Review: Neo Smartpen N2

There are times when I write something that I want it in one form or another. When it comes to school notes or journaling, I prefer to have it in written form and in digital form. The Neo Smartpen N2 allows me to do both.

Features:

• Write or draw with the record feature in the app and the background audio is recorded as you write. You can play back audio based on tapping a word or the page.
• Print compatible paper with N Toaster app (requires a Windows PC and color laser printer)
• Purchase a wide range of different style notebooks.
• Tag and search your text
• Five hours constant usage, three hours normal usage, 125 days standby
• Built-in memory can store up to 1,000 pages.
• Five levels of sensitivity
• Edit your notes in the app, change font colors or delete text / images entirely.
• Send directly to e-mail by tapping the pen on the envelope icon at the top of the page.
• Export to email, Evernote, SVG, PDF, text file, image, Google Drive
• Multiple transcribing languages

The following part of the post was written and then transcribed with the Neo Notes app. I left the errors in to show you how well it took what I wrote and put it into digital form.

This post was written and then translated into digital with the neo smart pen app. For someone like me who likes to have digital and written notes, this is perfect. I’m a much faster typer than a writer but carrying a pen and paper is easier than lugging my laptop everywhere. I’m also a graphics student and at times I need to sketch out ideas and Put them in my online portfolio. It’s also far less distracting to write On a notepad than tempt the internet.

Overall, it did pretty well with a few exceptions. Still, it got all the words right and if I were to go back and edit it based on mistakes, I would only have to make a couple fixes.

When it came to sketching, it did rather well.

While playing in the app, I liked how I could select different areas and change their color or delete them entirely. It helped make my notes a bit more organized when I hopped around from subject to subject on the same page. Being able to print paper at home is a major bonus over having to order notebooks every time we need more compatible paper. When my pen finally ran out of charge, it only took an hour to charge back up and that can easily be done on the go with a portable charger.

Of course, this was all with my handwriting, which isn’t that bad. What if your handwriting is less than perfect? To test this, I handed it over to my son, whose handwriting isn’t the greatest but is mostly legible. This is what the app picked up:

The only mistake was the first sentence is missing “I like” but I blame that on me having him write before the pen was fully ready.

And this is the text it transcribed:

like video games.
101
love you
mommy

The only mistake here is the 101 should be LOL, but he wrote it more like 101, so it’s not really the apps fault. Something interesting I noticed while he was writing was that no matter how he held the pen, it picked up what he was writing. So, the sensor doesn’t have to be pointed in a certain direction and can he held in whatever way is comfortable for you.

I can definitely see the N2 being a staple tech in my backpack this back-to-school season. If I could afford to get a second, I’d throw one in my son’s backpack as well.

The Neo Smartpen N2 is available on Amazon starting at $159.99. Make sure you purchase it directly from Neo Smartpen, because not all resellers are authorized and warranties won’t apply if bought from the wrong seller. While you’re there, grab a moleskin notebook to go along with it!

Disclaimer: GeekMom was given a review sample.