
The Neo Studio app (available on iPhone and Android) is nice, with an easy-to-navigate notebook system and the ability to search for pages by page number or date. You should be able to find whatever size and style of notebook you need, like spiral-bound college-ruled ones, as well as planners. The Neo Smartpen M1+ is the thinnest and lightest of all the pens I tried, which makes it feel a bit more like your standard pen and-more importantly-comfortable in your hand. The pen will still write, but it won't digitize anything. ★ Remember: You have to keep your pen charged and ready, so you don't run out of battery mid-sentence. You should be able to transfer data later, but transfer frequently so you don't run out of storage (or in case you lose the pen).
DIGITAL NOTETAKER PEN BLUETOOTH
You then use a Bluetooth connection or USB port to transfer the files to your computer. As you write in the notebook, dotted grids plot the pen's movements. An infrared camera near the pen's point tracks your writing strokes. When you buy a smart pen, you're actually getting a pen, a notebook, and an accompanying app.

Updated August 2022: We've added more options for digital notetaking, including the Boox Note Air2 Plus, Rocketbook's reusable notebooks, the Kobo Elipsa, and Repaper Tablet. If your notes need an upgrade, we recommend giving these a try.īe sure to check out our guide to Best Dorm Essentials, as well as our favorite laptop backpacks and totes. Some of these devices can record, too, which is great for lectures and interviews. You can save files as PDFs, images, and Word Docs, or transcribe to a text file in Google Docs to make all your notes searchable. There are smart pens, notebooks, and tablets made to save digital files of your handwritten notes or drawings. But having a digital backup is convenient for on-the-go organization and studying. Putting real pen to paper also just feels good.

Typing out notes on a laptop might be faster, but physically writing something down helps you remember and learn more. School typically requires taking a lot of notes, whether you're going into ninth grade or college.
