iPad for College

[krlosv_gd]

Hi, I am a college student, I bought an ipad in order to take all of my notes virtually and save them on an external harddrive, I need a note taking app, I know this thread is below mine, but I would really like a strong recommendation. I start classes tomorrow, basically I'll need an app for reminding me my homeworks, assignments, exams and project due dates, and a different app for note taking, I tried the free SmartNote and really liked it, but handwriting part just sucks, I really liked the fact that it can be organized neatly and that it has music sheets (I am studying music).

I don't care about being able to record, but that would be a nice plus. Any recommendation? Please its an emergency

 

[giradman]

Hello and welcome to the forum -

Concerning an app for 'note taking', there will be plenty of recommendations coming I suspect - all seem to have their preference(s); if you might want compatibility w/ Word *.doc files, then Pages might be a consideration - $10 purchase in the Apple App store.

Also, if you need to take notes quickly and if you are also a good typist, then a BT (Bluetooth) keyboard would be another consideration - there are plenty of options; I have the Apple KB but others are more portable and some are incorporated into an iPad case.

Others will likely 'chime in' - good luck in school and in your choice(s).

 

[emm]

I like SoundNote and Noterize.

 

[Gding]

First post here. Awesome forum and app.

I'm in the same boat as you. I did a little research and I found a few good ones. For the life of me I can't find the link to a video review that helped me, but I ended up going with Office2 HD. There are some other ones (Document to Go, iWork Suite, and others already listed here were the main ones I looked at). They're all pretty similar but I ended up with Office2 HD because I liked the layout better, it includes .doc, .xls, and .ppt for viewing and editing purposes. It was also one of the cheaper ones in comparison. $9 I think. Oh, almost forgot, Office2 HD syncs with a lot of cloud services including dropbox, which I recommend too (free.99).

You can also view .pdf files but can't edit. To store my .pdf files I use fileapp (I also have a lot of music files). There's a paid version but the free one has done everything I needed it to do so far. Also fileapp stores .mov files from emails for me.

All in all, here's my picks: Office2 HD, fileapp, and dropbox. ($9 total)

I also agree with the other post that your going to need a Bluetooth keyboard. Typing is just too slow otherwise. I bought the HippiH iEagle foldable keyboard. It's small, you don't have to be tied to a keyboard/case, and foldable. The downsides are that I've only seen it on apple's website, it's not in the two stores close to me and it's $100.

Hope this helped.

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

Look at Notes Plus - which allows handwriting, drawing/sketching, typed input and audio recording too.

There's a great of the app in action at the Developer's website.

Tim

 

[twerppoet]

Not from personal experience, but others have said that iStudiez is a great way to keep track of your class, etc. If you campus supports it, that is.

 

[Gding]

Actually, I sexing istudiez. I have been trying it for a little bit and it's pretty good at keeping a schedule laid out for you. Get the free one to try it out.

 

[giradman]

Actually, I sexing istudiez. I have been trying it for a little bit and it's pretty good at keeping a schedule laid out for you. Get the free one to try it out.

LOL - - assuming the above in bold was a typo -

 

[Gding]

No. No. I meant what I said. Haha.

I'm not even sure how it got that, but it read my mind.

 

[LawPad2]

I like SoundNote and Noterize.

Sound note with the space? Or soundnote? There are two.

sent from my pimped out iPad 2

 

[GoPackGo]

See, I don't have a stylus (and wasn't planning on buying one), so I'm going to hope the free version of Evernote will do the trick for me in terms of note taking and recording. And if not, I have my handy dandy notebook as a backup.

I also bought my iPad to serve many functions, one of them helping me with note taking with my final semester. I hope you find the app you're looking for!

 

[twerppoet]

I just saw an App Store post from their FaceBook page that said students have said Evernote is their favorite app for class note taking, so it just might work for you.

Besides, if you have to fall back to the laptop and or desktop, all you notes from the iPad will be there waiting, no extra effort (if you load the app on the computer anyway).

 

[eee0o]

Istudiez is PERFECT for college and it keeps all of your exams, assignments and classes neatly organized. It also syncs with my iPhone so I never forget due dates and what not so definitely check that out. I use notes plus to handwrite my notes with a stylus (zoom feature) but you can also type if you desire.

 

[jsh1120]

Just a few comments from someone who spent a lot of years in colleges on both sides of the classroom, hasn't done so in a number of years, but has to take notes in various settings on a regular basis.

() Evernote is a great app for organizing information, both notes and information clipped from other sources. Useful on both the iPad and on other platforms.

() If you're going to type your notes, get a bluetooth keyboard. The Apple Wireless Keyboard is very good but there are several equally good alternatives including the Microsoft 6000 bluetooth portable keyboard ($32) and a bluetooth keyboard from Targus ($44). Before opting for an iPad case with a built-in keyboard keep in mind that the keyboard will be significantly smaller than the AWK. If you have small fingers and don't need to use a full-size keyboard on a regular basis, you may be able to adjust. But if you're a rapid typist you may find the small keyboards very cramped.

() If you're going to use a handwriting note-taking app, be prepared for a steep learning curve to become as proficient and efficient as you are with a paper and pencil. Notes Plus and NoteTaker HD are both very powerful apps for handwritten notes (combined with typing), but each requires a lot of practice to be used efficiently. Practicing while trying to take notes in a lecture or class can be very frustrating and lead to very bad notes. Whatever app you choose, stick with it long enough to evaluate it properly.