There are a number of work arounds that we can offer to Livescribe users – so if you want to know more contact me via the Smartpen website. We also have access to the major version updates (i.e. LD_2.0.2) – again if you need this, please let me know

Mark

You mean like the “obscure” bank I work for with over 100k desktop computers? As has been pointed out: the proxy configuration works for checking for updates. However, the update *installer* does not recognize proxy servers. Specifically:

* Click “Check for Updates” in the Help menu
* Message says “An Update is Available”
* Default web browser launches URL http://www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LSDesktopServer.woa/wa/downloadDesktopApplication/?data1=/Livescribe/LDVersions/2.0.2.36162/LivescribeDesktopInstall.exe
* Launch the file.
* Installer runs, showing that it is attempting to download the file named “ld-install-1033.msi”. It then fails almost immediately, reporting “There was a problem downloading the installer. Please try to download and run it again.”

When running this at home, there are no problems. When running it behind a proxy server,t he same issue happens every time. Reading through the forums show that this has been getting reported for quite some time. I have no doubt that there are organizations without this problem – presumably they are not running behind proxy server configurations. But proxy server usage does not qualify as obscure in any way.

The in-application proxy configuration works fine. But the installer file needs to download another file to complete the installation (for some reason). This download will fail 100% of the time behind a proxy. It seems that the easiest solution will be to stop using the small “installer” exe, and instead directly offer the file the installer is trying to download. If we had a direct link to that, then it would present no issues.

First of all thanks for replying. After reading your comments I took the opportunity to look at the for forum on the U.S. site and found the following:

* Multiple comments about pen not recharging. 149 posts going back to June last year: http://www.livescribe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3669 (Note: there topic is a sticky on the forum).

* Many entries regarding the latest 2.2 update causing a variety of problems. For example: “Pen won’t transfer after upgrade to 2.2…”, “Last FirmWare Update is Fowled Up”, “My pen turned into a brick after firmware update” and others.

* Comments reported as of yesterday about the inability to do individual page deletes: http://www.livescribe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7068

I could go on but I won’t as anyone can access the same forum and make their own assessment. A point in the company’s favour is that these discussions are available for all to see – they could have enforced a registration process where casual observers like myself are locked out. My point is that the ideas behind the basic functionality are sound and exciting but at this stage, from following the online discussions, the implementation is not at a stage that I am comfortable with when making a $300+ purchase. I certainly have not written the company and will continue to monitor things until the technology and support meets the quality expectations that I as a consumer have. Other folks with better skills that I or different expectations will make a decision to purchase.

Comments relating to date resets and pages being deleted are hard to substantiate. Whilst these points have been raised here in comments, numerous requests for further information or to provide assistance have been met with silence. So I understand your point about the fundamentals of service delivery – but the flip side of this is that a user making comments about product deficiencies needs to be prepared to engage so as to solve these problems.

Feel free to contact me directly if you’d like to discuss the product further

It is true, they have not done a great job, not even a good job and as Graeme pointed out, the CEO going around with a shinny pen playing the piano is a total waste.

You point out that you are just a reseller and how open you are about issues.. but in the end your support to lend would be limited, and with functionality we could argue on points till the cows come home but in the end you do not develop anything and so can not fix the current flaws nor add anything useful.
So you want to help? well after I updated to version 2 all my session dates are set to 01/01/0001.. have you got a fix for this? I am going to answer for you.. NO no you dont.. so would i get this same level of support and service from Officeworks? Yes they too would not have a clue.
You showed in your posts above product support is limited. I came to this conclusion because you kept telling Graeme to just install the update, yet you were not understanding the problem is that users can not update for the reasons Graeme repeatedly pointed out.

But thats not to say other problems you have not helps users with nor will continue to, it does seem that you try harder than the LS company does for their own product.

So what if this so called list of top 5 items user want did not include Deleting Pages.. Since the LS company has not released any information themselves publicly about any list, its fair to say that the CEO list of items was intended to not show the complete lack of simple everyday functions users would expect and instead focused more so on items like copying back audio to the pen. I doubt any CEO would stand in front of prospective clients and point out that users all over the world have been complaining about the crap software, crap support, and number of failing pens due to hardware problems.. this would not be the ‘Event’ to hold.
As the event notes there would be a peak at enhancements.. these should be taken with a grain of salt as again there is no public release as to what is in the works, and why do companies do this,.. because things change, or never become, so what ever peak was given could be all talk and in the end might never be there.

I have read through the the LS blog and like any company their released information is to glorify the product. Its just like comments like “My pen just got delivered to my door and I 100% love it” users post to like FB.. But what part do they love the most.. they have not used it yet or tried to run the update software, so it must be the shinny look of it.
I have also read through other blog posting on this website and see a number of “false/misleading” information, and most of the posting are just puff pieces advertising product price and availability.
And of course you want to know what i am talking about in specifics..
-New Livescribe Products – 4GB – Pro Pack – Cradle
– New Colours
colours? not plural, just one new colour
-NEW Livescribe Desktop Version Released – v2
– Multiple Item Delete – this is the stand out addition to the Desktop. The option to now select multiple items and remove them from the Smartpen or the Desktop
Delete? i can delete multiple items from the desktop.. well i know it must be talking about the AUDIO Session as this is the only thing that can be deleted from the desktop.. so this is not false but not fully explained
– The new look and feel is great
the Mac v2 looks the same.. nothing new here in look or feel
-Livescribe Pulse Smartpen featured on Oprah show
wow the Oprah show.. they spent so much time show what you can really do with it didnt they.
-Livescribe Helping Students with Disabilities
this is something written by you? what actual facts backup these key points.. what psychological degree was put in place to come to the conclusions to such point as recall being better?
what research has gone into this to prove that it was the pen.. was there a side study where students had a BIC and Dick Smith dictator and another group with nothing?

I dont see any blog posting on topics about top 5 items or whats to come here or on LS

I see nothing backing up your point that users achieve great value.. a 25c BIC pen and $30 DS audio recorder is great value compared to the Pulse $349 price tag. from just reading the comments above from other users here, they too see the waste of such a great product in the hands of LS and feel totally let down.

lastly about this posting topic.. it says that the event is Monday 17th Feb?? well it was the 15th.. and from their event info page i am wondering who is getting ripped off?? you sell the 4GB pen for $349, but the event page says a prize give away of the same item has a value of $299.

Whilst we defend Livescribe we’ve also been voiced our criticism when we’ve felt it’s appropriate – sometimes in private and sometimes publicly. Livescribe is not the first tech company to experience growing pains and nor will it be the last. Even the gods of technology like Google and Apply occasionally make mistakes. Sure, the app store is a bit skinny on useful stuff, but it’s all a timing issue – some good stuff is in the works. I’ll be blogging next week about our ideas around how to embed the pen into university and enterprise environments – some of these ideas will be developed by us in conjunction with a couple of Australian universities.

Let me make an unofficial comment about the roadmap. One of the reasons they keep it quiet is because of the backlash from the Mac community when the v1 Mac desktop was delayed by 2 weeks last year. This has meant the company now takes a very conservative approach to talking publicly about release dates and features.

Jim was very clear last night that he has focused the right people in his organisation with fixing the development and support issues. Livescribe is hardly a backyard operation – they have 70 people on the team. Clearly thought they can’t develop or innovate or fix at the speed of a Google or Apple can they?

As an aside, if you want to give away your unopened pen, I’d be happy to take it off your hands

Mark

Without users seeing what the roadmaps holds for the future and some type of time line of when things might happen does not help to answer concerns. It took LS a year to get working the App Store, and what a joke that is.
It is about time they focus on what they have now that needs fixing and release something to help users. This does not have to stop them from continuing working on version 3

the Pulse Pen is great in potential.. the whole idea of audio linked to text is great and the only one out there. But whoever was in charge of application development should be shot. i mean who would have thought a user would want to delete a page.. they can tare the page out from the notebook, but deleting it from the application is obviously absurd.

I used to once have the pulse pen but took it back and got myself the IO2.. doesnt do audio but does everything else.. LS sent me a new pulse pen free of charge to use.. but that is still sitting in the box.. the Dean of my uni i see a lot, he saw that i changed and asked why.. i know that my uni is not going to stock the pulse, but i did tell him that i am still hopeful something soon will be released

I don’t agree with all your points. Whilst we’re just a reseller, we’ve been very open about the issues that exist within the desktop application and where we’d like to see it developed. As a young company with a popular product, Livescribe has had to work hard to manage expectations as well as demand. Have they done a great job? No. This was a point Jim made last night at the customer function. Jim also shared some feedback that they had received from customers around the world and interestingly, the option to delete pages was not in the top 5 of requested features. Will it be available in the future – yes.

I’ve made the point here 4 times on this post, and dozens of times via our blog, Twitter, and Facebook accounts – if users need help then they can contact us. Even if you didn’t purchase the pen from us, we will help! Go and get that level of service from Amazon, or eBay, or Officeworks?

If you read through our blog and the US site, you’ll see many examples where users are achieving great value from the Livescribe Smartpen – so I disagree with your point that most people doodle with it and nothing else…

thanks again for contributing, and if I can help you with any technical issues, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Mark