Android OneNote and Stylus input

Anonymous
2013-10-10T21:17:55+00:00

BLUF: OneNote for Android NEEDS support for stylus input for drawing and annotating!

Let me first say that on my IBM X200 with digitizer that OneNote is my most used application. I absolutely love the ability to make rough design sketches then annotate them with information. (Parts lists, notes etc) My favorite feature though is the ability of OneNote to actually improve upon the simplicity of pen and paper. You have the freedom to use it as a simple notepad. But where it excels is with the ability to move and resize drawing and text elements. All though college I used it to take notes in class and being able to move a diagram around was a huge benefit.

Android needs the pen input functinality. I can't stress this enough. I'm not talking about handwriting recognition for text input. I'm talking about being able to use the application like a notepad. Initially I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 to use as my "idea pad". With all of the capability that the table has, the software available for the built in digitizer is abysmal. It does everything well except be a notepad. It's actually pretty horrifying how much trouble to have to go through to even try to use it that way. It was so poor at being a notepad that I returned it. The same is almost true of the Samsung Galaxy Note II I have been using as my phone. 

I have found an application published by Asus called Supernote that does a decent job at combining a notepad and drawing application. If the handwrighting recognition  feature were enabled it could give OneNote a run for it's money.  OneNote still has the advantage with the moving text and graphics around. If it could access the clipboard for the S-pen that would be great too...

The question is, with more and more devices being sold with digitizers and stylus', when is OneNote going to support their input? (Oh, and being able to ignore finger input while the pen in is use is an important aspect of that.)

Thanks for listening,

Michael

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-01-28T00:11:35+00:00

    I use OneNote extensively on my X230T, and have since Windows XP on my old Toshiba M200. OneNote, with ink, is the ONE application that continues to prevent me from migrating to Linux.

    Having OneNote on my phone (Galaxy Note) with ink support would be hugely valuable to me. I don't care if it's a paid app or "premium extra" or whatever. I'd even leave the whole Android phone ecosystem for a Nokia Windows phone, if they ever had the smarts to incorporate a Wacom digitizer which supported ink input in a OneNote app.

    Basically, I'm just adding my voice to those calling out for ink input support on phones - preferably Android. Having seen the reaction of envy and surprise in my iOS- and MacOS-using colleagues when I use ink on my tablets, I can't understand why MS hasn't exploited this massive potential product differentiation. As my (30 000+ employee) employer starts deploying Sharepoint and Office 365, there is a tremendous opportunity for fully Office-compatible mobile apps to displace the iPhones they currently buy and issue.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-01-27T18:33:32+00:00

    You can export your S Note drawings as .jpg and mail them for import in Onenote.

    Not what you want, but less annoying ;-)

    Bernd

    ... and then go through this process again and again every time you edit a given note.

    I use NoteAnytime on my Galaxy Note 8 instead of S Note.  NA is a very good note-taking application that has pen support (although not active, like LectureNotes) and also has an "export-to" capability.  When you choose export to, you can then select an application such as OneNote, Evernote, or similar ones.  The note (all pages or one - you choose) is then exported as a jpg.

    The export feature is available in the free version, but I use the paid version because I like their handwriting-to-text conversion better than the built-in conversion in the Samsung interface.

    This is how I am working around OneNote Mobile's lack of pen support.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-01-27T12:40:45+00:00

    What about the fact that one cannot add new notes on the mobile version? Hos is that Okay?

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-01-26T23:18:24+00:00

    I agree completely with the original post. OneNote for Android absolutely needs an inking / handwriting feature. It's a feature that I would actually pay for as a premium upgrade to the app.

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