iPad Handwriting on the iPad

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by sadievan

Off topic. How do you get the picture to show up on the YouTube video link?

Carol

Looks like you have it pretty well figured out. At least, it shows up on my monitor fine.



For those who haven't, see our Wiki page on the subject.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled thread.

EDIT: Oh, wait: I see I was taking a screen shot of your post quoting my post. Oh, well—the wiki should explain it.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Looks like you have it pretty well figured out. At least, it shows up on my monitor fine.

Attachment 87572

For those who haven't, see our Wiki page on the subject.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled thread.

EDIT: Oh, wait: I see I was taking a screen shot of your post quoting my post. Oh, well—the wiki should explain it.

Thanks. I was actually trying to copy and email the original page from PhatWare that the video was taken from but the picture doesn't show up just the HTML script.

Carol

[FlorenceArt]

There is a promotion on Noteshelf, the price is down to 0.79€ ($ 0.99). It's a steal!

[FlorenceArt]

Another notebook app on promotion right now: CaptureNotes 2 can be had for 0.79€ ($ 0.99). So I couldn't resist giving it a try.

I will try to post a more complete review tonight, but for handwriting it is far behind Noteshelf. It does have some interesting features that Noteshelf doesn't have though, especially the option of importing pdf files for annotation.

Here is MacWorld's review: http://www.macworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=1179516

[FlorenceArt]

OK, here is a more detailed review of CaptureNotes 2.

It certainly won't replace Noteshelf for me. The handwriting is a bit rough and the palm protection doesn't move automatically as I write. There is no selection tool to delete or move a part of your writing, all you have to go back on what you write or draw is the eraser tool. No shapes tool either to draw rectangles or circles, but that's not a requirement for me.

The interface is OK but not as good looking as Noteshelf. It works best in landscape mode, where you have access to the page list and the flag list on the right side of the screen. Flags are an interesting feature, they are arrows that you can place anywhere on your page to mark it. There are a few default ones such as urgent, important, to do, and you can create your own set too. You can filter your pages in the page view based on flags.

The typed text functionality works fine. You can create text boxes on your page and move them around. You can change the width of the box. The length is automatically determined by the length of your text. However it seems that if your text is too long, it's impossible to scroll back up to the beginning of the text to edit it if you're in landscape mode. I hope this bug will be corrected soon. One thing that would be nice when typing text is an additional toolbar with punctuation, like many note apps have. But not CaptureNotes, at least in this version.

One feature that Noteshelf doesn't have is the ability to import PDF files to annotate them. I gave it a try with a file of 50 pages or so and it took a while to import it but it seemed to work fine afterward. However since then there is this annoying Adobe icon pulsing in my toolbar. I don't know if this is a feature or a bug, or a sign that something went wrong with the import.

Another feature is the ability to record audio as you take notes, but I haven't tested this as I won't be using it.

All in all, this could be an interesting app in a few versions, but IMO it needs more work. A note taking app should be reliable first and foremost, I don't think it's a good idea to implement too many features if you can't make them work flawlessly. Noteshelf remains the only app that fulfills my personal criteria.

[WT Sharpe]

Thanks for that review of CaptureNotes 2, Florence. Looks like for now you and I have both found solutions that work for us; you with Noteshelf (which is an excellent app), and me with WritePad.

[FlorenceArt]

Just came across this site called Appadvice, which has a special area for handwriting apps. Presumably this will get updated as apps appear and evolve, so it might be a good idea to bookmark it. Although I strongly disagree with some of their evaluations, especially placing Paper in the "Essential apps" category. Paper is a nice app but totally useless for handwriting. It could be nice for drawing and painting, except that it's one of those "free" apps that ends up costing an arm and a leg.

Plus, adding insult to injury, they dared put Noteshelf only in the "Notable apps" category. Pff.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Just came across this site called Appadvice, which has a special area for handwriting apps. Presumably this will get updated as apps appear and evolve, so it might be a good idea to bookmark it. Although I strongly disagree with some of their evaluations, especially placing Paper in the "Essential apps" category. Paper is a nice app but totally useless for handwriting. It could be nice for drawing and painting, except that it's one of those "free" apps that ends up costing an arm and a leg.

Plus, adding insult to injury, they dared put Noteshelf only in the "Notable apps" category. Pff.

Ha! It put my current favorite, WritePad, only in the "Decent Apps" category, a step down from "Notable Apps". Smart Writing Tool - 7Notes HD Premium is in their "Essential Apps" category. I haven't tried Smart Writing Tool, but I'm not too crazy about the fact that "you can only write in a zoomed area and not full-screen." Using the full screen is one of the things I like best about WritePad. Still, I may give the Smart Writing Tool a whirl.

[FlorenceArt]

Yes, I thought about you when I saw that, Tom. I won't bother with smart writing tools, as I'm pretty sure handwriting recognition is not for me anyway. If I want typed text, I'm better off just typing it. Handwriting is for different uses, mostly helping me organize my thoughts.

Based on their reviews, I might give Notability and Paper a second chance, although I have already installed and uninstalled both apps at least twice so it would be a third or fourth chance really. I guess I just like wasting my time on the iPad

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

...I guess I just like wasting my time on the iPad

Don't we all!

[FlorenceArt]

On a completely unrelated topic, Appadvice also has a page about the best Bible apps.

[WT Sharpe]

I just bought Smart Writing Tool - 7Notes HD Premium, appadvice.com's "essential app for those wanting to use their iPads to handwrite notes and then convert them to text."

I wasn't impressed.

The site says of my favorite, WritePad, that, "The handwriting conversion process is slow and thus makes writing awkward in full screen mode." I haven't found that to be the case at all. WritePad is fast on my iPad (perhaps because I've set the conversion time to the minimum) and I find writing with it in full screen mode to be a joy. Smart Writing Tool by contrast uses an input text window and has no full screen option. It's slow and cumbersome and in no way acts as a stimulus to the free flow of ideas. Let's just say that I also, like you, "strongly disagree with some of their evaluations," and may I add, double Pff!


Off-Topic corner:

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

On a completely unrelated topic, Appadvice also has a page about the best Bible apps.

I wouldn't trust their advice on Bible apps any more than their advice on handwriting apps. Full disclosure here: I haven't tried any of them, but I know that Logos is one of the biggest names in Bible Software for PCs and is used in many seminaries. That doesn't mean their iPad app is all that great, but I find it interesting that appadvice.com only rates their app as 'Decent'.

FWIW, for researching the Bible on my desktop I use BibleWorks, also one of the heavy-hitters, but they don't appear to have an app.

[WT Sharpe]

I've been playing with the Smart Writing Tool - 7Notes HD Premium some more, and my opinion remains unchanged. It has some nice output options, but I'm fine with those in WritePad. The only real weakness I see in WritePad is in the spell check function. It seems to be very limited. Other than that, it's fantastic in my book. I really don't see how appadvice.com can complain about its speed, then go on to call Smart Writing Tool an "Essential App". Smart Writing Tool is way slower, and while WritePad makes mistakes—as do all handwriting recognition apps—they seem to be far fewer in number and easier to correct.

I won't be bookmarking appadvice.com. I don't think much of their advice.

[FlorenceArt]

I think it's almost impossible to rate a handwriting app, expectations and uses can differ so much between people. But you may be right about the general quality of appadvice's reviews. I can understand their point for rating Notability better than Noteshelf, but I can't get over the rating of Paper as an essential app. I don't understand why this app is so overrated, it's been several times in Apple's recommendations too. The ink rendering engine may be good, but that's all the app has to offer. The rest is poor and expensive.

I reinstalled Notability for the umpteenth time, and I must say I was impressed by the quality of the handwriting. It flows more smoothly and looks better than in Noteshelf. But it still won't replace Noteshelf, because the interface keeps getting in the way of my writing flow. This is the real reason I can't give up Noteshelf. It lacks many features that could be useful and that other apps have, but the one thing it offers is essential: an uncluttered and efficient interface that lets me just write my thoughts.

Spoiler:

Thanks for the Bible info!

[kyteflyer]

If I want to only use handwritten notes as a note to self or to email someplace *without* conversion, I like Penuiltimate. I also liked Mental Note but prefer Penultimate.

I tried a lot in the first flush of the first iPad. Smart Note and White Note are two others. I no longer have White Note, but still have the other three.