The livescribe pen has been around a number of years now. Its about the size and weight of a large pen (5/8″ x 6 1/8″). What makes it different is that it is equipped with a microphone to record audio, and a speaker for playback. The smartpen can capture handwritten notes, audio and drawings. The livescribe pen uses special paper for the recording of notes. The big advantage is that recorded audio is kept indexed with the handwritten text so that tapping on a written word starts playback of the recorded audio from that part of the recording. There are a number of versions of the pen that are detailed on the Livescribe website.
The video below shows a student who uses word prediction software to help him write and a smart pen to take notes and save thoughts.
The livescribe smartpen can be used with another useful product called Evernote which is a web interface and application designed for note taking and archiving. The video below highlights some of Evernotes features.
Sean Loughran
Enable Ireland AT Training Service