This might not be the “best” book I’ve read this year, but it is probably the one I have most been able to apply.

Tim Schmoyer

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MarginNote for iPad Review

I have been using Margin Note for iPad lately to take notes in eBooks (ePub) and PDFs. This review is very good and highlights many of the features of MarginNote, but there are several features that are REALLY important and powerful that I feel the author left out.

What is MarginNote for iPad?

Other productivity apps don’t let users see their notes and their main document text at the same time, However, MarginNote Reader is totally different and completely better! Now, users can see their notes and main document text all at once, without having to deal with distracting or annoying pop-ups. It’s a fundamentally more intuitive and productive way to get anything done, whether at school or at work. – MarginNote Website

In a nutshell, I think it is the best solution yet (that I’ve found) to emulate the usefulness of writing in the margins in a “real” book. Better, in fact, since you can write as much as you want in the “margin” and not run out of space. And it can backup your notes to several cloud services.

The publisher is also very responsive to inquiries, which is good because I had a few questions. One question I asked recently was if I could create one outline or mind map from several books. I am researching a single topic with multiple sources, and want to compile them together. He said you can’t exactly, but you can copy notes into other books. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will be very soon.

How Does MarginNote Work?

Margin note can open ePubs and PDF via iTunes, WiFi, Dropbox and the iOS “open in…” command. I used Dropbox primarily to get my books in by putting all the PDFs and ePubs I wanted into a folder together.

In working with the app, and a little experimentation, I am beginning to prefer PDFs over ePubs when I have a choice. MarginNote gives you a few more tools when dealing with PDF documents. When working with PDFs, not only have you do the typical highlight, underline and notes, but you can create a “box highlight” around a section of the book. This is great if you want to make a note in regards to a photo in the book because it “clips” the scribble you make into the Evernote note.

MarginNote and Evernote

The biggest reason I wanted to try this particular app is a feature the MakeUseOf article doesn’t even make much mention of: Evernote Sync! This app syncs your highlights and notes to your Evernote account by creating an Evernote Notebook with the filename of the book. It then puts all those notebooks into a Notebook Stack together. I especially like that the notes have a clear “Make your notes below this line” comment, so you know to be careful and note.

Conclusion

While many people will still prefer to take notes in the margin of their bound volumes, I am quickly moving to buying as many of my books in a DRM-free ebook format. (or you can Google DRM removal, if you so choose. I am not responsible for your actions if you do such things.) And I will rest assured that all my notes will be safely synced and backed up on the Evernote Server.

Links:

• Here is the post to the original article: MarginNote Offers Unique Approach To Annotating & Reviewing Documents
• MarginNote Reader for iPad (Free) on the App Store (affiliate link)
• MarginNote Reader Pro for iPad (Paid) on the App Store (affiliate link)
• MarginNote website