Electronic Pen Gets Its Own App Store

Straight from the "We wish we were kidding" department.

Last month Livescribe announced a couple of improvements to its Pulse smartpen. An increase in storage capacity aside, the company also revealed that it would be launching an app store for the device. I use the word 'device' loosely here. At the end of the day, it's a pen, folks.

Now that you've spent between $170 and $200 on a pen, what kind of 'apps' can you get for your fancy gadget? At the moment there's roughly thirty paid and free applications available (we're assuming Livescribe will add more in the future) ranging from traditional classroom games like hangman, to apps that help you study organic chemistry.

"Consumers can now read and hear a translated phrase in Spanish, French, German, Japanese or even Korean, rapidly access fun facts on a variety of topics from past World Series winners to U.S. Presidents; get help studying geometry, organic chemistry, or Hebrew chanting; play more than a dozen games like Blackjack, Video Poker or Hangman; listen to classical music pieces or even play a guitar – right from the 'pentip' of their Pulse smartpen."

For those of you who don't know, before Livescribe launched the app store, the pen allows you digitally capture and sync handwriting and audio together. A camera records what you're writing and a microphone records what's being said in the room. Tap a word and the pen will replay what was said while you wrote it. It's also got an audio jack so not everyone in the room has to listen to you and your pen talking.

Who's interested?

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