Wednesday, February 2, 2011

OneNote for the iPhone and iPad at Last!



If there is one application I can't live without, it's Microsoft OneNote.  I started using it on the Tablet PC, and it has become a central repository for my meeting notes, to-do lists, reference materials, and any other information that I want to collect.  The search functions make it easy to find things, and the tagging system allows tasks to be categorized and associated with events in Outlook.  Everything was great in OneNote Land until I got my iPad.

There is no more natural application for the iPad than OneNote, and for my first couple of weeks with the iPad, I looked everywhere for a substitute.  While a lot of people love EverNote, the interface just didn't click with me.  MobileNoter allowed the viewing of OneNote content, but entry and syncing just wasn't there the way I wanted it.  A couple of weeks ago, with no warning, Microsoft released this app and I found my prayers answered.

OneNote for IOS is mainly a OneNote viewer, but you can create new notes and to-do lists, update existing ones and organize your notebooks on Windows Live.  Some new features have been added - you can add pictures from your camera roll (or screenshots).  It's the closest thing yet to the full OneNote experience on an Apple device.



There are a couple of catches.  First off, it's an iPhone App, which could be seen as an advantage since it works on both platforms, but the display when zoomed in to fill the iPad screen is a little pixelated.  Also, you are required to publish your OneNote notebooks to Windows Live in order to access them.  Again, this could be seen as a positive, having your information available in the cloud, on your iPhone, your iPad and through Microsoft Office Live's web interface.  There are a few limitations on content - embedded files cannnot be accessed, although images show up fine.  There is no handwriting interface, one of OneNote's key features on the PC, but the iPhone and iPad aren't built for a pen interface, so this is to be expected.  I would love to see an iPad specific version which uses the full resolution available and maybe even lets you doodle or sketch.


If you use OneNote on the PC - you need this app.  If you don't use OneNote, you need to start!

If you are not sold already - it's FREE for a "limited time"!  Get it at the App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onenote/id410395246?mt=8

1 comment:

  1. no handwriting!?!?! ne one know a good pen and handwriting note software?

    ReplyDelete