OneNote for iOS

OneNote for iOS

Microsoft recently released an updated version of its OneNote note-taking app for iOS. As a long-term Evernote user, I took an admittedly skeptical glance at the new offering, mostly because there is no OS X version of OneNote, and I wasn�t sure how well, if at all, the app would integrate into my workflow. In the end, I found OneNote to be so crucial I hope Microsoft releases a Mac version of OneNote with the next version of Office.

The back end

OneNote iOS uses Microsoft�s free SkyDrive service as the sync engine. Once you�re logged in via the app, the default notebook is ready for you to edit.  Syncing was reliable, but I did notice I would have to re-log in via the app more often than I would have liked � several times a day � to keep syncing. It�s possible to work on notes offline, but you�ll need to make sure you haven�t edited the note in two places.

The apps themselves

The apps definitely have The Microsoft Look, with heavy uses of the Calibri font. I found the notes to be very pleasing to my eye.

While the apps have the standard suite of editing functions (formatting, indents, checklist), I found it successfully integrated into my note-taking workflow by eliminating some frustrations I have with Evernote.

The biggest workflow enhancement was how it handled creating checklist items. When I take a note in OneNote, and decide that this should really be an action item to track, once I click the checklist tool, it creates the checkbox at the beginning of the paragraph, no matter where I have the cursor. Evernote creates the checkbox where the cursor is, requiring me to either move the cursor before hitting the task button, or moving it after. It�s a minor thing, but it works in a much more intuitive fashion than Evernote in this regard.

I also found it easy to navigate through different notes. Each �page� is on the right-hand side in the iPad version, making it easy to switch between notes. What I also liked is that pages aren�t traditional pages as in a physical notebook; instead it�s just a way for you to keep all of the notes in one �page,� but the page scrolls continuously.

It�s also pretty easy to add pictures to notes. I frequently take pictures of whiteboards in meetings and add the picture to the note. You can also create tables (but not charts). It�s very easy to format your note.

The one downside I�ve found with the apps is that you cannot create notebooks within the apps; you have to do it from the web app (or via the Windows OneNote app). It�s not a huge inconvenience, but I hope they add this into a future version.

So, yeah, no OS X client

The biggest issue Mac users are likely to encounter is there is no native client for OneNote. You can only access OneNote from a web app. That isn�t a huge problem, but for me, office.live.com is one of the websites blocked at work, and OneNote isn�t part of our standard Windows build, so I can�t use the Citrix Follow My Desktop app as a workaround. Also, I�ve tried running OneNote in Codeweavers Crossover, but no joy.

Naturally, if you�re reading this and you use iOS devices, but use a Windows machine and OneNote, this isn�t a problem.

How I use the apps

I�m still floating between Evernote and OneNote. I really, really, like the OneNote iOS app. Evernote�s native OS X client also makes it attractive, but I don�t really like that client � multi-level indents are a pain the arse on the OS X version, but easily done in the iOS version. Go figure.

Evernote is a great dumping ground for my information. I can use a bookmarklet to store a web page in the note. Because of the checklist tool and the multi-level indent on OS X. I�m still not finding Evernote to be good for taking actual notes.

The way I�m leaning now is to use Evernote for my storage of clipped notes and personal items, but using OneNote on iOS only for capturing work-related notes. During the week I�ve been using it, I�ve really fallen in love with the iOS apps. The nicest thing I can say is that the app didn�t really get in my way when I was taking notes.

SUMMARY:

Microsoft recently brought its note-taking app to iOS. It�s still missing one pretty big piece, but it�s also a really useful service for those who use both Mac and Windows.

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