Adding OneNote pages to OneNote Mobile

As much as I like OneNote, I'm not a big fan of OneNote Mobile.  In fact, I'd put it into the "it's better than nothing" category.  The program itself is too limited in that it has no handwriting options, offers limited syncing with desktop OneNote, doesn't handle many images well, and divides pages created on the desktop by "container," rather than by page.  In short, it's not a great app.

But, for those of us who use desktop OneNote extensively, having OneNote data on our handhelds is a big issue.  Right now, the mobile program syncs only with a single dedicated folder, so getting information onto a handheld device often means copying a file from a desktop file into the OneNote sync file.  (Anyone who uses ActiveSync will notice that this is almost the same as the way ActiveSync syncs files.)  Recopying this data every time you make a change on the desktop can get frustrating.

Fortunately, the OneNote development team offers an add-in that helps a bit.  Using the "Copy to OneNote Mobile" add-in, you can click on any page in any OneNote notebook and send a copy of it to the sync file automatically.  If you want to update the information on the handheld, click on the "copy to device" command, and the add-in will compare the new page against the one on your handheld and update accordingly.

This still isn't a great solution, but it moves the ball forward.  Many reports say that Windows Mobile 6.5 includes more extensive "cloud" syncing services, so perhaps Microsoft will offer a better way to push OneNote data from device to device soon.  I'm hoping for something that works a lot like an Exchange server.

Metro search = Traveling light

According to today's Washington Post, security officers on the city's subway system, Metro, are beginning immediate random searches of backpacks, purses, and bags. Metro officials say that next week's election and the upcoming inauguration are prompting them to take additional security measures.

While it sounds like a major hassle and time-sink for many Metro riders, for those of us who are paperless, mobile, and a little organized, it should be no big deal. Armed with my PDA phone and a tiny key-chain wallet, I'm usually set for the day for meetings and visiting clients. With a few extra pockets in my coat, I can even avoid carrying a bag or briefcase completely, if need be.

This is a paperless time-saving advantage I'd never even contemplated before...

Windows Mobile Phone v. Filofax Smackdown!

The other day, David made a good case in favor of continuing to use Filofax, rather than switching to an all-electronic setup. I'm not going to challenge his aesthetic choices -- hard to beat the leathery smell of a high-end Filofax or the sweep of a Mont Blanc over good paper -- but I am going to stick up for digital on some of the functional issues he raised.

So, with at least a nod to using objective criteria, here's the smackdown :

The Contenders:




In this corner...Wearing leather shorts and looking strong for its advanced age, stands the venerable, world-class Filofax.






Our challenger…In the plastic body suit and the see-through screen protector, the powerful Windows Mobile phone.







Round One: Fast Note-Taking

• Filofax: Grab a pen, flip it open, find a blank page, begin writing. (4 steps)

• Windows Mobile: Press pre-set button that opens note, begin writing. (2 steps -- 3 if you use a stylus)

Winner: Windows Mobile


Round Two: Losing Data

• Filofax: Lose the Filofax, you've lost everything.

• Windows Mobile: Data syncs to server and other computers as soon as you enter it, where it's also backed up.

Winner: Windows Mobile


Round Three: Resource availability (how long can you keep using without "refreshing")

• Filofax: You're OK until a pen runs dry or you run out of blank/pre-printed pages (which, I might add are quite a bit more expensive than regular paper) (8 points)

• Windows Mobile: You can go as long as your batteries run and memory holds out. (In my case, with 8 GB of memory and two tiny backup batteries that keep me running for almost 36 hours of straight use, that's a long time)

Winner:Windows Mobile , since I'd rather carry two batteries (less than 2 ounces) than a pile of paper or extra pens.


Round Four: Weather resistance

• Filofax: Use it in the rain and the pages warp and curl, the ink runs, the leather is ruined, and the whole thing is a soggy mess. Forever.

• Windows Mobile: Throw it is a clear plastic sleeve (I use Aquapac) and you can use the it in torrential ran -- and even under shallow water -- with no problem. (Note I said USE, not just store.) And, like an old-fashioned space pen, you can write at any angle.

Winner:Windows Mobile


Round Five: Data backup/archiving

• Filofax: Take sheets out of the Filofax and scan them if you want to save them. Trim and clean up the scans, tag, and file. Data is not searchable, nor can it be retrieved remotely by the Filofax.

• Windows Mobile: All data saves and archives along with Outlook (or whatever) data. Handwritten notes can be converted to text and are searchable. Archives are accessible through wireless connections to desktop or by storing on card at all times.
Winner: Windows Mobile


Round Six: Reviewing notes

• Filofax: Using David's example, he reviews notes nightly and on weekends, and transfers what he wants to his laptop.

• Windows Mobile: Notes and data are reviewable on Windows Mobile, computer, or laptop at all times, no need for transfer or any extra steps or effort. (If you must review them on paper, you can always print them out.)

Winner: Windows Mobile


Round Seven: Theft or loss risk

• Filofax: As Charles Grodin learned, even the reward leaf won't get your Filofax back or protect the data you have in it.

• Windows Mobile: Device (and storage card) are password protected, sensitive data is encrypted, plus I can do a remote wipe of the entire through from the web.

Winner: Windows Mobile


Round Eight: Versatility

• Filofax: David mentioned he has his Filofax, an iPhone, a MacBook Pro, and a notebook for longer writings. Even just as a single tool, a well-stuffed Filofax can add a few pounds.

•Windows Mobile: I carry one 6-ounce device that gives me:
1. Phone
2. Email (via hosted exchange)
3. Texting
4. Instant messaging (via AIM)
5. Calendar
6. Addresses
7. To-do (next action) list
8. Notebook (in longhand or typing)
9. Handwriting available (via Notes or various programs)
10. Typing (via thumb keyboard or foldout Stowaway)
11. Voice recorder
12. Camera
13. Video Recorder
14. Pen (inside stylus)
15. Calculator
16. Modem for other devices to get online (via ICS)
17. MS Word
18. MS Excel
19. MS OneNote (OK, but limited)
20. MS PowerPoint viewer (admittedly, it sucks)
21. MS Money (through Spb Finance)
22. MS Internet Explorer (please Mozilla, hear my cries…)
23. Adobe Reader
24. Adobe Photoshop Express
25. Alarm clock (Spb Time)
26. Timer (Spb Time and limited built-in)
27. Remote control (via Novii)
28. Music player (MP3, WMA, etc.)
29. Video player (I keep 5 full-length features on my SD card)
30. Tivo and live TV streaming (via Slingplayer and/or Spb Online)
31. Radio (direct via IE or through Spb Online)
32. Instant news/weather (IE, RSS feeds, and email alerts)
33. Newspapers (usually Google Reader, full-text Spb Insight)
34. Magazines (same as above)
35. Books (eReader or Mobipocket)
36. Remote desktop access (via LogMeIn)


Winner: Windows Mobile. And, with that, I'm going to declare a TKO.

Despite this, I want to say again what a great thing Filofaxes are, and add that "I use them because I just like them better" is a perfectly good reason to use them.

But, when people bring up some of the points David (and many others!) have raised, I think they're not assessing Windows Mobile's capabilities and affordances accurately. In my view, there are very few issues where a Filofax outshines a Windows Mobile, even as a notetaker.

So, David, thanks for raising the issues that prompted the Smackdown! I appreciate your feedback!

OneNote is starting to blow me away

Although I've had Microsoft OneNote on my computers and my PDA phone for years, I've been slow to the party getting into this program. Every time I opened it I thought, right, it's blank paper that I can organize with tabs. Great. Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

The fact that I came upon OneNote, which syncs to PDAs only manually through ActiveSync, just as I had moved to hosted exchange service to sync all Outlook info wirelessly, didn't increase it's appeal.

The lack of handwriting recognition or even writing -- features that had been in earlier Windows Mobile versions, but are fading fast -- was another strike against.

Now, though, I think I'm finally starting to get it. Here's what's making the difference:

1. Audio/notetaking synchronization -- OneNote automatically syncs audio recordings with the notes you're taking, whether by typing or in writing on a tablet PC. As someone who does endless interviews and has spent hours transcribing and re-listening to tapes, this is useful beyond belief.

2. Audio search -- Similarly, OneNote will index audio recordings so that you can search for phrases or words you SPOKE, as well as wrote. No speech training required.

3. Integration with Outlook Tasks -- Outlook Tasks is my life -- My whole GTD system resides there. OneNote gives me a way to create tasks in Outlook directly from notes I take in a single click. Processing could not be easier.

4. Wireless synching -- It's not quite the same as hosted exchange, but by creating a peer-to-peer network through LogMeIn's free Hamachi service (more on this in the future), I've been able to take advantage of OneNote's PC synchronization features through the Internet. I can write on my tablet PC's screen and what it appear almost in real time on my desktop PC's copy of OneNote.

5. Handwriting recognition -- I miss the excellent handwriting recognition and "Transcriber" functions in the old Pocket PC platforms. (Why are they gone? Dumb, MS, dumb...) But, OneNote's ability to transcribe handwriting is pretty stunning.

I'm still figuring out uses for OneNote, so I'm eager to hear how others are using it. Please send ideas my way!