Sound Note vs Audio Note vs Notes Plus

[MikeMurray]

Hey folks

I'm looking at getting one of these apps, but not sure which is most efficient.. Does anyone have experience with these to make some direct comparisons? I'll be using it to record lectures, but I'm not a particularly diligent note taker, so the audio recording is absolutely vital for me, also how it integrates with typed and written text, and possibly drawings. Being able to work on PDFs would be a bonus too.

Thanks
Mike

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[persephone]

that's a tough one. i would recommend note taker hd for notes and do your recording seperately with recorder pro. note taker hd does a great job with handwriting and can import pdfs. notes plus will record, but doesn't import pdfs and is a little slow in recognizing my pen strokes.

alternatively, you could type with the bluetooth keyboard and record with evernote (i think it has this feature).

whatever you get, a really useful strategy is to be prepared for failure and have a backup. record with your ipod as well, have multiple notetaking apps on your ipad, and be ready with pen and paper. also, practice ahead of time. writing quickly with the stylis is different.

once you are used to it, you can relax a bit. just don't walk into class, sit down, and try to write, because chances are you will end up spending your energy trying to figure the app out instead of taking notes.

[Rusty]

I have used notes plus for the past 6 months...very good app...
I have used notability and epinoteHD and penultimate
Notes plus works the best.

[lkilgore]

SoundNote is the best app I have found for taking written notes while also recording audio. I use it at all of the meetings I attend. While it is running, if I need to pop out of the app to open a web browser, check email, etc... there will be a thin red line at the top of the iPad screen to remind you that you are still recording.

Just last week, I observed one of my peers as he taught his 8th grade math class (we do peer observations among our teachers). I took notes as I observed his class and I did an audio recording. When I was finished, I selected the email option to email my written notes to him, and also attached the sound file. It was very easy to do.

[chaipad]

I have used SoundNote and liked it until I found Notability, which does the same thing and a lot more. For starters you can organize your files into folders, which SoundNote could not do at that time. I also used Notes Plus, which I liked, but found Notability more intuitive.......and I think it does all the same things ( but has a very different look).