Livescribe stops selling Sky smartpen in UK after being sued by BSkyB

Murdoch forces Livescribe Sky WiFi pen to change its name in the UK

Well, this isn't great. No sooner did we review the Livescribe Sky WiFi smartpen and then it suddenly ceases to exist -- at least in the British Isles. Livescribe has withdrawn the product from its UK store following an allegation that it is "infringing the trademark rights of British Sky Broadcasting." Other retailers have briskly followed suit, not least because they too have been threatened with legal action. It seems the risk of someone shopping for a premium TV service and then accidentally buying a cloud-connected note-taking device were just too great for the broadcaster to bear.

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Source: TheNextWeb

Livescribe Sky WiFi Smartpen review

Livescribe Sky WiFi Smartpen review

For a relatively niche company that has only been around for five years, Livescribe has grown quickly. Its smartpens -- which cleverly digitize handwritten notes and audio -- have already attracted a million users. However, just because these customers prefer to write their notes the old-fashioned way, that doesn't mean they aren't also obsessive about technological progress. In fact, many of them have been waiting on one new feature in particular: a totally wireless workflow, which would allow them to write a note with their smartpens and then -- without any docking or syncing -- see their scribbles appear in the cloud and on their mobile devices.

Well, as you've probably guessed by now, that is precisely the gap that the new Sky pen is looking to fill. The first half of its operation is identical to that of its predecessors, the Pulse and Echo: it contains a camera and microphone, which enable the capture of handwritten notes and time-linked audio files. (You can choose between 2GB, 4GB and 8GB of built-in storage.) But what happens next is totally different. You use "buttons" printed inside Livescribe's proprietary stationery, in conjunction with the pen's OLED display, to select a local WiFi network, enter the password and sync your files directly to Evernote. The popular online note-taking platform then handles everything else, automatically filing the text and audio in the cloud using a time stamp, making it available on whatever devices run Evernote's apps or web interface. What's more, it makes the note searchable through optical character recognition (OCR) of your handwriting.

If there's a downside to users getting what they've been asking for, it's that they are the ones expected to pay for it. The Sky's base model matches the Echo's $170 launch price, but that older pen came with twice as much internal storage, and can also now be had at a discount. Moreover, the 4GB and 8GB Sky pens rise to $200 and $250, respectively, which means this is only likely to be sensible if you really, really dislike writing or typing on a screen. Even assuming that you're totally stuck in your pen-and-ink ways, could a $170 pen ever be worth it? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Livescribe Sky WiFi Smartpen review

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Livescribe Sky WiFi Smartpen review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen

Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen

Livescribe has unveiled the new Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen. As its name suggests, the device combines Wi-Fi technology and cloud services, allowing users to store notes on the fly while automatically saving them to Evernote. The Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen also provides an additional 500MB of monthly upload capacity for content created with the smartpen. Available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB of storage capacities, the Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen retails for $169.95, $199.95, and $249.95, respectively. [Product Page]

Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for $170, lets you record written notes and audio straight to Evernote

Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for 160, lets you record written notes and audio right to Evernote

The Pulse pen couldn't do it. The more recent Echo couldn't manage it either. But sending notes and linked audio wirelessly is what Livescribe's latest digital pen is all about. Branded the Sky WiFi Smartpen, it works with proprietary physical notebooks to preserve your handwritten notes and linked audio files on a minimum of 2GB of onboard storage, and then it sends them directly to your Evernote account via WiFi -- from where you can access them on pretty much any PC, tablet or smartphone. If you're wondering a how the pen selects the right network and enters a password, then it's actually pretty straightforward: Livescribe's new stationery is printed with connection buttons that, in conjunction with the OLED display on the pen itself, guide you through the procedure in a few seconds. The latest notebooks also have buttons for sending your captured thoughts to Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook, although those services won't be activated until early next year.

The basic 2GB Sky pen will arrive in stores on November 1st, priced substantially higher than its predecessor, the Echo (which will be phased out at the end of next year). The new base model will cost $170, with 4GB and 8GB varieties priced at $200 and $250. Arguably, the reliance on wireless cloud storage means that the amount of onboard memory isn't so important any more, but if you do decide to opt for the most expensive model then you'll also get a year's subscription to Evernote Premium, which is worth $45. There's a short explanatory video after the break, and as you'll see from the gallery below we've already got the Sky pen in our clutches, so expect a full review in short order.

Continue reading Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for $170, lets you record written notes and audio straight to Evernote

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Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for $170, lets you record written notes and audio straight to Evernote originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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