INTRODUCTION
For most purposes the native notes application
is barely adequate and for that reason there exists many note taking
applications. Before spending your hard earned dollar on any notes
software, it is important to do your homework and see if the product you
have in mind makes the grade. Notes are taken everywhere from the
boardroom to the classroom and I have always wanted something that
enabled me to actually use my notes efficiently. PhatPad claims to be the best solution for notes. Read on to discover if PhatPad 4.1 gets written down or forgotten…
WHAT’S HOT
PhatPad 4.1 brings many new
features such as auto scrolling, multiple document sizes, loading of background images, support of
handwriting recognition with additional software, mixed media on the
same page, templates, Today screen add-on and more.
SETUP
Thankfully, PhatWare is an
established company so the install is simple and effective. The install
file is almost 15 MB but most of that goes into the desktop
software.
The registration code is entered on the desktop install so you do not have to peck at your tiny on screen keyboard.
Once
installed there are a few simple options you can set to enhance your
note taking experience. Be sure to check the Today screen add-on for
quick and easy access to your notes.
For
those that like options, PhatPad allows everything from small to
monstrous page sizes. Since all notes can be exported as images and
sent to others, the larger sizes are great for creating forms for
others to fill out.
PRODUCT FEATURES
If
you are anything like me then you love your options. PhatPad provides a
classical list view as well as a pages view of your notes so you can
set it up to find your notes in the way that serves you best. If there
are voice notes attached, an icon is displayed along with the number of
pages each note contains.
PhatPad
supports notes sizes from screen sized and 320 x 320 all the way up to
Letter (1152 x 1656) and even Ledger sized (1584 x 2448) notes. The
accompanying feature is the configurable Auto Scroll which can be set
to vertical or horizontal only or both. The scrolling can be turned on
and off at the tap of a stylus and comes in extremely handy when taking
lengthy notes. Once you sync with the desktop, the notes are available
through the desktop application that comes with PhatPad. It is
important to mention here that the desktop version is very similar to
the Pocket PC version, so if you are new to note taking the learning
curve is lessened.
If you own Calligrapher you can use it in conjunction with PhatPad to recognize text on the Pocket PC.
The
.
desktop PhatPad is just as feature rich as the Pocket PC version.
Voice notes sync wonderfully along with any changes made from the
desktop. If you have compatible Handwriting Recognition software that
feature will be available as well. (click image for larger view)
For
the desktop PhatPad, PenOffice or the Microsoft Handwriting Recognition
Engine can be used to recognize text, making your notes even more
useful.
Vista
users pay attention! If you use Vista Business or greater you already
have handwriting recognition and it works beautifully with PhatPad. I
was surprised at how well the two applications worked together. The
possibilities for use are endless. Once handwriting has been recognized
and converted to text it can be spell checked, copied to a clipboard
and managed like any other text.
The
Today screen add-on is useful for easy access to your notes. Clicking
the PhatPad icon will open a new note, clicking an individual notes
icon will open that note. If a reminder or voice note is attached that
icon will be present as well. On the right are red scroll buttons for
scrolling through the notes on your device to save you time in
navigation.
In
addition to text, every note can have mixed media such as drawings and
diagrams as well as text memos. The text memos are continuous
throughout all the pages of a note, and useful for side notes,
references or collaboration purposes.
PhatPad
now has a shape correcting feature that empowers the user to create
even better diagrams and drawings. The basic supported shapes are
Squares, Circles, Triangles, Arrows and lines. This feature can be
turned on and off easily and becomes very useful the more you use
PhatPad 4.1.
You can also save notes as image files so friends and coworkers without
PhatPad can indulge in your brilliance via email or beaming.
Each document can also be
protected by 256 bit encryption to protect your super secret notes!
Other
features worth noting are each note can hold up to 1000 handwritten
pages. PhatPad also supports background images and has 2 customizable
tool bars to enhance your productivity.
HELP SUPPORT
PhatPad is easy
enough to use without needing much help documentation or support.
However the Help on the device, on the desktop, and online is thorough
enough to answer all your questions. The PhatWare support is available
through a form on their site as well.
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For It would be The Finally, a two-way sync of PhatPad 4.1 is available from the pocketnow.com store here for $39.95 USD, there is also a trial available at that link. I love PhatPad. I started
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
the desktop software Windows 2000 or later is recommended in addition
to 20MB of disk space for the installation. Active sync 3.7 or later is
suggested so you can harness the full power of PhatPad 4.1. For the
Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 4.2 or later and at least 1.3MB of
storage space for the application. A touchscreen is necessary if you
want to use PhatPad however there is a free PhatPad viewer available
for the Smartphone.
BUGS AND WISHES
Even though notes can be saved as jpeg, bmp, or png, it is not possible
to import those formats into a note except as a background and even
then it sits as a background for every page in the note.
very useful to import/capture an image into a note’s page to allow for
markup and commenting.
reminder feature is valuable but does not mesh with Outlook Mobile,
meaning the reminder is not synced to the calendar.
reminders that originated in PhatPad would be great for managing
projects and tasks that require ease of commenting.
PURCHASING
PROS
Easy to learn and use
Seamless integration with included desktop PhatPad
Shape corrector enables user to create better looking and more accurate diagrams and drawings
Auto scroll provides for easy note taking for lengthy sessions
CONS
Cannot import multiple images into one note
Requires additional software for handwriting recognition
Reminders do not sync with calendar
Value
Ease
of Use
Features
Overall
OVERALL IMPRESSION
testing in a class and had so much fun taking notes I did not want
class to end. Once I synced on my home computer I was very satisfied
with the desktop application and seamless feel, the interface allows me
to review my notes without the headache. One of the biggest
problems with meetings is the scramble of notes. Everyone grabs a
notepad, scribbles notes and then loses them. Collaboration after a
meeting is plagued by having to rewrite your notes before sharing with
coworkers, PhatPad alleviates this dilemma. With PhatPad there are no
speed bumps between the brainstorming session and dissemination of
ideas, just note and send. PhatPad definitely makes the grade and earns
a ‘stays installed’ from this reviewer.
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