Let’s be realistic here; the vast majority of people at work use pen and paper as well as their digital tools. If you do, and you are managing vast amounts of written information which you use to manage your priorities, you might find this useful.
I have been using the new Livescribe3 smartpen on the road in meetings and conferences for the past 2 months. It’s good. So, I’m putting up a few pointers for you here.
In the back end of 2013 Livescribe released their newest Smartpen, called ‘Livescribe3’. It is a Bluetooth equipped smartpen designed to be paired with up to four iOS7 iPhone / iPad devices.
I explained why I ditched my Montblanc Meisterstuck pen for the Livescribe Echo for business meetings back in the summer of 2011
Basically, I was fed up rewriting / writing up my notes taken in business meetings when I got back to the office or back home after a long day. Using an open laptop in those meetings was (and still is) a barrier to effective communications – and Tablet / Phone on-screen keypads and handwriting recognition apps were just toooooo sloooow.
Besides which, I like writing my notes, expressing my thoughts and drawing helpful charts, diagrams, doodles and mindmaps on paper. It is more visceral, immediate and natural for me. And, importantly, it does not get in the way of my engagement with people in my meetings.
So, what is the new Livescribe3 smartpen
It is a good looking pen with a productivity purpose.
It is the 3rd smartpen offering from Livescribe. I wrote about the Echo and the WiFi before. So, Livescribe now offers 3 ways to synchronise our paper notes with our digital tools. All three pens will continue to be sold and supported by Livescribe
For now, think of the Livescribe3 as a downstream device for the iPhone / iPad running iOS7. It is currently only compatible with iOS7 devices because they support low energy Bluetooth technology. Livescribe says it is also working on Android support. Unlike previous models, the Livescribe3 has no on-board controls or displays. Everything is controlled by the app on your iPhone / iPad and the on-page icons in the Anoto notebooks. So, it does look good – see it beside my Meisterstuck in the photo.
Using Livescribe3 as a productivity tool
Getting started is very straightforward. You download the free Livescribe+ app to your iPhone/iPad and once it is activated you twist the barrel of the Livescribe3 to turn it on and it automatically pairs with your device and is ready to use. Mine went through a firmware update but that didn’t take long.
If your iDevice is within Bluetooth range your handwritten notes, written in your special Anoto notebooks, appear on your device in real time. If you are away from your phone or it is turned off the pen will store the data and automatically sync when it re-establishes the Bluetooth connection. It has more capacity than you will ever need, so that is not a problem.
Livescribe3 does not have the built in microphone that earlier models have – it relies upon the microphone in your iPad / iPhone. This means that your device must be Bluetooth connected to create synchronised voice and note taking recordings as well as pencasts. It also means that the recording quality is much better than it was from earlier pen microphones.
The synchronised voice and note recording is a favourite feature for me. It means that I only need to write key words in my notebook, allowing me maximum concentration on the speaker. Importantly, it means that I can go back to specific sections of the voice recording by tapping on the word in my notebook or my device. By the way, I never use voice record mode for 121 business meetings, only using it for conferences etc
The pen can be connected to your laptop or a USB lithium-Ion charger via the supplied USB cable, the Micro USB connector sits under the useful capacitive stylus tip.
Using Livescribe3 output on your iPhone iPad device
The app on your device allows you to view and manipulate your handwriting, drawings and diagrams through 3 different modes; Page, Feed and Pencast.
In Page mode you have a crystal clear, pixel perfect rendition of your written page.
You can ‘Favourite’ Flag and Tag pages to organise them and create actions from them. There is an integrated Search function to find specific text or you can flick through your various pages as you would in a book. You can convert pages to PDF and send/copy to Evernote, OneNote, Dropbox, Box and other compatible applications on your device.
In Feed mode it gets interesting and very productive.
The app breaks down your notes into what Livescribe call ‘Micronotes’ in a creation timeline. Each of these segments can be manipulated.
My most used manipulation is to flick the segment from left to right to convert the handwriting into text. I can then copy the text into an email body, CRM contact form and anywhere else. In this mode your device can dial phone numbers, create calendar and reminder events and go to addresses in Maps. Flicking the micronote area again from left to right converts it back to handwriting. Right to left flick deletes the micronote area.
I use the Pencast mode for listening back to voice recordings I have made along with bullet point notes at events and conferences. It allows me to access key information very quickly.
So, there you have it. Do I recommend the Livescribe3? Yes, absolutely if you use a pen and notebook in meetings or as your natural thinking tools. I’m interested to know what you think. Over to you…….
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Hi Lottie, thanks for your post. I was unaware that @BeesApps integrates with the Livescribe 3 SmartPen. It looks good, although I have not tried it yet! 🙂
I’ve always been used to write down my notes with paper and pens, I used the Pulse before and I transitioned from a PC top to an iPad, mainly for meetings. So, recently I bought Livescribe 3 Smartpen and as I was already using an app called Beesy (to work with my team) I increased in productivity and I’m saving so much time, especially with my meeting minutes! I strongly recommend it!
Hi Garret, you are right, Livescribe now have 3 offerings for people who want to weld their paper notes to their digital world.
Echo for straight usb connection to a desktop manager on laptops – from there you can do what you like with your notes; file them as pdf on yhour hard drive, send to evernote etc
WiFi for automatic storage in your Evernote account. I was not a great fan because there was limitations on what you could do with your notes in Evernote
Livescribe 3 for directly linking your written notes to your iPhone iPad – from where you can do almost anything.
Most of us write on paper easier than on screen. Even with the newest screen handwriting tools, the technology can get in the way of expressing oneself.
Livescribe are saying that they will build an Android version of Livescribe 3 which will bring the benefits of this technology to droid pad and phone users.
I just love this pen. I used the Pulse before and like it a lot too. But I transitioned from a desk top to an iPad. I bike everywhere and carrying around a laptop was too heavy and cumbersome. I found I could do almost everything on my iPad. But my Pulse only worked with my desktop system and I now longer use that type of system. I tried writing on the screen even with the just announced Jot Script, which is an improvement, but just didn’t cut it. The I heard that LIVESCRIBE had made a very smart move and made a product that works with mobile devices. Boy did I miss writing on paper! This things works!!!! I fear though that there are a lot of Livescribe customers that don’t get that this is a mobile companion device and are wanting it to connect to desktop thinking it is the latest flagship model or something. So thinks for the good review and clarity about this being a model that was designed to work with mobile devices and that their other offerings are for desktops. Great review!