Earlier this year, when Microsoft released OneNote for iPhone, obsessive note-takers rejoiced. It meant being one step closer to total organization. Last week, they inched even closer with Microsoft’s release of OneNote for iPad.

OneNote for iPad: Goodbye 2x, hello tabbed interface & expanded language support.

The market is flooded with note-taking applications, but OneNote consistently ranks at the top (see Lifehacker’s recent list). That’s because the PC version is free with MS Office, which most corporate employees use anyway, and syncing is a cinch with a SkyDrive account, which is also free. Other plusses include automatic save (for those of us who forget to hit CTRL+S regularly), sharing capabilities, and the ability to view and take notes on mobile phones.

Keep in mind that with the free iPad version, you will only be able to create a total of 500 notes. If you want to create more, you will need to pay $14.99 (compared to $4.99 for the iPhone version). Features new to the iPad version include a tabbed interface and expanded language support.

Here’s how to use it:

• Open the OneNote for iPad app.
• Sign in with your Windows Live ID (Hotmail, MSN, Xbox Live, Zune pass, Windows Live Messenger, etc.).

To create a note:

• On the navigation bar at the top right of the screen, click the icon that looks like a document with a plus sign.
• A new note appears, into which you can add text, images, checkboxes and bulleted lists.

OneNote for iPad will automatically sync your notes to your Windows Live SkyDrive account, but you can also manually sync notes. Here is how:

• On the home screen of OneNote for iPad, tap Settings (in the upper left area of screen).
• Tap Sync Now.
 When the sync is completed, you will see a time stamp with last updated date and time.
• You can also email a note from your iPad. Just click the envelope icon in the upper right corner of an open note.

To view your synced notes on your PC:

• Open a web browser and go to http://skydrive.live.com.
• Sign in with your Windows Live account.
• Click on My Files on the left side.
• Click to open a folder, and double-click to open a OneNote file.
• With a Note open, click on the Home tab, and choose “Open in OneNote.”
• Any changes you make will automatically be synchronized.
• If you want to save a copy to your PC, go to File, select Save As, and choose a file type and location.

Note: Any notebooks you create on your mobile device will be automatically synced to your SkyDrive, but not files you create on your PC. To share a PC-created notebook, open it, go to File and choose Share, then select the notebook you want to share, where you want to share it, sign in and click Share Notebook to complete the process. It will sync automatically once this step is completed. Also, if you save your notebooks on a network drive rather than locally, you may encounter syncing problems.

Note to Apple OS users: Microsoft has not created OneNote for Mac.

Jenny Sweeney iPad, Office 2010 iOS, iPhone, Lifehacker, Microsoft, MS Office Blogs, OneNote, SkyDrive, Windows Live

Multi-Touch Squared

By Joe Puckett, director of recruiting and training at PC Helps

The Rave:
The convenience and intuitiveness of the multi-touch gestures that helped fuel the skyrocket of iOS device sales just got a lot better with iOS 5. Four-finger up/down swipes to show/hide the multitasking bar and four finger left/right swipes to move among open apps make multitasking much faster and easier. A five-finger pinch sends the current application to the multitasking bar so you can get to the current home screen.

The Rant:
Still no widgets or a way to have the same app in multiple places? How will I know where I am without the weather widget on the home screen of my phone listing my location without me having to open anything? Most people’s digital life is not so neat that having mail in only one place is convenient. I’ve seen many Android phones with the mail application in four or more places. Being able to put the same app in multiple places enables people to group things by business function rather than computer function.

The Conclusion:
The convenience of having everything in one place is one of the primary forces driving the use of personal devices in business. The new multitasking gestures in iOS 5 make it much easier to move among all the things on an iOS device. Widgets and duplicate app icons would still be nice, but being able to leave a lot of things open and move between them so quickly is a good way to accomplish the same purpose.

***

Read Part 1: iOS 5 Rants & Raves for End-Users: Part 1

About the author: Joe Puckett is PC Helps’ director of recruiting and training. He grooms the talent here, and creates our internal and client-facing corporate training courses. A 15-year PC Helps veteran, Puckett is the one to ask if you ever have a software question.

This week, PC Helps Blog is featuring Puckett’s series of “iOS 5 Rants & Raves” geared to end-users. Last week’s posts were geared to  IT leaders and professionals. He has been researching and testing the new operating system as part of his ongoing efforts to build new iPad training modules for PC Helps productivity consultants.

Joe Puckett iOS 5 Rants & Raves, iPad, iPhone app icons, Apple, gestures, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Mac, MacIntosh, multi-touch, multitasking, widgets

Though the Mayans predicted catastrophe for 2012, a smaller apocalypse may be happening in tech right now — one, the end of the PC era, and two, the “iPocalypse.”

In one study, 70 percent of respondents said they would give up alcohol to keep their iPhone.

In a blog post on GigaOm, Erica Ogg draws our attention Thursday’s announcement that PC giant HP is looking to sell its personal computing business, plus its tablet and smartphone operations. Ogg says it signals the end of the PC era, and she makes a compelling argument.

Read Ogg’s article here. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Consumerization of IT, What We're Reading HP, iPad, iPhone, SAP

In 2005, PC World called the BlackBerry 850 (pictured, courtesy Blackberryline.com) the 14th greatest gadget of the past 50 years. Today, the BlackBerry creator, Research In Motion, is struggling to keep up with competitors like iPhone and Android.

The BlackBerry 850

How does a company fall from grace so quickly?

Jonathan S. Geller of Boy Genius Report (www.bgr.com) has an idea. In a recent article titled “Inside RIM: An exclusive look at the rise and fall of the company that made smartphones smart,” Geller takes a look at RIM’s history, including its personas and politics.

It’s an interesting inside look at how the iconic company evolved — and didn’t evolve when it missed product features and device trends like adding MP3 players and cameras to its phones.

Read the full article here.

Jenny Sweeney BlackBerry, FAIL, What We're Reading BlackBerry, Boy Genius Report, consumerization, iPhone, PC World

Last week, we recapped what the tech publications were writing about in 2010. This week, we take a look at ourselves.

Below is a collection of our favorite posts from the past year. Some offer handy tips for getting things done (including iPhone, Excel charting and spelling tips), some offer advice to IT departments on preparing for upgrades and migrations (Windows 7, Office 2007 & 2010), and others look at the future of IT support (“Preparing for the Multiplatform Workplace,” October 2010). And then there’s the unclassifiable evergreen post that reminds you not to pen your e-mails in all caps, unless of course you intend to shout at recipients.

Enjoy the re-read, and happy new year. If you got an iPad in your stocking, we know your 2011 will be happy.

1. What’s in a Name (1-12-2010)
2. Stop Shouting and Other E-Mail Etiquette Tips (2-8-2010)
3. The Workplace Today: On Fake Happiness & Forced Morale-Boosting (3-30-2010)
4. Windows 7: What IT and End-Users Need to Know (4-22-2010)
5. 4 Spelling Tips Every Manager Should Know (5-27-2010)
6. 7 Productivity Boosting iPhone Tips (6-15-2010)
7. 3 Excel Tips that Promise Charting Greatness (8-4-2010)
8. Preparing for the Multiplatform Workplace (10-8-2010)
9. iPad & iPhone in the Enterprise: What’s Your Plan (11-15-2010)
10. Teaching People Tech (12-17-2010)

Jenny Sweeney Lists, Year in Review Etiquette, Excel, iPad, iPhone, Office 2010, Windows 7

Early on in its lifespan, the iPhone was considered just a consumer gadget. Cut to the present, just over three years later, and it’s a different story. According to a recent Bloomberg article, Apple, led by Chief Executive Officer Jobs, said about 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies are deploying or testing the iPhone for corporate e-mail use, including Procter & Gamble and General Electric.

A similar pattern seems to be unfolding for Apple with the iPad, and at a more accelerated rate. It has been on the market just under nine months and already it’s being hailed as revolutionary for business. Apple says more than 65 percent of the Fortune 500 already are testing or deploying the device.

Stats aside, it definitely is a hot topic of discussion. Here are some of the headlines from the past few weeks about the iPad: “Enterprises ‘Jazzed’ About iPad, Says Analyst” (Computerworld); “The iPad in Business” (ZD Net); “Tablets Get Down to Business” (CFO Magazine); “Gartner Warns Business Leaders Not to Ignore iPad” (ZD Net UK); “Gartner Urges Enterprises to Climb Aboard the iPad Train” (9To5Mac); “CEOs to CIOs: We Need the iPad!” (CIO.com); “CEOs Should Stay Away From iPad, Wait For Android” (Katonda).

Here’s why we in the IT community should care:

It’s not a netbook, nor PC replacement; it’s a companion device, one that gives workers a new level of freedom and a positive outlook to mobility.  For users in the sales field, for example, the iPad is perfect for on-the-go presentations and contract execution. In health care, it means instant patient records. In automotive, it means selling a car and signing the contract literally on the lot.

And whether you have come up with a plan or not, iPads and other new tablets are likely to  find their way into your office. They’re super-efficient. They’re fun.  They’re pleasing to the eye. And they’re in high demand. They still lack important security features, but Apple, other device manufacturers,and IT departments are working to find a solution.

For now, Gartner recommends that IT organizations provide at least some iPad support for a limited number of key users, and prepare a budgeted plan for widespread support of the iPad by mid 2011.

In a recent press release, the VP of Gartner, Stephen Prentice, said: “While there are no certainties, the iPad looks set to become a market-disrupting device, like the iPod before it. Even if you think it is just a passing fad, the cost of early action is low, while the price of delay may well be extremely high,” he added.

For further reading:

6 Key Considerations for IT in a Mixed Mobile Environment

Gartner to CEOs: Seize the iPad Opportunity Now

Gartner Says Worldwide Media Tablet Sales on Pace to Reach 19.5 Million Units in 2010

iPad review from Life as a Health Care CIO

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized Apple, iPad, iPhone, mobiles devices, mobility, tablets

Two weeks ago, we wrote about the multiplatform workplace and offered three reasons why your IT department should have an action plan for handling mobile devices. This week, we take a look at what the rest of the world is saying — or doing — about it.

If IT continues to let fear get in the way of change, it will face obstacles.

But It Looks Cool

As early as February of this year, the CBS Interactive Business Network (BNET.com) posed the question of whether iPads would be next in the bring-your-own-technology-to-work trend. The iPad was about a month away from release to the US market. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices Android, BlackBerry, consumerization, Forrester Research, Fortune magazine, iPad, iPhone, IT department, mobile, technology populism

Your IT department finally may have the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile operating systems under control, but another challenge is nigh: supporting the Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems, which are showing up more and more in the enterprise in the form of Android phones, iPads and iPhones.

With every new gadget that hits the market, it becomes increasingly clear that your IT department needs a plan of action for handling mobile devices.

In an article published on October 7 in InfoWorld.com, Galen Gruman writes that the aforementioned platforms are quickly gaining share in business, according to a report published by the enterprise mobility company Good Technology.

According to Good, less than two months after its late June launch, the Apple iPhone 4 became the most frequently activated device among Good’s enterprise customers. Additionally, the Apple iPad climbed into the top five and Android continued to grow rapidly as more new devices come to market, with the Droid X by Motorola ranked as the most frequently activated Android device in September. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Mobile Devices Android, BlackBerry, Good Technology, InfoWorld.com, iPad, iPhone

IT blogs are ablaze lately about whether the iPhone has graduated from dawdling device to legitimate business tool. One camp says the iPhone is just too pretty and trendy to use for work; the other side says it’s much more conducive to productivity than any buggy smartphone. Even venerated researchers are weighing in. According to a Forrester report released in April, workers who use iPhones are “happier and more productive.”

Who knew a gadget could have such power? Read more…

Jenny Sweeney How To, iPhone, Mobile Devices, Time-Saving Tips, Worker Productivity iPhone, tips and tricks, Worker Productivity

One of our consultants at work.

Our help desk handles many “how to” calls, which often have straightforward solutions. Sometimes, however, the requests that come in require a little more creativity from our consultants.

On a recent call, consultant Bradley Lyman found an ingenious way around a potential hurdle.

Lyman received a call from a customer asking for help copying a YouTube video for a presentation. There was one snag, however; the customer did not have rights to use the video. His presentation, which he was scheduled to show to an auditorium full of people, would be incomplete without a video of a juggler.

The presentation was due, and getting rights would have been a challenge.

Lyman wasted no time, and tapped fellow consultant Jorg Freiberg and team leader Ken Wilson for help. Lyman remembered seeing Freiberg juggling on his breaks and knew that Wilson had just bought a new iPhone with a video camera. The result was a copyright-free juggling video, which was produced and delivered to the customer in under an hour. File that under “Above and Beyond.” (Jen Darr)

MORE INFO IN: Desktop Application Support | Contact PC Helps

Jenny Sweeney Consultant Spotlight, Customer Service above and beyond, iPhone, juggling, PowerPoint, YouTube