Both tablets feature a 5×8-inch area for you to get some work done, which can be switched from a widescreen view, to a 4:3 aspect ratio, all depending on what you need to get done at the time. If you do end up buying the MousePen tablets, you will be able to program 13 keys on the tablet’s surface, while also being able to program the four hardware keys above the working area as well. There are already dedicated controls for controlling brush attributes, zooming, and scrolling.
Both models also 1024-level pressure sensitivity with the included Bluetooth-connected pen, and 4,000 LPI resolution. The difference in the models come in the wired and wireless variety. The MousePen M508 is wired, and will cost $149. However, the wireless M508W touchpad will cost you a cool $199, when they both ship some time this September.
While that would probably be enough for avid meeting attendees, Livescribe are looking to extend the usefulness of the Echo by including an app store. Accessed via the Livescribe Desktop app, with software synchronized over to the Echo via microUSB connection, it turns the Smartpen into a translation tool, a musical instrument or anything else developers can come up with via the free SDK. Unsurprisingly it’s the language apps that are most obviously useful; a dictionary app, for instance, shows definitions of your handwritten word on the OLED screen, while various translation apps can automatically convert your handwritten notes into other languages. Of course, developers are also coming up with more unusual software, so you can sketch out strings or staves and play your notepad as a guitar or piano, convert currency or even play games like Sudoku.
