14 DAY TRIAL // I've had an illegible writing for as long as I can remember, but since I started using the keyboard exclusively, my writing has become even worse. There are times when I can't make out a single word of what I'm writing.
That is why I find the latest Livescribe platform absolutely brilliant. Created by Jim Marggraff, inventor of the Leapfrog Fly Pentop, Livescribe turns plain paper into a computer screen and bridges the gap between the paper and digital world.
The platform itself consists of a smartpen, dot Paper with dot positioning system, software applications and development tools. The smartpen is in fact a Montblanc-size computer with advanced processing power, audio/visual feedback, and memory for handwriting capture, audio recording, and applications.
The dot positioning system technology gives life to documents, allowing them to become interactive.
Here's probably one of the best applications of the new Livescribe, which will surely ease the students' life. Its name is "Paper Replay" and it works like this. When taking notes during a discussion or lecture, the smartpen records the conversation and digitizes the handwriting, automatically synching ink and audio.
By later tapping the ink, the smartpen replays 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 and sent.
Here are other interesting applications. For example, when a user writes a math problem, the smartpen interprets the writing, calculates the answer and speaks or shows it on the smartpen's OLED display. When a user writes a word, the definition or even translation can be heard or seen.
Some applications leverage the power of the Internet. For instance, handwritten messages can be sent as emails, while animated, hand-drawn "movies" can be posted and shared online.
The Livescribe paper-based computing platform, a smartpen, dot paper, software applications, along with development tools, will be available online beginning in Q4. The smartpen will be less than $200 and additional dot paper will be available at prices comparable to standard paper products.
Finally, I'll be able to understand what I'm writing instead of filling countless pages with unknown letters from an alien alphabet.
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