Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen

I love my Pulse 4GB. This Echo 8GB is just that much nicer more comfortable to hold, more memory, better uplink connection than the Pulse's standard cradle, which is a little too easy to knock the pen off from. The Pulse's pro cradle (upright) is very nice, though. The new Mac Desktop update (2.2.1) is a very good one, with a much easier interface for sharing pencasts, pdfs, and AAC files. Like the previous reviewer, I had difficulty at first, but ended up manually downloading and installing the latest software update (my software kept telling me I had the latest, but it was 2.1). It replaced my previous version(keeping all the Pulse files intact), and after the quick install, it began to recognize the Echo without any problem.

The new pen cap is little and fits tight I suspect it will be lost quickly. It is different than the Pulse caps smaller, and fits on differently. I don't notice much difference at all in using the Echo vs the Pulse, but I do find it more comfortable and less dorky-looking. I never considered 4GB to be too little storage, but 8GB certainly allows me to record everything at the highest quality without concern. Interestingly, this pen didn't come with the recording headphones which are nice, but way too dorky to actually use. If you are looking to buy a first Smartpen, you really can't go wrong with either the Pulse or the Echo. If you are a student or an attorney or anyone who needs to recall detailed discussion points, you won't be sorry. The variety of notebooks now is fantastic.

Note: EVERY high school and college student with learning disorders involving processing speeds, slow writing, Asperger's Syndrome, or attentional issues should have and use this product. I suspect this will replace "note takers" eventually, as this is FAR less expensive and more effective (see 2008-09 research study from Rochester Institute of Technology).

I received my pen yesterday and installed the software onto my Mac. I could not even setup my pen because I keep getting the following message on the pen's lcd screen, "Please update your smartpen's software to use this dot paper". Well, when I go to update software it says that I can the most current firmware/software installed. After thinking I received a defective pen and doing lots of research, I found out that there were a lot of reported problems with the latest firmware so the company had to take it down for the time being. As of last night, they said that we should expect to see it back up within the next 48 hours. In the meantime, we are stuck with an extremely expensive inoperable pen that can barely function as a paper weight! I'm extremely frustrated and wish they spent sufficient time testing the latest firmware before bringing it and the pen out to market. If you are looking to purchase this pen, I would hold off for a little bit until the firmware issues have been resolved. Once this issue has been resolved, I will update my review.

UPDATE: So it looks like Livescribe acted fast on the firmware issue. The latest firmware was posted as a manual install option on the forum site a little while ago. It installed properly and is working flawlessly so far! First impression, FANTASTIC! The pen does exactly what it is supposed to do. It syncs the audio to your writing so that when you go back and tap on a word you will hear the audio that transpired at that moment in time. I have yet to test out the audio in a lecture hall setting but general conversations are picked effortlessly. Sound quality is even better when the 3D headset, which was purchased separately, is plugged into the pen. The feel of the pen itself is also terrific. The new rubber grip on the Echo is very soft and comfortable. I thought the pen would be a little too wide for comfort, but in fact I find it to be the perfect size. The fact that the Echo, unlike the Pulse, was made in plastic does great things for its weight. It feels substantial like a good quality pen should without feeling too bulky. The shape of the Echo is also an improvement over its predecessor, as it is designed to sit flat on a desk a feature that I think a lot of previous Pulse owners would be happy about. I would definitely recommend the Echo over the Pulse pen. It provides a much more comfortable writing experience, which is important when using for extended periods of time, in addition to an anti-roll design feature, a larger hard drive, a new standard micro-usb port, new standard 3.5mm audio jack for utilizing any pair of headphones, and the ability to protect your pen from unauthorized use via password protect. You also no longer need to carry around a charging cradle in order to remove the ink. In fact, the Echo has completely foregone the need for a cradle given its anti-roll design so it doesn't even ship with one. With the Echo, you can easily replace the ink cartridge by pulling it out with your handsa terrific improvement over the Pulse. I am now a very happy smartpen owner!

Buy Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen Now

I originally ordered a 4 GB Pulse from . Upon receiving it I immediately noticed that it was really thick and because it was a polished metal type of pen, it was very unstable to hold in my hand. That prompted me to research Smartpens a little more and I elected to buy the 8 GB Echo two weeks ago. The Echo is far superior to the Pulse in terms of comfort and stability.

I'm blown away by the technology advances and this pen is, to me, a cutting edge technology. I'm 55 years old and retired but if I were a student or still working and regularly attending meetings then a device such as this would give me a tremendous edge. The other reviewers have written accurate descriptions of the attributes and flaws of the pen (e.g., the cap could get easily lost). One other thing I think the pen could really use is a clip so it could be held securely in a shirt pocket. My biggest concern with an item like this is that it could be easily lost. For practical purposes, I recommend buying the Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio, as it has a pen holder in it will hold the Livescribe Journal Livescribe ANA-00004 Lined Black 1-2 Journal 2 Pack or the A-5 spiral notebooks (Available from Brookstone or Livescribe's online store.

Another great accessory if you are going to use it in large meeting rooms or a college lecture hall is the earphones Livescribe AAA-00014 Echo 3D Recording Earbuds, well really they are microphones and they record the event exactly as you hear it but they are smart microphones and they eliminate much of the ambient sound that you don't need or want.

This technology is truly amazing. It's like having a perfect memory. I used it at a doctor's appointment last week. My wife always asks me "What did the doctor have to say" and I usually remember about 25% of the appointment. Well now, she and I both get total recall of what was said and, furthermore, the audible recording synchronizes with the note taking so you can watch your notes being written while listening to what was said at the time you wrote the notes!

It will be interesting to see how this product and competitor's products evolve over the next few years. I am confident the smart pens will end up being owned by a large percentage of the population, much like the iPod and the PC.

One more thing, the paper refills are reasonably priced but you can print your own paper if you have a good color laser printer.

Read Best Reviews of Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen Here

I was an early adopter of the Pulse, the first product by Livescribe, after seeing it at the DEMO conference. I convinced at least a dozen people to buy one. One of the (few) problems with the Pulse was it was round, and unlike a regular pen it weighed more on one side than another. That meant it would roll off flat surfaces like desks. Ultimately, my Pulse died from the resulting impacts to the floor.

Given how satisfied I was with the Pulse's ability to capture my notes digitally and the reliability of it's software/hardware I decided to go with the latest model from Livescribe, the 8GB Echo as a replacement, noting that the Echo's new design solved the rolling issues. Sadly, it was a mistake. Here's why:

First, the Echo would not synch with the latest version of the Livescribe desktop. After many long hours troubleshooting, including dealing with a disorganized set of responses from their support organization (telling me to do things that I had already done, or asking me the same questions every time I spoke to them), I figured out the Mac version of the desktop was not upgrading the firmware and that it would not synch with the Mac app. The firmware on my new Echo was clearly buggy, it wouldn't react to the dot paper correctly right out of the box. In an act of desperation, I installed the desktop on Windows and sure enough the firmware upgrade worked and I could actually use the thing. So I kept it...

Now the next problem. Assuming all was good, I started again trusting the Echo to capture my business and personal notes (the Pulse never failed to do so). Now I find after reviewing my notes that two problems exist that didn't with the Pulse notes. Sound captured with notes now has gaps in it, a problem the Pulse never had. Worse yet, many of my notes now have what looks like scribbles all over them, like someone crossed things out. These scribbles do not appear in the paper copies of my notes. This last problem renders my electronic copies of my notes illegible.

The main reason I purchased Livescribe's Pulse and Echo is that I wanted to have a way to capture notes that I normally don't capture via a computer. I don't want to have to fire up a laptop every time I'm trying to make a note, and many of my notes contain drawings that I would prefer to sketch quickly, in context with the text. Finally, I wanted to convert those notes to digital. While I've often scanned notes from my paper journal, that's time consuming and I liked the idea of just synching the pen when at my desk and having a reliable digital backup of all that paper, with the intent I could even throw out the paper when done.

The Pulse worked well. The Echo does not. I'm not sure how others Echo's are working but mine does not. Hopefully the same people don't screw up the Pulse. I may try to sell my Echo via eBay and buy another Pulse. However, I'm tempted to just give up and try another solution. I've lost faith in Livescribe's ability to ship quality products.

Want Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen Discount?

I have used the Livescribe Pulse for about 10 months and quickly became a huge devotee. I am a journalist, and think anyone who takes notes as part of their work should pick up a Livescribe pen.

I was torn however on whether the Echo upgrade is worth it. Based on some of the reviews of the Echo, I held off when it first came out. But after the recent price cut on Amazon, I picked one up.

I am happy that I did and was pleasantly surprised by some of the small improvements with the Echo.

The pen feels noticeably lighter, and is more comfortable to write with over a long period of time. This may have less to do with the overall weight and more to do with the balancing of the internal parts of the pen. Whatever the reality is, the result is good. I have a huge writing callous from the Pulse. I think the Echo will be less abusive on my hands over time. (One think prospective buyers might note: The pen appears to have a rubberized grip, but it is still a pretty hard plastic. So do not expect a squishy feel.)

The quality of the recording, particularly with the new headset microphones, seems to be better. I am not a fan of in-ear headphones, I find them uncomfortable, but it seems to me the microphones work better, and that is what I mainly care about, since any headphones now work for listening. (Note the headphones are now sold separately. Mildly annoying, but I suppose some people do not require them. I think all journalists and students recording class in a large lecture hall will want to get the Livescribe recording headphones.)

The pen turns on much quicker and the power button easier to click. For someone who has to start writing quickly, at sometimes unpredictable times, this is very helpful.

As frequently noted, the Echo is not as nearly as prone to rolling. It also does not look quite as dorky as the Pulse.

Moving away from the cradle to a universal Micro-USB connection is a critical improvement.

Some things that frustrated me with the Pulse still need to be fixed on the Echo.

The lower barrel of the pen is still too think, and hopefully will be shrunk in the next model smartpen.

The ink cartridges still do not fit in snuggly enough. If you have a heavy hand, as I do, the slight give contributes to excess pen on paper scratching that is picked up by the recorder. The headphones avoid this problem, but are not appropriate for use in many situations.

The ballpoint ink cartridges are not the world's finest writing instrument. I would love to see a rollerball cartridge option in the future, if the technology allows it.

It would be great if there was a way to turn off the illuminated display all together, for times you do not want you pen to glow. Hopefully a firmware upgrade will add this in the future.

Still, none of those complaints is a deal breaker. If you use your Pulse everyday and are a fan, I think it is likely you will be enthusiastic about the improvements introduced in the Echo.