Note Taking Applications for Mac Users [2010]

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GPSOLO June 2010
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By Victoria L. Herring
Periodicals
Publications When I proposed writing about note taking on the Mac, I
thought it would be a fairly narrow topic, one easily written.
Resources Was I ever wrong. My research was hardly exhaustive, but I
ended up with a database of almost 60 applications of varying
complexity that could be considered useful for note taking.

I’ve therefore narrowed the field by looking for the following
factors: (1) a price under $50, which mainly leaves shareware
and open source programs; (2) something robust but fairly
simple and straightforward, easy to learn and use by lawyers
without extensive technological proficiency; and (3) a program
that can be used on a desktop, iPhone, or iPad, with or
without continuous access to the Internet. Even with these
limits, I have a plethora of applications to review, so I’ll focus
on a few of the best and provide basic information about the
others.

A law student pointed out to me that Microsoft Word (
www.microsoft.com) has a note-taking function in its Notebook
Layout. I haven’t used Word recently, but many people have
that program, and if you don’t want to get a separate
program, that will meet your needs just fine. As a user of OS
X, other programs you already own will also do fine. The Mac
operating system comes with Stickies and Text Exit, both of
which will create notes that are easily searchable with the
Spotlight search engine (also included in Mac’s operating
system). Likewise, Pages and Numbers, parts of iWork 09,
can be used to make notes and lists. If you own them, that
may be all you need.

If you want a dedicated program that will provide you
additional useful features, the best program out there in the
view of many is Circus Ponies’ NoteBook ($49.95;
www.circusponies.com). It is perhaps more than a pure note-
taking application, but it can be as simple or complex in its
usage as you wish. I asked attorneys on the MacLaw listserve
to share their experiences with the program. Julie Kiernan
said that she finds the word index, a concordance, to be quite
useful. Bruce Cameron volunteered that he uses NoteBook to
take notes at CLEs and conferences, just as a simple tool to
organize reference information. Karl Dickhaus pointed out
Notebook’s utility as a trial notebook program, something
others mentioned as well:

This is a very good “binder” type of program. It
is excellent for organizing and keeping materials
that relate to a single topic. Its indexing

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capabilities are its strongest feature, closely
followed by excellent support resources. . . . I
also use it to prepare trial notebooks—a task at
which it excels. It is not a good list manager
[other programs do that well]. . . . A great value.

In NoteBook you can click and drag a file’s icon to a page,
where it will be added either as a file in the “notebook” or as
an attachment to it. In the former the item comes into the
actual body of the notebook, and you can annotate it with
colored “sticky notes.” In the latter you can make your notes in
the text, and the item will be an attachment to the notebook,
which you can then manipulate through an “inspector.” You
can also import all sorts of different types of files: text files,
MP3s, PDFs, JPGs, movies, etc. From within a notebook’s
concordance, or “multidex,” you can open any of these files to
read text, view images, or play music or movies.

In OS X you can import notes into your notebook from various
places, including through the use of the contextual menu or
Services under the main NoteBook menu, adding documents
through the “clipping service.” And if you use the Services
menu, you can import an image from a camera or scanner or
make a screen selection and import that to the notebook. You
can export in a number of formats and print the notebook to
PDF as well.

The one downside to NoteBook is the absence of a dedicated
iPhone or iPad application so far. But you might not need one.
You can export a notebook as a website to view using Safari,
you can print to PDF and view it on the iPhone or iPad, and
you can store notebooks using various applications such as
Air Sharing, DataCase, and Files to transfer documents to
your iPhone or iPad. I’m sure there are other methods as yet
unexplored by me.

A similar program allowing the easy importation and collection
of notes and other materials is EagleFiler ($40; http://c-
command.com/eaglefiler). Like NoteBook, EagleFiler features
excellent documentation and support. Also like NoteBook, you
must use third-party applications (such as Air Sharing) to
transfer files from your Mac to your iPhone or iPad.
EagleFiler’s website explains the various options available in
some detail. Most of these programs allow not only the
viewing but also the editing of the documents. You can also
sync the EagleFiler Library’s contents with your iDisk and
access it using a number of iPhone applications or use online
storage sites such as DropBox or SugarSync.

If you’re looking to spend a little bit less, check out iOrganize
( www.brunoblondeau.com). It’s a shareware program with
similar features to those in NoteBook and EagleFiler but it
costs only $19.95. iOrganize will also export to an iPod (and
presumably could export to a smart phone like the other two
programs) and also is searchable through Spotlight, as is
NoteBook.



Evernote ( www.evernote.com) is another application that
receives high marks. Like the others, it is a desktop
application that imports notes, images, and other types of data
and also allows you to create a new note. It allows for the
easy e-mailing of these notes and easy access to them from
the web—you can keep a limited quantity online and access
them through use of the iPhone Evernote application, which
also works on the iPad. Up to 40 MB of storage per month is
free, and you can upgrade to a premium account that costs $5
a month ($45 a year) and offers additional features. As
explained on the website, it works through plug-ins and other
applications to create and annotate notes to send to Evernote
online, thus making them available both on your iPhone and
also your desktop or laptop.

The one drawback to Evernote is that you need Internet
access to reach the notes for maximum utility. Of course,
that’s true for any application where the notes do not reside
on your smart phone. I tested the application and found that
you can edit notes or items already in Evernote online, but
only when your iPhone has access, which makes sense. I did
find, however, that if you sync your documents and review
them while connected—by WiFi or other means—they are
cached and can be opened even if you are off-line.

Several full-featured programs, such as DEVONThink (with
versions ranging in price from $10 to $149.95; www.devon-
technologies.com), Scrivener ($39.95;
www.literatureandlatte.com), and SOHO Notes ($39.99;
www.chronosnet.com), are quite highly thought of but simply
require too steep a learning curve for me to adequately review
here. People who use them swear by them, however, so you
should consider them as options if you have the inclination to
learn their ins and outs. Those who use them have found
them excellent programs, but they are programs that reward
in-depth use, not a quick testing for review.

If you want something very simple and straightforward, there
are several options out there, most of them free or donation-
ware or shareware. JustNotes ( http://selfcoded.com/justnotes)
is exactly what it say it is: a small, simple writing pad that you
can sync with an account for the free Simplenote app (
http://simplenoteapp.com) and have available with you on
your computer as well as the “cloud” or your smart phone.
Notational Velocity ( http://notational.net) is another
straightforward program that will sync with the Simplenote app
and website. VoodooPad Lite (
http://flyingmeat.com/voodoopad) is freeware, and once you
try and like it you can upgrade to the full-featured VoodooPad
($39.95). Jotz ( www.thinkertons.com) is also fairly simple and
has many features; at $17.50, it provides a way to create and
keep notes, will import your Stickies, and allows for easy e-
mailing of notes to people in your AddressBook. ShoveBox
($24.95; www.wonderwarp.com/shovebox ) is another
program that works off the Menu and syncs with your mobile
device. Memoblock ( www.blocksoft.net) is donation-ware and
provides a text notepad and easy export to iPods or other



locations. TopXNotes (39.95; www.topxnotes.com) is another
straightforward program that still has a number of features to
make it stand out. Yojimbo ($39; www.barebones.com) and
Together ($39; http://reinventedsoftware.com/together) are two
well-received programs that also permit drag-and-drop
importing, use a Mail-like interface, and have other features.

This is only a quick introduction to note-taking programs for
Mac OS X. If you add related programs for outlining,
document management, word processing, and data collection
and management, a book could be written—and probably has.
But, perhaps this overview will give you a taste of what’s out
there for lawyers who want to collect and deal with all the
types of information that come into their possession over time.
If you are interested in one of these programs, give it a trial
run—most have full demo copies you can download.

Victoria L. Herring practices in Des Moines, Iowa,
in an office that has used only Apple/Macs since
the early 1980s. She may be reached at
vlh@herringlaw.com.

Copyright 2010

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