The print vs. digital war is made up of a number of smaller skirmishes. On one corner of the battlefield, magazines and online content are at loggerheads. Across the field, book’s and kindle’s horns are locked, but a lesser documented tussle is that between the paper notebook and the word processor. However, a truce may be on the horizon.
Moleskin, the preeminent notebook, has joined forces with Livescribe smartpen (a pen known for turning hand written, paper notes into typed, digital transcripts) in an effort to bridge the analogue-digital divide by creating the Livescribe Notebook. The Livescribe Notebook looks exactly like the classic Moleskin notebook (and behaves very similarly to a Livescribe Journal) only now when you write in it, not only are your ideas backed up to an app, but there are a number of additional features. At the bottom of every page, a star, a flag and a tag allow you to treat each page as you would your Gmail inbox; if you’d like to record a verbal note alongside your sketch, there are also play, pause, and record icons on each page and two pull out book markers offer logistical features including password, pairing, update settings and scrub recordings options.
The Livescribe Notebook is taking great strides towards keeping the notebook relevant. A more simplistic effort was Experience Journal, encouraging users to jot down moments rather than relying on their smartphone camera.
Livescribe Notebook
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