The End To A New Beginning

50 Word Description: My goal is to expand on the app Notes Plus and make it possible for you to take pictures of notes and have it convert into text that you can then edit and create a stylus that will work just like a pencil does with pointed and accurate tip. The opportunities are endless.

From the very beginning my goal was to reflect on an app for the iPad called NotesPlus by exploring the different fields of technology that would affect the app. Through all the technology I looked at, I found that all play a significant role in making sure that the app runs properly and seamlessly. From hardware to software to virtual machines, it all comes together using each part to make a successful app.

Throughout the process of reflecting on the app and adding, what I believe would be great new features; I tested the app out in the classroom. I pushed it to its breaking points. I tried the colors, the handwriting, a stylus, the in-app web browser and so on. I began to make the app my own by finding the key features that I liked about it. I found the close-up box to work the best with the stylus that I had (Hand Stylus). In the close up view I was able to really write clearly and legibly (for my hand writing).

Using this close up view I found that I really liked how I could draw diagrams with different colors too. In geography class could draw grass and a tree and actually have it look like a help diagram to help me study rather than a bunch of squiggles on the paper (iPad). I also found that sometimes I would need to get things down faster than I could write it, this is where the typing feature came in very handy. In just a simple two-finger tap, I had the keyboard pop up and ready for me to enter any text.

It’s crazy what this app has been able to do for me and the future of this app is just as bright. It won’t take much to make my ideas and add-ons a reality. I think by contacting the company and showing them the blog I can get my ideas passed on and they’re could be an update with a month or two.

The way technology is moving these days; we will have some amazing apps coming our way in the near future. Apps that will definitely change the way teachers and students learn in the classroom. A change that is certain to be a change for the better.

Security, It's Bigger Than You Think

50 Word Description: My goal is to expand on the app Notes Plus and make it possible for you to take pictures of notes and have it convert into text that you can then edit and create a stylus that will work just like a pencil does with pointed and accurate tip. The opportunities are endless.

We must keep it simple to the viewer, but on the technical side it can be a sophisticated as it needs to be. Security is huge issue in todays world, especially security of your computer and accounts. When you make a new account on a website, you are trusting your information with this this company to ensure that everything stays secure and private. While on your side this may looks easy, it is difficult for the company to ensure this, and they will commit a lot of time and money into the security of your information.

With my note taking app you may wonder why this may be such a significant issue, but I am certain it is. If you were to use the sync feature that automatically transfers your notes from your iPad to your computer, you will want to make sure that it gets there without any issues. While notes for a class may not be as significant as a credit card, it still requires that the network that the information is traveling though must be kept secure. If there is a breach in the network then your information could be deleted and who would you blame? Me. Yes, you would blame me if your information disappears. That is why it is my responsibility to take all necessary measures to have a secure network.

I mentioned in my first post about how we can expand this app. More specifically allowing us to view our online textbooks (ebooks) within the app. If you purchase an online textbook from Pearson and they give you a special code you will need to have an account and password to access your text. Well, we would need to make sure that when you enter your Pearson information it stays private through our servers and to Pearson's servers for verification. Security can never be over looked no matter how small or big the business may be.

Operating Systems DO Matter

50 Word Description: My goal is to expand on the app Notes Plus and make it possible for you to take pictures of notes and have it convert into text that you can then edit and create a stylus that will work just like a pencil does with pointed and accurate tip. The opportunities are endless.

How do operating systems relate to an app you ask? Well actually it does a lot for any sort of
technology. First off you need a computer to build and app. You can do this on any operating system, but for an iPad app you will use Apple's Mac OS X. On OS X you will have options to allow much of todays updated use of iCloud and other features on Apple's Platform. You could even make an app for the Mac, so that you have a user friendly interface on your laptop as well as your iPad.

While these apps may be written on another app system like Windows, you will not be able to get the features as a Mac would. There are specific features that are special to the Mac and to the Windows. That is why so much of todays technology is based on either Mac or Windows. Even smart phones have taken two sides, IOS or Android. More and more app developers are combining apps to work for both platforms.

I would make this app a universal app. It would require more work, but would get more costumers from it. A well investment for a future of a great product, not just limited to the iPad.

Professional Blogger Review

Bloggers URL: http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/author/phacker

Prof. Hacker is a well known blogger in the technology and education World. He is known helping others understand the connection between technology and education and how the two work great together. He addresses all the latest and greatest products and software that get released on to the market. But the reason I like his is for this understanding on technology as a student.

Prof. Hacker addresses a week’s blog post to annotation and note taking apps specifically for the iPad. The great part about his post is that he breaks each advantage down into its own section. For instance he talks specifically and in depth about PDFs, highlighter, zooming, dropbox, images, ease of use, etc. All the key features that one would need in a note taking app, he addresses in a simple to read grid with all the top note taking apps out there today.

But I could use a little more than a grid. I would have liked to see an individual, in depth review of each app. While this would take a very long time and would be one of the longer posts, it would be helpful to any reader. But for the most part a grid is a genius idea. It allows him to get the information across very quickly, while allowing him to cover a variety of products. Maybe instead of making a very long blog post, he dedicates a blog post for the following weeks to go in depth on two to three different apps each week. 

Photoshop Your Idea

50 Word Description: My goal is to expand on the app Notes Plus and make it possible for you to take pictures of notes and have it convert into text that you can then edit and create a stylus that will work just like a pencil does with pointed and accurate tip. The opportunities are endless.

Design is huge in anything you do. If you have a good design then your product is that much likelier to do better on the market. When you design a logo or a layout for your product, you have to start with an editor program like Photoshop. Photoshop allows you may your design stand out. Using all sorts of effects, you can make your product “pop” out of the page.  

Some of the easiest stuff you can do can sometimes be the most effective.  Say you want a logo to shine bright, just add in a simple glow and right away your logo will stand out. Another easy tool is the crop tool, this crop tool can help you adjust the size of any photo. But how does this all help in a note taking app? Well, you need all a great layout so that the users like using the app. But you also need Photoshop to create all the little buttons and icons in your app. I say make them cartoony looking. It’s simple yet attractive.

What about for those artists? Now I’m sure they will be using more sophisticated software on their personal computers, but can we make a simple, yet effective editing tool built right into the app? Well the answer is yet, we will need this type of tool. If you take a picture of your notes so you can add it to your notes in the app, you will most likely have to crop the photo so that you get only text. This is Photoshop at its basics.

Simple, but effective. 

Competitive Analysis

50 Word Description: My goal is to expand on the app Notes Plus and make it possible for you to take pictures of notes and have it convert into text that you can then edit and create a stylus that will work just like a pencil does with pointed and accurate tip. The opportunities are endless.

Competitor 1 URL: http://notesplusapp.com

Competitor 1 Overview: Now this is the app that I love, but it’s not perfect. It does the basics and then some. I need to do the basics plus everything else; everything and anything you can think of, that’s what this app needs. Apple is all about making something amazing that you didn’t even realize you needed. For instance, Notes Plus has very good features like voice recording, typing/writing, but the most recognizable feature is the writing recognition. The writing recognition software converts your writing on the screen into text that you can then edit. This is great, but what if you could also just take a picture of your notes that you wrote on a piece of paper and the software converts that into the notes that you have on your iPad? Now that would be convenient and awesome!

Competitor 2 URL: http://evernote.com

Competitor 2 Overview: Evernote is another cool app, but I was never able to really take full advantage of it. It just didn’t do enough for me. The best feature is that there is an app for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone, and all your information is easily transferred between all three platforms. Another cool feature is how you can email your notes to someone else. This is really helpful if your friend misses a class then you can email it to him. But this app lacks the cool features of the Notes Plus app, the hand writing recognition.

Now these two apps have a lot of potential. All we need to do now is combine them. We need to get the companies to work together to create an all around app that is far better than any competitors. If you have an app with all the features anyone would need then you will be the only competition. It’s like how Apple makes the iPod. Do you remember when Microsoft created the Zune? Do you think any remembers that? Probably not because Apple blew away the competition with a great product that no one can match. That’s what we will do with this notes app; we will create something extraordinary.