Taking Notes on an iPad

I've come to rely on my new iPad for taking notes at client meetings or as a quick way to jot down ideas before they are lost forever in the black hole of my mind (which seems to get larger everyday). I have stacks of notebooks and sticky notes that have been used for this task in the past. On more than one occasion, while trying to shrink the size of that pile I've inadvertently thrown away a piece of information I needed soon after. The iPad will hopefully fix that problem and eliminate the chaos that is my old system.

There are several ways I've taken notes so far. You can certainly open up Pages, Notes, or Evernote and type in your thoughts. This is effective as you listen to someone else talk. Using the onscreen keyboard is hard if you have to look away from the keys since there is no touch feedback provided. Most of the time I've found my self scribbling notes using my finger as a pen/pencil. This freehand method allows you to draw pictures when necessary. You know what they say - a picture is worth a thousand words. This has worked pretty well except I find myself with page after page after page of notes, each with about 2 - 4 sentences on them. When using your finger to write, it is hard to see what it is that you are writing due to the size of your fingers - the ones you're writing with and the others nearby. It also feels like you have little control over the preciseness of the "pen tip".

This led me to purchase a stylus, hoping that it would make it easier and faster to write, with fewer pages and better accuracy and legibility. I purchased a Ten One Design Pogo stylus (in burnt orange to go with my orange smart cover) for around $10 from Amazon. It has made handwriting much better in my opinion, and has succeeded in every measure I had hoped for. It works smoothly. It is small and light so it's not intrusive. It's great!

I've been using it in conjunction with Penultimate [iTunes Link], an iPad only app that acts as multiple namable notebooks which can have different paper and pen styles. I wish it had a way to type text as well, and a few basic shapes that could be added. That would make it a great all around app. 

The only downside with the stylus is I have to have it with me to be able to use it. I plan on either throwing it in my bag when I need to carry all my accessories, or if I'm going light and just taking the iPad, I'll put it in my pocket. Hopefully I'll remember it... and take it out before it finds it's way in to the washing machine.

The only question I have over the long term with it is the small foam tip at the end that actually touches the screen. How long will it last? Will it tear off easily in my pocket or bag? Is the stylus useless without it? All questions that I'm sure will be answered over time. In the meantime, I will have all of my (handwritten) notes in one collective place, easily searchable, and easily organized.