2 day PC conference... "Smart Pen"

[Soap]

As they do each year, at these conferences they hand out toys as well vendors every where giving out fee stuff too.

This year it was the "Smart Pen" and in one word, revolutionary.
Its a computer in a pen, literally. Don't think OS like XP or Opensource, its not that yet, but its coming.

This tiny thing records anything from conversations to lectures, and plays music, and whole lot of other cool things, that all of which then can be transferred to a PC and saved. Yes, it has accessories a ear piece, multi-functional USB charger that does more than charging the pen.

With all that said, out of the two day event the Smart Pen was worth the time and trip. I'd do it again for the free Smart Pen.

The companies that collaborated together to create the pen, at the request of various U.S. Police forces are currently working on developing a Smart Pen for such specific needs.

If you every get the chance to fiddle with one or acquire one IMO it would be worth your time and investment. A very practical and useful gadget indeed. A major break through in technology development.

[Joe_Steeler]

I hope you are carrying it on your pocket protector.
I'll bet you have to beat the chicks off of you sporting that pen.

[quiksilver]

How does it write?

[dg]

If it's the Livescribe Smartpen, it's pretty awesome. It captures everything you write, synchs it to the audio in a lecture or meeting so you can refer back to it just by tapping on that part of the notes, and can load your notes into your computer. Wish I had one back in school.

http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/videos.html

[Cleveland Metal]

Damn, how much is that thing??? I soooo could have used that in the academy.

[dg]

Amazon has them for $149 for the 1GB & $199 for the 2GB. It takes the special paper with tiny dots on it for the pen to know its position, and the notebooks are a little pricey, but I think I read that you can print out dotted sheets if you want. Lots of people just take notes on their laptops these days, but I think this would really kick ass in classes or meetings where you use any kind of diagrams rather than just text. That was like 90% for me.

[Soap]

At the inquiry and request of the various U.S. Police Departments the need for acquiring information at the scene and etc done on note pads will change.
They will do this on note pads already spoken of in this thread but will be in a smaller version. Thus, removing potential concerns of recalling information giving at the scene.

However, it goes a little further than that its incriminating too. Meaning, every conversation spoken at any scene will be recorded by the use of these pens.
It will work both ways, against bad officers abusing the duties and against the criminal at the crime scene, as well as criminals retained in a cell. It will be in the hands of Police officers and in some facilities security guards.

That little pens use will inevitably bring another layer of change in our daily lives.
Its use and capability is expanding and growing like a wild fire.


For Civil use there are programs already written going through it final stages of development that will expand its use. In other words, this is only the beginning.

What use it has now will only change and evolve. Since various U.S. Police departments have requested it this solidifies its valuable use and application exceeding that of every day people. I can't even begin to tell you how huge the Pen is currently and will become. It has already exceeded our expectations in the technology community and its not even a year old yet.

With that said, you poke fun all you want. Likely starting next fall semester many Sons, Daughters, or Grand children will likely be asking for a Smart Pen to take to College once they hear about it and understand what it can do for them.

One last thing, the price of the note pads will go down once this goes main stream,
and main stream it will go with little effort. It won't need much marketing to push it the Pen speaks for itself, literally.

Picture the scenario:
A doctor will no longer dictate into a small hand held recorder.
Instead, invest in a 2 gig Smart Pen dictate into one of them then transfer and save those notes to his PC.
Without the complication of additional gadets
In the hands of Doctors, Police, Military, Educators, Judges, Lawyers, Executives/CEO's, Human Resources, Students and all the way to the average Joe. These pens will change how we communicate, retrieve, share and process information/data. The use of ink pens and pencils will inevitably over time may not become entirely obsolete but will have little use over time. The smart pens can do what an ink pen and pencil can do but much more. The smart pen itself will be much more affordable over time because they will make sure (like the PC and cell phones), every household and individual have one.

Our society is digital driven and saturated and will continue to be.
Think about it, 4-5 yrs ago we saw the commercials of various automotive manufactures implementing GTS technology. We thought that will never fly or catch on. Its now no longer an automotive manufacturer option instead its available at a very affordable price at your local Wally store. Cell phones, not many thought they would ever expand beyond their intial use but now everybody has one and can do e-mail, text messaging, surf the internet, play games and more. A PC? I was told when I was a kid, a PC would be in every home one day.
I laughed at that then. Now average Joe out in the boondocks
the middle of the sticks has a PC, cell phone and a GPS in his 79 camaro. Joe is connected and through that he is more informed than citizens were 20 yrs ago. Unfortunately for Joe, he's become so dependant of them if any of them were removed from is life, Joe's life would be shut down.

They is always an up side and down side to nearly everything in life. Take it or leave it like it or not agree or disagree. IMO and for whats its worth, no matter how exciting some of these useful technologies are I still believe society has become too digital driven.

This is going to happen its no longer a matter of will it or not happen, but rather when.
Sooner then later, and we all know have the technology and capability to it.
The Mail man and the delivery of daily mail will go digital.
Security and dramatic government job loss (that would effect retirements, pensions, insurances that would kill a lifeless economy) are just two reasons among others why it hasn't already been done. Since 911, going digital mail delivery has been revisited. The concerns of a firecell (the last Diehard movie... that movie touched on a very real possibility) have added and for good reason have aided in its prevention. One day whether its singular or plural, the concern/s of going digital mail delivery won't be able to out weigh and prevent it.
That's just how hell bent this modern society is on being digital driven.
Doubt, laugh, chuckle but its going to happen.

[hippietim]

smart pens have been around for many years. a guy that worked with me was using the logitech version about 6 years ago. it's very cool stuff.

[Soap]

smart pens have been around for many years. a guy that worked with me was using the logitech version about 6 years ago. it's very cool stuff.

Its similar but not the same.
Although I do recall those smart pens you referring to.
They never caught on because they were limited, even so, your right they were cool. The technology has been awhile but these pens are completely different then any previous version. To say better or improved would be an understatement.

[dg]

Yeah, I remember reading about the dot paper idea in Wired like 6 or 7 years ago. One wild thing, if iirc, was that it's possible to make the dot patterns so unique that you could envision there being one infinitely large piece of paper, and each sheet represents a tiny unique piece of it, so everything written by anybody could theoretically be indexed by virtue of its "place" on that infinitely large sheet. I'm going to see if I can dig up that article. What I think is new about this pen compared to the first idea is the way it mates the audio to the spatial part of it.

found the article:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.04/anoto.html

Kinda interesting to go back & read old Wired articles about stuff that was supposed to "change everything". Things didn't change like they predicted as far as how we send emails & faxes, order online, etc., but maybe this new way of using the technology will take off.

[jgcable]

Will it write upside down like the Space Pen.

[horns666]

Will it write upside down like the Space Pen.

No, but my pud will!!!

I'm sorry..I'm baked!

I had one of those pens..