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

There was one slight inaccuracy in Simon’s article. He mentions that a user can download and print their own Livescribe paper from the Livescribe website. This feature is actually available via Livescribe Desktop – the application that a user runs on their local machine. This feature is currently also available for those users on PC – to the best of my knowledge the feature is not yet available on the MAC version.

As we’ve commented previously, to print your own paper you need the following:

• A colour laser printer that is post script compatible
• Print quality that is close to 600dpi.

Finally, Simon raised a good point about the types of pads that are available and what is supplied as the default paper product. We’ve been looking at this and working with the master distributor on what options might work. We’d appreciate your feedback and suggestions

The Flip Notepads are priced at $27 (inc GST) for a pack of 4

These pocket sized flip notebooks come in a pack of 4 for AUD 27 inc GST

The Paperblanks Hand Tooled Mini Wrap journals are priced at $27ea (inc GST).

This small and elegant journal is sold individually for AUD 27 inc GST.

Important Notice about Availability.

We only have a limited quantity of the new pads at the moment. If you are interested in the new products please place and order and we’ll hold your back order for priority filling once further stocks become available. If you don’t want to place an order now, please use the comments section of this blog post, or contact us via:

• Our website
• Our Twitter account
• or send us a message via Facebook (note our nice new vanity URL!)

As I’ve commented before, these products are high quality and are a perfect addition to the paper products range.

Our website allows you to purchase a Livescribe Smartpen via a corporate purchase order. This option is available at the last step of the checkout process.

Recently we’ve seen a spike in enquiries about purchase options so I think it’s worth reiterating our approach.

Given many of our prospective customers don’t have access to a corporate credit card Smartpen accepts orders that are submitted on an official purchase order.

This applies to the following types of organisations:

• Federal, State, and Local government departments.
• Universities
• TAFE colleges
• Hospitals, care facilities, registered charities
• Medical research institutes
• Public high schools
• Private high schools

If you don’t fall into these categories and would like to purchase a Livescribe Smartpen then please contact us to discuss the situation.

To access the SDK you need to register via the Livescribe site. Use this link to find out more.

Here’s some of the information that was released yesterday at the Java conference:

Livescribe’s SDK includes Paper Designer for Eclipse, providing software developers with all the tools, technical documentation, sample code and support needed to create, publish, share and sell sophisticated applications for the Pulse smartpen. The pre-release Platform SDK also includes the Penlet SDK, which contains an Eclipse plug-in for penlet development as well as a suite of APIs, sample code, documentation, debug tools and command line build utilities.

Livescribe CEO has been quoted as follows:

“The release of the SDK 1.0 is a significant step forward for Livescribe’s mobile computing platform,” said Jim Marggraff, Livescribe founder and chief executive officer. “We’re anxious to see what our more than 4,000 software developers already actively participating in our developer program will create to expand the functionality, purpose and value of the Pulse smartpen for consumers.”

This is good news for our local developer community. We’ve had ongoing contact with many developers who have been eagerly awaiting this release. Given that innovation is in our genes I’m sure it won’t be long before Australian applications are available via the Livescribe Application Store.

If you have any feedback or wish to share your thoughts please use the comments or let me know if you have a longer piece. We’d be happy to publish it via a guest author spot on the blog.

As I’ve already heard from many of you via phone and email, I’ll address the key questions right up front:

1. When will they be available – I’ll have more info on this in the next 24-48 hours. We need to get stock from the US and also China so it’s not as simple as saying “this date”
2. How much are the new products – we expect to have pricing confirmed in the next week also. As you’re no doubt aware bringing printed products into Australia is not a simple process due to our Customs laws.
3. What colours and styles will be available – this is a tricky one. I’ll know more by next week as we get a handle on what stock is available and how quickly we can get it into the country. As we’ve done in the past we’re likely to focus on a limited selection and then build this as we start to understand what you’d like us to carry.

I’ve had the opportunity to view these products first hand and I have to say they are of exceptional quality. We’ll have these products loaded into our store in the next few days and we’ll start taking pre-orders once we have a confirmed date of availability.

As always, if you have any questions, please comment here, or visit us on Twitter or Facebook.

You can use our Twitter account to contact us if you have any questions about your Livescribe pen. We’ll also announce new products, Livescribe Desktop upgrades etc.

We look forward to following you on Twitter