Stenovations Lightspeed Writer - does anyone have one?

I have been drooling over this writer since I first saw it full page in the 'JCR' and in the latest email from NCRA.  I am a student, and I feel writing with my 'manual' machine has got to be harder than pressing gently on these keys.  

What do you all think about that?

http://www.stenovations.com/products/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=30

Oh, yes!  I have a red one which I got in August of last year, as soon as they came out.  There is a LightSpeed Addicts Anonymous on www.depoman.com.  Search for LightSpeed, and you'll get a number of threads.  I also have a blog and a webpage dedicated to my LS, but they are a little out of date. 

I was at the GSRA technology conference last weekend with mine.  I met with a student from Brown, and she liked it a lot.  The only hurdle you need to clear is, does your school require paper notes?  If they do, you can't use the LS because it doesn't have a paper option.  If you just have to turn in your note file, you can use the SD card in the writer. 

 There have been some Eclipse users who have had problems with dropping/scrambled strokes in their realtime, but the strokes are always on the SD card.  Again, they are discussing that on depoman, and it looks like it is getting resolved.  It appears to me to be a Bluetooth/usb cable issue, but I'm not positive about that. 

The new blue color is very pretty.  It is more blue than the pix in the JCR looks.  There is a plan for a pink one, which I think is going to be a popular color!

If you buy the LS now and the "next generation" comes out in the future, you can trade in your old LS and get FULL PURCHASE PRICE toward the new writer.  If you get the LS and decide you don't like it, you have 90 days to return it.  You pay a 15% restocking fee. 

That's so funny, Greta, because I was eyeing off the red one, too...     I'll take a look at it at the Anaheim convention. If I can buy it and try it for 90 days, I will do that.  I might even get a better price at the convention.  And I can always return it if I think it's not helping me.

I don't think I need to worry about the paper.  I'm a 'teach at home' student doing the courtreportingathome.com study course. I'll check with Linda Bland and see whether she thinks I should stick with the 'manual' type of machine.  I just feel like I waste time and energy pressing those keys all the way down -- it reminds me of typing class back in the day when we used manuals!

 I just bought a red one at my state convention this weekend, and it's being delivered tomorrow.  We call it the Etch a Sketch writer.  The Stenovations rep told me that a reporter with a red one was at a dep, and got the typical Etch a Sketch comments, so when someone said "strike that" at the dep, she picked up and shook it.

    I can't wait ;)
 

Oh stop it!!  I can't bear it.  I want one so bad.  But as it doesn't write to paper, and I'm still learning how to read, I better stick with the dinosaur. 

 Do you feel it's faster to write with?  I can only imagine it's faster because you don't have to push keys down all the way.

Greta,

Do you know if the next LS will have audiosync?  If so, do you know when it's coming out?  I'm thinking about getting one in the future, but I want to wait till it has audiosync. Sorry if you're the wrong person to ask, but I thought if you don't know, maybe someone you know would know.  :)

 Thanks.

Linda Blackburn, RPR, CRR, Lakeland, FL

Hi, Linda

The last I heard (from someone who was in Boston and spoke with Johnny Jackson) is that there will not be audiosync on the next LS.  And here is the reasoning, as I understand it.  Audio on the writer would be a digital recording device which would record in, say, DSS or wav.  It's the same thing as having an Olympus sitting on the table.   Johnny's expertise is in the writer, not in sound recording.  When you start including things like sound, which can be obtained in other ways (which may be more effective), you add weight to the writer, you add cost to the writer.  You also add one more component which could go wrong, have problems, and then require repair. 

The next feature would be where you can toggle your steno keyboard into a QWERTY keyboard.  Sounds intriguing. 

 The Lightspeed is the main reason for me making an extra effor to make it into the Expo.  If Stenovations has put as much love, care, and attention into this writer as they have into their DigitalCat software, of which I am a HUGE fan, well, it's definitely something to look into. 

 I think I'd have to agree with the notion put forth by Stenovations regarding the idea to not include audiosync with the writer.  I remember as a brand new reporter the "combo" writers being the big flashy item - remember the writers with the laptop attached to the top?  I couldn't help but think, yeah, but what if my writer dies on me?  What do I do for a laptop or vice/versa?  I definitely like the idea of keeping my audio backup completely separate from my beloved writer!

The plan now, due to requests, is to have a readout and sound sync on the next LS.  How this will be done is super-duper top secret, but it's going to be pretty amazing.  I would *guess* it will take a year or so to get it ready for sale. 

Remember, if you buy a LS now and want the new LS when it comes out, you can trade in your old LS and get the full purchase price toward the new one.    Now, that's a deal!!!!

 Johnny Jackson will be at Anaheim, so go by and visit and write on this cool writer!

 Greta, are you planning on coming out to Anaheim?  I'd love to shake hands with you and say hello!

I'm not able to go to Anaheim.  I couldn't swing it, with our state convention just last week.  But for the future, I am planning on going to New Orleans for midyear and hopefully Washington next summer.

 Have fun at the conference!