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Still confused on handwriting/notes apps

Cptnodegard said:
I use:
App: Goodnotes
Stylus: Maglus or Wacom Bamboo

I want to use Notability, but there are two issues that made me hide it in a folder and ignore it. First off, it doesn't go into dual screen mode when connected to an external display, which is a dealbreaker when you're a teache.r Second, the zoom box has the detection box for moving the box at the end of the box, rather than at the beginning, which is what Goodnotes does. That means you have to write into the detection area, wait for it to move the zoom box, and the continue. In Goodnotes, you just continue writing from the beginning of the box.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I like Notability's versatility, but I've realized that it is simply a Jack of all trades and Master of none. The zoom box isn't as good as other apps like Goodnotes. The pdf importation is a great feature, but the pdf pages lag horribly, especially if there are images or annotations.

And the folders UI is atrocious.
 
TJ61 said:
Your experience with the Bamboo sounds similar to mine, and I also have an iPad Mini with screen protector (though I tested the stylus with the screen protector off as well). Maybe I'll have to try the Targus, especially since they're easily accessible (sold at Target).

Thanks for the info!

Regards,
Tom
Click to expand...

no problem this just experience with a screen protector I'm sure without it the truglide would kick ass but deff the targus takes the cake and with the Smart Cover it clips on magnetically well if you find the sweet spot
 
I just picked up the Targus stylus yesterday, and it's great! It works MUCH better than the Bamboo, which I think was probably defective, but not much worse than a second Bamboo that I tested later at Best Buy.

Like the Bamboo, the Targus tip is also hollow, but maybe not quite as squishy(?), though maybe it just doesn't get squished because it responds to a much lighter touch.

Anyway, after an initial poor experience, I've found a stylus that works as I envisioned it should. Thanks again, Ali!

Regards,
Tom
 
Really glad I found this thread.

The idea of using a tablet to take handwritten notes occurred to me only yesterday like a little light bulb going off in my head. I don't even have an iPad (yet).

But I wanted to ask. Assuming you have a great stylus and the right note taking app how good is the handwritten note taking experience on an iPad?

I have approximately infinity notebooks/notepads taking up space on my desk at work. I use them to organize ideas, make lists, write plans for protocols (I work in a research lab) and take notes for lectures. I eventually lose track of all of them and sometimes those random notes are important.

Having all of that together in one place would be amazing. But can an iPad (which was never really designed with stylus input in mind) really replace my paper notebooks and notepads? I guess I just want to get a realistic idea of what other users think especially for taking free form notes as I often need to include diagrams or bullet points along with a lot of regular writing.

Thanks in advance 🙂
 
Here's another thread full of suggestions ans comments on the topic:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1130772/

To answer your question: IMHO an iPad can replace a pile of paper notebooks, it does for me. Look for a note taking app with a zoom box, a decent filing system, a sync like p.e. Dropbox, and a nice set of writing tools that covers your needs (pencil, pen, marker...).
After the obligatory testing, I went with Noteshelf and never regretted it. My favorite stylus for writing is the Maglus.
All together, I can safely say that note taking is the #1 purpose of my iPad.

EDIT
Just discovered TopNotes by Blue Tags is free for a limited period of time.
 
Last edited:
Saturn1217 said:
Really glad I found this thread.

The idea of using a tablet to take handwritten notes occurred to me only yesterday like a little light bulb going off in my head. I don't even have an iPad (yet).

But I wanted to ask. Assuming you have a great stylus and the right note taking app how good is the handwritten note taking experience on an iPad?

I have approximately infinity notebooks/notepads taking up space on my desk at work. I use them to organize ideas, make lists, write plans for protocols (I work in a research lab) and take notes for lectures. I eventually lose track of all of them and sometimes those random notes are important.

Having all of that together in one place would be amazing. But can an iPad (which was never really designed with stylus input in mind) really replace my paper notebooks and notepads? I guess I just want to get a realistic idea of what other users think especially for taking free form notes as I often need to include diagrams or bullet points along with a lot of regular writing.

Thanks in advance 🙂
Click to expand...
To add to GerritV's excellent comments:

Like you, I'm in a research position, and probably have just as many notebooks/notepads, plus one. 😉 I just acquired my first iPad (mini) last Nov., and though I still haven't settled in on a handwriting notebook, whether or not I'll be able to replace the paper is largely up to me; I think the devices and the apps are capable enough.

I started with Notesy on my iPhone, which only allows plain text typewritten notes, but is bulletproof when it comes to syncing with DropBox. I can record some data in the lab, and know that it will be on my desktop to pull in to my electronic notebook. I still use it some on the iPad.

For handwritten notes with instant DropBox sync, Notability is good, but it has some other shortcomings that pushes me to GoodNotes. I'm still on the free version of that. You can still easily get your notes to DropBox, just not automatically. Both allow you to insert a text box in your notes, so when you want to go to town with a keyboard....

Along these lines, for a pdf reader with annotation, I have settled on GoodReader for keeping all my research papers and other pdf's in one place. It allows markups, including handwritten annotations. There are others in its class; iAnnotate comes to mind. Some note apps include pdf annotation capability, but I don't think they do as well with general pdf handling and organization.

Regards,
Tom
 
TJ61 said:
You can still easily get your notes to DropBox, just not automatically.
Click to expand...

I thought the same, until someone pointed out that Goodnotes does indeed have an automatic Dropbox syncing feature. It works great and will sync either as PDF or proprietary goodnotes format
 
Cptnodegard said:
I thought the same, until someone pointed out that Goodnotes does indeed have an automatic Dropbox syncing feature. It works great and will sync either as PDF or proprietary goodnotes format
Click to expand...
That's great! How do you do it? Is that the "mirroring" option?

BTW, I liked your article on Notability vs. GoodNotes. I hadn't appreciated zoom boxes until I read it, and now consider them a critical component of a good note app.


Regards,
Tom
 
TJ61 said:
That's great! How do you do it? Is that the "mirroring" option?

BTW, I liked your article on Notability vs. GoodNotes. I hadn't appreciated zoom boxes until I read it, and now consider them a critical component of a good note app.


Regards,
Tom
Click to expand...

Yup, the mirroring option. It was a comment on that exact article that made me aware of the feature, I've apparently missed the update that added it
 
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