Some have added functionality, like audio transcription, too. This little piece of tech is a great way to keep your files organized, but it's also a helpful tool for artists who want to print illustrations onto things like T-shirts or greeting cards.
But since they don't come cheap, it's important to know what to look for when shopping. Here, the best smart pens, including Oprah's favorite , available today.
Write anything down in Oprah's favorite digital pen-and-notebook set and the notes can be transmitted in your handwriting! Use the included pen to write or doodle in this smart notebook, then scan the pages with a free companion app to instantly send your work to the cloud service of your choice: Google drive, Dropbox, Evernote, Slack, iCloud, email, and more.
The downside? Who said you had to use a smart pen just for notes? The pen features a rechargeable battery, so you don't have to fiddle around with opening it up. And, the device is capable of audio recordings in case you want to make some mental notes while you're sketching. The SyncPen 2nd Generation smart pen takes the capabilities of a lot of its competitors and pairs it all with a handy, inch LCD pad.
In effect, you take notes as you would normally, but you'll never have to use any paper. The LCD pad will display what you're writing or drawing, and it features the micro dots required for the pen to track, but the LCD display can be erased instantly to start on your next set of notes.
But, if you prefer paper, the SyncPen 2nd Generation also supports micro dot paper which you can print yourself after you use the included notebook and includes refills for both ink and the plastic tip used with the LCD pad. The SyncPen will pair with your iOS or Android device over a Bluetooth connection to let you see the copies of your notes.
The LCD pad even allows you to control the color you're taking notes in, so you can create more complex notes using color to highlight details or differentiate certain elements. You can convert your written notes into digital text and export in various file formats, and you also get the option to record audio with your notes. Smart pens and styluses are fairly niche products — and probably always will be. Presumably, you need to capture text and images to a phone or PC. But how easy does the device make it to get your notes to the cloud, or to share it with others?
Does it sync automatically, or do you need to do it manually? And if so, is there sufficient memory, or will you need to worry about syncing the pen too often? Most smart pens have special features that distinguish them from similar models.
Syncing the pen was effortless once we installed the app on our smartphone. The Livescribe app also impressed us.
Digitizing your handwriting is as easy as swiping left or right. This Livescribe 3 Smartpen has an impressive battery life, lasting for up to 14 hours of continuous use. It is charged via a micro-USB port at the tip of the pen. Though Livescribe 3 Smartpen is one of the fattest and heaviest that we tested, the round design was surprisingly comfortable to use, especially when compared with some of the triangular digital pens we tested. Overall, the competitive price and advanced features of the Livescribe 3 Smartpen earn it the top spot in our rankings.
Thanks to the accompanying smart pad, you can use any type of paper with the smart pen, which is perfect for artists who need their ideal canvas. During our writing and drawing tests, the Wacom Bamboo Folio Smartpad was almost perfect with only one small error across both tests. It took us just over a minute to set up the smartpad and pair it with our smartphone. Using the smartpad is simple, you just place a sheet of paper over the smartpad and start writing.
This instantly saves your work to the Wacom Inkspace app. From here you can directly view and even edit your masterpieces. The Neo Smartpen N2 is easy to set up and feels comfortable in your hand, but it does require special notebooks and writing pads to function. The pen itself is one of the longest we tested, but the metal body and elegant design offer an attractive alternative to many of the triangular digital pens on the market.
It's also incredibly easy to use; all you have to do is press a button on the bottom of the pen to turn it on. You can also toggle the Bluetooth and pairing settings using buttons on the pen. When we put the Neo Smartpen N2 through our writing and drawing tests, it performed better than average but there were a couple of errors in both the writing and drawing tests. The lackluster five-hour battery life is the shortest of any pen we tested, so it will require frequent charging if you're a heavy user.
Set up was quick though, only taking around 30 seconds to pair up the pen to our smartphone. The Newyes SyncPen 2 smartpen is a hybrid as it comes with both a special notebook and inch LCD tablet for writing on. Write with the pen nib, in the book, or swap out for the plastic tip and use the tablet for extras like color choices and different pen styles.
The pen itself is high quality, made of metal, but remains comfortable and relatively lightweight. Writing is converted to text and it's possible to make audio recordings via the app. This isn't that cheap up front but considering you get the tablet, writing pad, pen and nibs all included, that's fair enough. The Livescribe Symphony is a fantastic blend of features, quality build, comfortable use and reasonable price.
Here of some features and components to be aware of when selecting a model of smart pen:. Depending on the device, you may or may not be able to use your own paper. A common feature is the use of proprietary dotted paper that when used in conjunction with the provided app allows for the digital capture of drawing and written information.
Other systems can be used with any paper you choose, this has the advantage of easy replacement and you can select your preferred paper thickness and texture.
However, this can create unknown errors compared with the all-in-one proprietary paper systems. The writing capture feature is one of the greatest benefits of using these pens. It works by tracking the handwriting made with the pen to convert it to editable text in the app in real-time.
This means that instead of having pages of scribbled notes that you have to later re-type, it provides text that can be edited in Word or Pages later. This is a great time-saver for students in class or professionals in meetings. Most of these pens require a wireless connection so that means they must be periodically recharged.
This is typically done by plugging into a USB connection. Check the specific model to see how long it can go on a single charge as this will determine your maximum continuous use. Some of the pen apps offer the ability to record audio with a smartphone microphone which allows for more detailed note-taking later. This is great for recording sections of a lecture or meeting when there is dense information that may make it difficult to take written notes.
Other apps also allow for recording of the screen to produce a video of the real-time drawing or notes. This is helpful for producing content for teaching, for example how to create a perspective drawing.
Most of the included apps for these smart pen systems will offer a range of export file formats. The more available formats the better so you have more options to work with the data at a later stage.
Features an audio recording function to help compile notes later. Note: only compatible with the Moleskine Smart Notebooks. Digitized handwritten notes are easy to save, share, search and organize or can be converted into digital text. Features an
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