Hey, you got ink in my computer!
Welcome to the new world of mobile computing. A new paper-based computing platform has been unveiled by a California-based corporation, Livescribe. Simply put, Livescribe transforms plain paper into a computer screen with a pen, known as a Smartpen (which is just about as neat as the Flash-based intro on the Livescribe website) that bridges the gap between the paper and digital worlds.
The Livescribe platform consists of a Smartpen, Dot Paper with Dot Positioning System (DPS), and Software Applications.
Livescribe’s first key application is known as ‘Paper Replay;’ here’s a quick rundown of how the platform works. Using your Smartpen, you can write anywhere on a piece of Dot Paper; which, is essentially a regular piece of paper with small, printed ’micro-dots’ on it.
These micro-dots allow your Smartpen to implement a Dot Positioning System. It is with this that enables the pen to determine its exact location on the paper. As you write on the paper, the position of your pen as it writes is recorded on the Smartpen to allow you to view everything you wrote, on a computer, and at a later date (without needing the paper you wrote on).
“The Livescribe platform takes paper-based technology to a radical new level, integrating software applications with physical paper,” said Rodney Brooks, Director of MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. “I see the Smartpen as just the beginning for a new class of device with almost unlimited potential.”
As you write, the pen also records the surrounding audio for playback. As a demonstration, we’ll use the example of a college student who is taking down notes during his professor’s lecture. Later, as the student presses the pen down on a portion of the notes, the Smartpen plays back what the Professor was speaking at the moment he wrote it.
Also, the student can later upload the data to his computer, search, click, and hear the entire lecture from the data recorded onto the pen. Once the data is uploaded, content from the lecture can be e-mailed to other classmates.
Exciting as it is, ‘Paper Replay’ is just one application for the Smartpen. Livescribe Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Marggraff says we’ll soon see additional applications available for download on Livescribe.com.
Other applications available for download will use a handwriting recognition system. This allows your Smartpen to interpret your writing, and in turn calculate math problems, give dictionary definitions for written words, and translate written words to other languages.
In addition, Livescribe is developing a suite of easy-to-use tools for creating, publishing, sharing or selling new applications and content for the Smartpen. From the novice to the advanced developer, Livescribe’s suite of tools enable virtually anyone, with any level of experience, to develop their own application to suit their needs.
“The basic modes of human communication – reading, writing, speaking and listening – are enhanced by Livescribe with a completely intuitive, portable, low-cost tool,” said Marggraff. “A Smartpen that captures your notes, records what you hear, solves your math problems, translates languages, and sends handwritten emails is extraordinary to experience. It is the harbinger of a new era of mobile computing.”
The Smartpen, paper, accessories, and applications will be available this Fall, online only, and will retail for around $200. Livescribe.com will soon be setting up a reservation list for the Smartpen, due to the limited quantities that will be available this year.
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