[nobe-l] note takers

[Hyde, David W. (ESC)]

AccessNote: The Future of Notetakers



If you want a notetaker that isn't going to break the bank and you have an iPhone or other iOS device, the American Foundation for the Blind may have the answer for you.



AccessNote, which will be released later this summer in the Apple app store, will cost under $30 and will have a lot of great features. For instance, this app will allow for much greater typing speed, it will have a variety of keyboard commands, and will work with the Apple wireless keyboard as well as Braille wireless keyboards and Braille displays. It will also work well with VoiceOver.  While it will work without a keyboard, a keyboard will add efficiency and can be obtained for a reasonable cost.  For those with low vision, the app also features text zoom as well.



AccessNote will have the same features as traditional notetakers and PDAs. It will create notes in the .txt formats and will also import .txt files from email or dropbox accounts.



Some other great features with AccessNote include a home screen, which is titled "All Notes." The next element is an ad note function followed by a search field. Next, you have the users list of notes and files so that you can find the note or file that you want. Then there are buttons at the bottom of the screen which are labeled "favorites," "help," and "settings." Once you're in a note, you can review the note with the review button, which will place you in a read only mode. In addition, you can also go back to the "all notes" screen with the back button.



AccessNote also has a number of useful keyboard commands to assist in making it easier to use this app.  Using Apple's wireless keyboard, users have several options to navigate a note. You can navigate by character, line, page, paragraph, or note. You can also jump to a word or phrase using the find feature. You can also quickly jump to the top or bottom of a note. To avoid any data loss, edits are automatically saved when typing in a note. AccessNote can also sync with a user's Dropbox account for storing notes in the cloud.



The AFB Tech Lab is welcoming any feedback to make AccessNote even better in future updates. They want to know what you think of the App and how to make it better.



If you have an iPhone or other iOS device, AccessNote is a great app to get. It's inexpensive and has all the features of a regular notetaker. Maybe with the development of this app, other notetakers will go down in price.



Source: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw130702

###


David M. Ballmann
Transition Specialist
Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1700 West State St.
Janesville, WI 53546

Phone:  608-758-6149

Email:  david.ballmann at wcbvi.k12.wi.us<mailto:david.ballmann at wcbvi.k12.wi.us>