[eye4ni]

Wondering if anyone that bought an ipad mini has tried any note taking apps like Notability with it yet. I currently use an iPad 2 with a stylus for taking handwritten notes every day at work. I like what I have seen of the ipad mini and it's smaller form factor, as I carry my ipad around with me every day and I'm interested in getting an ipad mini, only if the note taking experience would still be similar.

Anyone who has Notability care to chime in on taking handwritten notes on the mini?

[BenGillam]

it would be pretty cool id like the same, but id imagine the accuracy still wont be there, ive got a stylus here which works quite well for things like paper, but handwritten notes dont come out too well, and on the smaller screen i reckon it would be harder, although you can write that small the nature of the ipad screen seems not to be capable of it unlike things like the note and s pen.

not that you'd catch me dead using anything made by Samsung, worst QA ever

[eye4ni]

I primarily use the zoom handwriting mode on notability, I have never been too fond of any of the handwritten note apps that don't have this feature. It is the only way I can write neatly, and it works quite well, otherwise I wouldn't even consider the mini for note taking.

[defdrums]

I think you will have no problem writing in Notability (with the zoom function) - I played with the iPad mini this morning and this was a big deal for me. I think it will actually be easier since you can hold with one hand and write with the other (has more of a look/feel of writing on a Moleskin)

[eye4ni]

Thanks for the info, looking forward to trying it out. Sell iPad 2 and buy mini?

[birdman325]

I would also be very interested in how the Notability app would work on the Mini. I use Notability a lot for marking up PDF documents, etc. My initial reaction would be that the smaller screen of the Mini would make this a little problematic but it is not something you can really try in the store.

[txladi29]

It's as easy to use as with the full iPad, as I use the zoom handwriting mode.

[eye4ni]

So the zoom handwriting box is still large enough to comfortably write with a stylus? Thanks for chiming in!

[eric.shotwell]

@BenGillam - You clearly are an Apple fanboy and have an unwarranted opinion on the Samsung QA. (If you had said "I've owned Samsung devices, and...." instead of essentially "I'd never buy a Samsung device", you might sound more well-informed.) I own two Samsung devices, and the "QA" (as you put it) is absolutely fine... I've been completely satisfied with my Samsung devices (one is a Galaxy Tab 7, the other a Galaxy Tab 10).

That said, the note-taking with the Samsung and other Android tablets does leave something to be desired in comparison with Apple's iPad/iPad mini screen sensitivity. The iPads definitely are better for taking notes. Although I have found that the FreeNote app for the Android, as well as the Papyrus app, are both pretty decent and have a good zoom mode or something similar. Still, that's the one thing that makes me want an iPad... the handwriting look and feel (via NoteShelf or Notability, both exceptional apps).

[bamf-hacker]

I took notes with the mini today using Notabilty and it was fine. Obviously there was not as much surface area but it still worked.

[BenGillam]

@BenGillam - You clearly are an Apple fanboy and have an unwarranted opinion on the Samsung QA. (If you had said "I've owned Samsung devices, and...." instead of essentially "I'd never buy a Samsung device", you might sound more well-informed.) I own two Samsung devices, and the "QA" (as you put it) is absolutely fine... I've been completely satisfied with my Samsung devices (one is a Galaxy Tab 7, the other a Galaxy Tab 10).

That said, the note-taking with the Samsung and other Android tablets does leave something to be desired in comparison with Apple's iPad/iPad mini screen sensitivity. The iPads definitely are better for taking notes. Although I have found that the FreeNote app for the Android, as well as the Papyrus app, are both pretty decent and have a good zoom mode or something similar. Still, that's the one thing that makes me want an iPad... the handwriting look and feel (via NoteShelf or Notability, both exceptional apps).

@shotwell, On the contrary, 1) I have owned Samsungs in the past and 2) I work for a business mobiles / cellular phone broker and the vast majority of the handsets I get sent back to be repaired under warranty or under 30 day doa are Samsung, only ever get iOS back for smashed screens and that's not all that often. And it's not just failures, we ordered a galaxy s 3 handset for a customer, took 6 swap outs from supplier to get one which didn't have blemished or miss moulded rear cover.

Just because someone has an informed opinion doesn't make them a fanboy,
-

Getting back on topic actually picked up notability was on sale (may still be) nifty little app actually and works well with the zoom, thanks to OP for mentioning it

[eye4ni]

Getting back on topic actually picked up notability was on sale (may still be) nifty little app actually and works well with the zoom, thanks to OP for mentioning it

It is my favorite note taking app, I use it every single day. My favorite feature is the auto-sync. All my notes are synced to google drive automatically and on my pc instantly or accessible from any of my other gadgets.

[birdman325]

Thanx for all of this. I am still using an original iPad 1 (which I even bought refurbished!) so I am long overdue for an upgrade. I use Notability quite a bit, more for marking up pdf documents than actually taking notes, so that is why I am mildly concerned about the Mini and screen real estate when looking at pdf in portrait and marking them up with Notability. I am not fussed about the lack of retina screen (especially coming from my original ipad - although I do have a 4S) but the weight of the mini looks really attractive. I have a Kindle Touch screen and I love reading on it, more for the weight (or lack of weight than the e-ink screen.

[eye4ni]

I was checking out the iPad mini at my local apple store last weekend, and coming from an iPad 2, the screen looks great. I think the concerns over "no retina" are largely exaggerated. The display looks great. And I have an iPhone 5 so I know what the retina display looks like in comparison. Retina would be better, obviously, but not a deal-breaker for me.

I'm pretty sure I am going to go ahead with the mini. I will definitely post an update to this thread after I use notability on the mini.

[eye4ni]

UPDATE:

So I just bought an ipad mini 32 gb and first thing I did was install notability. So far so good. Having the ability to zoom in while handwriting notes makes a huge difference. I doubt I would be able to use the mini the same way if I couldn't zoom as offered in notability. I will use it for a few days and report back, but so far I am loving the switch. The mini is the perfect size, I love it.

[atpatter]

Writing notes is exactly what made me interested in getting a mini. I have an iPad 3 and just recently bought a stylus and a couple note taking apps to try out. I was extremely surprised how accurate my handwriting looked, especially with the zoom box. I want to use my iPad at work but its a little heavy for me to lug from meeting to meeting. The mini seems to be the perfect size for this.

I picked up the 16GB LTE mini the other day and I think it's going to be great for meetings and staying organized at work. I use Notes Plus and handwriting on the mini worked much better than I thought it would. I also bought the 2Do app for keeping all of my to-do's organized and loaded the Good app to access my work email. This combo of apps and the size of the mini is going to be perfect for work. When I go back to work on Monday I'm ditching my notebook and pen and going with the ipad mini exclusively

[angiem8]

Hello,
How do you like the iPad mini for notetaking purposes?
I am a college student and I'm looking for a tablet for note taking and ebooks.
I am looking into the iPad4 or iPad Mini.

Thank you

[XClann]

Just wondering, what stylus do you guys use?

[BP41]

The iPad mini is the best note taking iPad there is. I have a 3 and a mini and is size is perfect. I use uPad. It has the best handwriting recognition to me. I have a variety of Stylus but the one I use the most are the $5 one I picked up at wall greens.

[eye4ni]

I use the bamboo stylus. I like it much better than the others I have tried because the tip is slightly sharper and more natural.

BTW over a month now with the mini and haven't looked back. I actually exchanged my mini for one with LTE, now it's perfect.

[Kaishou]

I use the adonit jot pro. Pretty good stylus. I haven't had any problems with it but it gets a lot of bad reviews because it skips. Simple fix with just about any conductivity paste (I don't really know all of the technical names). I am also a college student and I have an ipad4. I have a few friends with a mini for note taking but in my opinion it just makes it too small to read and be able to highlight, draw diagrams, and enter text so that its all visible correctly. The ipad mini seems good for games but I'd never use it for education.

I also have the notability app. It was the first hand written notes app I bought and I loved it. I have now switched over to goodnotes and pages (since there are more options, albeit they are more expensive). I still keep the notability app on here and use it every now and then and it works great. :o)

[Alli]

There's a stylus thread in the Accessories forum.

[pstmstr]

I like taking notes on the mini in Notability, I use the zoom and although you have to hit the little arrow more often than a full sized iPad, it works just fine. I use the Adondit Jot stylus and the Bamboo with a slight edge going to the Jot although I think it might be a bit noisy in a classroom environment.

[eye4ni]

I like taking notes on the mini in Notability, I use the zoom and although you have to hit the little arrow more often than a full sized iPad, it works just fine. I use the Adondit Jot stylus and the Bamboo with a slight edge going to the Jot although I think it might be a bit noisy in a classroom environment.

Why not just use the auto-advance option? I've never needed to touch the arrow buttons.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[jkender]

I have an iPad mini using Penultimate with a $19.99 stylus bought at Brookstone and this combination is flawless-works tremendously well on the mini - I'm left handed and Penultimate reacts to my slant hand gesture well with its settings.