Pens have come a long way since their noble beginnings as feathers. If you had one, it meant you knew how to read and write, which, back in the day was a big deal.

And then there were fountain pens. Much like their feathery predecessors, fountain pens were quite the status symbol. Someone even declared pens were mightier than swords. Pens, it seemed, were unstoppable.

Today, however, pens are a dime a dozen. Pens are probably one of the few things you can steal from someone and have them not care. To make matters worse for the once-proud pen are advances of the information age. Instead of writing my class notes by hand, I can just use my laptop.

A company called Livescribe hopes to reverse the pen's sorrowful fortunes with the release of their Pulse Smartpen.

The Smartpen synchronously records handwriting and sound. For example, imagine I wrote "important exam info" with the Smartpen. Later, I could return to my notes and tap those words on the page. From the pen's built-in speaker, I would hear the exact words my professor was saying when I wrote "important exam info."

All notes and sound recordings can be transferred to a PC via an included USB cable (Mac compatibility is in the works, according to Karen Lee, marketing manager for Livescribe). Once on a computer, handwritten notes become searchable. If I search for the word "stat," all of my notes from statistics classes would appear. I can even watch my notes being "written" while listening to whatever was being recorded -- all in real time.

As someone with inconsistent and oft-sloppy handwriting, I usually use a laptop to take class notes. However, the Smartpen seems to be an interesting alternative.

I tested a Smartpen (on loan from Livescribe) last week for a few of my classes. I found the Smartpen useful in lecture classes -- my notes are transformed from lecture bullet points to a detailed index of everything the professor had to say.

The pen was also helpful in language classes where participation is encouraged and pronunciation is vital.

If my Spanish professor is teaching new words or phrases, I can not only write down their spellings, I can record how she wants them pronounced.

An English-Spanish dictionary application is being developed, according to Lee.

Chris Spearman (sophomore-biochemistry and molecular biology) sees other uses for the pen, although he says he's "into more traditional note-taking."

"For a lot of my science classes, I have to draw diagrams," he said. "It would be ideal for classes that you can't just type your notes for," he added.

Price was another issue for Spearman.

"I wouldn't pay $20, but I could see it being $50 or more," he said.

The Smartpen costs $150 to $200, depending on the amount of memory (one to two gigabytes, respectively).

If someone stole a Smartpen from me, I would very much care about it.

Another issue I found with the pen was its need for special paper. A 200-page notebook costs around $6, according to Livescribe campus representative, Brett Feldman (junior-supply chain and information systems). However, he said, the ability to print your own special paper is on the way.

Technology in the classroom has been the cause of many academic dishonesty issues. Similar issues may arise with the Smartpen. Furthermore, Livescribe supports the online sharing of class notes -- something that may bother some professors. To remedy this potential problem, Lee said Livescribe conducted focus groups with students and professors to see how they felt about the Smartpen.

"What tends to be the issue ... is when students try and sell their notes," Lee said.

Her main tip to students who don't want to violate a professor's intellectual property: "You can't record unless you have their permission."

I think the Pulse Smartpen has great potential, but its $150-plus price tag could be a deal-breaker. If the price comes down, I could see a lot more people using the pen. If not, early adopters can still impress their friends with this amazing gadget.