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Harvey Norman inks Livescribe smart pen deal

SmartPen vendor extends Australian retail presence and distribution agreements due to market demand

Livescribe has penned deals with Harvey Norman and WoW Sight and Sound to sell its Pulse SmartPen devices and accessories.

Livescribe CEO, Jim Margraff, attributed the decision to strong response and demand from users in Australia. The vendor’s SmartPen devices capture handwriting and record voice. They are currently being sold through other several retailers including OfficeWorks, JB Hi-Fi, Apple, Next Byte and Dick Smith.

Livescribe also appointed specialist niche distributor, Keepad Interactive, which dabbles in the interactive engagement and learning solutions space, to further broaden its market presence. It selected its first distributor, Ingram Micro last October.

“Keepad is a different type of distribution channel focused on solution selling,” Margraff said. “They are much smaller and they’re working with us in identifying development opportunities for software and systems.”

In December, the vendor launched its own applications store for its devices and recently held a user and developer conference in Sydney to help create more dedicated tools. Livescribe has about 30 applications in its store and Margraff was hopeful it would climb substantially in the next few months. The company has more than 6500 developers across 69 countries including Melbourne-based Hannan IT.

Some of the apps available include a dictionary application containing more than 1000 words, and a classical music tool. There are also applications for personal productivity, business, health, science and teaching. Some will be sold online, but also through its retail partners. “You’ll be able to buy software in addition to downloading from our online store,” Margraff said.

The SmartPen synchronises the voice recording to the writing on a specific dot-style paper and is available in two versions 2GB costing $259 and 4GB for $299.

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

More about: Apple, Harvey Norman, Ingram Micro, Ingram Micro Australia , Livescribe, Next Byte, Norman, Norman
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