Livescribe Smartpen 3 Black Edition review: the Pen 2.0

Halfway between a stylus and a pen, the Smartpen 3 writes on paper but captures your notes and drawings digitally with added audio tied to your strokes

The pen hasn't changed much since the successful invention of the ballpoint pen in 1938. We've had pressurised containers that work in space, different types of ink and slicker ball designs, but fundamentally it works the same way it always has.

The stylus is arguably the next evolution of the pen - a pen without ink. For many, however, it is a step too far, lacking the tactility of pen on paper and ditching the best thing about a ballpoint pen: it can write just about anywhere without any special equipment.