Note applications are the order of the day as perfect substitutes for the classic diaries and paper notebooks, since there are many advantages, among which it stands out being able to always have everything at hand and even in the cloud. Notebook is one of those apps that attracts attention because it is literally available on your wrist thanks to the Apple Watch. We analyze what it offers and to what extent it is recommended.
What is Notebook and how is it downloaded
As you may have already guessed from its name and context in which we place it, Notebook is a tool available in the App Store and focused on creating notes. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with the possibility of even using it in iMessage. It is developed by Zohio Corporation and is completely free , since it does not require or pay for its download or has any type of subscription. This a priori could be interpreted as that perhaps it is not that good and although we cannot affirm that it is the best, it has very outstanding functions that make it fully advisable as we will see in the following sections.
Allows you to register safely
The first thing that surprises Notebook is that it allows you to register with Apple , taking advantage of the “Sign in with Apple” functionality released in 2019. We remember that this is one of the most interesting privacy functions offered by the Cupertino company to access apps and services safely, avoiding the sending of spam and the misuse of personal data. It also allows you to sign up for a Google account and even create a new account with Zoho.
Full sync with iCloud
Another very relevant aspect to know about Notebook is that it is perfectly synchronized with iCloud, in such a way that even if we restore the iPhone we can recover all the data with ease. In fact, this synchronization is also perfect to instantly have the notes on all the devices where we have the app installed.
How Notebook works on iPhone
Once you proceed to download the app and register, you will be able to access all its functions. The interface is very intuitive and is fully adapted to any iPhone, as well as offering the possibility of being seen in dark mode in iOS 13 and later. It should be noted that its availability on iPad in this sense is the same, so for operational purposes everything that it describes about iOS is applicable to iPadOS.
Different notepads
One of the most interesting possibilities offered by this application is to be able to create different notebooks in which various themes can be diversified. This is very useful for sorting your notes into categories such as work, studies, shopping list, or any other topic. In addition, these notepads can be customized and choose from several templates so that each one has a different style and can be accessed at a glance by recognizing it instantly.
Note creation and personalization
The creation of notes is reminiscent of the classic post-its due to its solid background colors, which can be easily changed to any of the other proposed ones. Within each of the notes you can, of course, write text and add tables, numbered or dotted lists, verifications, quotes and even reminders with established dates.
Item lists
In addition to written notes, it is also possible to create lists of items in Notebook that are very useful to write down things to buy or create a to-do list. In short, any list of things that we want to have saved. Afterwards, each item can be crossed out and it will appear as completed.
Voice memos can be created
There are times that due to the rush or inability to stop to write, we stop writing down certain things. However, this app allows us to access the creation of voice notes quickly and in such a way that they are always saved to consult when necessary, this being another very prominent tool within everything it offers.
Photographs and notes by hand
Two other very outstanding functions are these and it is possible to save photographs within the notepads, whether they are taken at the moment with the direct access to the application’s camera or from the iPhone or iPad gallery. To this is added the possibility of taking freehand notes, being able to also create drawings or diagrams. If you use an iPad with Apple Pencil, this last function makes even more sense.
Operation on Apple Watch
The above points are very interesting, however we tried in this article to highlight precisely its interface on the Apple Watch. It must be said that it will be essential that it is always installed on the iPhone. If you have automated the installations on the clock of apps from iOS, it will not be necessary to do anything, but you will have to go to the corresponding section within the Watch app on the iPhone or download Notebook from the watchOS App Store.
View on Apple Watch
The first thing we find when opening Notebook on Apple Watch are the recent notes that come from the iPhone app. These, unlike what is seen in iOS, does not offer a colorful design, but it is not a problem if we consider that in the end the important thing is to be able to see the annotations. It also has no character limit to display, or at least we have not found it. It also synchronizes very quickly with the iPhone application, so the annotations appear instantly on both devices if you have a good internet connection.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the app in watchOS is the possibility of creating notes by voice or voice notes directly, as well as playing them. This means that if we have to make a quick annotation of something and we cannot (or do not want to) remove the iPhone, we can do it. There is also the possibility of writing by hand letter by letter, something that we see in other parts of the clock interface, but which is perhaps not the most comfortable if it is a relatively long note.
Limitations in watchOS
The disadvantages that Notebook has on the Apple Watch are in the end the same that any other note app or even other type of applications can have: size. Obviously it is not the most practical thing in the world to write notes by hand or try to read them carefully on a screen as small as that of the clock. Despite everything, the interface is fully adapted for its functionality on the device.
What would probably be a weak point is the fact that it only shows recent notes. So is the fact that the text style is lost, as well as the table format and some other, although not the list format. We understand that this is perhaps not that important in the watch, but it is a point to take into account during use.
In the absence of a native app, this is ideal
Possibly the main reason that leads to search for note applications on the Apple Watch is that the native Apple app, despite being on all its devices, is not accessible from the watch. We do not know if the absence of this is caused by what has been said above regarding the size of the screen, but there is no doubt that it can be really interesting to be able to quickly take notes from the wrist or even make a query. Therefore, we believe that Notebook can be an excellent application for daily use to store all our lists and annotations, although if you prefer another app on iOS and iPadOS, this may still be excellent for use on watchOS.
