Hi, sometimes i need to take notes when i am in meetings (fortunately not too often), sometimes i draw programming ideas, interfaces on paper, which i would like to have archived on PC (and send them if needed). Now, i would like to solve this in a better way than "scan the paper with the scanner" solution. I was researching the alternatives and come up with : Livescribe Echo - needs special paper, Windows software is good. Possibility of transcribing text using Myscript for Livescribe ($30). Price range 140-230 euro depending on the model and features (the 230 euro version has bundled accessories, including the Myscript thing mentoined before). Pulse (the old version) is 80 euros. Wacom Inkling - works with generic paper, but have a really horrible software for Windows. Price range is around 140-200 euros, but no one sells it in my country. Asus Eee Note EA800 - first "tablet" option, priced around 190e. Unfortunately the firmware has some bugs, on positive side it can be used as a standard Wacom digitizer tablet when connected to PC which is a plus. Lenovo Thinkpad tablet - it has stylus and it is an Android tablet. Unfortunately the input lags a bit after the pen (look at videos on youtube) and seen people having issues with the pen input not working. It is also pretty expensive at ~500 euros. Thanks for any ideas.
livescribe hands down beats them all. My boss bought one, we were all amazed by them, now we all have one. They are really really great devices. The paper - you do need special paper, but its not that expensive, and you can print your own. I also use my touchpad with a notes app for taking notes - but I still dont find that as good as the livescribe. The livescribe audio recording is really neat as well, for example you can write a heap of stuff on the pad, with audio recording, and then you can touch the pen to one of the words you have written and the pen will play you the audio that was happening as you were writing that word. I honestly can't give this device enough credit. Livescribe can also OCR your written notes into text documents.
Depending on what you want it to do, the boogie board rip might be a viable alternative. Around US$140?
Boogie board rip is not sold in my country at all. Ordering from UK would mean £139.51 including postage fees = ~170 euros. For that price i would rather choose the Eee Note, which still has a bit more features.
Ah, missed out on your location. Ebay has it for about US$170 shipped, taxes unknown. If not there's always taobao. Think china ebay. Usually cheaper but hella difficult to navigate if you don't read chinese. But if its that expensive to get it over at your location. The livescribe's features does sound pretty good.
There are a few aftermarket solutions for the iPad. One uses an IR port that clips to the docking port to communicate with the pen's pressure sensor and eraser. Another offers the more ingenious solution of a pen that emits such data as ultrasonic signals picked up by the iPad's microphone. If I recall correctly both work with various apps.
@Nexxo: my primary issue with tablets is the lag. Both iPad and Android tablets lag behind the actual input and while it is possible that it won't bother me in real world, it really distracts me when i watch the videos and deciding what to buy .
On the topic of tablets, the Asus MeMo is looking promising. It's 7", so not that big, but they're saying it will cost $250. I have to say though, I really want one of those Livescribe pens now
faugusztin I have installed quite a few of the Livescribe pens at work and the feedback has always been very positive. Never used one personally.
Just to be a boring bugger, just scan it! So much easier to make a .pdf of it than faff around with buying new devices. Biro + pad + scanner = win.
Ordered the Livescribe Echo today, the deciding point was the $15 "tablet" app, which pretty much removed the only thing which was keeping Eee Note EA800 in the game. Thinkpad was too expensive and Wacom Inkling is hard to find at stock.
For anyone reading this thread in the future (talking through time, whoooooooo) a couple of my classmates have bought kindles and have been scanning their notes into PDFs which seems to be working relly well for them. Cheap and easy.
