Livescribe 2GB Echo Smartpen, Black

I was recommended this pen by a friend a Windows user, I use a MAC, Echo works well on both O/S. I absolutely Iove it, exactly as described and will change the way I create meeting minutes, providing all the information that is normally lost. The pen is chunkier than a normal pen and takes a while to get used to the size and feel, it is easy to set up and within minutes I was ready to start using it, it comes with a pad so easy to do. I would advise to set up a filing system and make some test notes with the pad that comes with the pen. As I always want the biggest and best, I orginally looked at the WiFi and Bluetooth options, but decided on the Echo due to the functionality I needed. I would highly recommend Echo it will be a life changer, especially if like me you can't understand your own writing and are left wondering what your notes mean when you review them later, I am delighted to say that the Echo can read my writing without any problems at all. Delivery was prompt arrived 8:10 the day after ordering brilliant.

Use this for my A-level subjects, it's a true lifesaver. At first I was worried it would be a little bulky and uncomfortable to write with, but it's well weighted and as comfortable to hold as anything, even through a 2 hour lesson. Records clear sound even from the opposite end of the room, and you can't distinguish between the notes on the page and the ones on the computer, it's really accurate! Battery and memory are very good, I can't imagine why anyone would need the 8gb version. I can easily sync all my notes and audio to evernote so i can pull them up on my phone anywhere, anytime! My only niggles are that the paper is a bit pricey, and the body of it isn't flush, the silver band sticks out a little at the back, but not by much at all, it's not a real issue, just one of those things. Overall I couldn't rate this product highly enough, it has transformed the way i work and revise and is definitely worth the money to all those poor students out there!

Firstly I'd have to say that this pen is so incredibly useful for my work I find it indispensable. That is very unfortunate however as the quality of the pen, the quality of the software that you need to use the pen effectively, and the 'customer service' that you inevitably need to rely on when it all goes wrong is absolutely hideous!!! I've bought 4 pens over the last 5 or 6 years, largely due to the fact that they all eventually have stopped working effectively (the last one I bought, the LED screen faded to the point you can't see it any more, evidently a common failing). I've been using a Mac for over 20 years and I can say the Livescribe software is the buggiest I've ever used on the platform, and their technical support isn't much better. If at all possible I would seek other alternatives before buying a Livescribe pen. If you get one you'll love it for a bit and then, if my experiences with the product are anything to go buy, you'll end up resenting the fact that you rely on the pen and cross your fingers whenever you try to sync it with your computer in the hope that everything works as it should. Which, as I've had the misfortune to experience on many occasions, it won't!

Really helpful in meetings but on playing back you can hear the scratching noise of the pen as you write notes whilst people are speaking. Volume is a bit quiet (even when you turn it up to full volume) when playing back, particularly when people are very quietly spoken or some distance away, but that might be due to the fact that I am hearing impaired. Otherwise it is really useful and saves writing lots of notes or trying to keep up with writing when people are talking very fast. I would recommend this.

Although we are still discovering the range of opportunities offered by this wonderful pen/tool/recorder :), my husband really likes it and started using it on a daily basis. He always had notes all over the place on notepads, now he can do it and then see it come to life on his screen, in order, with titles and everything. He also recorded a few meetings with clients after having asked permission to do so of course. It's very handy, easy to plug -don't worry if it's not wifi and save yourself the disagreements linked to the wifi system-it's just great. We only would like to find a suitable software to convert the recordings into writing. Apparently it does exists and it's the next step. The memory 2GB is enough, you can always delete what you don't need on your pen after having plugged and saved what was on it. We also bought the Livescribe recording headseat to have a better sound while recording a conversation/ live meeting. Great present for commercial/business/author/journalist/student.

These are a great idea and in general work well. I have had 4 and the biggest problem is the LCD display gives up after awhile and make it impossible to use. Also have had one where the microphone quality was not good. Returning fro a new one is a nightmare. Nothing else quite like it on the market which is why I have to put up with the quirks.

For all of you wanting to take interactive notes and store them on your computer, this is the product for you. I had installed the Livescribe software prior to the pen arriving and set - up was a snap! To get the very best from this product, download the 30 day trial OCR software and see your handwriting turn into text. Not only that, you can make your work into PDF, PNG and JPEG files. The pen links to your email, FaceBook, Evernote and Google applications. My software is installed on my MacBook Pro, running OSX 10.9 Mavericks and it all runs flawlessly. You don't have to be an academic to figure out how it all works. Buy your pen today and enjoy!

I've had the pen for approximately a month. I feel its too bulky, the quality is not that good. Microphone decent, but does not meet expectations. The first thing that broke was the cap, it's not thick enough, so the plastic will crack and pieces fall of. I feel like the next thing that will break will be the tip, which will render it useless.

Ottimo ausilio per persona con DSA. Mia figlia ha imparato ad usarla molto velocemente. Il menù di setup della penna è comodo ed intuibile; collegando poi la penna al computer ed utilizzando l'apposito programma, le possibilità di utilizzo aumentano (si possono scaricare i file audio registrati).

Es muy buen producto solo que todavia no lo evaluo por completo, pero sobre los 2 GB podria ser una limitante , ya que vi que en otros paises lo venden con mas opcion de capacidad y aqui no. Hasta ahorita ok

I would give this 5* - This works perfectly, great for travel, easy to use - just never ever drop it! Concept brilliant I have all the peripherals that work with it, and it's seamless, but there is no way back if you drop it. Mine died and I've spent months trying to buy another one at a reasonable price. I've gone on the buy a new one anyway. Exceptional when in a meeting or consultation and you don't want to miss a beat.+

Beau produit MAIS très fragile. Le 1° est tombé (pas de très haut mais sur la pointe => mort) Le 2° fonctionne encore mais l'écran n'a plus de luminosité => je ne sais pas s'il fonctionne et je perds des pages de notes car, en fait, il est éteint ! Sinon, pour celui qui est amené à prendre beaucoup de notes et qui doit les exploiter pour les mettre en forme => outil fabuleux !

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!