Wanted: Notes app that works with Dropbox

[flameproof]

I really hope I can get some feedback for what I am looking for!

I want a Notes app with following features:

• Can hand write and draw
• handwrite to text is cool, but not a must
• Speech to text is cool (I think it's standard in iPad3)

Most importantly for me:

• Can move or copy a note into a dropbox folder of MY choice - off line.


I checked PaperDeskLite. It looks nice and would be sufficient. But Dropbox functionality is disabled in the Lite version. Seems also it can do typed text only from the left margin and somewhere inside the page.

If you use a Notes app and use Dropbox, PLEASE drop me a line if your app can - or can't - fit my needs.

 

[TechTerry]

Syncblaze - An Alternative

I really hope I can get some feedback for what I am looking for!

I want a Notes app with following features:

• Can hand write and draw
• handwrite to text is cool, but not a must
• Speech to text is cool (I think it's standard in iPad3)

Most importantly for me:

• Can move or copy a note into a dropbox folder of MY choice - off line.


I checked PaperDeskLite. It looks nice and would be sufficient. But Dropbox functionality is disabled in the Lite version. Seems also it can do typed text only from the left margin and somewhere inside the page.

If you use a Notes app and use Dropbox, PLEASE drop me a line if your app can - or can't - fit my needs.

We have been using Notes along with a solution that is similar to Dropbox. Its called Syncblaze from Vembu. The solution basically focuses on business needs rather than at a consumer level. Their consumer edition is called Zukmo. May be you can give them a try.

 

[abulldog]

I found one the other night that sounds like what you are looking for. The "Notability" app was $0.99 and does everything you are looking for. I currently have all my school notes and reports synced through Dropbox.. It will take dictation and allow handwritten notes. You can even insert pictues into your notes too.

 

[drpthemc]

+1 notability

 

[AnthonySmith]

GoodNotes, by far my favorite note-taking app.

 

[flameproof]

Thanks for the feedback! I am still exploring. Some comments from my side:

Notability - yes, it looks good! Pity they have no demo. Need to read more about it.

GoodNotes - Testing the demo. It's about what I want! Has no sound recording.

Others:
PaperDesk - Nice too. But no zoom box for typing and typed text can't be moved around.

neu.Notes - Not bad, interface a bit clumsy.

smartNotes - not really to my liking.

...and the winner is...........: Notability!

No demo, but some good and detailed reviews on Youtube.

Late update: I found the first (minor) problem with Notability: When it syncs with Dropbox it moves the (PDF) file in a ZIP container. IMHO that's totally unnecessary since PDF has already some compression function and the file size is the same anyway.

 

[waynep]

Late update: I found the first (minor) problem with Notability: When it syncs with Dropbox it moves the (PDF) file in a ZIP container. IMHO that's totally unnecessary since PDF has already some compression function and the file size is the same anyway.

So does that cause an actual problem?? Or just unnecessary without a problem?

 

[flameproof]

So does that cause an actual problem?? Or just unnecessary without a problem?

More of an inconvenience then a problem. the sync works perfectly, just the format is a little annoying. I will bring that up with the developers.

(Update: if you save PDFs only they will be saved as PDFs only)

Another small issue: you can circle and move around hand written stuff - but not typed stuff.

(workaround: in pen mode I can use the 'Figure' function to create a box, in which I can type. That can be moved around)

Once you know that you can keep that in mind and work around it. But it's another issue the developers can have a look at.

Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing well working app, and actually too cheap for what it does.

I will need to work a little harder to find faults with this app.

 

[Dane9]

Penultimate is the best

 

[absolution8]

+1 notability

 

[hchavarria]

Ghostwriter Notes does all of this and automatic sync to Dropbox.

 

[flameproof]

Ghostwriter Notes does all of this and automatic sync to Dropbox.

No keyboard input?

Notability is fine for me so far.

 

[xraydoc]

I like Noteshelf. It'll save handwritten notes to DropBox (or email, Evernote, iTunes and a couple others) as PDFs or JPEGs, has keyboard input and emoji options, lots of different types of "paper" and a great user interface. It'll work with the iPad 3's speech-to-text feature.

It does not, however, have audio recording ability and I don't think you can specify which folder to save to -- I think they go in to a Noteshelf folder it makes on DropBox.

But it's what I use.

 

[hchavarria]

No keyboard input?

Notability is fine for me so far.

Yes it also does keyboard input, import PDF, export to email, export to Evernote, highlight, annotate, take pictures, import pictures, and am sure I'm missing other features.

 

[D.T.]

Notability - yes, it looks good! Pity they have no demo. Need to read more about it.

...and the winner is...........: Notability!

No demo, but some good and detailed reviews on Youtube.

Late update: I found the first (minor) problem with Notability: When it syncs with Dropbox it moves the (PDF) file in a ZIP container. IMHO that's totally unnecessary since PDF has already some compression function and the file size is the same anyway.

I picked up Notability several months ago, it was on sale for $0.99 (_might_ have been $1.99). I use it quite a bit and really like it, handles several different input modes, syncs, great files organization, etc.

I’ve used it to jot down notes, sketch up initial designs/architecture, visualize thoughts, really all sorts of uses.

Are you sure about the ZIP containers? I’m using DB>>PDF sync and the docs are showing in DB (using the OSX app) as their normal native PDF format.

FYI, if you download multiple items through DropBox’s web interface, it bundles them up into a single ZIP, not sure if that’s what you’re seeing[?]

 

[flameproof]

I picked up Notability ... it was on sale for $0.99

Are you sure about the ZIP containers?

No. It can be changed in the setup. Then PDFs stay as PDFs.

I still hope I will be able to circle and move typed text around. Currently it can not. You would need to create a box first.

And about Ghostwriter Notes...

Yes it also does keyboard input, import PDF, export to email, export to Evernote, highlight, annotate, take pictures, import pictures, and am sure I'm missing other features.

On iTunes I don't see anything about keyboard input, maybe the developers got overexcited by the hand inputs and totally forgot the keyboard?

Also, no demo version, and I don't buy to check that it's unsuitable.

 

[cvs]

I had tried many notes apps, found myself using Notes Plus.
Perhaps worth checking out...

 

[D.T.]

Notability just got an excellent update, including a number of nice visual/graphic improvements for the iPad 3rd gen. I just used it to sign an NDA, worked beautifully!

 

[jojoba]

Notability is excellent IMO. I think 7Notes HD will also do what you want, and as far as I know it's the only app that does hand writing to text conversion.