The Next Generation of Smart Pens

Check this out! (This link was sent from an AT listserve that I belong to.)

LiveScribe is a product in development that takes paper-based computing to new levels. It's not a free product but looks like it has incredible potential for students who struggle with note-taking, organization and/or memory issues. Here's the company's description of one of their products:

Never miss a word – One of the key applications at launch for the Livescribe platform is called “Paper Replay,” which allows total recall from lectures, meetings or conversations by simply tapping on your notes. When used to take notes during a discussion or lecture, the smartpen records the conversation and digitizes the handwriting, automatically synchronizing the ink and audio. By later tapping the ink, the user can replay the conversation from the exact moment the note was written. Notes and audio can also be uploaded to a PC where they can be replayed, saved, searched or sent.

Create, share, and collaborate – Other applications will use the power of the Internet to enable personal expression. Handwritten messages can be sent as emails. Animated, hand-drawn “movies” can be posted and shared online. Spoken messages can be recorded, linked with written notes and emailed directly from a notepad.

Watch the company video here. Does it look cool or what? And seems reasonably priced for under $200.

They have a few other products in development that you can check out. The website says it will be available in the fourth quarter. I can't wait to get my hands on it to test for some of the students with whom I work.