'Life-Organiser' App: What does Apple have?

MacNoobGuy · Mar 10, 2013

hey guys, i really need an App to help organise my life. i want a cross-platform life organiser that'll store personal notes, to do list, financial information and some way of reminding myself of upcoming important dates. i want to be able to make changes while offline and using an iPod touch also. i have a Mac, Windows, and iPod Touch and i want to be able to make changes on all of them. i don't mind using a different App for photos.

could someone share what they use as their cloud solution? is there an article i can look at somewhere that compares different life-organisers other than Wikipedia?

here's my current solution: i use 'Notes' from Apple on my Mac and iPod Touch and this has been working decently, but it's not available on Windows. also, i once lost some 'Notes' and i've heard of others having the same issue. i think i lost notes because of the syncing feature. i sync the 'Notes' using iTunes 'Sync' feature and so the 'Notes' aren't stored in the Cloud, they're only stored on the Mac/iPod Touch and so the Mac serves as the central machine. i use OpenOffice by manually copying and pasting over notes from the App 'Notes' to store information(upcoming dates) and then i sync it using Dropbox. so far this has been decent, but it's a bit cumbersome and i wanted to know if there was something that had some more features like an ability to 'remind' me of important dates and deadlines. i basically just need something to replace 'Notes' i guess.

can i use 'Reminders' from Apple? be great if Apple offered something.

i trust Apple and would MUCH prefer it if i could store this information with Apple, but it doesn't seem like Apple have anything similar to Evernote? does Microsoft have something other than OneNote(which is only available on PC)? can i use Gmail to do this? i just installed 'Google Drive', but since Google gets most of its revenue from advertisements, which obviously scan notes to find relevant ads. i'm more inclined to stay with Apple as Apple gets most of its revenue from hardware sales as opposed to Google's ad revenue. what can someone recommend i look into?

i was thinking of using Evernote, but i'm just really leery of leaving my whole life into a company i know nothing about. i keep reading how great Evernote is, but i don't know them at all. placing my personal information etc is giving them a lot of trust when i don't know Evernote at all. then i just read this: https://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/02/evernote-issues-password-reset-after-security-breach/

note to mods: i made a similar thread a long time ago, but my needs have changed a lot since then so i decided to make a new thread.

what are my options?

thanks, i'd really appreciate any help!

phoenixsan · Mar 10, 2013

Maybe.....

Yojimbo from Bare Bones software and Bento are worth a look.

MacNoobGuy · Mar 10, 2013

forgot to say i use Firefox sync and this is great. is there anything i can use from Mozilla? i don't trust these extensions by non-Mozilla people.

is it true i can use iCloud to sync photos from Preview?

thanks!

MacNoobGuy · Mar 11, 2013

ok thanks. i'm looking at Bare Bones now.

i think this might be in the wrong forum. could a mod maybe move it some place else? i don't seem to be capturing much attention.

thanks

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ok i looked at Yojimbo, but it's only for OSX/iOS. i need something that'll run on Windows, too!

MacNoobGuy · Mar 12, 2013

i'd appreciate it if a mod could move this thread to some place where i could get some help!

pickaxe · Mar 12, 2013

Are you talking about a Firefox Sync client for iOS? Mozilla removed the original sync app from the App Store a while ago and open-sourced it.

I am using an app called "Bookmarks on the Go" that seems to be a clone of the old Mozilla app and it works fine. Looks like it has been abandoned though (tried emailing the dev for iPhone 5 support, no answer).

Also while the Firefox Sync protocol is secure I can't be certain that the dev isn't logging my info to some remote server (and I can't be bothered to try and sniff the app's traffic)

rocknblogger · Mar 12, 2013

Sounds like Evernote might be your best bet. It's on virtually every platform and keeps everything in sync. You can create different notebooks for each of the things you want to keep track of.

James_C · Mar 12, 2013

If you are interested in a App that follows David Allen's Getting Things Done philosophy, then take a look at OmniFocus. Possibly the most powerful GTD App available on any platform. They have a Mac App and an iOS App, but not on Windows, although there are ways around that.

Productivity guru's love it, however you need to pretty committed to the system, to get the most out of it, as the App has a learning curve. The developers are just about to release a new version which is more accessible.

Michaelgtrusa · Mar 12, 2013

MacNoobGuy said:
ok thanks. i'm looking at Bare Bones now.

i think this might be in the wrong forum. could a mod maybe move it some place else? i don't seem to be capturing much attention.

thanks

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ok i looked at Yojimbo, but it's only for OSX/iOS. i need something that'll run on Windows, too!

Evernote is the best choice right now.

jojoba · Mar 12, 2013

Another vote for Evernote here.

Bluefusion · Mar 12, 2013

I prefer Simplenote synced to Notational Velocity on the Mac. Simplenote is faster, quieter, and less stressful than using Evernote. It only handles text, but it's live 100% of the time -- no downloading/waiting, no offline problems, no confusing interface. Have used it for ~5 years now and love it. I also use Evernote, but for media (pictures/scans/article clippings) rather than notes.

Also, Simplenote is available on iOS and works great.

macdoofus · Mar 12, 2013

Evernote on Touch - I find no offline option, it appears you must be online or their ios app does nothing. If this is not true please advise.

rocknblogger · Mar 12, 2013

Bluefusion said:
I prefer Simplenote synced to Notational Velocity on the Mac. Simplenote is faster, quieter, and less stressful than using Evernote. It only handles text, but it's live 100% of the time -- no downloading/waiting, no offline problems, no confusing interface. Have used it for ~5 years now and love it. I also use Evernote, but for media (pictures/scans/article clippings) rather than notes.

Also, Simplenote is available on iOS and works great.

And there's Resophnote for Windows that syncs with Simplenote.

rocknblogger · Mar 12, 2013

macdoofus said:
Evernote on Touch - I find no offline option, it appears you must be online or their ios app does nothing. If this is not true please advise.

You have to download your notes to your touch. Once downloaded they are available offline. You can also choose which notebooks you want to use in offline mode.

macdoofus · Mar 12, 2013

Thanks rocknblogger !

MacNoobGuy · Mar 13, 2013

James Craner said:
If you are interested in a App that follows David Allen's Getting Things Done philosophy, then take a look at OmniFocus. Possibly the most powerful GTD App available on any platform. They have a Mac App and an iOS App, but not on Windows, although there are ways around that.

Productivity guru's love it, however you need to pretty committed to the system, to get the most out of it, as the App has a learning curve. The developers are just about to release a new version which is more accessible.

ok thanks, but it not being available on Windows is a real killer for me. how do you get around it anyway?

MacNoobGuy · Mar 13, 2013

Michaelgtrusa said:
Evernote is the best choice right now.

jojoba said:
Another vote for Evernote here.

ok thanks guys. i asked how you could trust Evernote? i mean i'd be storing a lot of personal info it. plus that security scare they had i mentioned in the first post.

Bluefusion said:
I prefer Simplenote synced to Notational Velocity on the Mac. Simplenote is faster, quieter, and less stressful than using Evernote. It only handles text, but it's live 100% of the time -- no downloading/waiting, no offline problems, no confusing interface. Have used it for ~5 years now and love it. I also use Evernote, but for media (pictures/scans/article clippings) rather than notes.

Also, Simplenote is available on iOS and works great.

rocknblogger said:
And there's Resophnote for Windows that syncs with Simplenote.

ok thanks. Simplenote sounds ok, but i don't like the idea of using a 3rd party app for Windows because what happens if the developer for Windows stops making updates?

rocknblogger said:
You have to download your notes to your touch. Once downloaded they are available offline. You can also choose which notebooks you want to use in offline mode.

i want to use Evernote on my iPod Touch, but i don't connect the iPod Touch directly to the internet, i only connect it to the Mac via the USB cable. would Evernote be able to sync to the cloud this way or no? i currently use 'Notes' by Apple and this can sync to the Mac. i don't mind figuring out how to connect the iPod Touch directly to the internet though.

does anyone else have experience with Evernote? is it secure?

jojoba · Mar 13, 2013

Here's a link that talks about Evernote and safety:

http://michaelhyatt.com/is-your-data-safe-in-evernote.html

This topic has also been discussed extensively on the Evernote forums, so you could do some research there. My own policy is that I don't keep information of a very personal nature there, I back up daily and and I have a copy of all my research notes in DevonThink.

Another alternative you can look at is the combination of OneNote (windows) and Outline+ (mac/iPad). See this link

http://outline.ws/mac

MacNoobGuy · Mar 13, 2013

jojoba said:
Here's a link that talks about Evernote and safety:

http://michaelhyatt.com/is-your-data-safe-in-evernote.html

This topic has also been discussed extensively on the Evernote forums, so you could do some research there. My own policy is that I don't keep information of a very personal nature there, I back up daily and and I have a copy of all my research notes in DevonThink.

Another alternative you can look at is the combination of OneNote (windows) and Outline+ (mac/iPad). See this link

http://outline.ws/mac

ok thanks i'll check out that link.

what's DevonThink?

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i'm trying to find an article comparing different 'life organisers' by a tech expert. i'm looking for more information about evernote.

Michaelgtrusa · Mar 13, 2013

MacNoobGuy said:
ok thanks i'll check out that link.

what's DevonThink?

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i'm trying to find an article comparing different 'life organisers' by a tech expert. i'm looking for more information about evernote.

I trust Evernote this problem is they will always be a target like any other cloud service. To make things worse they ran to china.

jojoba · Mar 13, 2013

[/COLOR]i'm trying to find an article comparing different 'life organisers' by a tech expert. i'm looking for more information about evernote.[/QUOTE]

If you're fine with staying within the apple eco system, there are more options. But if you're looking for something that works cross platform, I think the alternatives have been covered in this thread. There are tons of posts on the web on Evernote, and their forums have lots of info.

MacNoobGuy · Mar 13, 2013

Michaelgtrusa said:
I trust Evernote this problem is they will always be a target like any other cloud service. To make things worse they ran to china.

jojoba said:
[/COLOR]i'm trying to find an article comparing different 'life organisers' by a tech expert. i'm looking for more information about evernote.

If you're fine with staying within the apple eco system, there are more options. But if you're looking for something that works cross platform, I think the alternatives have been covered in this thread. There are tons of posts on the web on Evernote, and their forums have lots of info.[/QUOTE]

oh ok thanks.

so Evernote is generally considered to be the best thing available? how does 'cloud syncing' work anyway? how does the App know which is the most up to date version? like my ipod touch version or windows version?

btw someone recommended i use dropbox and upload .txt files to it and then edit them on the iPod touch/mac/windows. would this work?

thanks!

NMF · Mar 13, 2013

MacNoobGuy said:
so Evernote is generally considered to be the best thing available?

The only thing with Evernote is that it uses a proprietary file system that isn't compatible with anything else. If the company ever goes under or their service is killed or changed in ways you don't like, there won't be any way for you to migrate your data to another service.

To be honest though, I don't really understand what you mean by a "life-organizer" app. That's just waaaay too broad. Even if something did fit that bill, it would quickly become so overburdened with mountains of junk that you wouldn't know how to wade through it all. Data paralysis, you might call it. That is counter-intuitive to being organized.

If you really want to get your sh-t together, buy OmniFocus along with a copy of Getting Things Done by David Allen.

Then if you need a specific app to sync notes, get a specific apps to sync notes. If you need a specific app to perform another function, get a specific app to perform that function. There is no single monster app that will effectively do what you're asking. You might think that one will (Evernote, for example), but in practice it will become a bloated landfill. Of course, YMMV, but this has been my experience after quite a bit of testing in this realm.

rocknblogger · Mar 13, 2013

MacNoobGuy said:
oh ok thanks.

so Evernote is generally considered to be the best thing available? how does 'cloud syncing' work anyway? how does the App know which is the most up to date version? like my ipod touch version or windows version?

btw someone recommended i use dropbox and upload .txt files to it and then edit them on the iPod touch/mac/windows. would this work?

thanks!

"Best thing available" is subjective. If it works for you then great. If not, then it's not so good

NMF said:
The only thing with Evernote is that it uses a proprietary file system that isn't compatible with anything else. If the company ever goes under or their service is killed or changed in ways you don't like, there won't be any way for you to migrate your data to another service.

To be honest though, I don't really understand what you mean by a "life-organizer" app. That's just waaaay too broad. Even if something did fit that bill, it would quickly become so overburdened with mountains of junk that you wouldn't know how to wade through it all. Data paralysis, you might call it. That is counter-intuitive to being organized.

If you really want to get your sh-t together, buy OmniFocus along with a copy of Getting Things Done by David Allen.

Then if you need a specific app to sync notes, get a specific apps to sync notes. If you need a specific app to perform another function, get a specific app to perform that function. There is no single monster app that will effectively do what you're asking. You might think that one will (Evernote, for example), but in practice it will become a bloated landfill. Of course, YMMV, but this has been my experience after quite a bit of testing in this realm.

This is actually a very good point. Sometimes trying to fit all your needs into one app becomes impractical. Unfortunately Omnifocus doesn't have a Windows version, though I wish it had.

The good thing about Evernote though is the ability to create different notebooks for different subjects/needs/categories. So when starting to use Evernote it's important to take the time to set it up correctly. You can in fact set it up as a GTD client by using different notebooks for Inbox, Someday, Projects etc. Then you can use tags for context. It takes a bit of doing but it can be almost as powerful as Omnifocus if you take the time to set it up. There are plenty of tutorials on the web, Google is your friend

MacNoobGuy said:
ok thanks guys. i asked how you could trust Evernote? i mean i'd be storing a lot of personal info it. plus that security scare they had i mentioned in the first post.

ok thanks. Simplenote sounds ok, but i don't like the idea of using a 3rd party app for Windows because what happens if the developer for Windows stops making updates?

i want to use Evernote on my iPod Touch, but i don't connect the iPod Touch directly to the internet, i only connect it to the Mac via the USB cable. would Evernote be able to sync to the cloud this way or no? i currently use 'Notes' by Apple and this can sync to the Mac. i don't mind figuring out how to connect the iPod Touch directly to the internet though.

does anyone else have experience with Evernote? is it secure?

I don't think Evernote syncs via USB connected to your Mac. I've never tried it though so it may be possible. If you have a WiFi router it's fairly easy to connect your iPod touch. As for using a 3rd party Windows apps, Evernote or any other option is 3rd party too. And sure it's always possible that the developer stops updating the app but that can happen with anything.

I'm pretty confident though that Evernote will be around for quite some time to come. They are one of the more successful notes apps available anywhere.

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NMF said:
The only thing with Evernote is that it uses a proprietary file system that isn't compatible with anything else. If the company ever goes under or their service is killed or changed in ways you don't like, there won't be any way for you to migrate your data to another service.

To be honest though, I don't really understand what you mean by a "life-organizer" app. That's just waaaay too broad. Even if something did fit that bill, it would quickly become so overburdened with mountains of junk that you wouldn't know how to wade through it all. Data paralysis, you might call it. That is counter-intuitive to being organized.

If you really want to get your sh-t together, buy OmniFocus along with a copy of Getting Things Done by David Allen.

Then if you need a specific app to sync notes, get a specific apps to sync notes. If you need a specific app to perform another function, get a specific app to perform that function. There is no single monster app that will effectively do what you're asking. You might think that one will (Evernote, for example), but in practice it will become a bloated landfill. Of course, YMMV, but this has been my experience after quite a bit of testing in this realm.

Actually you can export your notes in either XML format or HTML.

MacNoobGuy · Mar 13, 2013

ok thanks guys. i'll read the replies when i get my break. man, it's annoying how there are so many different cloud and 'life organiser' options. is there an article i can look that compares these things?

'Life-Organiser' App: What does Apple have?

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