August 12th, 2009
Google Notebook discontinuation a loss for iPhone users
A guest blog post by Ryan Kaplan
I’m not a complainer and I don’t like to be around people who complain. I prefer to be around problem solvers, people who can look at a situation and come up with solutions or improvements. Unfortunately I have to join the ranks and complain to the team at Google. Yes, they have created a series of really cool programs that are extremely helpful and I think they are doing a fantastic job. However, there is one program that works great but was discontinued, Google Notebook. Fortunately I’m grandfathered in to Google Notebook, so it works just great for me. But everyone that I show it to is unable to use my note organization implement.
Google Notebook is like having a basic database at your fingertips without needing any database skills. On my Mac, I have been creating very basic FileMmaker databases for years to capture all of the important information in my life. For example, I have created a database called “Movies/Books” where I keep notes on any books or movies that were recommended to me. I have another database for “Restaurants” collected over the years based on friends recommendations. I have a database for my personal health records i.e. when I catch a cold or have my blood pressure taken.
After migrating to the iPhone, I quickly began searching for a way to integrate my FM databases onto my phone and found few good solutions. FMtouch was too expensive and required upgraded my FileMaker to the latest version. I really didn’t feel like dropping over $100 just to sync my notes and I wasn’t using very advanced features in FM to justify this upgrade. At the time, Notepad didn’t sync (it does now but you need a 3gs, and only when you sync manually with your computer) plus it doesn’t allow you to create folders, and many of the note and to do programs didn’t offer good entry UI, combined with the fact that most require proprietary sync software.
That’s when I found the gNotes app for the iPhone. It’s free, syncs with Google Notebook on a Mac or PC and works in airplane or offline mode which is crucial when you just want to jot down a note and synch later (it syncs in the background automatically).
I guess I was pulled into Google Notebook through this effort of searching for a note app based on my few criterion (no separate synch software, folder organization) and as a result I began loving Google Notebook for what it is. Google Notebook is not a substitute for FM, but it’s a great note taker, organizer, sorter and syncer.
[I'm also grandfathered into Google Notebook and use it with gNotes everyday. I'd also like to see Google resuscitate Notebook so that others can use it. The other solution would be for Google docs and spreadsheets to be editable (not just readable) on the iPhone. This would catapult Google to the lead of the iPhone note-taking apps overnight. - Ed]
What note-taking app do you use on the iPhone?
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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