The Livecribe pen

I like smartphones and tablets for writing journals or sketching ideas. But I cannot bring myself to give up the feel of a fine writing instrument on smooth, absorbent stationery paper. As an amateur poet, an analyst who likes to design simple interfaces that are easy-to-use and navigate a software product, I find myself always beginning with a pen and paper before moving to a device to record my ideas. It would help if I could reduce the time spent on transitioning from one to the other, as the process moves along.

The digital pen market, for a while, seemed to be the solution for a person like me. With add-ins like simultaneous audio recording, they also made note-taking a very useful exercise. My favorite product in this space is the Livescribe pen. I think it stands out pretty impressively against other similar devices. However, there is something wanting/lacking in the way the device is supported and the product line is being enhanced. I can't help but notice the tremendous potential this product has from a money-making perspective. Here are some of the future developments I'd like to see with this product and its accessories:

1. The ink 'recording' for a Livescribe pen only works with dot paper - which is an interactive pattern on a paper that allows a minute camera to target and identify different position coordinates which can then be translated into 'writing' on screen. Livescribe sells dot paper notebooks in different styles: spiral or cloth bound, A4/A5/post-it notes etc. Livescribe also allows users to download the dot pattern template and print it on any kind of paper. Given this flexibility, its too bad that Livescribe doesn't sell or partner with premium stationery manufacturers like Moleskine, nor does it offer personalization (monogramming/engraving) services.

2. Livescribe pen refills are only available in ball point. And the writing with those refills is quite uncomfortable if you are used to writing with gel/roller balls or fountain pens. On forums users have been asking for this for over 4 years, and yet what seems like a simple enhancement doesn't seem to have made it on Livescribe's product roadmap.

3. Livescribe needs to reconsider its target market. For a pen targeted at students, the price point is on the higher side for both pen and accompanying accessories. If instead they targeted professionals, and extended the product line accordingly, this price point makes more sense.


(c) TheTapri