note taking app

justin1376

Member
Nov 9, 2012
2
0
hello guys. yesterday i just purchased my new tablet, a google nexus 7 and i started to install lots of apps on it. but i started to search for a suitable note taking application for my needs but i couldn't find an appropriate one. well i'm a translator and i need to take lots of notes while reading books. as a result i need an app that functions as both a pdf reader and note taker. an application that offers me a blank page to take notes while reading pdfs and ebooks. i know that there are some apps out there like evernote and qpdf but non of these apps fit my needs. can you help me with this problem?
 

leeshor

Senior Member
Dec 27, 2011
6,330
1,037
Welcome to the forum

I'm not 100% certain I understand what you are looking for. You can have a PDF file open and also use another app to take notes and switch between them but I don't understand beyond that. For note taking I like "Catch" Notes and SpringPad. Both are somewhat like Evernote but not the same. They will allow you to access the info on your computer as well as your tablet and Android phone.
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
1,632
191
It is a bit difficult to figure, there really isn't a way to have two apps open, or two windows, aside from the Note devices by Samsung. However, I have seen some floating note apps, I think Hover Notes is one, that might offer a solution. Not sure how effective it would be on a small screen though.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1
 

justin1376

Member
Nov 9, 2012
2
0
thank you for answers. but the exact problem is that i don't want to switch between two different apps. i am searching for an app that functions as these applications at the same time. a note taker and a reader. two in one!
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jan 6, 2011
5,172
899
thank you for answers. but the exact problem is that i don't want to switch between two different apps. i am searching for an app that functions as these applications at the same time. a note taker and a reader. two in one!

There are apps that let you annotate PDFs (take notes) but not on a completely separate blank page at the same time, that I know of. Android is not very good at allowing multiple windows at the same time so strike one against you is that. As was mentioned Samsung has modified Android to run two windows at the same time but it is in the early stages and doesn't work all that well yet.

Strike two against you is the tablet itself. A 7" tablet is simply not conductive to productivity particularly if it requires side by side apps or a note screen next to a reading screen. You are going to have all sorts of productivity issues if that is your primary work flow on a 7" screen.

Strike 3 against you may be that you chose a device without note taking specific input. Something like the Galaxy Note series is probably much more suited to this kind of task whether or not you use stylus based input because they have thought about how to overlay notes and background material. Again this is a unique application of Android by Samsung who seems to be leading this area of use at the moment.

Now you may be able to find other app developers who have solved these issues as Samsung has and if so please post them here for others. But that still doesn't change the fact that you will be trying to do two things in a very tiny amount of space. Essentially the only way you can make this work is to slide back and forth between your notes and your reading material. At that point you are essentially doing the same thing you could be doing by using two apps.

ICS and Jelly Bean have made multitasking very simple and this should work just as well for you on a 7" tablet as trying to have one app that does everything (a 10" would be fine for side by side). Simply open your reading app and then open your note app. Use the recent apps button to quickly switch back and forth between the two. If you close all other apps this should be very easy to do. For starters the app you are in isn't listed in the apps that popup so you only have one to choose from easily allowing you to jump back and forth in fractions of a second. If you need a browser or another app open at the same time it is possible to jump in and out of that one in the same way though you will have to be slightly more careful which app you are choosing since there will now be more than one in the list.

I know this isn't what you are asking but it is the way to be the most successful at what you want to do. It is also a little difficult to explain in words but it should be very easy in practice. This is where the Nexus 7 will show its strength because the processor should eliminate any lag.

Here you are reading:
$Google-Nexus-7-Front-View.jpg

Then push the bottom right button to bring up recent apps (except there is only one to choose if you only have two apps open).
$8068004963_74e60014b3_z.jpg

Bam! You are taking notes.
$voice-nexus.jpg

Just reverse the process to go back the other way.
 
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Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
1,632
191
Certain software, like the Sony Reader app, does allow pdf viewing and note taking I suppose, but really the fast task switching as described would be about as efficient, although it would not tie your notes to the document being viewed.
Also just a minor note (get it?), the Samsung side by side multitasking works EXTREMELY well, having spent nearly 2 months hands on, the only downside is the limited number of apps that support it.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1
 
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