[Athen] [EXTERNAL] Re: A Small Rant About Livescribe

[Vrooman,David via athen-list]

Hi All,

We have been facing the same issues with the LiveScribe pens (we use the Echo 1 model) not being available anymore. We have had issues with the notebooks not being printed with enough contrast for the control icons to work consistently.

I found two similar products, but have not tested either. If anyone has experience with these devices, there might be possibility for these to be good replacements for people who have LiveScribe SmartPen inventories.


     *   Neo Smart Pen- $139 per pen + $15-20 per notebook https://shop.neosmartpen.com/products/neo-smartpen-a1
     *   Moleskin Smart - $279 per set (includes Pen, Notebook, Ink Cartridge) https://www.moleskine.com/en-us/shop/moleskine-smart/smart-writing-system/smart-writing-system/smart-writing-set-black-8056999274795.html

Thanks All,

David Vrooman

[cid:d225bb0b-0f6b-493b-9f85-d4eaca7d11c9]
Learning Support Services -
Assistive Technology Specialist
Washtenaw Community College
4800 E. Huron River Drive, LA 115
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

________________________________
From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu> on behalf of Kamran Rasul via athen-list <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 8:41 PM
To: 'Will Pines' <wilbert.pines at ucr.edu>; 'Access Technology Higher Education Network' <athen-list at u.washington.edu>; 'Sebastian M Niles' <smniles at ucdavis.edu>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [Athen] A Small Rant About Livescribe

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Hi,



Thanks for initiating this conversation…



Aside from tablets with digital pens and apps that support audio syncing, are there any other alternatives to scribing math and science lectures?



[cid:image001.png at 01DC4914.1A68C680]

Kamran Rasul, MEd.

Assistive Technology/Alternate Format Specialist (SDS)

Phone: 410-516-1167

E-mail: krasul1 at jhu.edu<mailto:krasul1 at jhu.edu>

Garland Hall, 1st Floor, Office 135-G

3400 N. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD 21218

Schedule a meeting with Kamran<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/ATC2@live.johnshopkins.edu/bookings/>



From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of Will Pines via athen-list
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 7:55 PM
To: Sebastian M Niles <smniles at ucdavis.edu>; Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] A Small Rant About Livescribe



      External Email - Use Caution





Sebastian,

I have the same questions. From what I’ve gathered, the Livepen is also going obsolete or going out of production soon so Inq can introduce their own version of the pen. In just the past six months, two pens have gone out of production, the notebooks no longer function properly, and the apps are terrible.

Inq is still Livescribe — not a new company that acquired them. It appears to be more of a rebrand to erase the failure of the last two smart pens.

I’ve started looking into other bulk options that don’t require an app and still keep the note-taking system within the pen itself. Unfortunately, the industry seems to have shifted toward personal products that rely on a tablet or smart device, yet don’t even perform the basic function of recording audio directly on the pen.

I asked Inq if they would send us a pilot Livepen for a trial so we could evaluate its viability and provide feedback. They declined and said we could purchase a pack of ten instead. Interestingly, someone in an assistive technology group I’m part of (based in Canada) mentioned that Inq sent them a single pen for review—but they ultimately decided it wasn’t worth pursuing.



Best,

WILL PINES, Disability Specialist

Accessible Technology Specialist

Student Disability Resource Center

he/him/his



University of California, Riverside

900 University Avenue

1228 Student Services Building

Riverside, CA 92521

Phone: 951-827-3861 | Email: wilbert.pines at ucr.edu<mailto:wilbert.pines at ucr.edu>



Schedule an Appointment<https://bit.ly/30ghhv1>



SDRC Web<http://sdrc.ucr.edu/> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/UCRSDRC> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/ucrsdrc> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/UCRSDRC>



“A mind stretched by new experiences will never go back to its original dimensions.”

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On Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM Sebastian M Niles via athen-list <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>> wrote:

Hello all



I'm emailing with a big complaint about Livescribe and wanted to see if anyone had a similar experience. In the past, our university has ordered Livescribe Echo pens for students that love taking their own notes and want to record as well. The Echo 2s were awesome even if they also tried to get you to connect to a bad app (foreshadowing!!).



Fast forward to now. It appears that Livescribe has discontinued the Echo 2 and is now selling the Livepen (and also trying to get people to use Inq for some reason). The problem with the Livepen is that it doesn't have a built-in recorder, and it forces you to use the Livepen app if you want to use any of its potential features. As I said before, the app isn't great. I don't feel great about making students rely on it when they wanted an offline notetaking option in the first place. All of this is a roundabout way of saying that I have no idea what Livescribe is trying to do here. Why would they abandon the feature that everyone turned to them for in the first place? Why are they still selling notebook paper with options to "record", "pause", and "stop" if the Livepens can't record outside of the app? Who is the target audience here?



Does anyone have good alternatives to Livescribe? I'm not talking about Otter or Genio. I'm looking for something that does what the Echo 2 did. I know I could just give students a digital recorder and call it a day, but I'm hoping that there is some hidden tool that is still committed to doing what Livescribe did.



Thank you



Sebastian Niles, CPACC

Accessible Technology Specialist

Student Disability Center

University of California-Davis

Davis, CA 95616



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