Livescribe and the Pulse Smartpen on the Mac
Filed under: Accessories, Software, Cool tools, Education, Odds and ends
The Pulse Smartpen has been around for a while, but until late last month the desktop software from Livescribe was Windows-only. The pen captures what you write, and the desktop app allows you to store and playback your writing and captured audio on your computer. I had a chance to test drive the Pulse and the beta version of the Mac app, and now we’re giving that demo unit to one lucky TUAW reader. Details on the giveaway at the end of the review.
I was informed that some of the folks who had a hand in creating the Mac app for Livescribe were honest-to-Jobs former Apple employees and the app is written in Cocoa — a refreshing change of pace in a world beset by hasty Mac ports. Livescribe Desktop on the Mac certainly looks and behaves as a Mac app should, but unfortunately the Mac version doesn’t yet have all the features of the Windows version. Now there’s a familiar refrain.
On the Mac, you can print your pages but to save as a PDF you drop into the Print dialog. That’s pretty normal. You can export audio recordings as AAC files. What you can’t do is marry the animation of your drawings (that is, the replay of your writing) with the audio for export. On the Windows version you can export a Flash file that shows you drawing and plays audio as it was recorded. Of course, the app is still in beta, and the feature is coming, but this is a limitation for some. There are other features “coming soon” I’ll describe in the main review.
Check out the gallery for lots of screenshots and close-ups of the pen. If you’re the impatient sort, I can say that I really like the pen and the software. There’s a “gee whiz” factor when you see your notes “playing” on the screen, with audio, and the pages turn as it progresses. If you need digital copies of everything you write, or want to capture a lecture with written notes, there’s simply nothing this compact and efficient. Read on for the full details.
Continue reading Livescribe and the Pulse Smartpen on the Mac
TUAWLivescribe and the Pulse Smartpen on the Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Co-Founder Wozniak Turns To Acting
The Pirate of Woz
With the abrupt end of Bill Gates’s recent promotional tête à tete with Seinfeld, there’s clearly a comedy void left somewhere in the galaxy. Fortunately, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, may be just the right shape to fill that void and restore equilibrium.
Though far from scraping the bottom of the tech-celebrity barrel by endorsing a lackluster product, Woz is actually promoting Scott Jordan’s ScotteVest apparel. There are currently two webisodes up, the first finds the big guy doing a spot of fishing (using an iPod for bait) and the second one is a nonsensical Star Wars spoof which seemingly has nothing to do with the ScotteVest products.
There’s definitely a smart idea behind the ScotteVest range — the apparel is designed for guy and girl geeks specifically, the kind of folk who carry tons of digital gadgetry and gizmos. We’re talking jackets and hoodies with pockets to hold an array of essential gadgets (including an awesome feature called CollarConnect™ that runs your headphone wires through the clothing for maximum efficiency).
With such attention to detail, it’s clear as to why Woz — with his awful yet wonderfully endearing style of acting — would appear in a ScotteVest advert.
Head on over to the ScotteVest website to check out Steve Wozniak’s adverts now.
Do your kids play with your iPhone?
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone
Once my kids were beyond putting random technology into their mouths, I have let them play with gadgets. But what about my iPhone? It started innocently enough: a Leapster for a birthday. Then I cleaned out the garage and let them “borrow” a few antique Palm devices. Then I got them hooked on an old iBook G3 running OS 9 and some great old classics (the original “Toy Story” interactive storybook is a nearly-perfect example of the genre). A Palm T|X loaded with games, music, photos and movies might have been a step in the wrong direction, as was the Dell Axim with the same. Access to those was limited until the iPhone came along.
Once a kid has used iSaber (currently unavailable from the iTunes store) or played DizzyBee, it’s over. When you show them you can add yet more fun diversions the question becomes “got anything new on your iPhone?” By then it’s over.
Now the question becomes, what’s the harm? Is there harm? I’ve limited their use to the inevitable “we’re waiting right now” moments. But still, no matter what we’ve done that day that was new and exciting, if my son plays with the iPhone for 5 minutes that’s all Mom hears about when he’s going to bed.
I grew up with an Apple ][ in the house and I’m sure that had a hand in my love of tech. But there’s also a case for letting kids find their own way, at an age-appropriate level. I cringe when they swing my naked iPhone around using iSaber, expecting Wii-style damage to our windows and the device itself. Yet I can’t help but think that getting used to technology early — something that will increasingly invade their lives as it becomes more embedded in our world — is maybe a good thing. Everything in moderation, of course. I certainly don’t want them erasing my high scores; I’ll let iTunes do that.
Son’s favorite games: Cannon Game and MotionX Dice. (iTunes links)
Daughter’s favorite games: DizzyBeeFree (guess I better buy it!) and aSleep (iTunes links)
We’ve covered MotionX and aSleep before.
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