Resurgence of OneNote via the iPad? Hmm…..

This morning in Computerworld, “Microsoft's OneNote’s Strategy: Battle Evernote or something bigger?” brought back all my memories of using OneNote for 5 years or more - as well as the frustration.

The writing by Gregg Keizer points to a number of reasons' and potential thoughts on why Microsoft could be pushing OneNote onto the iPad. At the end he does make the comment that to use OneNote you must have a Microsoft account as all data is stored on Microsoft’s OneDrive.

Note: you can get a OneDrive account by just having an Outlook email account and you get 7 GB storage for free.

Gregg does state that the FREE OneNote for the Apple environment can only be used at Home or School (not for business) whereas Evernote can be used any where – even the FREE version.

Evernote does have a business package now which adds better collaboration tools.

As for me: I am a prolific note taker and for years I used Microsoft Word for this. When I was introduced to OneNote in 2003 I became one of it’s biggest fans. I was an evangelist for OneNote. I had notebook on notebook on notebook. What a fantastic tool. I gave seminar’s on OneNote and taught it.

I started synching OneNote on all my devices (at that time devices were Desktop and  2 laptop’s – circa 2003). I began using Microsoft’s Mesh – (now ‘OneDrive’), when it became available. Most of the time the synchronization worked well however was not perfect. Occasionally I would have multiple copies of my notebooks.

Sometime around 2008/2009 I was introduced to Evernote in it’s Beta form and, although not as powerful as OneNote, it’s synchronization was better - and I could access it on the web from any computer. It did everything I needed and I opened a FREE account. For awhile I used both Evernote and OneNote.

With my acquisition of a smartphone Evernote suddenly became the only way for me. OneNote was not available and I did not see a benefit to using two tools. Evernote was it. I stopped using OneNote completely. When OneNote did become available for the Android phone it was not easy and did not sync well for me. It was like having two different version's of the app.

Forward to today; I have an Evernote Premium account (pay) and it sync’s with my Samsung Galaxy S3, my iPad, my Nexus 7, my HP Desktop, my HP laptop, and this device, my HP Omni 10 and it sync’s very well between all devices.  Evernote is also on my Google Glass and performs exceptionally well with voice recognition.

The desktop, laptop, and HP Omni 10 tablet are all using Windows 8.1. The phone and the Nexus 7 are Android, and the Apple iPad is running the latest iOS 7.

I can share folders within Evernote and collaborate with others – which I have done. I have many folders as one might have notebooks in OneNote.

I am also a user of Skitch by Evernote for making sketches as well as annotating pictures and drawings. There are also handwriting tools like Penultimate (by Evernote), which on the iPad works very well. Evernote has voice recording and well as a camera connection.  Handwriting is now good within Evernote for the Windows user.

There are many other tools in the Evernote portfolio as well as many web extensions for the Chrome browser. 

Yes there are only (?) 80 million users of Evernote at this time and a billion users of Microsoft Office. I use Microsoft Office (Word and Excel can’t be beaten) however I just can’t see my way back to OneNote.

In the end I am not sure that by providing OneNote as a FREE tool it will bring many people to the table when Office arrives on the iPad. The many users of the iPad already have something that they use to take notes. I think OneNote is very powerful however does everyone need all that power to take notes?

Just sayin’…..

PewResearch Predicting Life in 2025

Digital Life in 2025. This is an interesting report by PewResearch and one, if you have some time, you might want to read. The report was put together to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Happy to say that I have been there for most of it.

Reading through the various contributors is quite interesting. You can see where we have been, maybe (opinion) where we are, however where we are going with the Internet can be mind boggling – depending on who you read. The opinions vary greatly with one exception – we are going somewhere and life as we know it is changing. Perhaps more rapidly than we can see. At least one contributor won’t really predict.

An idea that appears to be common is that the Internet and our lives will be seamless. It will be everywhere, integrated into all aspects of our lives – and the lives of our devices.

The one thing constantly in my mind is that they are not talking 2050, they are talking 2025 -  eleven years out. Where will you be in eleven years? Where will your children be? My favorite thought; where were you eleven years ago and what were you doing? Where did the Internet fit in to your life eleven years ago? Where does the Internet fit into your life today? Where do you think the Internet will fit into your life eleven years from now?

Today, when someone stares at me with my Google Glass, what will they do when they see me (or someone) riding in a car that is driving itself? What will happen to modes of transportation as we become more adjusted to working when and from wherever we like? The Internet is not yet everywhere however the world is working on that.

I read a tech journalist yesterday that was laughing at the fact that going paperless was a failed idea. His opinion appeared to be that this cannot happen. I am not sure that he is very current with his technology. Paper companies are having serious problems because the printing, publishing, industries are losing to the digital world. His own way of life could be threatened. Ironically I did read his post on my computer.

A large number of people are in self denial. Are you with your job? Do you think your job will be the same in the next eleven years? If not, are you doing something about it? Problem is that the people I am speaking to are not reading this blog. Hmm…….

Things change, times change, the weather changes. We change!

I will leave the philosophy for now to go find new things on the Internet. I need to check the news, find out why my back is hurting, and maybe discover a new recipe. Our problems may still be the same however how we get to answers is going to be different.

Google Glass Is Mine!

I have waited a number of days to write this so I could look back at my feelings and respond appropriately.

On February 28, 2014 I received an email from the Google Glass Explorer Program asking if I was still interested in Google Glass. My Invite had arrived! This is the day that I, with consultation with my wife, added to the debt limit and, at the same time, decreased our son’s inheritance. Sorry kid, I love ya’ but Google just got some of your money.

Story: About 12:05PM on Friday I received an email from Google wanting to know if I was still interested in obtaining Google Glass. I think I read it about 3 times and then called my wife. A little too much excitement here. You know there is a problem when you have someone my age giggling and cannot contain the laughter.

After much deliberation, some Starbucks coffee, at 3:40PM I placed the order. Next major problem; what color? I love Red but would draw too much attention. Next was Blue – hmm, my favorite color – next to Red, but again an attention getter. I want to do this but would like a little less attention. Black and White were out of the running so I settled for Grey.

Ironically I now wish I had gone with the red, hang the attention. Oh well.

All that was Friday the 28th. On March 5th they were in my hands. At the last moment I was asked to teach an Excel class on March 5th (the due date) so I had to wait to pick them up at UPS that evening. Oh the excitement.

Now the long learning process begins. I did take pictures of the un-boxing however they were not much compared to my wearing them for the first time. Way too much excitement here.

It has now been 5 days since the unboxing and I have figured out how to;

• Turn them on and off as well as adjust how they wear
• Take a picture and a video (going through the car wash was funny)
• I am impressed with the 5MP camera
• Reply to email – which blew me away, It was an accident
• Send pictures to people on purpose as well as in error
• Took a picture of a gift basket and sent it to Leo Laporte – sorry Leo
• I’ve learned to check the battery, the temperature, and the time
• I have been in a Hangout

I have learned much more however I have a long way to go until they are part of my normal routine. I have to admit I have had no trouble wearing them, I adjusted very quickly. I can also wear out the battery very quickly.

I am mind boggled by what the potential is. I have been through a number of discussions since receiving the glasses as to area’s where something like this could be of great advantage. So much to do. Picture and Video taking with Bluetooth connection to my phone. I can screencast what I see to someone else and be involved in a Hangout. And I am only an Egg.

More as I go.

iPad vs. HP Omni 10 vs. Nexus 7 vs. Laptop

I find this conundrum quite interesting. I have always tried to stay on the leading edge of that which I ‘think’ I understand. Having purchased my first PC in 1981 (IBM – not a clone) I have continually tried to discover what’s it all about for the user. What can I do with this? How can we make our lives better through this technology? And it has been exciting.

Admittedly technology has been in all of my life as I have said many times. Sometimes the technology is for fun, it’s being adventurous, the excitement of stepping into the future and seeing what you can make it do. I do have a tendency to push some things too far and sometimes not far enough. There is also the ego rush when you know something and can show others. I do enjoy showing others “how to” and that is most rewarding to me.

Today I have an iPad (version 3), a Nexus 7, and the new HP Omni 10. What is going to happen to all these devices?

Well the iPad has become my new Kindle replacement. It is great to read on and to work with PDF’s. I say that because I am currently trying to get through a Coursera class on statistics and the book is a PDF which I can highlight, underline, annotate, and make notes. I can’t do that as easily on any other device. The screen is beautiful and I have no problem with reading on the device. I have my Kindle subscription on it and get to do most of my reading that way. The Kindle app is on everything else including the phone but I still want to go back to the iPad to read.

The app’s at Apple and on the Android are really great. You do not need a million app’s however you do need ones that are really aimed at productivity and these devices do have the apps – at least for the time being.

As for cloud storage my files can be uploaded from my laptop (or desktop) via Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive. I personally seem to get better traction with Dropbox (if you sign up for Dropbox use me as a reference as I can use the additional free space). Dropbox has been faster and without errors. I use the other cloud storage however I do get occasional sync corruption with OneDrive (the old SkyDrive). Had that happen today and that can be frustrating and I do not believe in frustration*.

I had planned to use the iPad as a kitchen tool for recipes, news and weather in the morning, and a general all purpose household device. After reading “Rethinking the iPad: A formula to make it useful if you’re already savvy on a laptop and smartphone” by Jason Hiner over at TechRepublic I completely concur. I immediately took off all the email and turned off notification and began to look at the iPad a little differently. Perhaps I will even believe that it is an entertainment device.

On the iPad I use Documents (by Readdle) to read and update my PDF’s. With the recent upgrades to i0S 7 Documents 5 has added (for a fee) a some really cool additions to annotating PDF’s Very nice app but not available on Windows. I might say I do not mind paying for apps that will make life easier. Like the ones that start my wife’s car or turn off an on the security at the house.

As for the HP Omni 10 I have full access to all of Microsoft 2013 through my subscription. I can watch the class video’s on the HP Omni 10 and switch between that and MS Word to make notes. I can have the book open on the iPad and stay up with the reading. Again using Dropbox for all my collection of information while working.

After reading Molly Wood’s Phone, Meet Tablet, That’s Phabulous, (you could hit a paywall it’s the NY Times) my next phone will most likely be a Phablet. I had preciously looked at the Galaxy Note 3 that she discusses and, unless something happens on the way to the forum, I will wind up getting that phone when my contract is up for renewal this year. I say “unless something happens” because I had planned to buy a Galaxy Note tablet and fell into the HP Omni 10. If it wasn’t for the Verizon contract I would that Galaxy Note 3 phone now. 

As I have written many times previously the HP OMNI 10 running Windows 8.1 is my work tool of choice I still have an HP Pavilion dv6 for web work and heavy duty Excel spreadsheets, and this time to write this blog. I do have a desktop but it will be the last one of those. I like watching TED Talks on the 23” HD Monitor.

* See Jim Rohn – “Don’t get frustrated, get fascinated” it’s been a mantra of mine ever since I heard Jim Rohn speak it.

An interesting talk with Eric Schmidt on Technology and Democracy

I am very fascinated with the connection between technology and it’s effect on global politics. I have always found Eric Schmidt valuable to listen to. He is a thinker and makes what he has to say easy to grasp.

In this case he brings to light the thought that;

The way you are going to solve most of the world’s problems is by educating people and education means understanding things, learning things, learning how to be curious, learning hot to read.

Warning this is almost an hour long.

Google Offers a Guide to Not Being a 'Creepy' Google Glass Owner - NYTimes.com

Having had the abilty to try the Google Glass on (and get envious) I can understand why Google's Guide makes sense. My wife and I have recently seen two people wearing Google Glasses while shopping. They were into what they were doing and not paying any attention to any one around them - or appearing to be taking pictures.



Thanks to Tom Webster I have no problem with these glasses and the term "Glassholes" is somewhat obnoxious and I actually think less of the individual using that term than I do the wearer of the glasses.



Google Offers a Guide to Not Being a 'Creepy' Google Glass Owner - NYTimes.com:



'via Blog this'

A Winter Reminder

I am keeping this for summer when people start complaining that it is too warm. I call this my Currier and Ives Moment, or maybe a Kodak Moment, better yet, Walter & Samsung Galaxy S3 Moment.

I am absolutely astounded what you can do with a camera that has been placed in a phone as an add-on. Not to many years ago your Instamatic could not take this picture.  The only thing missing is the horse and carriage.