[billybob128]

i was in school today and got slowed down when typing notes by the diagrams as this happens to me frequently and im sure to many others here that are students i was trying to think of a good way around this and thought of a PDA
is there one out there with hand wrighting recognition and drawning im not looking for top of the range or amazing style just something good that would sync with my mac so i could get em on my HD easily without fuss how it connects isnt a problem all input is greatly appreciated

[Mithras]

Believe it or not, even the most expensive PDAs are still poorly suited to this task.

When I last checked, there still was no program for Palm or PocketPC that allowed you to easily and quickly mix text and drawings.

Also, even the best handwriting recognition is notably slower than the keyboard, if you're a halfway decent typist.


For note-taking, the best options are:
1. Tablet PC.
Runs Windows, but does a decent job of mixing text and drawings, and all have an optional keyboard.

2. Laptop + Wacom tablet
You could just add a $99 Wacom tablet to your mix, and add drawings to your typed notes as you go.

3. Pen + Paper.

[billybob128]

thanks i think ill go back to pen and paper and type homework

[kennedy]

The best setup I had found was Palm with keyboard and the program Hi-Note, which is an outliner that lets you put either a text note or a graphic associated with each line in the outliner. However, the tiny lo-res screen made many graphics typical of a whiteboard tough to pull off.

That has led me to buy and move to a PB12 for my notetaking... but for now, I will be drawing pictures on paper and scanning those in. But I am still looking.

[matcho]

I use a pen + paper, but I back that up by taking a digital micro-recorder to class to record lectures. Since I have handwriting like a doctors, I can't alwasy red my own writing.

the Sony digital recorder was about $50 for one that records 150 min. Its a lifesaver for getting accurate notes.

I want to get a new one that records for up to 10 hours

Doug

[SupahCoolX]

Try a Newton.
www.newtontalk.net
www.thisoldnewt.com
You can get a good one for under, say, $200 on eBay, www.gementerprises.com , or www.jksalesinc.com

If you get a Messagepad 2000 or 2100, you'll have a big screen to work with. They have GREAT handwriting recognition, and you can insert diagrams, etc in with the text very easily. It even has a standard Mac serial port, so you can print directly to many printers. You can plug in a modem/ethernet/wifi card for connectivity.

There are, of some drawbacks. There is little in the way of new software, etc, though there is some ongoing development. OSX syncing is somewhat limited, but people are working on it (see www.everchanging.com/newton or the FAQ on This Old Newt).

So, look into it, and you might be pleasantly surprised that the Newton, though a few years old, is still better than most current PDAs.