Voice & Camera-Based Pulse Smartpen Could Change Note-Taking Forever

This new type of mobile "paper-based computing" device writes, records, translates, calculates, defines words, and even plays the piano. But most importantly, it turns your notes and scribbles into a document others can make sense of and read online.

The Pulse Smartpen is a fully functioning writing instrument with computing power built in, and up to 2 GB of flash memory onboard. It records audio in sync with your writing, and indexes the audio with your writing. As a result, subsequent tapping on a particular written note will play back the audio segment corresponding to the time when the note was written. To get a better sense of how it works, check out this comic-book style demo or read Noelle Kreider's review on her blog. She lists some educational pros and cons, student applications, and the actual educational codes for using recording devices within the classroom.

If the idea seems similar to the LeapFrog Fly pen, that's no coincidence. Jim Marggraff, who developed the Fly pen, is the founder and CEO of Livescribe. But while the Fly pen is a highly sophisticated children's toy, using voice feedback and infrared-camera-based handwriting tracking, helping kids learn math, music and language skills, the Pulse is a far more sophisticated, transformative product.

Like the Fly, the Pulse uses an onboard camera to track user's handwriting and page position by examining a tiny dot pattern on special paper. Unlike the Fly, the Pulse has an integrated microphone that can be used to record lectures, depositions, and interviews. Downloads are available, similar to the iTunes Store. In addition, users are encouraged to develop various applications and share them with the Livescribe Community.

The Pulse Smartpen has dual microphones, an OLED display for short messages, a 3D recording headset, embedded speakers, an audio jack, and a USB charging cradle that makes it perfect for lecture-hall classes, conferences, students, journalists, and note-takers of any kind.

In the classroom, students can use the Pulse Smartpen to take notes and record what the teacher is saying at the same time. Because the Pulse Smartpen is a "computer," it can also act as a calculator. In a foreign language class, the student can write down not only the translation for the word, but record the instructor speaking it as well. In a science or math class, students can write down the solution for a problem and record the teacher's explanation behind the solution.

Livescribe offers two cartoon videos, Paper Translator and Beach Blogger that give a sneak peak into the future of the Pulse Smartpen. The Pulse Smartpen and Dot Paper, places the pen and paper where it should be for the digital native -- in their hands, directing their creative processes.