The Livescribe 2 GB Pulse Smartpen has changed the way I approach brainstorming sessions...or any meeting for that matter.  When I first tell people how it works, they don't believe me...so let me fill you in.

The pen records ANY audio that is heard while you are using it and then later syncs up that sound with whatever you were writing at the time.  It uses special paper (which you can print on your own) to track your pen movements with incredible accuracy.  Once the file is uploaded to your pc, you see everything that you've written and once you press play...it highlights each stroke as you listen to the audio from the meeting.  The audio is crystal clear and I still marvel at the technology every time I use it.  You can download public examples here.

Now that you have an idea of how it works...here's how I use it.  I used to take my notes on the PC and be typing while everyone is talking, but I found that I was missing too much because of focusing on getting everything down.  Now, I can go much more shorthand with my notes and focus on just taking down mostly reminders for when I later listen to the recording.  I also now have the benefit of doing sketches, charts, etc quickly.

The best part is that no idea is ever lost!  Notes tend to lose the spirit of things or sometimes don't even get something down that can be important.  Now, I can replay the entire meeting and ensure that everything is accounted for or even get extra context for a particular point.  I then can upload this file to the livescribe site and send an authorization to anyone I want to see it.

Growing up, I had the problem in school that if i took notes I didn't grasp the content...and if I just listened I had nothing to later go back on if I forget something.  If I'd had one of these back then my whole world would have changed.  Sometimes I don't write a thing and just use it to record things so I can listen later.  Buy one NOW...seriously...like right now.  They also come in a larger Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen.