Your worst nightmare is upon you: Your laptop is dead. You could cry, or you could try one of these incredibly cool note-taking alternatives for your next meeting. Whether you prefer paper, digital, or something in between, the world is full of amazing options.
Moleskine is always a classy choice. And with the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine, you can take IRL designs and easily transcribe them to digital. Price: $29.95 – $32.95
Livescribe is a digital pen that, as it writes, instantly syncs with your tablet or smartphone. Price: $149.95
Livescribe has Moleskin notebooks that work especially well with their pen. Price: $29.95
This pen is more Star Wars than Star Trek, mostly because it has that cool, Death Star edge in its design. Plus, it can manipulate on iOS devices. Price: $99.99
Uzi has many gorgeous and cool pens, but I happen to like the Glassbreaker the best because it looks super Battlestar Galactica. Plus, you can break glass with it. Price: $27.00
Modern, sleek, and available in a number of colors, the Bamboo Duo is a digital stylus and an ink pen. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it, too? Price: $29.95
Coming in three colors and seriously art-nouveau stylish, it also has the ability to charge your devices. Price: $35.19
It looks like something off the Mad Men set. Even more amazingly, it has an Ethergraph tip, making it inkless and more or less usable forever. Price: starts at approximately $126 USD
No, this notebook doesn’t do anything digital, but you can attach a knife to it, and it looks awesome. Price: Starts at $14.99
This is one tricked-out pen. Looking like a Star Trek accessory, it can write on paper, manipulate on a touchscreen, and has various lighting capabilities. Price: $9.99
The pen’s pieces are magnets, and it looks like something Frank Gehry would design. Put it all together, and you have a desk must-have. Price: $23.99
Looking like a fancy calligraphy stylus, the Nanotech is something Tony Stark would carry around in his back pocket, though only a Silicon Valley tycoon could afford this pen. Among its many awesome features? It has infrared technology. Price: approximately $2,689 USD
It doubles as a gorgeous houseplant while also being a writing device. Talk about “eco-chic.” Price: $4.70 for 10 pieces
Yes, it’s an analog notebook, but carry it around, and you’ll look like you’re straight out of Game of Thrones. Price: $34.99
Using both paper and clever syncing with a mobile device, the Bamboo Spark is easy to use and will make you look like a startup wunderkind when you whip it out. Price: $159. 95
The Huion digital drawing pad would look right at home in any ultra modern penthouse apartment: Black, minimal, and trendy – what’s not to love? Price: $29.99
Obviously the Huion H420 would not be complete without its gadget sidekick of a digital wireless pen. Price: $16.99
Saying this is just a regular pen is like saying a Ferrari is just a regular car. There’s a difference, and you see it with one glance. Price: approximately $1,840 USD
This is something you can picture Bruce Banner using while working in his lab. It’s functional and no-nonsense, while adhering to a minimal aesthetic that almost belies the sweet tech inside. Price: approximately $158
Sony’s digital notepad is a beauty. It’s light, comfortably big to write on, and easy to read. Price: $799.95
A notebook of sorts, this pen tablet comes in various sizes and is both touch and pen sensitive. Plus, it looks like something Bruce Wayne would take notes on in a board meeting. Price: starts at approximately $317 USD
The Creo is a 3D pen with cool, UV light ink. I mean really, does it even matter what it looks like? Price: starts at $129.99
Lisa is a writer at large for sites like Mashable, Mic, and Huffington Post. Dog wrangler extraordinaire at BarkPost. Things requiring only140 characters @pilrimkim, IG @weirdwiener.
