More Ways to Write

At the LA Times Festival of Books, I met Michael Mariani if livescribe, and tried the Pulse Smartpen, the ultimate recording device for learners. As you write notes in a special notebook, the pen records the audio in the room. Later, when you trying to make notes of those scribbles that made so much sense during your lecture, simply tap the page and the recording plays the audio from that moment. You can transfer the notes to your computer, search your handwritten notes, and share them as flash or pdf files. Like the iPhone, the pen has an open API, allowing developers to design programs for capturing rhythms, playing music, and who knows what else.

I’m buying one for my niece today to see what happens at school in the Fall!