Becca’s Cyber Home

Okay, I’m into my 4th day of ownership and still learning something new every time I pick up my Pulse pen. So there’s still more to talk about!

Cost of the pen

“So,” you’re wondering, “how much does this nifty new gadget cost me?” There are 2 models of the Pulse pen: 1 GB ($149.95) and 2 GB ($199.95). The only difference between the two models is the storage. According to Livescribe, you can expect 100 hours and 200 hours (respectively), depending on your audio settings. Personally, for only 50 bucks more, I opted for the 2 GB model.

In the pen kit you get the pen, a case (see more below), notebook, USB dock, and earphones.

Accessories

The pen comes with a standard pen case that has a little pocket to carry an extra pen nib, and a little velcro tab you can tuck the earbud cords into. It’s not much to look at but it’s functional. You can buy ($24.95) a slightly fancier leather pen case (in black or red) that has a flap and clip on it. I bought the leather case but find that I don’t prefer one over the other. You will want to use a case, though, because there is no cover for the pen nib (what with the sensor on the end). Hopefully a convenient nib cover is something the folks at Livescribe will design.

You can buy additional pen nib refills in blue and black (with a red cartridge in each pack). The cost is $5.95 for 5 nibs. Oh, and you can buy replacement docks for $19.95, in case you need an extra. Note, though, that you can only link your pen to one computer. I bought an extra dock because I have a laptop and wanted to keep a dock at home and one at work.

Paper

One drawback of the technology is that you have to use specially designed paper. The sensor uses very small dots to track and record your writing. You can opt for 2 types of paper: a spiral notebook or journal notebook. I have both.

Your pen comes with one spiral notebook (paper is 8.5×11 inches, 1 subject, college ruled, 2 pockets, 100 sheets). The paper is a nice weight and is perforated should you want to remove a page. The dots aren’t at all distracting for me. In fact, I love writing on this paper as the dots make the page look a little gray, thus reducing the glare you can sometimes get from bright paper. You can buy additional 4-packs of the spirals for $19.95. I plan on using the spiral notebook for work.

I’m a lifewriter, I journal, therefore I bought the journals. Each pack ($24.95) comes with 2 journals (paper is 5.5×8.5 inches, black leather cover, lined or unlined, 198 usable pages, elastic closure strap). I bought the lined journal because I can’t write in a straight line and I also can’t draw worth a damn, so I don’t. Which reminds me that when you import your pages into the Livescribe desktop, you can choose whether you view the lines or not. So, if you make a drawing on a lined page, you can still view it without the lines in the Desktop viewer. Kinda cool!

I now carry my journal and pen in my purse, so not only does my journal record my daily thoughts and musings, but notes to myself about other writing projects I’m working on. Like the spiral notebook, I find the quality of the paper more than adequate. The ballpoint doesn’t bleed through at all, which is sometimes annoying when you tend to cover every inch of your journal page. The only catch with the journal is that the lines seem pretty small. Luckily I have relatively small handwriting, so I don’t have to adjust my writing habits to stay within the lines. For people with large handwriting, that could be annoying.

Purchasing

If you’d like to buy the pen or any of the accessories, you can purchase them online at Amazon.com. If you use this link, the purchases will benefit the wonderful Story Circle Network. Or you can use the direct links below (which don’t point to the SCN store). At the time of this posting, Amazon.com is sold out of many of the items, so you might be able to find them at your local Target. Amazon and Target are the only retailers.

• 1 GB Pulse Pen
• 2 GB Pulse Pen
• Black lined journals 2-pack
• Black unlined journals 2-pack
• Spiral notebooks 4-pack

Do you have questions I haven’t answered? Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer you!