![]() You then have apps like Bear and Apple Notes which aim to live somewhere in the middle. There are apps like Evernote which aim to be an “everything” bucket and apps like SimpleNote that only handle plain text notes. In time, I suspect, Agile Web Solutions, the masters of 1Password, will think of a way of achieving cloud sync, perhaps with a secure proprietary server.Note taking apps for Mac are a fun category to look at because of the variety of options on the market. I know the reason for this is security: you don't want all your passwords and bank details being bandied around some internet cafe. Both computer and iPhone must be present on the same network and talking to one another. While the 1Password data file, the Agile Keychain, syncs perfectly across all your Macs via Dropbox, the iPhone sync is still manual via network wifi. Simplenote has premium versions with added features for a few dollars (from $3.99 to suppress ads) while National Velocity is open source and, I presume, donations would be welcome.ġ Honourable exception to universal cloud syncing is the excellent 1Password. This combination of Simplenote and Notational Velocity is perfect and, what’s more, it’s free. This is something to sit on the desktop for quick note taking and you can be sure that all your ideas will be in your pocket when you leave home or office. There are keystokes for all the editing you’ll need and it works without a mouse. Absolutely no colour, no icons, no frippery. JustNotes is marginally prettier and reminds me of Apple’s Notes, but Notational Velocity has a very minimalist and straightforward presentation that I really like. Both Notational Velocity and JustNotes attempt to do the same thing and both do it well. I’ve tried both the desktop applications and Simplenote on the iPhone. There’s also a Dashboard widget called DashNote. And I was even more interested to hear that the Simplenote website offers synchronisation with a number of Mac desktop applications including Notational Velocity and JustNotes. So I was fascinated to hear the enthusiasm in a Mac Power Users podcast for Simplenote, a free iPhone app that does just what it says–simple, quick text notes. If your iPhone is out of wifi or 3G range you have a problem. And the Evernote iPhone application is particularly slow and downloads only what is needed at any particular time. ![]() I end up stuffing it with PDF files, images and all sorts of other files with the result that it isn’t the quickest application for opening and searching. Evernote is reasonably quick for text entry, but the problem with Evernote is that it is just too convenient. And OF is relatively slow to start if you want instant access to a note. I can make notes in OmniFocus, but the entry process can be a long-winded (it is, after all, a powerful application for managing tasks and projects). Quick notes, either entered on the iPhone or on the Mac, are essential sync material because you never know when you’ll need them. ![]() Even the iPhone app has to be synchronised over a local wifi and there is no sync between Macs. Bento, which I otherwise adore, is a big culprit here. ![]() Frankly, an application that doesn’t support data synchronisation is practically useless. ![]() Favourite apps that do this well are OmniFocus (which I sync via MobileMe), MacJournal (MobileMe), Evernote (proprietary) and Dropbox (proprietary). As bare minimum, I look for sync across Macs and iPhone/iPad and it has to be sync via the cloud rather than local wifi 1. I love applications that synchronise over as many platforms as possible. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |