Note / Productivity Apps

Disclaimer: I chose these apps / software families because they are able to be used on pretty much every device. I did not review or compare Apple's "Notes" due to the fact that it cannot be used on Android and has a sub par experience on Windows computers and mobile devices.

Evernote 

https://www.evernote.com 

I've used Evernote for 5 years. They have a family of apps that integrate so users can take notes, save pictures or audio, copy information from the Web (using a browser extension), draw or hand write notes (using the Penultimate app), and scan and then save documents (using the Scannable app). They also had a food and recipe app that they discontinued. This software family for a while was a favorite of tech users especially heavy users of "Productivity software". Recently they made changes limiting uploads to 60 megabytes per month, which is pretty low as storage goes, and they recently raised prices on premium plans. The paid versions of Evernote now cost $34.99, $69.99 and $120 per year, based on the amount of storage a user requires. Downloading notes is not difficult but the formats you have to choose from are not friendly (proprietary EXM or HTML) it would be better to copy and paste but that is time consuming. There are some nice word processing features on the web / desktop version that are not available in the app. Users can share their notes, collaborate (even chat with people in real time), make tags, create separate notebooks, insert items from Google Drive, save audio or photos, make audio notes, attach files, and create shortcuts. Evernote also integrates with IFTTT (If This Then That) and has helpful widgets for iOS messaging, iPhone, and Apple Watch.  I chose these apps / software families because they are able to be used on pretty much every device. I did not review or compare Apple's "Notes" due to the fact that it cannot be used on Android and has a subpar experience on Windows computers and mobile devices.

Google Keep 

https://keep.google.com 

Google Keep allows users to take and save pictures and record audio notes. What you save counts towards each Google account's allotment of data which is 17GB (this is for all of your Google Services, to learn more about items that count and those that don't read this: ) There is no monthly restrictions on file sizes. Users can add collaborators, share notes, change the color of a note which also changes the background color, make a copy, create reminders, pin a note so that it remains at the top of the list, create check boxes, and create labels. There is an archive feature for notes you are not using but want to store long-term storage. Some of the downsides I have read is that there is no undo button for mistakes, no revision control, and there is no easy way to download notes. I had trouble finding my notes in Google Drive, it should be easier in my opinion. There is not a way to do handwritten notes in Google Keep. Like Evernote there is a browser extension. 

OneNote 

https://onedrive.live.com 

Microsoft has their own productivity app that comes built into Windows 10. It is extremely handy when using a Surface product because when you click the stylus the OneNote app opens up. OneNote is available on any device with apps or a web browser. OneNote allows users 5GB of OneDrive storage (previously 30GB, there are some grandfathered users) but if you are an Office 365 user it is unlimited. Similar to other productivity apps it allows users to share, collaborate, make handwritten notes, save audio or photos, add file attachments, and has a browser extension to save web information. The online interface is very similar to other Microsoft Office products like Word. OneNote features that are not present in the other productivity offerings are: version control, changes by author, adding in tables, Office integration, and inserting symbols. I personally would have liked if OneNote allowed handwriting / document markup with your finger on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android like they do on Windows mobile devices.  

  

Ratings:  

  

Features: OneNote  

  

User Interface: Evernote  

  

Storage: Google Keep  

  

There are things to like about each of the productivity products. I guess I would suggest each user use the one that offers what they value most: features, interface, or storage. I'd also say that if a someone uses an Android they would probably prefer Google Keep, if Windows Mobile then OneNote, and if Apple then Evernote The pictures that accompany each review give you a glimpse at the 3D Touch features, user interface and workflow, and browser extensions for each, to help make your decision.

Media Creation / Production Apps (plus extras)

Today’s theme is Media Creation / Production (and some extra stuff)

New Adobe apps:

Photoshop Sketch -allows for drawing directly on mobile devices using special new built-in brushes, and can ship content back and forth between Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC

Photoshop Mix - updated to work with the iPhone as well as the iPad, and Lightroom Mobile adds comment capabilities for better collaboration, allows GPS tagging

Illustrator Draw -  a vector drawing experience with full support for Adobe’s Ink and Slide hardware stylus and ruler on the go. This is more of a sketching / canvas tool.

Illustrator Line - a precision drawing app that adds options for sharing shapes while they’re working. This is more of a precision drafting tool.

Premiere Clip - a lot like Apple’s iMovie app in terms of function, the features are more for the creative professional, it has full workflow integration with Adobe Premiere Pro CC so the projects can be begun on mobile and completed with a comprehensive, fully professional editing suite.

Brush - allows you to take a picture of an object or surface and upload it so you can use it as a custom brush design in Photoshop, Illustrator, or Illustrator Sketch

Shape CC - allows you to use convert any high resolution photo into a vector drawing; from fonts to cat pictures can then be used in Illustrator or uploaded to your Creative Cloud

Color CC - allows you to create custom pallets based on colors you choose in photos you have taken then upload the pallet so it can be used in your other Adobe programs

All of these apps are a way to get people to get more use out of their Adobe Creative Cloud accounts and their flagship programs Photoshop and Illustrator.

New Evernote apps (if you aren’t using the note-taking / organizing app it’s amazing):

Scannable - document scanning app. When the app is running, you simply put documents in front of your smartphone’s camera, and the app captures them automatically. You don’t have to press the camera button. The app will also categorize documents by type, it can do this because it knows the difference between items like business cards, receipts, magazines, etc.

Penultimate - tablet sketch app, you can draw with three different points with 8 colors, it knows not to mark the page with your wrist, automatically uploads to Evernote. It has been completely redesigned to be “more simple and elegant". I really like it.

Web client - the web version of Evernote has been simplified and streamlined. Options fade away if you are using them but will come back if you mouse over them. It has been designed to reduce distractions and have a clean look.

Flic - helps you manage photos stored on your phone, swipe to the right to keep or swipe to the left to delete. If you don't access the app for a while it will prompt you. It will also help you decide on keeping or deleting pictures on your iCloud account.

Other media  apps:

Camera51 - helps setup great shots, by analysing background and your photo's subject

Line SnapMovie -very popular in Asia (20 million users), shoot and edit video, share on their social media platform: Line or export to Facebook or Instagram

Treehouse -teaches programming, over 1000 video, quizzes and challenges

 A Hodgepodge of apps:

Digiduck's big decision - for kids 3-7 and their parents, teaching them how to stay safe online and when using mobile devices

My Singing Monsters - a very cute game where you collect monsters on different islands who have different musical abilities and styles. It's like creating a monster orchestra or choir. The game reminds me of Farmville and other games where you collect, build, and develop; there are seasonal characters / decorations and activities that require time. Ashley at South Holiday asks that you connect to her if you download the app.

NHL - follow your favorite teams, get detailed player information, game highlights and update clips are free, but Game Cast is a subscription service; slick and considered a vast improvement from the previous app the NHL had. GO BOLTS!

AtMyLibrary – this app is kinda clunky but it has been provided by the State of Florida library through their Florida Electronic Library. It has 52 Gale databases everything from Academic One File to the War & Terrorism Collection. It has research sources for business, cooking, health, students… so many things. They can e-mail the articles to themselves for printing or later reading. This is definitely a resource you should tell your patrons about because there is nothing else that provides this number of citable professional research resources and it’s FREE to the patron.