There's nothing new about pen-based computers and devices that upload handwritten notes to a PC. IOGEAR's Digital Scribe digitizes notes written on plain paper, but the device's usefulness is severely limited by the fact that it needs to be connected to a PC at all times. The LeapFrog FLY Fusion pentop computer does a good job of enticing youngsters to text a little bit less and write a bit more, but it's a bit bulky, requires proprietary paper, and is aimed squarely at kids.

That being said, the latter device is the closest anyone has come to making a pen-based computer useful, practical and fun. It's no surprise, then, that that Fly pen's creator, Jim Marggraff, has brought the pen-based computer to adults with the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen.

Like the FlyFusion, the Pulse records images of everything you write, so long as you write it on the company's proprietary Dot Paper, which allows the infrared camera in the pen's tip to always know where it is on the page. The company promises it will soon allow users to print their own paper from laser and some inkjet printers. In in the meantime, 100-sheet Dot Paper notebooks can be had from Livescribe's web site in four-packs, for $19.95.

The real innovation of the Pulse, though, is that it's also a voice recorder that records audio while recording images of your notes--and links the two together.

After a lecture or interview, all you need to do is tap the pen on a word on the page, and an crisp internal speaker in the pen instantly plays back the audio that was recorded while you were furiously writing. I'll let that sink in for a second, because it's ingenious, and will make the work of students, reporters, investigators--essentially anyone who takes notes and talks to people--significantly easier.

Imagine never again scratching your head at an ambiguous phrase you wrote down in class and wondering what you meant. Imagine not having to search tirelessly through hours of recordings to verify a quote or a vital piece of information. Imagine being able to take fewer notes, and instead being able to actually pay attention, and you're beginning to understand why the Pulse Smartpen is such an impressive product.

Of course, all that potential wouldn't mean much if the hardware and and software interfered with the Pulse's elegant idea. Fortunately, that's not the case. The pen itself is bigger than most, but not large enough to be cumbersome, and it's well balanced enough that you can actually write with it for extended periods without fatigue. A small but bright OLED screen on the side of the pen makes it easy to make sure you're recording audio, to check battery life, and to navigate through different programs (more on that last part later). The whole pen is wrapped in a pleasing charcoal-blue anodized aluminum housing, which helps to make it feel solid.

There's only one button on the pen, which turns it on and off. For everything else, the controls are on the paper. Printed along the bottom of each page, front and back, are a row of labeled command buttons. Tap the Record button, and the pen emits a chirp, letting you know it's recording; if you still aren't sure, a quick glance at the pen's screen displays a counter, and a helpful "REC." Other buttons along the bottom of the page allow you to jump back to previously recorded audio, add bookmarks, change playback speed, and adjust volume.

The PC software makes archiving and searching through what could potentially be hundreds of pages of notes simple. Attach the pen via a well-designed magnetized USB dock, launch the Livescribe Desktop, and your notes and audio are automatically copied onto your computer. You can click on any word, as if you were using the pen in the notebook, and get the same instant playback of that precise moment of audio.

What's more exciting, though, is what happens when you use the search box to find a word in your notes. Now, my handwriting is honestly about the third-worst I've ever seen in my life. It falls somewhere between drunk doctor and scribbles toddlers make the first time they're given a crayon. Yet, so long as my words roughly followed the lines and weren't so big as to take up two rows, the software's optical character recognition got it right every time, instantly jumping to the word in my notes, highlighting it in yellow.

It worked so well that I was left wondering why the program couldn't just turn my handwritten notes into text for me. Hopefully that's something the software will be able to manage sometime in the future. The software also keeps all pages in order, and notebooks show up in separate folders.

Keeping the data on the pen is the simplest solution, however, since it allows you to interact with your notes away from a PC. That's not a problem, since the Pulse comes in 1GB ($150) and 2GB ($200) flavors, allowing for 100 or 200 hours of recording.

The microphone inside the pen is sufficient for most situations, and can be set to "lecture hall, " conference room," or "automatic." In case you're in a particularly noise environment, the Pulse also comes with a pair of ear buds that plug into the back of the pen and record audio in stereo from a microphone in each bud. Using them increases audio clarity quite well, but in many cases, wearing ear buds isn't exactly a polite (or possible) option. Livescribe's included a strap which allows the buds to dangle around your neck, but that solution's still a bit awkward. Thankfully, the pen's built-in mic is usually more than sufficient.

Battery life seems pretty solid. After more than 3 hours taking notes and recording audio, the Pulse's battery meter still read 80 percent, meaning even a full-time college student could get away with docking the pen only on the weekends.

The Pulse comes with two ink refills, and a stylus tip, as well as a stiff fabric case for the pen itself. For the price, it would have been nice if Livescribe had included more than two refills, and I would prefer a cap for the pen, rather than a whole case. The aluminum casing seems rugged enough to endure being jammed into a pocket.

The frustration of the Pulse Smartpen is its as-yet untapped potential. Demo software on the pen allows you to write words in English, and the pen will speak them in any of a handful of languages. But it's still just a demo, not available for purchase yet. In fact, all that's available on Livescribe's Web site, aside from the Pulse itself, are full-sized notebooks and pen tip refills. Livescribe included a nice journal notebook with the package they sent us, but as of this writing, you can't buy it on the Livescribe site. The company expects to have more Dot Paper products available by July. And the ability to allow customers to print their own Dot Paper is still under development.

Livescribe's being smart about third-party software development as well, hoping to create an active community of developers who will eventually be able to sell software for the Pulse on the Livescribe site. But that idea seems to just be getting off the ground, so it isn't likely users will be able to purchase new software anytime soon.

That's frustrating, but fine. The Pulse Smartpen does its main job extremely well, bringing traditional note taking and voice recording together while making both immensely more useful. There's no reason that any student or note-taker shouldn't go out and buy one of these right now. For journalists and investigators, the Pulse Smartpen will pay for itself within a couple months, in time saved alone. Conscientious students won't have to worry about writing down every word, and students who have a tendency to fall asleep in class can rest a little easier knowing that the lecture is being recorded, and can be easily reviewed after their refreshing nap.

The Pulse Smartpen is available now, direct from Livescribe.

For another take (markedly similar, but with a few small digressions) on the Livescribe Pulse, complete with score, check out PC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff's review, along with a slideshow of the pen.