This is a review of the Livescribe 3 Smartpen Pro Edition and Livescribe+ app. for iOS
I am a college student recording and taking notes on several hours of lectures per day. I am working with an iPhone 4s
The leather portfolio is nothing special but it is functional and looks nice enough.
I have been using the smart pen for about 3 weeks and have had some good results. First, I would like to point out that overall, the pen works as advertised. It is a little large but not awkward to write with. The Livescribet+ app also works well. Previous issues have been resolved.
So far, I have been able to take several pages of notes. These notes are seamlessly syncing to the Livescribe+ app. If the app is not running while I take notes the data is still stored on the pen, which has 2 GB of storage, and syncs the next time the app and pen are paired. The OCR work well also. I estimate that 85% - 95% of my handwriting is accurately converted into text with the swipe of a finger. This is true for either cursive (script) or block style writing. Now my penmanship is pretty poor, so I think OCR is pretty good. I find that the problem is usually with numbers and symbols, but that just may be my writing style. Notes can be shared easily via email, sms, Evernote, Drop box, Google Drive, etc, in either text form or as a PDF of the page or snippet.
I have very successfully written an entire page of notes, had it converted into text, made a few minor edits in the app, and emailed a completed document. I have also been able to group several pages of notes together and send them to Evernote from within the app. In fact, I wrote most of this review with my Livescribe 3 Smartpen!
I find as others have mentioned that the pen makes a soft clicking sound when the tip breaks contact with the paper. This is no big deal if you write in cursive and the pen rearly breaks contact with the paper. If, however, you write mostly in block or capital letters as I do you may notice this clicking sound. I don't find it terribly distracting, but earlier today I was writing in an empty silent room and then became acutely aware of the sound.
UPDATE -LIVESCRIBE+ APP 1.0.2 Has corrected issues with recording Pencasts. UPDATE
I have made many Pencasts successfully. Auto-Lock and Pass-Code no longer need to be disabled. The audio recording works as advertised. Recording about 1.5 hours of audio with several pages of transcribed notes uses about 20% - 30% of battery life.
One feature that I am enjoying is the ability to write down a deadline or upcoming event and send it to my calendar with just a click. Creating a reminder, task, or calendar entry is very simple and works as advertised.
I don't care much for the ink cartridge, I prefer a finer point on a pen and maybe even gel ink. This is a minor inconveniences and a matter of personal preference. There are other brands of ink refills that can be used and I will give an update when I have checked them out. NOTE: ink refills from previous Livescribe Pens are not compatible with Livescribe 3. All Livescribe Dot Paper, however, is compatible with this pen. You can even print you own dot paper for free with a laser quality printer.
UPDATE- It turns out that the Livescribe ink refill that came with my pen write more smoothly than the ink that was installed in the pen originally. Still haven't tried other refills yet but any D1 type ink refill should work.
Overall, I am pleased with my Livescribe experience and feel that it can only improved as more functionality is made available through future app updates.
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
|---|
