Mission Statement

It is my desire that I will not only grow myself, but that I might inspire others to take a step toward their own personal growth.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

And the Winner is....

I must admit that several note taking apps have made choosing only one of them a hugely difficult thing to do.
Previously I stated that the app that would win the Tottenmom approval stamp:

  • should not have to install multiple apps to make it work
  • The learning curve should be minimal for use
  • S-pen compatibility
  • Multiple notebooks (to keep class notes seperate) 
  • File types (what are my export options)
  • Efficiency (will I be able to keep up with a professor's lecture)
  • Extra stuff



I have found 3 worth talking about with you, and will share them in no particular order.

  1. FreeNote; which can do soooo many cool things, like import and take pictures, record voice and video, resizes text to fit on the paper lines; while keeping the text on the line (this means that you can't make text go "superscript" or "subscript", which is both a downfall and a positive, depending on the task at hand.  Outside of that, it's easy to figure out, responsive, and allows organizing of files.
  2. AntiPaperNotes; is a bit different when it comes to the way it allows you to enter "written" data.  If you just open it up and start writing away, you will probably run out of room, however there is also a zoom feature, which allows you to place the "zoom" area where you want, and then allows you to navigate across or up and down the page as you need in order to put your notes where you want them.  Files can be exported as .jpg's or .png's which might work for sharing your course notes, but not for re-editing them, and likely not copy/pasting chosen parts either. I found it easy to understand and use, responsive, and easy on my eyes (which face it people, some apps just don't give a flying **** if you can see after you open their app or not).
  3. HandRite is pretty awesome too, and is in some ways a blended version of #1 and #2.  Like AntiPaper, your handwritten text is resized and moved to the appropriate line on the paper, however, depending on which part of the "writing" area you use, you can have super and sub script with no real difficulty.  Like both of the others, it's easy to learn and use.  The "writing" area can be moved up or down on the screen here also, which is NOT possible in FreeNote, and to a lesser extent in AntiPaper, where the zoom area can be switched to the top or bottom depending on where you want it.  
I do plan to see about getting some screenshots posted in here in the near future, so keep an eye out for those.In the end, I feel like HandRite and AntiPaper are better options than FreeNote,  I call a TIE.  Please discuss below, and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Note 2 "note-taking" update

I have taken a close look at two Note-taking apps, and have easily tossed out the third.  Antipaper and Handrite free are still in the game.  However I bid farewell to LectureNotes; which will definitely not meet the needs of someone who doesn't have time to learn a complicated eco-system.

I'd still be thrilled if there were some suggestions for other options that might work; I am finding it neccessary to change Roms tonight in order to get around the latest VZW ota update that wants to brick my phone; I'm not sure how this will affect the apps I'm testing, but we will see, and when I finish getting that done tonight I will try and remember to update this post to include a link to the ROM I'll be using.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Taking Notes on the Note 2

Hi people,

I was looking for a better note taking app for my Note 2, since S Note really wasn't going to help me in a pinch if I actually needed to take notes with it in class.  I came across two (so far) that seemed to meet my needs, and after playing with both of them for a few minutes, I realized that I really should compare a few different ones, and share what I find...  Since I only just decided to do this in the last 5 minutes or so; it might take some time before I post the results.
I am more than happy to take suggestions for any free or trial versions for this little project, so if you have suggestions let me know.  So that there is no confusion, I want to make my basic wishlist for a note taking application clear ahead of time;


  • I should not have to install multiple apps to make it work
  • The learning curve should be minimal for use
  • S-pen compatibility
  • Multiple notebooks (to keep class notes seperate) 
  • File types (what are my export options)
  • Efficiency (will I be able to keep up with a professor's lecture)
  • Extra stuff
The two I've started with are Handrite Free and LectureNotes (Trial Version); so let me know if there is another one I should take a look at and I'll check 'em out!