being a long time note taker and, fountain pen and paper notebook user, I recently started using the Livescribe Echo and so far I really like it. It’s great to have your handwritten notes always available (via Evernote) and you can search the handwritten notes your computer. How often did I think “I wish, I had ctrl+f avaible to search the notebook”). Now it’s possible.

The other amazing feature of course is the audio recording that are in sync with your notes. This is really a killer feature. I attend a lot of meetings and this really helps me when reviewing the notes or writing meeting minutes.

What I don’t like so far:
The quality of the livescribe paper is ok, but there is clearly better paper for handwriting available.
The writing quality of the pen itself is really not comparable to a good pen. It’s a ball pen and I am used to gel or fountain pens. You can try to use a different (modified) cartridge with gel ink, but it will not last long, as the cartridges are really small.

I got so much used to the Livescribe pen, that I will for sure keep using it. This is for me so far the best combination of a digital and analog world. I love it.

I have not used this pen…but love the concept of being able to link handwritten notes to audio. I am writing due to another issue with this pen that may not come to everyone’s mind. 

If your application for this pen involves a business (especially), you need to be very careful with audio recording and consent. I work for a company that has a very firm position on audio recording and use of the Echo, in it’s full capacity, is forbidden, regardless of consent. I ran into a similar situation in college, where some professors would not allow audio recording of their lectures. I did see one in use a couple of times (before the individual was asked not to use it again in that particular setting). It wasn’t immediately obvious to others around the person that the pen was recording audio, so some people felt somewhat violated after learning about the audio recording. After learning about the audio recording, the same people were much more reluctant to talk or share information in a meeting setting.  

I use the Echo pen now and used its predecessor (the Pulse) for a couple of years before I upgraded. I usually use it when I teach. I put one of the notebooks on a document camera and write on the notebook instead of the whiteboard. I can then post the pencast online so students can see the notes and hear the synced audio.

I have no problems with the tech aspect of the Livescribe pens. The paper is fairly durable, but any stationery aficionado could find better paper. The writing experience isn’t fantastic. As a writing instrument, the pen is pretty clunky and it only comes in ballpoint. The pen ships with a cartridge that has a fine point, but the refills that you buy separately are medium point. The fine-point cartridge is scratchy and hard to read, but the medium-point refills are a little more writer- and reader-friendly.

I wouldn’t want to write with it all day long, but it definitely gets the job done. The technological part of the pens works as advertised. I just wish they were more pleasant to actually write with.

I just got one for my last year at college. I wish I had bought it sooner. It is so convenient to be able to take notes with this. I can record lectures and have my notes with me at all times. I like the fact that I can take notes on key points and touch them in the notebook to hear examples if needed. It’s also great for those days I don’t exactly feel like paying close attention to the lectures. I can go back and pay attention later. It’s also convenient to share notes with classmates. 

The software is a little buggy on my Mac. I do wish that was better. Other than that, my only complaint is that the pen is pretty uncomfortable to write with for long periods of time. My hands are killing me after an hour and fifteen minutes of my development bio class. It’s not so bad for less note-intensive classes. 

I do wish I could import powerpoints and word docs into the Livescribe software. It would be pretty convenient to have everything for my class in one place. I guess that’s where Evernote would come in. I should probably sign up for my year free.

I have the Wacom Inkling on my wish list for x-mas. Similar principle, but you can use any notebook or paper you want to write/draw on. Check out the link here : http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Inkling

I have the Wacom Inkling on my wish list for x-mas. Similar principle, but you can use any notebook or paper you want to write/draw on. Check out the link here : http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Inkling

I have been keeping a work journal for years and I always get caught having to answer a question for which I have the answer written in a previous notebook.  By changing to the livescribe, I am now able to archive and post past notebooks to my evernote account giving me access to past notes all the time.  I use the audio functions all the time, but the handwritten page without scanning is the best feature for me. I’ve been using the Livescribe for a few months now.  My only complaint is that I love ink pens and pencils of every kind and I swap quite often.  I cannot do this with the Livescribe notebook.

Every company’s policies are different, but in general whatever the purging policies of your company should be followed.  I never use the pen to record proprietary or confidential meetings/conversations and I treat everything as business sensitive just as I do any written notes that I have retained through the years.

I take notes with it but I have never used it’s features…

That last part about it being the best combination of digital and analog is intriguing, I have yet to find anything that effectively bridges that gap. 

That is a really good point, thanks for raising that issue.

Probably a good personal policy to follow.

I’m a pen collector, I enjoy fine writing instruments and also appreciate quality paper and journals. With that said, I am also a geek.

I have 2 Echos, a 4GB and 8GB version. I have the “Starter” notebooks that come with the pen along with small Flip Notebook, Journals, and Sticky Notes.

In the past I was a huge Molskine user, but now anything I want (easy computer) access to at a later date, goes in the LS (Livescribe). How much the pen will help a person depends greatly on what they do for work, how they work etc.

I learn and absorb material better if I am able to take notes. While reading a book, I use the sticky notes to flag the important material and make comments on them. Let me tell you though, if you’re a lover of webcasts or webinars, this pen is great. I can sit at the desk and listen to the webinar and take all of my notes and capture all of the audio at the same time.

The quality of the paper products, I have no issue with. The pen cartridges (ball point) I have read a lot of complaints, but those mostly seem to be from people who have grown use to the use of a specific type of ink system whether it be rollerball or gel. I’ve used the fine point and medium, prefer the medium.

The pen also has the ability to use “apps” that are available from the LS store. While there are a handful of apps, probably the most fun one is Paper Tablet. It allows you to use the pen (USB cable attached) as a glorified mouse. You designate a page in one of your notebooks to act as your “digital” tablet and when using apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, you can ink in those apps. Pretty cool.

I’ve been a long time user of Evernote, so when they came out with connectivity to EN, I was elated. They have also created LS Connector that allows you to transfer your notes, pages, books, to not only EN but also OneNote, Google Docs, Google Sites, Facebook, Email, and more. So you can pretty much post LS Pencasts (Pencast are awesome flash files that allow people to view your notes and audio) anywhere you want. 

So much good feedback here, thanks to everyone for sharing.  It has kind of pushed me towards possibly picking one up to try out for myself, hopefully other readers find some value in all of your feedback too.