Microsoft OneNote 2003: this note-taking application bridges the gap between your inbox and your personal information manager.

Mobile professionals know there are no excuses when it comes to employee communication and meeting attendance. The expectation is that they'll be prepared for discussions, ready with their PowerPoint slides, and constantly monitor their Outlook inboxes. They juggle their schedules like circus per formers, relying on e-mail clients and personal information managers to keep their schedules (and lives) organized.

One common mistake we make when it comes to mobile computing, though, is using a square-peg application for a round-hole problem. Outlook is a great tool for e-mail and meetings, but as a note-taking application, it amounts to little more than a few "sticky notes" and an awkward journaling program. Most PDA personal information manager (PIM) applications work well for scheduling and contacts, but not as well for helping you remember what your boss said about the latest company project.

Microsoft OneNote 2003 fills that gap as a robust note-taking client that picks up almost exactly where Outlook 2003 and PIM applications leave off. It lets you capture notes (using handwriting recognition features, handwritten notes, or notes entered via the keyboard), save them in convenient storage folders, and share the information on a Web site or network drive. Predictably, the handwriting recognition isn't 100 percent.

With a little practice, I could write one sentence and watch as OneNote converted 90 percent of my scribblings to legible text, but only if I wrote block letters slowly and as clearly as possible (which isn't easy for me). Slow text input on a PDA would be okay (you could scratch out quick reminders), but OneNote currently only works on Tablet PCs or laptops.

Get organized!

OneNote provides one of the most pleasant-looking interfaces you're likely to encounter. Using a notepad-and-pen approach, OneNote makes you feel like you're just scribbling notes in a journal--you don't have to think about the technology behind it. This is the program's main strength: As a note-taking client, it removes all the clutter found in other "tech-heavy" programs and focuses more on helping you get the data recorded. You can use the menus and toolbars only as needed--for example, if you want to access an audio note recording function, it's only an icon or menu command away.

The beauty of the application is that each note is a self-contained entity that includes typed text, text that's been translated from handwriting, handwritten notes, audio, and graphics. If you use a Tablet PC or a laptop that has pen functionality (such as some Fujitsu models), you can draw diagrams and make handwritten notes anywhere on the page and the file saves them in that location permanently.

On a laptop that doesn't support pen input, OneNote is still a useful tool because of how it's organized. You may not be able to add quick handwritten notes, but you can certainly organize your typed notes in the file folders, archive all your meeting entries, and export notes in Microsoft Word format.

Organized note-taking

Of course, the ability to enter a note wouldn't be as useful if you couldn't find the note later. To help organize note-taking, there's a row of notebook tabs along the top of the screen that look like file folders (figure 1 on page 15). Create a folder, and you can store all your notes there for later use. You can color-code each tab so they're easy to find. OneNote also stores notes in tabs along the right-hand side of the page so you can quickly find them.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

In testing OneNote in several meetings, the tabbed storage bins proved to be a real time saver. During one meeting, I had to find a note I had written several days earlier. I clicked on my Projects tab and easily clicked through to find the one I needed. On each note, you can group your entries, then use page handles that make the note look like a sticky note.

The program has a visual style that makes note organization easy because the colors are bright and easy to identify, and the interface matches the familiar Office 2003 light blue color scheme. You can click and grab individual note entries and move them around on the page. Additionally, you can organize each folder into subsections--taking the file folder approach one step further.

Under the My Notebook tab in the upper left part of the screen, you can use a drop down list of folders and sections for easy navigation. There's an auto-save function, plenty of template options, highlighter options, and tools for searching text notes (but not handwritten annotations). You can publish notes as HTML files, which you can move manually to a Web site, save on a SharePoint site, or e-mail to fellow employees (figure 2 on page 15).

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

UpShot

I liked using OneNote because it has one clear purpose: entering meeting notes or jotting down quick reminders. It isn't for everyone, however. If you rely on Outlook for most of your organizational needs, I can see that OneNote could lead to confusion. You might store a note in an e-mail, or even in a draft of an e-mail, and then wonder what happened to it when you start using OneNote again.

I would like to see much better integration--not just file sharing and note flags--between Outlook and OneNote. For example, a tab in Outlook that shows a preview of notes you've taken recently would be helpful (possibly with the same blue counter that displays recent entries).

Yet--from the point of view of someone who has trouble keeping notes around at all (let alone organized)--OneNote is ideal for any busy mobile worker who needs to make quick diagrams, convert handwritten notes to text, and file meeting notes in a permanent archive.

Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com OneNote US$199 Volume discounts available.

REQUIREMENTS: Personal computer with an Intel Pentium 233-MHz or faster processor (Pentium III recommended); 128MB of RAM; 100MB of available hard-disk space; Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 (SP3), Windows XP, or newer

ADVISOR[R] EVAL[TM]

BUSINESS BENEFITS

This easy-to-use note-taking tool will keep information at your fingerstips.

(+) Keeps your notes organized in a colorful fashion

(+) Easy to use

(-) Handwriting recognition

(-) Doesn't link to Outlook as well as expected

(-) Price

John Brandon is a freelance writer from Buffalo, Minnesota. Before starting his writing career, he worked as an IT manager with a large consumer electronics retailer. His areas of expertise include handheld computers, notebooks, smartphones, wireless technology, displays, and any other computer-oriented device.