Notes

EasyNotes for Windows Phone 8, a feature rich sticky notes app

Apps

By George Ponder, Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 9:02 am

EasyNotes is a fairly simple note app for your Windows Phone 8 device. EasyNotes isn't a note taking app per say but rather a feature rich app to create sticky notes or reminders.

Notes are highly customizable from fonts, background image, sharing and they can also be backed up/restored to Skydrive. EasyNotes is a nice app if your constantly creating reminders or notes for everything from grocery/shopping lists, to-do lists, or anything else a gentle reminder will keep you out of the doghouse.

Get jotting with Metro Wordpad for Windows Phone

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Wednesday, Apr 24, 2013 at 11:24 am

There are a number of note taking apps available for Windows Phone, including Microsoft's own OneNote. Another one (like you'd need any more choices) potentially worth mentioning is Metro Wordpad. The app is a well-rated and popular Windows Phone notepad that enables consumers to create folders, send notes to others and more. It's a neat little app that's worth checking out if you're not digging the likes of OneNote.

Note+ for Windows Phone 8 updated, voice recognition bugs fixed

Apps

By George Ponder, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 3:32 pm

Note+ is a fairly simple note taking app for your Windows Phone 8 device. The app allows you not only to type out notes on the go but also dictate the text and use voice commands to create, open, delete, share and read your notes.

When it was first updated to Windows Phone 8 there were a few bugs in the voice recognition. The version 2.2 update addresses those bugs and as an added bonus, the $.99 Windows Phone 8 app is free.

Evernote for Windows Phone updated, adds PIN lock and business support

Apps

By George Ponder, Friday, Jan 11, 2013 at 9:54 pm

Evernote, the popular note taking app for your Windows Phone, has been updated to version 2.5.4 and adds a few handy features to the app.

The update adds Evernote Business support to the Windows Phone app and allows you to create searchable Business Notebooks, in addition to the Personal Notebooks. Premium Evernote users now have a PIN Lock that allow you to secure the Evernote app from prying eyes. The PIN Lock will kick in automatically after ten minutes of inactivity.

Windows Phone 8 OneNote Mobile

By robert brand, Monday, Oct 29, 2012 at 1:57 pm

Windows Phone 8 OneNote has now been released from the Office hub and is now its own app. With that comes some neat advantages such a quicker, more direct access to your notebooks, bypassing the need to go into Office first to find your notes.

OneNote for Windows Phone 8 is now uses a live tile to show you which note was updated last, at a glance information to help you get things done quicker.

Note+ updated to v2, multiple notes added

Apps

By George Ponder, Monday, Oct 8, 2012 at 7:55 pm

If you recall, Note+ is a simple, yet effective, note taking app for your Windows Phone. The developer, Aälejandro Díazs, is based in the Dominican Republic where the Windows Phone Store isn't supported. But with the help of Nokia Developer Ambassador Rich Dunbar, Díazs was able to get the app published.

Well...Díazs took in all the feedback from Note+ users and basically re-wrote the app. The premise of the app is the same in that Note+ allows you jot down quick notes while on the go but it now supports multiple notes and Live Tile support for each note you generate.

New version of 627.AM goes ad-free with Live Tile support

By George Ponder, Monday, Aug 27, 2012 at 9:10 pm

627.AM is a popular daily assistant for your Windows Phone that helps you manage daily alarms, check in on the weather forecast and jot notes on daily tasks. Our initial impressions found 627.AM to be a simple, clever and gorgeous app. The original release had 627.AM being a free, ad supported app. If you liked the free version but didn't care for the banner ads, an updated, ad-free version hit the Marketplace recently.

Losing the ads will cost you a little but you will also get a few new features including a theme friendly Live Tile, refined navigation animations, and the alarm time on the main page will now pick up the right time format based on your Windows Phone settings.

Microsoft updates Live on Windows Phone. Now integrates Twitter profile into People Hub.

Windows Phone News

By Daniel Rubino, Friday, May 18, 2012 at 2:34 pm

New Twitter integration with Live and the People Hub. Left (New) and Right (Old).

Microsoft has evidently updated how Twitter interacts with Live services on Windows Phone by automatically pulling down a contact's Twitter profile an merging it into "Notes".

We're not sure when the change occurred but reader Kaush noticed the difference today which evidently happened when Windows Phone auto-syncs back to the server for contact updates. We managed to break out our international Titan (which we last used a few months ago) to quickly compare for a "before and after".

As an example, under Jay Bennett you can now see his Twitter profile integrated into Notes whereas the device on the right does not have that information.

While this is a small and subtle change, it is certainly good use of the Notes area which often goes unused. So to our readers: is this something really new or have we just missed it?

Thanks, Kaush, for the tip!

Evernote updated to version 2.1

By Rich Edmonds, Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 at 4:39 pm

The popular cross-platform note app Evernote has been updated to version 2.1, bringing a number of features and fixes to the table. The most appealing feature that has been implemented is the ability to literally pin anything to the home screen, including new note options which can be added via the settings, note templates or individual notes. Making a template is pretty straight forward too, creating a new note and selecting "Pin as Template" from the menu will allow the user to create a text, audio or image note template and pin it to the home screen.

Included in the update is improved text editing, with rich text content being the same experience as plain text and editing works just like creating a new note. New languages are supported: Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Dutch, and Polish. If that wasn't enough already, here's some more:

Background sync: The app will complete a sync when the device is on a WIFI connection, even if the phone is locked.
Search integration: Evernote is integrated with the Windows Phone search. If you swipe across on a search result, you will see notes in Evernote related to that search.
More social: You can now share a note to Facebook, Twitter and Windows Live.

Hats off to the Evernote team, a superb update for consumers. You can download Evernote from the Marketplace.

Source: Evernote Blog, via: @leoberto

StickyTiles - Mango App Spotlight

Apps

By George Ponder, Wednesday, Sep 7, 2011 at 8:49 pm

Here's a cool app that's popped up on our Mango radar. StickyTiles is a cool little app for your Windows Phone that allows you to create sticky notes for your Start Screen. Okay.... so where's the coolness in that?

The coolness is that you can create double sided sticky notes. StickyTiles' interface is simple and straightforward. You have blank tiles/sticky notes where you can set the color (default is to your Windows Phone theme) and enter multiple lines of text. If you need to create a back side to the note, check the box and type away.

When your done, tap the push pin button and the note is sent to your Start Screen. If you have created a double sided note, the sticky note will rotate every couple of seconds. Tapping the note from the Start Screen will send you into the app and to delete the note, just unpin it.

StickyTiles is a free application but you'll need Mango on your Windows Phone to use it. You can find StickyTiles here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace and you can find more information about StickyTiles at the developer's website.

Evernote gets bumped to v1.2, gets new features, encryption

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Thursday, Aug 4, 2011 at 2:14 pm

Folks who use Evernote should be getting the notice for the v1.2 update that just pushed through. Luckily the developers of the app were kind enough to make a video detailing all of the changes.

For one, the app should load and resume faster now, especially if you have lot of notes on your device. Number two, you can now edit text in rich text documents which should make some lives easier. In addition you can save photos not directly to the Picture Hub, attach an existing picture (as opposed to just using the camera), clear previous searches and use encrypted notes. Overall, a solid update if you ask us.

Check out the video walk through above to see it all in action and grab a copy in the Marketplace here.

Evernote for WP7 released [Updated with Link]

Windows Phone News

By Rich Edmonds, Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 at 7:43 pm

Finally! It's here everyone. Evernote for Windows Phone 7 is soon to be available to download and boy was the wait worth it, check out the image above and the screens after the break to see what we've been eagerly awaiting for. It's the most feature-packed client they've ever developed and is applying itself to the Metro UI guidelines-for-awesomeness.

We wont copy and paste the features explained in the official announcement, but we shall highlight the 'biggies' and show some screens. For the main screen, we have some panorama goodness which contain:

Notes: A complete scrollable note list
Notebooks: Tap on a notebook to view its contents
Tags: Tap on a tag to see all the notes associated with it
Recent notes: This list lets you jump to the 20 most recently viewed notes

Evernote for WP7 also displays Notebook Stacks and hierarchical tags. They have made sure that the application bar used throughout the app is useful and feature-rich maximizing user friendliness in different sections. To read up on the feature highlights and to see some more images head on past the break.

Simple Paper - App Spotlight

Apps

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 at 1:40 am

Looking for a simple, note taking/reminder app for your Windows Phone? Simple Paper is a post-it style app that is capable of synchronizing your notes with SimpleNote. The application user interface is simple and straight forward. Tap the "+" sign to create a note and when done, a colorful post-it will appear on the main page of the app.

Synchronization with SimpleNote gives you the ability to create and view your notes from the PC or have someone else send your a note. For example if your out and about, your wife needs to send you an emergency grocery list, problem solved. Need to jot down product information while your shopping to review later, problem solved.

The only thing that Simple Paper is lacking is a live tile that highlights any reminders or notes you've created. Regardless, if you like multi-colored post-it notes, Simple Paper might be worth a gander. There is a free, ad-supported version of Simple Paper that you can find here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace. Not a fan of ads? An ad-free version will run you $1.99 and you can find that copy here at the Marketplace.

Official Evernote Coming Soon

Windows Phone News

By Rich Edmonds, Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 9:13 pm

In a recent podcast, the Evernote team talks about their application for Windows Phone 7, which has been somewhat neglected by talks or any information available. You can listen to the podcast on the official blog, the goodies for WP7 are located at approximately 39 min 40 seconds in. The basic gist is that the application is almost ready and should be in the Marketplace soon.

That's good news since the last we heard from the Evernote guys was that this app was due "this Winter" meaning 2010-2011 Winter. So obviously they're a whole season behind. C'mon guys...

Source: Evernote Podcast; via: WPSauce

Quick Easy Note - App Spotlight

Apps

By George Ponder, Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:39 am

Quick Easy Note by Erlensoft is a temporary note taking app for your Windows Phone. Designed to jot down short notes that you don't need to save for prolonged use. Notes such as phone numbers, your parking space number, a car tag, or other bits of information you need to preserve for a short period.

Your notes are saved automatically when you exit Quick Easy Note and will remain in the text field when you re-launch the app. Once you've transferred the information or no longer need it, a clear text command is in the pull up menu. I could see Quick Easy Note being useful for shopping lists that you don't necessarily need to save and would discard when you are finished shopping.

There are two versions of Quick Easy Note, a free version that is ad supported and a non-ad supported version that will run you $.99. You can find the free version here (opens Zune) and the paid version here at the Marketplace.

Smart Tile updated to version 1.1

Apps

By George Ponder, Friday, Mar 25, 2011 at 1:35 am

Smart Tile is a live tile application that places notes/reminders on your Windows Phone Start Screen. The application was recently updated to version 1.1 to address a few minor bugs and maintenance issues.

Smart Tile displays up to four lines of text for your handy little notes/reminders on a live tile so you don’t forget about them. Smart Tile is for items that may not need to be considered an appointment on you calendar.

Smart Tile allows you to personalize the tile color as well as add a helpful tile background image. In giving Smart Tile a try, it works as advertised. The customization of the tile makes it easier to pick up on at a glance. The only downside is that while the tile provides four lines of text, the characters are limited to about 17.

Smart Tile is a handy little app and worth a try. It is a free application and you can download Smart Tile here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.

Evernote for Windows Phone 7 coming this winter

By Daniel Rubino, Tuesday, Jan 4, 2011 at 8:11 pm

Good news for you Evernote fans (see review for Windows Moible). The popular note-taking application is finally coming to Windows Phone 7 and judging by their time frame, we're talking weeks, not months.

A brand new Windows Phone 7 version of Evernote will launch this winter...

Allowing you to take photos, save webpages, basically any bit of info you can grab, Evernote brings note-taking and cloud-computing to another level.

We'll keep an eye out for when its released.

Source: Evernote blog; via: @edbott

Review: Evernote for Windows Mobile

By George Ponder, Tuesday, Mar 9, 2010 at 8:21 pm

Every once in a while, you come across a killer app (or service) that you cannot believe that you’ve lived without for so long. I’m sure many of you have been using Evernote for some time, and will find this review a day late and a dollar short; if so please head straight to the comments. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing what Evernote has to offer, keep reading.

Review: VsNotepad 2

By Phil Nickinson, Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 at 5:38 pm

All of us use our Windows Mobile devices (er, Windows phones) differently. And this is one of the strengths of the platform. Some of us use it solely as a messaging device. Phone, e-mail, text and chat are all things that Windows Mobile (with some help from third party applications) excel at. Multimedia is an area in which our Windows Phones don’t necessarily beat everyone else, but with a few additions in the software department it can compete with any other device on the market.

One of the things that I am always doing with my phone is taking notes. I tend to forget things like what my wife likes on a particular sandwich and simple things like that. Being able to jot down quick thoughts in a low drag environment is incredibly valuable to me. The Notes application that is built in to Windows Mobile has the ability to save notes in a variety of different formats. Sound, text and handwriting or drawing can all be used to create and save notes. My problem is that I’ve just never liked the feel of the Notes interface.

My search for the complete note taking application begins with VsNotepad 2 by Vetasoft. Check out the breakdown after the jump.

Tip of the Week: Advanced "Note" Syncing w/Outlook

How To

By chris#wp, Saturday, Jan 3, 2009 at 3:31 am

One group of questions we get a lot of around here deals with various types of syncing with Windows Mobile (see other guides: "How to sync with Google", "MediaCenter", "LiveMesh", "Calendar/Live Mail") . Often we know a solution but every once in awhile, one of our readers has a unique trick up their sleeve like that cool ActiveSync "Gues Mode" hack.

In this case, rc46 is a big "Notes" user on his phone and computer (Outlook), but he found the lack of syncing options to be...lacking.

Specifically, WM Notes does not support categories, offer a way to organize and is even "off" by default (yeah, you need to turn it on). Luckily with some elbow grease he figured out a way around these limitations and greatly enhanced his Notes use.

Care to know how he did it?

Read on for details. (And if you have a cool trick that only you know about, share it with us!)

There look to many steps here, but in reality, most of these are straight forward, so don't be alarmed.

Part I: Enable Notes in ActiveSync

Perform an ActiveSync and leave WM device connected to PC.
On PC in Active Sync go Menu -> Tools -> Options
Now check the box that says notes and wait for the sync to complete.
Now disconnect WM device from the computer

Part II: Organize Your Notes

On the WM Device make a folder inside My Documents called "Notes"
Move all the notes that are currently in My Documents into that new "Notes" folder
Next inside the "Notes" folder make sub-folders for categories such as "Personal" "Business" and so on.
Now on the WM Device move the appropriate notes into these folders.

Part III: Time to Sync Again

After you sync look in Outlook on the desktop and you will see all the notes are automatically renamed with the folder structure as part of the name.

For example, the note titled "Christmas List 2008" will be changed to "Notes\Personal\Christmas List 2008"

This allows the notes to be sorted by category on the desktop as well as the WM Device even though no Outlook categories are really assigned on the desktop.

One downside: rc46 mentions is that the "Notes" application on WM won't show this new structure, so he recommends browings your notes and opening directly via File Explorer/Resco Explorer

Part IV: Adding New Notes

Open Notes and write away
New notes will then be saved to the folder "Device\My Documents\Notes\"
Open File Explorer and move new Note to appropriate sub-category created earlier

Part V: Creating/Modifying Notes on the PC

Create new Note as usual
Save as usual (do not attempt to add to sub categories)
Sync with your device --> Note synced to "Device\My Documents\Notes\"
Later, move Note on device to appropriate sub-category

Finally, rc46 has some closing advice:

I know this sounds like a bit of a hassle but in reality it isn't. Personally I just wait until I have about 10 or so un-catagorized notes in either the "Device\My Documents\" folder or the "Device\My Documents\Notes\" folder before I even bother with organizing them. Then I just do them all at once. Its really not a big deal once your used to it.

One weird little data point is for some reason sometimes you need to un-plug your handheld (disconnect it from the desktop) and then plug it back in before the notes will sync correctly after moving around notes in different folders. Just clicking the sync button in active sync wont do it. Must be an active sync bug?

Another little trick to quickly finding the note you are looking for is to use Resco Explorer instead of WM File Explorer. Just click on the binoculars and type some of name of the note and click search. You will find it right away.