Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Note Taking App Reviews!!

I finally wrote out my rubric and scored the apps, so now without further fanfare...

*Note: These are all iPad apps I have tested on a 16GB iPad mini. My opinions are my own, unsolicited views.

Well first, an overview:

Name of App

My Rating (out of 4 o's)

Price

Page/Book Limitations

Pen Sizes/Types; Color Selection

Writing Accuracy

Notes/Comments

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Bamboo Paper

IMG_0262

My Rating: o o o o

Price: Free, Full Version Costs $1.99

Page/Book Limitations: I don't remember how many books I got with the free version, maybe 3 or 4, but I had about 15 pages of notes for Biology. The full version is, of course, with unlimited books and pages.

Pen Sizes/Types; Color Selection: 9 colors to choose from, can choose pen or highlighter and only 3 sizes, but I only use one size most of the time and it's perfect for me.

Writing Accuracy:Pretty accurate, especially with my magnificent new Boxwave stylus! (Thank You, PaperDesk!) (That thing is SWEET.)

Notes/Comments: I love that I can lock one of my notebooks, as it is specifically for dream captures. Can change paper type. Also skips occasionally, but only around edges. Bought full version. Can you tell this one is my favorite yet?

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the note, Moka!

IMG_0263

My Rating: o o o c

Price: Free, Full for $4.99

Page/Book Limitations: Not totally sure...it updated and I've been able to add a ton more books and pages than I initially could...and I know I didn't get the full version of this one.

Pen Sizes/Types; Color Selection: a whopping 14 colors to choose from!!, can use pen highlighter, or crayon. - 6 size choices as well as different eraser sizes.

Writing Accuracy: pretty accurate, almost same as Penultimate, though.

Notes/Comments: I feel bad I underestimated this app, and only rate it the way I do from my initial testing. I can tell it has way more to it now, but I haven't explored that, so I cannot rate based on that. Also, you can't delete books in the Lite Version.

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Evernote Penultimate

IMG_0265

My Rating: o c

Price: Free

Page/Book Limitations: Not sure...The interface was a tad confusing for me.

Pen Sizes/Types; Color Selection: 10 colors, 1 type of pen with a slider to change size.

Writing Accuracy: slight lag but writes OK

Notes/Comments: can change paper type, smooths letters as you write. overall, an OK app, but I agree with the other reviews in the App Store.

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PaperDesk - I had to bring it back for the multi-app review. It's only fair. 

IMG_0266

My Rating: o o o o

Price: Free; Full Version is $3.99

Page/Book Limitations: In Free Version, only 1 folder, 3 notebooks with 3 pages each. In full, unlimited.

Pen Sizes/Types; Color Selection: Pencil or highlighter - colors pretty much infinite and size changes with a slider. you can preselect a color or slide the slider around to pick the perfect shade and adjust it with the other sliders.

Writing Accuracy: sometimes skips when drawing, but very accurate representation.

Notes/Comments: Type, record, and draw! My only wish is that you could type from any spot, instead of keying 'Enter' after I draw a diagram to make notes beneath it. My touchscreen writing isn't so great, and I like to have the legible print of typing. I also discovered I can type into my professor's PDF formatted powerpoints!

Overall, these apps are all pretty good and the free versions are basic and do what needs to be done, which is draw and take notes the way I like. My favorites are PaperDesk and Bamboo Paper, of course. Now back to Amazon.com to peruse more cases so I can better enjoy my note taking! (My current one does not rotate...I was waiting to get one that did. Can't beat Amazon's prices, for sure!!)

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