, so instead of having to listen to the entire 2 hours, you can click on specific notes and drill straight into the material you want to review which is a huge time saver. I prefer this Echo model because the software is local on my system and I am able to keep the notes local and by using Microsoft OneNote and SkyDrive I am able to store what I want to on the cloud which is not much since my notebook is normally with me. This pen is everything it was advertised to be; it has worked flawlessly through one entire notepad and I am online ordering replacement notepads now.