Pulse Pen Perfect for Taking Notes

A new writing gadget called the Pulse Pen is likely to change the way you take notes. The cigar shaped object allows users to coordinate recorded audio and handwritten notes by using specialized paper. The genius of this product lies in its ability to allow the user to later pull up a digital image of the notes on a computer and point to a place on that image to hear the audio recorded at the time the original note was taken. Users can also use the notepad to hear the audio play back through a speaker built into the pen.

The Pulse Pen is remarkably easy and intuitive to use, but describing the functions of the magic pen in a review is a little complicated, so perhaps we should start with the basics of how the pen works.

In the package you receive a pen that looks a little like a grey cigar, along with a notebook full of specialized paper, a USB cradle that is used to move data from the pen to the computer, and a set of earplugs. The pen has built into it’s body a one line digital display that shows instructions and messages. It also has a ballpoint pen tip on one end for writing and an audio jack for headphones on the other. On one side there is a switch for activating the onboard computer and on the other, one finds a communications port for uploading data in the cradle.

Other than the optional headphones, there are no chords or wires protruding out of the Pulse. It is powered by a concealed battery that is recharged when you place the pen in its cradle. The pen weighs about the same as a pair of scissors.

At the bottom of each sheet of the specialized note paper there are printed “buttons” that allow the user to control the device. By tapping on the buttons with the head of the pen, a command is given to the pen’s computer. For instance, tapping on the “record” button starts the onboard digital recorder. Pushing the “pause” button, pauses the recording, etc.  There are control buttons that allow you to bookmark a particular area of text as a quick reference point, increase or decrease volume, jump ahead or behind in the audio playback, mute the microphone or playback audio and increase or decrease the speed of the audio playback.  There is also a compass diagram on the page that allows you to navigate the menu selections on the pen’s operating system.


The Pulse Pen Requires Special Note Paper

All of the pen’s features can only be used on the specialized paper. By looking closely, you can see that there are microscopic dots on each sheet that help the pen’s orientation on the paper as well as the page on which you are writing. If you write on a regular piece of paper, you will still get the audio recording as well as the writing abilities of the pen, but it will not coordinate the two digitally.

When you are done taking your notes on the specialized paper and recording the audio, you can then playback the audio for a particular note by pointing at the writing on the paper. For instance, if you were in meeting, you would first write down the comments of the participants as you understand them. Later, when you return to your office to write a memo, you would power on the pen and point to the place on your notes where you want the audio to play. Listening to the recording, you could then type in the exact words being spoken or you could paraphrase what you hear. At this point, you could upload the notes and audio file onto the computer for storage and future reference.

Of course, notes are never perfect in a fast-paced meeting and you may need to refer back to the notes and recording when a co-worker challenges the language of your memo. In response, you simply refer to your notes and the associated audio.  The Pulse manufacturer even provides you with storage online that allows another person to login to your space, pull up the image of your notes and listen to the accompanying audio.  You will then have a very funny story to tell around the water cooler about the one time so-and-so co-worker challenged you on the language you were drafting on memo, etc., etc.

The Pulse pen has many applications in whatever profession you might be in.  In the legal profession, estate planners and litigators would especially appreciate the ability to replay audio associated with the notes they have taken during client interviews. To start, the pen is entirely stealth, which means attorneys wouldn’t have to worry about hooking up a video camera or microphone to document that Mrs. Helmsley really was competent when she gave her billion dollar estate to her dogs.

For litigating attorneys, the Pulse pen allows for notes to be taken during depositions that can be referenced on the fly.  As an example, if the witness stated something in the deposition that was important, the examining attorney can bookmark the comment. Later, if there is a contradiction, the attorney can immediately replay the earlier comment by going back to the bookmark and listening to the earlier answers. Rather than having the court reporter go back through the pages and pages of the record and searching for a needle in a haystack, the examining attorney can playback the very words of the witness in real time.  

In fact, it is frightening how technology now allows for such substantial efficiencies in litigation matters. In theory, such examination techniques could also be used in a trial setting – though the first to do so will likely receive either a judge’s praise or a contempt citation.

Students will especially appreciate the Pulse Pen as they can take notes in class and hear the associated lecture. As the device is fairly stealth, the professors will likely not see that someone in the class has a distinct advantage over his or her peers. The Pulse Pen is useless, however, if the student doesn’t at least take some basic notes to accompany the lecture.

The Pulse pen will likely have many uses once professionals and students put the device into real practice. A starter kit can be acquired for under $200.00. Each pen is linked to a specific computer, so exchanging the devices between many users will not be productive. The pen itself can be handed over with the paper notes and work perfectly well for others, but the best use of the technology is to upload the files and allow any person to access the files on the Internet or on an office file server.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to the device. The most significant issue relates to confidential information. A hard copy of important notes is not likely to slip into the wrong hands, but a computer image with an associated audio file can be easily duplicated and broadcast to the wrong people. Strict controls and a thorough knowledge of the software will be required before any distribution should occur. One can only imagine a file accidently being attached to an unrelated matter and posted on the world wide web for all to see and hear.

Still, the benefits of the Pulse pen should far outweigh the detriments as there are adequate safeguards that can and should be used to protect company secretes. Powering off the device is probably the best bet when entering into sensitive discussions. This will certainly prevent unnecessary disclosures and will frustrate any persons with purely prurient interests from eavesdropping.

The Pulse pen is an important technological development for anyone who takes notes. Most importantly, it is a gadget that has immediate applications and will result in increased efficiencies and communications in office and classroom settings. The return on investment is significant – even if it is just for boasting around the water cooler.