Today I saw a print ad for the Livescribe 1GB Pulse smart pen. It is not available on Pricegrabber.com yet, but is similar to the LeapFrog FLY Fusion Pentop Computer.

The FLY Fusion Digital Pen is targeted at children ages 8 to 16, to help with homework as well as play games and double as an MP3 player. A number of adults find it useful too, both in business settings as well as for general writing. I must admit that when I first saw it advertised I thought it was pretty cool.

Basically, the FLY Fusion Digital Pen makes use of a tiny camera to record handwriting on special paper (called “FLY Paper“). This is then stored in the pen’s memory, and when the pen is connected to a computer the digitized handwriting can be converted into various formats. Additional software can be purchased to add functionality to the FLY Fusion.

The Livescribe Pulse “smart pen” adds sound recording, so it can record sounds while you are writing. This seems ideal for college and also business meetings. It also uses special notepaper and ink refills.

This technology is still developing, but is already a viable (and cheaper) alternative to tablet PCs.