One Smart Pen You'll Want to Pack

Carrying a laptop everywhere is not always possible, but carrying a small pen to take notes is. Now imagine writing with a pen that will digitize everything you scribble, as well as record audio you later download to your computer. That's possible thanks to a product Livescribe plans to launch later this year for a price under $200.

Livescribe Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Marggraff is also responsible for creating the now popular LeapFrog LeapPad and FLY Pentop. His new invention, also called LiveScribe, is geared towards college students and professionals who'd rather travel light in this high-tech world. The Montblanc-size computer pen is able to store written notes, record and play audio, as well as stores applications to solve math problems, translate words, and even find a definition. One key application that will be included at launch is called Paper Replay which lets you take notes during a discussion or lecture, then allows you replay the conversation by tapping at certain points in your handwritten notes. This will be great for college students and journalists alike. Those notes can obviously be stored in your computer later for reference.  

The possibilities of what this pen can do are endless. The pen will also allow users to send handwritten notes through email, post hand-drawn animations online, and even tap magazine ads, surveys or study guides to launch applications that call for some interaction. My favorite application would have to be the ability to send written messages to my blog or social profile from any place in the world. Marggraff told the New York Times, that by the end of the year, unique dot pattern paper will be associated with particular e-mail addresses to automatically send out any notes written on it once the pen is connected to the PC.  

Pen based computer platforms haven't been successful in the past, but who knows, maybe the world is finally ready for this smartpen.