Deadscribe

Robbie bought a smartpen which is actually a bit stupid. The old version seemed a lot smarter to me- it recorded like a dictaphone while you wrote. Then you touched the word you wrote and it re-played from that point in the recording. Unfortunately that pen was stolen so only now, months later (if not years), with a long-running trial approaching, Robbie decided to invest in the item again.

Now "upgraded" the recording is actually done by your phone as you write. So now you need your phone to be charged and have memory space and be set up on the table in order for the pen to work like it should. With a bit of brain power Robbie got all that synced and seemed happy enough on day one and two of the trial. Then the ink ran out. And do you think ink re-fills are readily available? They aren't.

So now this fancy pen can't record or write.

We've been running around looking for stockists but have had no luck. Online forums reveal reams of commentors who've resorted to modifying Montblanc refills. Sawing through a thin, metal, ink-filled cartridge will take more than brain power and could get very messy so I'm not even going to suggest it. The only other option is to order refills through Amazon but by the time those arrive, the trial will long since have finished.

Don't you hate it when things that are supposed to make your life simpler only land up complicating it?

That said, it is quite a revolutionary thing. Here, check out how the Livescribe works (when it works), if you're interested even after my dull review...