In my experience “notes apps” or thought-catcher apps like Idea Organizer fall into two categories: too many features or too few. Give me too many features, and I can’t be bothered. Why spend 5 minutes fussing around with “extras” like color-coding and cutesy icons when I can whip out a pen and paper in 2.3 seconds. However, apps with too few features aren’t any better. I’m simply not going to spend money on an app that is basically a text editor with a fancy background.

Idea Organizer manages to balance that fine line with ease. The app is designed to make taking notes quick and convenient. Nanaimo Studio knows this can mean different things to different people. So, Idea Organizer lets the user decide how to capture their ideas: text, voice or visual.

Text is a very simple editor with a space for the “Idea Title” and a description. The voice recorder is the same way, record a quick message, give it a title and you’re done. Ditto with the visual notes, which can use the built-in camera or access your photo library.

Once you’ve got your basic idea in place, you can use Idea Organizer to attach additional photos or voice notes and flesh out each individual thought. Yeah, it’s definitely pushing the line towards “extra features,” but since it doesn’t interfere with my initial note-taking process I’m going to let it slide.

At any point in the process you can email your ideas to a friend or to yourself for safekeeping. Single ideas can be sent from their Idea page, or send all your ideas as a package from the Settings Menu.

So, is Idea Organizer the productivity app that will finally make this finicky Goldilocks jump up and say “This app is just right!”?

* Idea Organizer is on sale and you can download it now for just $0.99.

Almost. I love the convenience of being able to “take notes” using the voice recorder or the camera. It’s perfect for those times when typing isn’t an option — such as on the freeway — or when the ideas are flowing faster than my fingers can fly.

Unfortunately, the home screen of the app only has room for three major icons: two for taking notes and one for viewing notes. The notepad and the view notes icons are always on, which means that third space can only be used for the voice notes or the visual notes icons. Voice notes is the default, turn on visual notes by tapping the settings button at the bottom of the screen.

Ideally, all four icons would be accessible at all times from Idea Organizer’s main menu. But, barring that I would at least like to choose which icons are present. For me, it would be visual and voice because I’m less likely to use the notepad.

I still really like Idea Organizer. In most ways, it’s the perfect example of what a productivity app should be. It allows the user to complete tasks in the way that works best for them. The technology in Idea Organizer works without issue and most importantly without getting in my way when my good ideas start streaming.

• rating: 9/10
• app_name: Idea Organizer
• app_name: $1.99

© AppCraver, 2009. | Idea Organizer Grabs Text, Voice and Visuals for Easy Notes | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Voice Memos — Apple’s iPhone development people probably figured adding voice memo recording in a native app in OS 3.0 would make the iPhone seem more corporate. That’s only a guess, but if I’m right, I suspect Voice Memos won’t be a big hit around the water cooler. I would take Griffin’s iTalk, QuickVoice PRO Recorder, Voxie Recorder or JMDictate-Professional Dictation ahead of Voice Memos.

Voice Memos is like a boring novel with a fancy cover (it’s good looking). You can record, playback, trim clips and share by email your voice recording. Oh yeah, you can also give it a label by picking one from a list.

“It does the job and besides, I didn’t pay extra for it,” I can hear you reply. You don’t have to pay for at least one of other apps I just mentioned either… and the rest, well they’re worth the extra coin.

Griffin’s  iTalk, at least the ad-supported version, is free. Don’t worry, the ads aren’t in your face.You can record your audio at normal (8kHz), medium (11kHz), high (22kHz) and CD quality (44kHz). Then, you can use iTalk Sync, a free download, to drag and drop your recordings to your desktop over a Wi-Fi connection. It’s available for the Mac OS and Windows PCs. If you can’t abide ads, then you’ll have to spring for $4.99 for the premium version.

There’s also QuickVoice PRO Recorder, which is only $0.99. Add here the ability to transfer files via iTunes, Wi-Fi or email. QuickVoice PRO Recorder works best in conjunction with its free desktop app. Importing a voice recording from QuickVoice for iPhone to the desktop app is easy: Launch QuickVoice, select “Import” under the “File” menu and the rest is taken care of.

Voxie Pro Recorder,  ($1.99) is a voice recorder and dictation app for the iPhone and iPod touch with features such as Wi-Fi syncing with your desktop, audio file emailing and texting, audio-quality settings, customizable categories and audio file sizes limited only by the amount of available storage space.Other features include an express mode that is activated by shaking the iPhone, wallpapers, icons to flag recordings, the ability to send quick notes to a list of friends and family and to your contacts in the Contacts native app.

With JMDictate-Professional Dictation you have a good variety of options if you would like to transfer your recordings to your desktop and manage them. JMDictate handles email, iDisk MobileMe, WebDAV and FTP. You’ll also find on the Settings screen a switch to automatically activate voice recording and a field where you can enter your initials. JMDictate-Professional Dictation is $7.99;  which is pricey compared to most audio recording apps in the App Store but if you often record audio, you shouldn’t find the price too hard to swallow.

© AppCraver, 2009. | Four Voice Recording Apps that Fill In for Apple’s Voice Memos | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Since the App Store user reviews were not all that favorable, I decided to take as objective an approach as possible to PDF Reader Pro while keeping in mind I had no immediate need to use it.

The initial syncing of .pdf files was a breeze, but I have to say the files I uploaded were small in size. Still, for a few pages, it was a quick and painless process.

Your computer and iPhone (or iTouch) must be on the same Wi-Fi network for syncing to work. What few .pdf files I had saved on my computer were almost instantaneously transferred and while I’m sure larger files would have taken longer, at least there was no confusion as to how to achieve the actual transfer. Simply click the wi-fi icon on the bottom left of the screen and enter the IP address into your computer’s browswer.

Once your .pdf file is on your device, you can go in to the PDF Reader Pro app and view it any time. There is a single touch navigation feature for zooming in and out and changing pages, but the overall viewing is kind of difficult. There is an option to change from fast speed view to “hight” quality, which is clearly meant to be “high” quality, but it’s not a difference I noticed either way. Other features the developer mentions include the ability to copy and paste, but I cannot get that to happen for the life of me. I figured copy and paste would work the same as it does with OS 3.0 and that simply touching and holding would engage the tool from within the document, but I was wrong. Instead, there is an “edit” function that presents the copy and paste options, but nothing seems to happen when I tap them.

The PDF Reader Pro “how to” doesn’t give any further explanation for how to use PDF Reader Pro except for how to get the file from your computer to your device in the first place. I suppose for further help, the next step would be to contact the developer directly. I have no reason to want to jump through those hoops to figure out how to copy and paste from PDF Reader Pro to say, an email, so I can only assume that if the function exists, there must be a way to make it work.

Since I don’t have any .pdf books saved on my computer, I also can’t attest to how quickly the transfer of one to PDF Reader Pro would be. I do know that if the experience of viewing my 3-page document is any indication, I doubt very seriously if I would be using it to read a book. However, I don’t think PDF Reader Pro was designed to be a book viewer, but rather a way to take .pdf files with you for browsing. There could be instances where you have a report or other important .pdf file on your computer and need to reference something within it on the go. In this case, PDF Reader Pro should work out OK and since it’s in the low price range for such apps, could even be deemed a decent value. However for higher performance and additional functions I might still be tempted to check out some of the others.

• app_name: PDF Reader Pro
• rating: 6/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | PDF Reader Pro Could be Useful Depending on Your PDF Point of “View” | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

TapNext

TapNext is nothing to shout about in terms of design, but this iPhone app gets the job done. It takes a few steps to get working, but they are pretty user friendly. For a PC or Mac download and install the software from the developer’s site. The easiest way to connect is if your iPhone and computer are sharing the same Wi-Fi network. If so, they will sync automatically. If not, it is still pretty easy to get connected. The desktop software generates a key that you enter into the TapNext app and then you are off and ready to present.

One thing to keep in mind — when testing it out the TapNext software did not play nice with Windows 7. It worked just fine on XP. Probably not a big issue right now as Windows 7 is till in Beta, but when it becomes available for release in late October the developer will probably want to make sure this is not an issue. Also Mac users can opt for the free TapNext Lite, which only works with Keynote. Windows users get the shaft — you need to pay for the full version to work with PowerPoint or OpenOffice.

Once the presentation is synced it works very well. There are buttons for beginning and ending the slide show, as well as moving from one slide to another (you can also go back to a previous slide). A timer is included at the top of the screen if you want to keep an eye on how long you are speaking.  There is also an alarm option if you want your iPhone to rattle you when it is time to stop talking. Also included is a voice recorder with playback – although not sure why. It does work, though.

If you give a lot of presentations and want this functionality then TapNext may be a great buy if you operate outside of the Mac universe. If you are pretty Mac-centric, then go for the free version, TapNext Lite.

• app_name: TapNext
• rating: 8/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | TapNext Puts Presentations in your Hand | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet is now one of several office/productivity apps that are worth considering if you want some type of spreadsheet editing features on your iPhone. The current version is fairly intuitive and makes creating and editing spreadsheets fairly manageable with finger taps.

The learning curve will depend on how much time you’ve already spent with spreadsheets on your Mac or PC. But with a bit of time any iPhone user should be able to create and manage spreadsheets from within the Spreadsheet app.

By tapping on a cell you are then prompted to use the keyboard to enter data. Or there is a task bar along the bottom of the app for manipulating the cells and punching in equations. If you are a power Excel user then you may just start typing in the commands yourself. The feature set is fairly strong for what you are able to do from within the mobile interface. In fact managing large amounts of data could become a challenge on the iPhone screen.

There are still some moments where Spreadsheet can be a bit buggy – especially when it comes to syncing the documents with your PC or Mac. Spreadsheet comes with a pretty exhaustive how-to guide which should help. But this type of endeavor is best left to those who are tech savvy or you may quickly frustrate out.

In the end Spreadsheet tops iSpreadsheet and other related apps available in the App Store. With DataViz releasing Documents To Go for iPhone this week the document and spreadsheet editing capabilities of the iPhone just became stronger.

• rating: 8/10
• app_name: Spreadsheet

© AppCraver, 2009. | Spreadsheet A Major Improvement Over Original | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

ChangeWave,

However, in a reversal of only a few months ago, market researchers are coming around to the idea that Apple’s iPhone, and even iPod touch, can succeed in the business world. One reason is that they believe the numbers, varieties and capabilities of apps that support enterprise activities will increase greatly increase following the summertime release of OS 3.0.

Meanwhile, here’s a quick round up of enterprise-level apps that can be found in the App Store:

Oracle has about 4,000 employees using the iPhone globally, according to Oracle’s IT VP Campbell Webb. That’s not a surprise if you consider Oracle has had its own apps in the App Store for several months. Like many tech companies, Oracle is attempting to bridge the gap  between the enterprise and the iPhone, not only for itself but also for its clients.

Oracle Business Indicators, provides real-time access to business intelligence performance information and views of financial, HR, supply chain and other business intelligence. Oracle Enterprise Asset Management (eAM)-Maintenance Workbench integrates Oracle eAM e-Business suite and uses GPS to lists of assets within a specific search radius. Others include Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant, Oracle Mobile Sales Forecast, Oracle Business Approvals for Sales Managers and Oracle Business Approvals for Managers.

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center version 1.2 application on the iPhone got a recent update that permits the host to schedule meetings and invite attendees before and during the meeting.

Also, Cisco introduced yesterday what it has branded, “Collaboration in Motion,” an amalgamation of products and services that includes Cisco WebEx, Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco Unified Wireless Network and Cisco Advanced Services for the mobile workspace, including Apple’s iPhone.

Salesforce’s Salesforce Mobile is a subset of features for salesforce.com users: View edit accounts, access account activity, log sales and access customer Visualforce Mobile pages.

Citrix Systems’ Citrix Receiver is a client that enables IT to deliver desktops and apps as an on-demand service to any device in any location. As long as employees have Citrix Receiver, IT no longer has to worry about whether they are delivering to a PC,  Mac or iPhone. For a few days last week, Citrix Receiver sat fourth in the list of top 10 free business apps (it’s eighth today).

Siemens Enterprise Communications’ OpenScape UC Application for iPhone 3.1 interconnects employee contacts through a corporate network, enables employees to set up conferences, view call reports and set rules to handle calls when they’re unavailable.

Sybase’s iAnywhere Mobile Office supports Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange for email, calendaring, tasks and contacts with corporate directory lookup.

© AppCraver, 2009. | iPhone Inches Up the Corporate Ladder | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

When you first launch JMDictate-Professional Dictation, the app must build a “working area,” which takes several seconds (about 30 seconds in my experience).

Once that’s done, you can start dictating by tapping the Create New Dictation item on the Dictation List screen or the Plus icon. From there, JMDictate-Professional Dictation works like any conventional voice recorder with buttons to record, play and so on.

You can graphically tell how well you are picking up an audio signal and the amount of time you have left to record (that will vary by how much storage space remains on your device).

Record, then tap Save, and add a title to your recording. JMDictate-Professional Dictation automatically fills in the current date field. Later, you can resume recording at the end of an earlier dictation and or record over portions of material. There’s a slider to help you find the right spot in your material to resume recording.

With JMDictate-Professional Dictation you have a good variety of options if you would like to transfer your recordings to your desktop and manage them. The ability to do that is a big plus for recording apps, I think. JMDictate handles email, iDisk MobileMe, WebDAV and FTP.

I used WebDAV, a wireless HTTP protocol, to access JMDictate and my recordings from my desktop. To do that, I entered the home network address of my desktop in the appropriate field in the Download screen (the URL will be your router and a port number). If you want security, switch on SSL encryption and enable a password. It’s quick and painless.

You’ll also find on the Settings screen a switch to automatically activate voice recording and a field where you can enter your initials.

I’ve looked at several recording apps and JMDictate-Professional Dictation is one of the best I’ve tried. It’s $7.99. It’s pricey compared to most audio recording apps in the App Store but if you often record audio, you shouldn’t find the price too hard to swallow.

• app_name: JMDictate-Professional Dictation
• rating: 8/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | JMDictate – Professional Dictation is a Good Listener for Frequent Audio Recording | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Because of that, I won’t store on my iPhone information that I can’t afford to lose. Trust me, you should think the same way.

However, my iPhone has some information stored on it that I’d like to protect such as my social net logins, frequent flyer accounts and the Web site where I order my monthly colon cleanser under an assumed name.

Wallet Pro, from Memengo, is great for doing that kind of stuff. Wallet Pro stores your login IDs, passwords, credit card numbers and more using 256-bit encryption, which is said to be uncrackable by spies and supercomputers.

Your vital data is stored in “wallets,” and each wallet contains folders and cards, and they contain the info you use to access accounts and so on. You can assign one of three levels of security to each wallet’s contents. There are several ready-made templates you can use for cards, which saves time entering and organizing your info. With Wallet Pro you can also store links and phone numbers and access them with a single tap.

One feature I particularly like: I can backup my data — encrypted — on a Memengo server. Not even the company can get a look at my semi-sensitive stuff.

Tapping the arrow in the bottom-left corner takes you to the Online Backup screen, where you can create a Memengo account or use your existing account. You can use your online account to set up and organize your wallets, and synch them with your handheld.

I’ve looked at several of password managers and Wallet Pro would be one of my top picks if I needed a password manager.

• app_name: Wallet Pro
• rating: 9/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | Wallet Pro Excels as a Password Manager | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

I was skeptical because I’ve looked at a couple of apps with OCR-like features and they haven’t worked particularly well.

I tried Snabiz, from Netwalk, a while back, for example. That one is designed to OCR business cards. It’s a great idea but it didn’t work all that well for me. Netwalk said I should have used an adapter lens for best results.

ocrNow! Lite has you begin by entering your email address, which is where you’ll send your images for OCR output, via Wordcraft International Limited Web site and forward them to your email account and store on your desktop.

The next step is to sign up to access the ocrNow! server. You’ll know the sign up is successful when you receive a response inquiring whether you would like to receive messages about ocrNow! services. I chose No.

Tap the Launch button and you’ll see a step-by-step illustration: Photograph a page, choose to have it converted to PDF or text and the email the output to yourself.

I tapped the Plus icon in the upper right corner, snapped a photo of a document, gave it a name and emailed it to myself as a PDF. The photo image seemed too dark but that’s normal, the developer explains on its Tips page.

What I received were two PDF files. One was a replica of the image I took and the second contained my output. I had the option of receiving only the PDF with the converted output.

The results with ocrNow! Lite were mixed to say the least: About half the words were misinterpreted. I then stepped up my tests and tried ocrNow! Lite in a variety of lighting conditions and with different documents.

What it comes down to is the text you photograph needs to be larger than what you’ll find in most  ordinary docs; there should be excellent contrast between the text and page it’s printed on; and you should use very good lighting. Then ocrNow! will work flawlessly.

I’m a bit less skeptical now, but far from convinced. I just don’t think the iPhone’s built-in camera is really up to the task. It’s just not sharp enough. ocrNow! Lite doesn’t work well with 10 or 12 point type, so its uses are limited for me because I can’t use it reliably with normal type.

You might have better luck. I tried ocrNow! Lite, which is free. There’s also an ocrNow! “Pro” version — for $13.99 — capable of saving more than 10 pages, which is the limit for the ocrNow! Lite.

• app_name: ocrNow! Lite
• rating: 6/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | ocrNow! Lite Sees Characters, but Only if They’re Large | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

TaskData (Exchange Sync), from developer Phillip Zedalis, is a productivity application for business users who operate in a Microsoft Windows environment. The iPhone 2.0 upgrade featured ActiveSync synchronization capabilities with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange server environments for e-mail, calendars, and contacts.

TaskData enables you edit and manage tasks and notes, search and sync over-the-air to a corporate network running on Exchange and Outlook.

TaskData (Exchange Sync) is streamlined and designed to handle the most essential chores. It works on Exchange 2003, Small Business Server 2003, Exchange 2007 and Small Business Server 2008.

Tap the Tasks icon in the lower left corner, followed by the Plus sign and you’re off and running. You’re stepped through naming a task, start and end dates, percentage completed, priority and other attributes of the task. You can sort and view your entries in categories.

The process is similar for Notes.

Once you have everything set up the way you would like, tap the Sync icon and it will begin. Oh yeah, what about the server settings? Where do those go?

You won’t find any help on TaskData (Exchange Sync), so I’ll tell you: Go to Settings, scroll down the list of applications to TaskData and tap it. Here’s where you’ll find Server Settings to select the kind of server you’ll access,  give the server a name and a few other details.

You’ll also find setting for Exchange” email address, username, password, Tasks Alias and again, a few other details.

I ran TaskData (Exchange Sync) through my industrial-strength iPhone washing machine and my whites were almost bright white ( to steal a thought from a Tide commercial). While entering a list of tasks on one occasion, as I went back and forth between screens, the list I was working on disappeared and I had to start all over. I wasn’t able to replicate the issue, however. I didn’t experience any other problems either. Some reviewers have complained about TaskData’s reliability, so I figured that I would mention it.

• app_name: TaskData (Exchange Sync)
• rating: 7/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | TaskData (Exchange Sync) for Outlook Tasks and Notes | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!