(Archived) iPad evernote begs for stylus support

[danroot 3]

In meetings, I just don't see myself typing notes on the iPad. I would pay for premium if it included support for handwritten notes and napkin style drawings. esp. If it included handwriting recognition.

[Juan G 0]

About styli for iPad, iPhone, etc., there is some info and references on Wikipedia: Capacitive stylus.

Capacitive stylus brands are Acase, Apple, BoxWave, Dagi, HTC, Pogo, etc. See for example a few videos with a Dagi (transparent accurate stylus).

[johndlay 0]

I agree, the iPad EN would really benefit from the ability "draw" notes.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

If you want to write or draw, check into Phatware products. I've occasionally used Phatpad on a PC with a Wacom Bamboo pen tablet as the input/writing device. When the document is complete, I print it to a PDF & then send it to Evernote. (Or if it fits entirely on one screen, I'll just take an Evernote screen cap.) You may not be able to actually do a decent search on the PDF (since it's handwriting), you can add a title or other text to the note (or tags) in order to make it more easily identifiable, when you're searching for it. But it is a way to be able to get handwritten notes into Evernote.

Phatware Writepad for iPad:

http://www.phatware.com/index.php?q=pro ... padforipad

[blysik 0]

So I've done a lot of research on stylus use + iPad since I first posted on this thread. (I've probably downloaded and tried nearly every sketching and handwriting application in the app store.)

In general, the lack of sensitivity of the capacitive screen for stylus use makes handwritten notes not as useful as the onscreen keyboard. I can type twice as fast on the keyboard in landscape mode then I can write with a stylus in Penultimate or Note Taker HD or WritePad.

I think the big win comes with solid rich text entry (with good list/outline management, like OmniOutliner) plus the ability to use a finger/stylus for quick sketches or diagrams. (Toss in sound recording plus auto transcription for extra points via Voice2Note. Though this really needs be able to be backgrounded. Can you background Evernote in iOS 4 and still sound record?)

Make free writing/drawing an option, sure, but I think most people are going to find it's not as useful as typing on the keyboard.

[slamroe76 0]

Agreed, I will be replacing my ipad with a windows tablet as soon as one is available with a stylus. Unfortunately that will probably mean that I'll end up using one note instead as well. I'm quite disappointed with the ipad.

[blysik 0]

Agreed, I will be replacing my ipad with a windows tablet as soon as one is available with a stylus. Unfortunately that will probably mean that I'll end up using one note instead as well. I'm quite disappointed with the ipad.

Note that I am NOT disappointed with my iPad. I think it's a great device. But it wasn't made for handwriting via a stylus, and while I can make it work, it's not great at it. (It is great at a bunch of other things however, so I'll let it off the hook.)

[danroot 3]

Handwriting isn't the only- or even main- reason I want stylus support. Back-of-napkin-style drawing, and screen/page mockups could all benefit from freehand support. Having it in Evernote would beat the other note apps because of instant sync-up with other devices/web and search.

[emdalton 0]

I got a Pogo Sketch stylus while I was still using an iPod Touch, and it worked pretty well, but when I lost it, I replaced it with the BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus. This one works extremely well. Unlike earlier stylus models I tried, the BoxWave has a firm tip with a semi-spherical surface, so you can write at any angle.

As others have said, at minimum I need to be able to record sketches. But besides that, typewritten notes won't work for me. I'm often taking notes on mathematical functions or other situations that require custom symbols. Evernote has enough handwriting recognition for me already-- just make it easier for me to find my notes with search. But I need to be able to input them!

Currently I use FastFinga and email my handwritten notes to Evernote, but that's not optimal. I can't edit them again later in Evernote, and Evernote doesn't pick up the categories I use in FastFinga and file in matching notebooks. I can't move notes between notebooks within Evernote on iPad, so that forces me to manage my notes from a desktop, which is a pain if I'm on the road for a while. The reason I carry the iPad is so I won't HAVE to carry a full-sized laptop everywhere.

And remember, the iPad doesn't have a camera (neither did earlier iPod Touch models), so we can't just snap an image of a napkin note or whiteboard.

I'd upgrade to Premium for the ability to sketch and manage notes directly on the iPad. Until then... I haven't used Evernote in months, and I don't think that's going to change. Which is a shame, because it comes closest to the software I really need, but it's missing those critical features.

[artemesia66 6]

+1 +1 +1 for this feature. I love my ipad, and I'm currently using penultimate and mailing notes to evernote, but this is clearly a PITA work around. Direct pen support would make Evernote even more killer.

Griffin/Boxwave/Logix Stylus rocks (they look identical--must be the same OEM).

[wenger2k 0]

I'd concur on the need - to those that are still using penultimate give notes+ and the boxwave pen combo a go - its still far from perfect but form my money its a substantial improvement over penultimate and the pogo (which is where I started).

Having said that, without integration beyond being able to mail my docs to Evernote, the value of Evernote is close to zero... sadly, dropbox has had to become a bit of an awkward EN replacement for me.

I love the concept of EN but it seems I just need it to be 3 or 4 years more mature than it is.

[jimbellofbelmont 0]

I'm a bit late to this post but have you people tried EVERNOTE partner SpeedText. It's great for written notes. Not so sure about the text recognition side of things though.

[coachdan007 1]

I actually built my own stylus and LOVED it.

First, let me say that I bought the one being sold online for $15. I was such a piece of garbage. I literally broke the clip off of it within 30 seconds of unpacking it. Then, it just felt like a plastic straw with foam on the end. I was so disappointed.

I watched the video referenced above, then someone in the comments section reasoned that any metal barrel pen should work, in theory.

I went to Fry's, bought a circuit, threw it away and kept the foam. I went to Staples, bought a metal pen, pulled out the guts and started threading the foam down the barrel. This is the challenging part. I had to cut the foam into a rough triangle to make sure it was small enough to poke out of the pen tip and yet wide enough inside the barrel to touch the sides.

I worked amazingly well. So well, in fact, that I ended up wearing down the foam and it was too much trouble to re-thread it.

However, back to the thread topic- I'd love to be able to do this within the Evernote environment.

-Dan

[john-is-my-name 0]

Is there a way to transfer a note I make in Phatware's WritePad into EverNote in iPad? In WritePad, I can copy a block of text but there seems to be no way in EverNote on the iPad to paste this block of text.

[john-is-my-name 0]

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[benfreeman 0]

I cant believe evernote doesnt have this already. I just got an ipad last week and just naturally assumed it would its such a no brainer. After doing research and reading about steve jobs hatred for styluses I assume thats why EN has held off but this just seems like such a no brainer to me. Can someone at EN at least reply to this with their thoughts and visions on whether this feature will ever appear? All the other apps that enable handwritten notes and doodles and then "send to EN" suck because they come to EN as PDFs and un-editable after.

[megsaint 441]

There are a number of apps that allow you to write or draw and then send the page(s) to Evernote. Noteshelf is one example but there are others. I use this type of app frequently for taking notes. It works beautifully. So, no need to wait.

[benfreeman 0]

Yeah i've tried them but you cant edit them once they are in evernote. They send PDF versions to evernote for viewing. Not really useful at all.

[megsaint 441]

Not very useful at all..... Well, I would strongly disagree. You can add typed notes to the note that contains the pdf. Or, you can edit the orignial and send it to Evernote. or, you can use one of the many PDF editors for the iPad, which are good to have around anyway.

[MartinPacker 2]

Writepad and (I think) Phatpad transfer into Evernote. I had a discussion with the author about allowing you to choose the notebook it transfers into. So far to no avail. But I have used the handwriting recognition in Writepad to get stuff into Evernote and I liked it.

I bought two styli: I first bought a £5 one and found it a real drag - literally. I couldn't write as the stylus wouldn't move fast enough. The next day I bought the Bamboo £25 one and found it MUCH better. Though I think £25 a bit steep. It's much smoother to write and draw with.

Martin

[Schooner 26]

Now on iPad3 & tested bamboo & logitec stylii, inferior concept to true "pointy stylus" devices, taken aback at pathetic inferiority to the rapid-fire registration of my ancient Palm V (what was that, 15 years ago?).

A monster hi-res screen with terrible wrist-registration interference; clunky large-size writing will register if you suspend your wrist in mid-air but hopelessly inefficient for hi-density handwritten note-taking.

IPad3 is for other functions. LiveScribe - gave up, too finicky & high-friction, poor ink flow. Still looking for a fine-point-stylus solution, convenient for rendering scribbles & research notes to EN.

/Schooner

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Now on iPad3 & tested bamboo & logitec stylii, inferior concept to true "pointy stylus" devices, taken aback at pathetic inferiority to the rapid-fire registration of my ancient Palm V (what was that, 15 years ago?).

A monster hi-res screen with terrible wrist-registration interference; clunky large-size writing will register if you suspend your wrist in mid-air but hopelessly inefficient for hi-density handwritten note-taking.

IPad3 is for other functions. LiveScribe - gave up, too finicky & high-friction, poor ink flow. Still looking for a fine-point-stylus solution, convenient for rendering scribbles & research notes to EN.

/Schooner

Hi. I recommend giving a try with GoodNotes. It is a free app that I have been using a lot lately. Here is my review of other apps.

http://www.princeton.edu/~cmayo/reviewhandwriting.html

The key is to use an app with the zoom function. It isn't as nice as pen and paper, but it is worth the compromises, and I have switched entirely to the iPad for handwriting. It is exceedingly easy to get notes into Evernote using any app.

Personally, I do not want to see handwriting inside of the Evernote app. The app is already a little pokey on the iPad, and compared to something like Simplenote is downright slow. That's to be expected, I guess, because the two apps have wildly different functionality.

But, in my experience, the more functions that get dumped into an app, the slower it gets. And, there is no point in re-inventing the wheel. GoodNotes and others are simply wonderful, and Evernote is unllikely to fare well against dedicated apps. You can only do one thing at a time in Evernote, so what is the point of having all of those functions?

[nova47 60]

The key is to use an app with the zoom function.

Yes !

Personally, I do not want to see handwriting inside of the Evernote app.

Yes!

But, in my experience, the more functions that get dumped into an app, the slower it gets. And, there is no point in re-inventing the wheel. GoodNotes and others are simply wonderful, and Evernote is unllikely to fare well against dedicated apps. You can only do one thing at a time in Evernote, so what is the point of having all of those functions?

And Yes!

[Jeff Denver 0]

I completely agree that EverNotes should allow for stylus or pen input. Appreciate the Skitch or Penultimate path to Evernote, but absolutely need to do annotations on top of existing EverNotes. Does anyone use Evernote with Smart or IWB Interactive White Boards? Being able to annotate on top of docs with electronic ink on an IWB is an absolute must. Yes, you can keyboard in data, but it isn't the same as circling, highlighting and handwriting when in a collaborative meeting. Understand the point that typing while at a computer makes more sense. I have the keyboard with iPad and Android phone. However, if you are standing in front of a projected image in front of people you don't want to go running for a keyboard - doesn't do much for spontaneous sharing of ideas. Ink handwriting is already part of Evernote. Why not make it an option for editing (thus shouldn't be slower)?

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Is stylus support even available on the iPad? I tried using a stylus with a simple drawing program just to see if the iPad would recognize it and it did not.

You actually need a special stylus to work with the iPad. iPads screens are based on capacitance so the sensor needs a slight electrical charge to recognize the fact that anything is there.

What fictoris said is true. At the risk of stating the obvious, same with iPhones.

[blysik 0]

+1 for this. Please!

[pchinn 1]

My solution for meetings is to use a Bluetooth keyboard with my iPad. Tried it today for the first time and it worked reasonably well.

Personally, I'd like to see support for finger or stylus doodling system-wide, not just in Evernote. I'd love to be able to pull up a PDF/image/Word doc, mark it up, then have both the clean and marked-up versions available to me.

[ssinlk 0]

+1here too. I just assumed that it would include ink notes -just like the iPhone. The iPad would be perfect for ink notes.

[Claycourtdad 0]

Ditto and agree!!!! I do not want to type in meetings but will use Evernote to take notes

[chakley 0]

There's a few note taking apps in the app store that support handwritten notes. Evernote absolutely needs this!

[kdwissner 0]

i agree. high priority item.

[freeksngeeks 0]

I too have started using the small aluminum bluetooth keyboard to takes notes at meetings. I use the dock as a stand, and it works really well. I would also like stylus and drawing support.

[slamroe76 0]

Ok, my iPad is still on order so cant speak from experience but from what I've read and how I imagine it working this is what I'd like to see in Evernote on the iPad.

- Stylus support - its a no brainer.

- I'd like to be able to create a template of a document (not sure if this can be done now) and be able to open that template in any file format (pdf typically) and use the stylus to complete it and or sign it. Then sync it back to the office for my assistant to process.

The reason I'd like to see these things is that I'd like to create a notebook for each client I'd be seeing in a day with all the forms etc that they need to sign and be able to complete them on the iPad without the need for printing everything.

There seems to be many great things about Evernote and these would be absolute done deal for me, I'd even be happy to pay more than the premium account for this type of function as it would save me much time and money.

[WhiteKnight 0]

Is stylus support even available on the iPad? I tried using a stylus with a simple drawing program just to see if the iPad would recognize it and it did not. This may be out of ENs control. If I am mistaken then please let me know how you verified stylus support.

Thanks!

[fictoris 0]

You actually need a special stylus to work with the iPad. iPads screens are based on capacitance so the sensor needs a slight electrical charge to recognize the fact that anything is there.

To build a stylus check out this link: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/05/di ... tylus.html

or you can buy one from here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... ockergnome

But handwriting/doodling support in Evernote would be super duper.

Cameron

[beorn_ours 0]

Count one more for free sketch/drawing/stylus capabilities on the iPad.

[WhiteKnight 0]

OK, with this being said, then I agree that being able to support a stylus is big and I'd vote for it. :wink: I'd like to have my wife use one (she's a journalist and conducts interviews standing up), but without a stylus it is useless as she can't type fast enough on the digital keyboard. The iPad/iPhone is just better for this sort of work if you are going to use an electronic device as you can't take notes on a Netbook standing up. EN would be tremendous as then her notes would be readily available on her MBP when she was done.

[jolleyutah 0]

+1 from me. I am currently a non-premium user and it suits me just fine. But, would gladly pay for a premium account if this feature were included.

That being said, this feature in the free accounts would be nice, and I would gladly use it on a daily basis.

[Phonehoppy 0]

+1 from me, too. It's just irony that the desktop version supports ink notes, but a device like the iPad doesn't.

[Arrow 1]

One solution is to use Penultimate. You can create a notebook with the title you want to be your EV note title. Then use a stylus to write notes and draw. When you are done you can email them to EV. It shows up in your inbox as a note in PDF format.

The only downside is you can't send it back to Penultimate to modify and you can't modify it once it is in EV. But yup can keep it in Penultimate as long as you want and add and modify until it is in final form. Then send to EV for archive.

[Philosofy 1]

I tried using one of the stylus' at the Apple store on an iPad. Its not ready for prime time. First, the stylus has a tip like a sponge, or a used magic marker. OK for doodling, not for notes. You also seem to have to press pretty hard to get it to work.

The real problem, however, is that an iPad screen is much larger than an iPhone. With an iPhone, you can hold it in your hand and draw on the screen without touching any other area of the screen. But with the iPad, if you rest your hand on the screen, like you would do with a piece of paper, the iPad thinks your pinching, or doing some two fingered gesture. I even tried putting a piece of paper under my hand while I was writing, but it didn't work. I was really bummed about this.

[engberg 89]

I think the stylus tips are fat and spongy because the resolution of the touch screen isn't very precise (it's tuned for fingers). If the styluses had a fine point, the screen might not pick up the presses, and the interpreted location may not match the location of the point.

[jmpsfs 23]

Does EN support stylus input on tablet PCs? I'm considering which way I should go for my portable computer, netbook or Ipad, and frankly I'm amazed to learn I can't use a stylus for the Ipad. Why would I even consider it?

John Pearce

[engberg 89]

Yes, Evernote for Windows supports stylus input on Tablet PCs.

[ctennenh 0]

I'm running EN on a Lenovo x61 Tablet PC and the inking support is great. On the iPad you can use Penultimate and either email a PDF to your evernote account or take a screenshot and email that to your evernote account.

[cbelanger 0]

I tried using one of the stylus' at the Apple store on an iPad. Its not ready for prime time. First, the stylus has a tip like a sponge, or a used magic marker. OK for doodling, not for notes. You also seem to have to press pretty hard to get it to work.

The real problem, however, is that an iPad screen is much larger than an iPhone. With an iPhone, you can hold it in your hand and draw on the screen without touching any other area of the screen. But with the iPad, if you rest your hand on the screen, like you would do with a piece of paper, the iPad thinks your pinching, or doing some two fingered gesture. I even tried putting a piece of paper under my hand while I was writing, but it didn't work. I was really bummed about this.

I've been working with Penultimate (while waiting for EN to come out with ipad ink noting (please)) and they have a "wrist protection" feature that ignores your hand resting on the screen. It assumes that you are right handed and beginning your note at the top left and working down from there but it works really well. They do need to change a couple of things - allowing for a smaller diameter ink line and the placement of icons at the bottom of the screen as they do get hit by my hand.

For a stylus, heard the usual ones were soft and spongy so I found one that has a hard flat clear plastic tip. It takes a little getting used to but you can see what your writing, hold it as a normal angle and doesn't feel like I'm pressing abnormally hard when writing. It's from "Dagi" and can be found on ebay with demos on you tube.