Written By Guest Blogger: Jennifer Birch
Since the invention of digital media, many dismissed the notion of gadgets and computers totally replacing paper. However, steps have been made forward to prove this prediction could actually come into fruition. The rising popularity of iPads and iPhones brought about a similar rise in app dependency. We are now using the digital gears to fully replace traditional tools such as paper.
Below, we take a look at the two of the most popular note-taking apps and find out which deserves to be hailed 2013’s best.
Evernote
Photo courtesy of AJC1 via Flickr creative Commons
One cool thing that Evernote brings to the table is its flexibility. Available in almost all platforms, this app makes sure that you always have a notepad ready. Curiously (and very ambitiously designed), its different platform iterations have slightly different features. For example, the smartphone version of this note-taking app enables you to place your snapshots directly into the cloud (its own internal server). More on its flexibility – Evernote inspired a plethora of third-party apps that complement the native software to perform more complex and useful research tasks.
The best feature about it is its web clipping feature. Among the hundreds of note-taking and research apps on the market, rest assured that Evernote is best at clipping from the web. It seems like the developers put in extra effort in its clipboard-like design. Naturally, the organization and document management of files is impeccable. Melanie Pinola of Lifehacker noted that the immense popularity of Evernote can be attributed to its multi-platform support and systematization. T3 also named this app as the second most necessary download for the iPhone 5S, which O2 mentions to be a beacon for smarter multitasking with its AirDrop and Control Central technology. Understandably so, since Evernote thrives on syncing with its platform’s inherent power such as the iOS 7.
Here are some things you can do with Evernote:
· Integrate all your devices in the cloud. The app works on both Microsoft and Apple gadgets. You can then access all of your stored information across all platform with internet.
· Save an audio note by tapping on New Note > New Audio Note > Record.
· Check out Evernote Extras to find out the other features your platform’s version provides.
OneNote
Photo courtesy of carl.lacey2 via Flickr creative Commons
When we talk about replacing notebooks and pads, OneNote will surely prove that the death of paper is commencing. Its elegant and intuitive interface is a refreshing sight, especially during a usually cluttered research session.
Although its full potential takes a little while for any beginner to realize, even its most basic functions already prove useful. Almost anyone can use OneNote right off the bat since many of its commands are familiar to users of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
Despite its vanilla features, its advanced functions are what make OneNote a standout among students and employees. Those who use Outlook at the office will find it amazing that the mail software can be integrated with this app. A note-to-contact integration is sorely missed in other similar programs, making OneNote an amazing task management software.
One of these advanced features is the OCR or optical character recognition. This allows you to scan physical paraphernalia while the program automatically indexes the texts in the photo. It also has an accurate handwriting recognition feature, but it’s only available on limited tablets with specific versions of Microsoft Office.
Here are some tasks you can perform with OneNote:
· Open Office documents for Android, Windows Mobile, and iOS devices.
· Dictate an important note using the speech-to-text. No voice recording feature, though.
· Capture the text or search for it in photographs.
· Create a to-do list.
Which is the better pick?
Price: Both have free barebones versions, but Evernote gives more value for you money with its increased cloud storage space and better security features. Its Business feature gives a lot of bang for a few extra bucks.
Organization: Evernote, hands down, owns any other note-taking app when it comes to tagging and sorting all types of clippings and saved material. OneNote does a great job here as well.
Connectivity: Although OneNote integrates seamlessly with anything related to Microsoft, Evernote has wider reach with its almost ultimate omnipresence.
Bonus Features: OneNote’s capability to scan photos for text trumps Evernote’s native features. OneNote, however, allows for easy collaborations. Evernote only allows this after paying the premium fee.
Final Verdict: Evernote is clearly the note-taking app of this year, and has been for the past few years. Others, like OneNote (Springboard, Vesper and Drafts) are closing in on taking the note-taking throne, which means more people are performing their tasks digitally. To green warriors and digital citizens, this can only be good news.
About the Author
Jennifer Birch is a freelance writer who loves surfing and researching the interwebs for cats and cakes. She loves using her phone when taking down notes of the topics she wants to tackle on Techie Doodlers, while she’s out in the park. Talk to her on Twitter or Google+.