Can't find a good handwritten note taking app. Suggestions?

[loribinca]

It's pretty sad really. my iPad 1 kicks my surfaces *** when it comes to taking handwritten notes

noteshelf / penultimate on IOS - take your pick .. there is nothing out there that even comes close to a good simple handwritten note taking application.

OneNote is too complex and does not have any palm/wrist protection - noteAnywhere is far to kludgy and the palm protection implementation is not really that good (it does not automatically move down the page as you write)

come one -- is anyone out there making a decent note taking app!! I'd pay money for one, as it stands I am still using my iPad1 because of this and I tend to leave the surface at home gathering dust

 

[jhguth]

Evernote?

But really, just force yourself to try OneNote more, its great when you get used to it.

 

[loribinca]

Evernote?

But really, just force yourself to try OneNote more, its great when you get used to it.

I tried - it's just not what i want it to do - i basically want a piece of 'digital paper' just like penultimate/noteshelf where i can write/draw freehand to my hearts content - i cant see how this is possible in one-note - plus the lack of palm protection in that is kind of a deal-breaker

 

[jhguth]

Oh, I forgot the RT doesn't have a real stylus. On the Tablet 2 OneNote has palm rejection.

Autodesk Sketchbook? Skitch?

 

[loribinca]

yeah - but the ipad doesn't have hardware palm rejection either - but IOS seems to handle it just great in software - penultimate / noteshelf.

is the surface RT really not as good as a first gen iPad for using a stylus to take handwritten notes? that just seems really bad

 

[jhguth]

Nope, its not

 

[loribinca]

I am pretty much at that conclusion as well. So sad really.

For what I use a tablet for (handwritten notes/reading ebooks) the Surface just doesn't do it for me. How it's not able to handle these two simple tasks is quite amazing

Oh well, guess my next tablet will be an iPad then, sticking to Noteshelf / iBooks - frankly, these two apps - i've not found *anything* close to these on the microsoft platform - that and lack of cisco VPN API's, kinda kills the surface for me

sorry this turned in a 'slam the surface' post - but I am so disheartened that a tablet I bought 4 years ago turns out to be actually more useful to me than the one I just got.

 

[rdubmu]

This was my decided factor in getting the Surface Pro instead of the Surface RT. Easily Onenote is my most used app, I love how it shows my handwriting on my windows phone in the same OneNote file synced to SkyDrive. I also like how it translates my handwriting into text if I email my note. The Surface Pro is a great buy for this reason alone. I hope they out the pen technology into the next Surface Rt.

 

[loribinca]

This was my decided factor in getting the Surface Pro instead of the Surface RT. Easily Onenote is my most used app, I love how it shows my handwriting on my windows phone in the same OneNote file synced to SkyDrive. I also like how it translates my handwriting into text if I email my note. The Surface Pro is a great buy for this reason alone. I hope they out the pen technology into the next Surface Rt.

So seriously, what is/was the point in Surface/RT? - I still can't believe MS expects me to spend upwards of $1000 just to be able to take simple handwritten notes. I can do that today beautifully with an ipad1 and a $20 capacitive pen.

Looks like it's a next Gen ipad with IOS7 for me. The only reason I am not getting one today is that we're pretty close to an ipad5 launch.

Shame really, as I am using windows 8.1 desktop and Lumia phones.

 

[jhguth]

There is no advantage I can see to Windows RT, but the Surface RT and iPad are not the only tablets less than $1k. Get a Windows 8 tablet with an Atom processor, way more capability than an iPad with similar battery life. If you want one now get an Atom tablet, if you can wait get a Haswell tablet. No need for an iPad with a 10 year old OS.

 

[prlundberg]

Just because the Surface RT doesn't take handwriting notes well doesn't mean it's pointless. Few people use a stylus anymore. My RT has effectively replaced my laptop. No iPad can do that. And it does it at half the cost and with twice the battery life as the Pro. Obviously you did little to no research before you bought it. No tablet is everything to everybody.

 

[rdubmu]

So seriously, what is/was the point in Surface/RT? - I still can't believe MS expects me to spend upwards of $1000 just to be able to take simple handwritten notes. I can do that today beautifully with an ipad1 and a $20 capacitive pen.

Looks like it's a next Gen ipad with IOS7 for me. The only reason I am not getting one today is that we're pretty close to an ipad5 launch.

Shame really, as I am using windows 8.1 desktop and Lumia phones.

Why don't you try one from another Vendor. I am pretty sure one of them probably has the correct screen. I won't lie, an ipad is a good mobile device. The Surface RT is more like a computer that is touch with Office. It screen doesn't support a stylus... I believe Windows RT does support it if the correct screen is installed. I think this is a feature they really goofed up on.

I also bought my Surface Pro because I wanted it to replace my 15 inch laptop which it does, so with this it is worth the $1400 I paid for it (including Tax, and the warranty bundle.)

Here is a tablet that you might want to consider.
it has Windows 8 Pro on it, and in the Pic is a pen, double check the specs to see if it meets your needs.
https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...US%2Fpdp%2FproductID.265664400&token=oQpq6MnY

 

[rdubmu]

I just double checked the specs, the Surface Pro has a much better screen with 10 point multitouch vs 5 on the thinkpad tablet 2

 

[jhguth]

They are totally different devices though. The Surface Pro has a core i5 processor, because of this it has the battery life comparable to a laptop. The Thinkpad Tablet 2 has a low-power Atom processor and has battery life of a tablet. The Surface Pro is a true laptop replacement, the Thinkpad Tablet 2 is a second device like the Surface RT. It really doesn't make sense to compare the THinkpad Tablet 2 to the Surface Pro, they are completely different devices aimed at different things. The Thinkpad sacrifices performance for being fanless and able to last all weekend on a single charge.

 

[Siah1214]

I tried - it's just not what i want it to do - i basically want a piece of 'digital paper' just like penultimate/noteshelf where i can write/draw freehand to my hearts content - i cant see how this is possible in one-note - plus the lack of palm protection in that is kind of a deal-breaker

Did you guys purchase different tablets than I did?

Everything you're saying is totally possible using OneNote and has been for months.

My handwriting is godawful but you get the picture. I used a $5 capacitive stylus that I got for my HP touchpad.

Also, Surface RT has handwriting recognition and it works fantastic, that is NOT a surface pro feature.
Some days I feel as though people that are comparing the RT to an iPad and choosing the iPad are actually using a different, ****tier RT that Microsoft sent to a select group of people. :-\

 

[spaulagain]

Did you guys purchase different tablets than I did?

Everything you're saying is totally possible using OneNote and has been for months.View attachment 36603

My handwriting is godawful but you get the picture. I used a $5 capacitive stylus that I got for my HP touchpad.

Also, Surface RT has handwriting recognition and it works fantastic, that is NOT a surface pro feature.
Some days I feel as though people that are comparing the RT to an iPad and choosing the iPad are actually using a different, ****tier RT that Microsoft sent to a select group of people. :-\

Exactly, the Surface RT totally supports handwritten notes, etc.

The Surface Pros benefit is that it has Wacom technology in the screen so it is pressure sensitive. Meaning if you press harder, there is a thicker line. This is great for artists, graphic designers, etc using full blown Photoshop, but not really necessary for taking notes.

 

[spaulagain]

So seriously, what is/was the point in Surface/RT? - I still can't believe MS expects me to spend upwards of $1000 just to be able to take simple handwritten notes. I can do that today beautifully with an ipad1 and a $20 capacitive pen.

Looks like it's a next Gen ipad with IOS7 for me. The only reason I am not getting one today is that we're pretty close to an ipad5 launch.

Shame really, as I am using windows 8.1 desktop and Lumia phones.

I don't understand the point of an iPad, I can't even run two apps at once on an iPad!!

See what I did there? You may have different priorities that make the iPad better for you. To me and many others, the iPad is a worthless paperweight compared to the Surface RT.

I think you need to research before you make a purchase a little better and also look at other Windows tablet options.

I've used note taking on both iPad and Surface RT, I don't think either one has that much an advantage over the other. And OneNote is a great app, far more powerful than just a "digital sheet of paper."

 

[loribinca]

Well, I don't really mind about the single tasking of the iPad. It seems, for what I need a tablet for, it fits my needs much better than the surface - i guess it's just my style of working.

People say that you cant compare the surface, and it's much better than the ipad, and yet the ipad appears to work much better with the same capacitive pen than the surface, I get much more fluid writing on it, (see an example pulled from the web below) so I think there is something in the technology/software used with the surface RT that just does not lend itself to using a capacitive pen.

The other deal-breaker for me with the surface/RT is lack of cisco VPN support. No doubt this would not be an issue for the ATOM tablets.

Speaking of Atom - does it seem that more and more manufacturers are going the atom route than the arm one for tablets? Is there a long term future for RT/ARM?

Update - I just tried OneNote again on the surface/RT and it's terrible for handwriting - the *only* thing that can be touching the screen at the time of writing is the tip of the pen - if you have your palm on the screen it wont write where you use the pen until you lift off your palm, otherwise it seems to only accept input where your palm is - you would have at least thought it would also let you ink where the pen is and also 'smudge' where your palm is, but it doesn't - it's almost like it only has 'single point of input in the application.

 

[prlundberg]

The Surface RT IS BETTER than the iPad FOR MY NEEDS. And that's the case for most people here in the SURFACE FOR WINDOWS RT forum, most of whom probably did some research before purchasing. That doesn't mean it's better for everybody.

Evidently the Microsoft Store does not meet your needs. As I said before, no tablet is everything to everybody. If the iPad best meets YOUR needs, why buy the Surface and then spend time here complaining about things it never claimed to do? I don't get that mentality. It's not like Microsoft's limited selection of apps is a big secret, it's mentioned in every review I've ever read.

 

[berty6294]

For the love of god, just type.