The Livescribe Sky pen can store multiple wireless networks complete with the applicable wireless keys. There are times, however, when the pen may not be able to sync using the local wireless network. The pen must be able to connect to the Internet in order to sync. Circumstances that can prevent your pen from connecting include:

• You don’t know the network password
• The network passes Internet traffic through a proxy server
• The local network requires you to interact with a “gatekeeper” web page before granting access to the Internet
• The Livescribe service is blocked (who would do such a thing?)

In these circumstances, you have two options. You can delay syncing until you get to a network which facilitates your connection or you can use a tethered connection. As the name implies, a tethered connection means that you sync your pen when connected to a computer using your USD charging cable. In order to sync the pen, you will need to have the Livescribe Helper application installed on your PC or Mac. In addition, your computer will need a connection to the Internet.

Users familiar with the Livescribe Echo pen’s functionality might expect that the Helper application’s functions would resemble those of the Echo’s Livescribe Desktop application. The only similarity between the two applications is that both are used to sync the pen to the remote datastore. The Helper application serves only to sync notes to Evernote, archive (remove) notebooks from the Sky pen, and update the pen’s internal software. There is none of the Echo Desktop’s capability for note viewing or printing. One other note about the Sky’s sync functionality via Helper. Your notes are synced to Evernote in the cloud via a connection between Livescribe and Evernote servers.

The Helper application does not sync directly to Evernote on your computer. After syncing, new notes will appear in your local copy of Evenote the next time Evernote refreshes – usually within a few minutes of using the Helper application.

To get the Helper application, visit the Livescribe Support site. Links to the Helper application are usually on the Support site’s landing page. Here’s a link to a page with the download links for both PC and Mac.