We currently have the following available for immediate dispatch:

• Livescribe Deluxe Carry Case – the demand for this product has been incredible and feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive.
• Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio -this product has been very popular with business users – it figs snugly into most laptop bags and business satchels.
• Echo 3-D Recording Premium Headset – an excellent accessory that fits into the Deluxe Carry Case and gives users the complete set of accessories.

If you’d like to order these products then you can do so from our site now.

Note also that our February specials on the 2GB Pulse and 4GB Echo Smartpens have been extended into March. Details are as follows:

1. 2GB Pulse Smartpen – $149
   • Bundled solution – 2GB Pulse with MyScript – $188.95
2. 4GB Echo Smartpen – $199
   • Bundled solution – 4GB Echo with MyScript – $238.95
   • Executive Starter Pack – 4GB Echo with Portfolio and MyScript – $278.89

We’re in the process of reviewing two of the growing range of apps from the Livescribe App Store. Stay tuned for more details.

Over the past two business days the impact of the Brisbane floods has become clearer for us, particularly as it relates to our inbound supply chain (i.e. that part of the business that gets goods into our warehouse).

The impact is not significant – we’re experiencing delays of 2-3 days in getting our stocks of Livescribe 8GB Echo Smartpen’s into Brisbane. The new 3-subject notebooks are also affected primarily due to strong customer demand over the past 4-5 days.

We expect to have overcome these delays by Wednesday the 19th of January. If you are an affected customer, you will have been contacted directly by us.

If you have any questions, please contact us in the first instance via email – support@smartpen.com.au

Pulse Smartpen Special Offer #1

If you already own a Pulse Smartpen we’ve reduced the price of the Premium Black Leather case from $44.95 to $22.95.

This is a near 50% reduction in the cost of this very popular leather case.

Pulse Smartpen Special Offer #2

Our second special offer is for anyone on thinking of getting a Smartpen. We now offer the 2GB Pulse Smartpen with a FREE Pro Charging Cradle. This is a great offer and saves you $39.95 on the combined RRP.

This special offer is limited to 50 units, so see our website for more details.

Early last week PC World has included the Livescribe Smartpen range in its annual Best Products of 2010 report.

It’s great to see Livescribe continuing to achieve  industry recognition. Recent announcements like the Apple applications and the Livescribe Paper Tablet app are clear demonstration of how Livescribe’s mobile computing platform is coming of age.

The release includes some exciting new features – not the least being integration to Evernote.

The list of new features includes

• Additional sharing capabilities:
  • Share .pencast files using your email client
  • Share notes and audio recordings to an Evernote® account.
  • Share entire custom notebooks to Livescribe™ Online, or as .pencast files.
  • Audio playback controls in the Sharing interface.
  • Ability to select and share multiple audio sessions as a .pencast file or when uploading to Livescribe Online.
• Ability to get information about a page. Right-click the page and select Page Properties.
• Page information includes: Notebook Name and Page Number, Source Notebook and Source Page (if selecting a page from a Custom Notebook).
• Ink Information includes: Time of first ink and last ink stroke on the page, number of ink strokes, if the page is indexed and searchable, and the page dimensions.
• Audio information includes: Session name, duration, and date and time it was last modified.
• Enhancements to Download Manager and Application Manager views.
• Enhancements to the progress bars and activity indicators.

The full release notes for this version can be found on the Livescribe website.

Having known about this for a while we were pretty excited to see the application released and I have to say it does live up to expectations.

From my perspective, being able to have Pencasts on my iPhone is quite handy as I can quickly access and/or share content on an instant, as needed basis. This is particularly handy in a business context where I can access content from previous meetings without needing to worry about which book I wrote in (I use multiple books simultaneously). The other feature I like is that I can access pencasts when talking one on one with people – no need to interrupt the flow of our conversation – just boot up Pencasts and go to the session I want to share.

One feature I wasn’t so sure about but have come to realise the hidden value of is that Pencasts allows me to browse public pencasts. As I noted earlier today, our new Smartpen Facebook store includes content and special offers aimed at our student, parent, and teacher communities. Now I’ve got the additional option of searching public Pencasts that are focused on education (or other industries for that matter) and can quickly review this content and then share it if I feel it will help the Australian Livescribe community.

Business use of the Livescribe product range here in Australia has been very strong – a reflection of just how switched on we are as business people in that we quickly realised the efficiency benefits the mobile computing platform could deliver.

A couple of things Jennifer didn’t touch on.

1. MyScript

This is a critical time saver

One thing we’ve learnt from working with business owners and executives over the past couple of years is how important the optional MyScript for Livescribe is. In simple terms, MyScript allows a Livescribe user to take one or more pages of hand written notes and then convert this hand writing into editable text – a very useful time saving option.

Pencasts – Collaboration on a Different Level

The other key feature we’ve been discussing with business users lately is the new Pencast feature. This allows a business executive who might be remote from his or her office to take meeting notes and then send these notes – hand writing and audio back to the office so that other key people can access, listen, and use the information. This creates really interesting opportunities for knowledge sharing, collaboration etc.

Yep. The Livescribe Echo Smartpen is a cool piece of technology – but the coolness extends well beyond the features that a journo might find amusing…

Livescribe Deluxe Carry Case

This is a fantastic addition to the product range. As you can see from this image, the carry case allows a Livescribe Smartpen owner to organise the key bits and pieces of their Livescribe tool kit. I can see this case being very popular with our large community of business users

Smartpen Portfolio

This new product was an instant hit yesterday when we announced the launch.

The Portfolio allows a user to have an A5 Spiral Notebook, Pulse or Echo Smartpen all in the one folder.

We’ll update our audience with more details on the new Echo Smartpen and other new accessories in the coming days

Let’s talk stock levels

Over the past 2 years of working with the fantastic team from Livescribe and you the Livescribe local community, we’ve not only had the opportunity to talk to thousands of you, but we also kind of get what you need from a local, dedicated, customers service supplier.

From time to time, we may not have every product in stock – in every case where this happens this is due to circumstances beyond our control. We know you need the stock.

Based on what we’ve learnt over the past 2 years we’ve quadrupled our investment in our stock holdings of Livescribe Smartpens and accessories. If it’s available in Australia we have it.

Let’s talk MyScript for Livescribe for a moment.

MyScript is a product we started offering to customers nearly 18 months ago.

We are still the only ANZ Livescribe partner to offer MyScript for Livescribe bundled with your Pulse Smartpen.

That’s 18 months of experience with a phenomenal software add-on – keep that in mind.

I’ve also lost track of the number of times I’ve demonstrated Livescribe and MyScript – these two products are made for each other. We are your home of Livescribe and MyScript in Australia and New Zealand.

What’s Next?

Stay tuned. That’s all I’ll say

From talking to many of these users we’ve learnt that the Livescribe Smartpen is an important innovation for them on a number of fronts. Here’s a quick summary of our observations:

1. Keeping Good Records – The Livescribe Smartpen allows planners to keep better records. With the pen turned on, every time they take a note this is captured and can then be stored in their legacy business systems. This is one of the core markets we targeted when we introduced the Pulse Smartpen + MyScript bundle.
2. Focus on your Client – The Pulse Smartpen allows the planner to spend more time listening to the client, investigating their needs, and helping shape a suitable financial plan for the future. A pen is a pen – it’s not intrusive like a laptop, a digital recorder, or a tablet PC – this is a huge bonus for the planner as they can engage in meaningful conversation
3. Never Miss A Word – this tag line has two benefits. The second being the planner has a detailed, clear audio record of client meetings. These audio files are easily exported and can be stored against a client record in the event they are needed in the future to help clarify what may or may not have been discussed in a client meeting.

Have you wondered how the Pulse Smartpen could help your business?

I can see parallel application for business users who may be mortgage brokers, insurance agents, or involved in face to face selling roles. The benefits for users and their clients are quite clear cut.

Do you have a similar story to share? Feel free to use the comments section below to engage with us