Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have been dreaming of using things like the MEP student workbooks on the iPad rather than printing them for a long time, but have not found a good tool for doing so (if someone has found the perfect tool let me know). I'm sure many Math Mammoth and CSMP users wish for the same thing. Well the other day I downloaded the Notability app for $0.99. It is almost perfect. There is one flaw. One can not "pinch-to-zoom" if you want to write in a very small space. Otherwise it is very easy to use ones finger to "write" answers onto the PDF (in a variety of colors, and thicknesses). It even has a "highlight" option that is semi-transparent that came in very handy for some of the MEP problems where we had to "color" objects but did not want to obliterate them with opaque. The lack of "pinch-to-zoom" does make this app imperfect. But for 99 cents some of you want to grab it (it is 80% off at this moment). The app has many other features including voice recording (that I have not explored). I have been in contact with the developer and they have been surprisingly responsive to improving the zoom functionality. Anyway, some of you may want to grab it and see if it works for you. Oh. The easiest way I have found thus far to deal with the PDFs is to use the free app "Dropbox" on my main computer, drop the PDF files into Dropbox, and in a short time they show up in the Dropbox menu in Notability. Pretty slick! There are also Cloud based options I have not delved into yet. Maybe some of you iPad users will like this app. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrin Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) OOh! Thanks. Off to D/L now! ETA: in the description it says ***NEW RELEASE SALE for 1 WEEK ONLY - 80% OFF*** At a sale price of 99¢, if you're thinking about getting it, now's probably the time to do it! Edited November 18, 2011 by rgrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 OOh! Thanks. Off to D/L now! ETA: in the description it says ***NEW RELEASE SALE for 1 WEEK ONLY - 80% OFF*** At a sale price of 99¢, if you're thinking about getting it, now's probably the time to do it! I got it a couple days ago, so the sale time may be over soon...so yes, if one is up for risking $0.99, now is the time to act. Bill (who has no financial interest in Notability) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Can you help me with the tech end? We recently switched the whole house over to Macs and I'm experiencing severe technical difficulties - I'm usually able to figure things out pretty quickly. For some reason I just don't think like a Mac... Anyway, I bought the app and have downloaded MEP 1A. I've used Singapore for years and have always wanted to try MEP, but didn't want to do a ton of printing, so the solution of doing it on the iPads is fantastic! I don't have "dropbox", but I do have "airdrop". Is that they same thing? When I entered "MEP" in the search bar in airdrop it showed me the document, but it said "this computer" rather than "shared". I'm assuming I have to share it in order to get it on the iPad but I can't figure out how to do that. Any help would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Bill - have you looked at PDF expert? My husband said they use it for their board at work. It sounds like a pretty versatile app and from what I can tell you can also zoom in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Can you help me with the tech end? We recently switched the whole house over to Macs and I'm experiencing severe technical difficulties - I'm usually able to figure things out pretty quickly. For some reason I just don't think like a Mac... Anyway, I bought the app and have downloaded MEP 1A. I've used Singapore for years and have always wanted to try MEP, but didn't want to do a ton of printing, so the solution of doing it on the iPads is fantastic! I don't have "dropbox", but I do have "airdrop". Is that they same thing? When I entered "MEP" in the search bar in airdrop it showed me the document, but it said "this computer" rather than "shared". I'm assuming I have to share it in order to get it on the iPad but I can't figure out how to do that. Any help would be appreciated! I don't know "airdrop." I did not have Dropbox prior to getting Notability (big mistake, as it is cool and free) but Notabliity is designed with an "import" from Dropbox feature, so it was really easy. You might try Dropbox. Maybe someone else can help you with Airbox. There are also cloud based options I have not delved into. Much to learn. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I use PDF Pro, which is way pricier than your option ($9.99). But I love it. I can save any document I open on my iPad as a pdf, it has a zoom function, I can rotate the document, bookmark, it has hyperlink support, I can annotate, highlight, search for specific words and even sign a document. I love it! But I'd better, it cost 10x as much as yours. Have you used a printer app on your ipad? I also purchased Printer Pro with my pdf app. I really like it--I can print straight from my iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I downloaded this apps last week too and so far love it. We were using noterize/paper port which worked ok but this is much better. I either use Dropbox to get pdf's to the iPad or my printer app which allows me to scan directly on to iPad. Occasionally if I'm away from my computer I'll take a picture of the page with the camera and use that. It's not the preferred method but it works. I prefer the notability app because of the zoom option for writing. Have you used the icon at the bottom to bring up the large box to write in. Right now dd's work is turning out neater in the iPad than on paper. Her math skills are better than her writing skills so on paper the numbers are big & sloppy buy on the iPad she writes them big but they are the right size on the problem. Noterize allowed pinch & zoom but the writing didn't turn out as neat. She did her math worksheet last night and seemed to like the format. Once you bring up the zoom box you just move the selection box on the screen to where you want to write. I'v found this to work much better for taking notes also. It automatically goes to the next line when you get to the end of a row and the large writing space seems to make my handwriting look better than writing in the noterize zoom mode. These things are always hard to explain so hopefully this makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have been dreaming of using things like the MEP student workbooks on the iPad rather than printing them for a long time, but have not found a good tool for doing so (if someone has found the perfect tool let me know). I'm sure many Math Mammoth and CSMP users wish for the same thing. Well the other day I downloaded the Notability app for $0.99. It is almost perfect. There is one flaw. One can not "pinch-to-zoom" if you want to write in a very small space. Otherwise it is very easy to use ones finger to "write" answers onto the PDF (in a variety of colors, and thicknesses). It even has a "highlight" option that is semi-transparent that came in very handy for some of the MEP problems where we had to "color" objects but did not want to obliterate them with opaque. The lack of "pinch-to-zoom" does make this app imperfect. But for 99 cents some of you want to grab it (it is 80% off at this moment). The app has many other features including voice recording (that I have not explored). I have been in contact with the developer and they have been surprisingly responsive to improving the zoom functionality. Anyway, some of you may want to grab it and see if it works for you. Oh. The easiest way I have found thus far to deal with the PDFs is to use the free app "Dropbox" on my main computer, drop the PDF files into Dropbox, and in a short time they show up in the Dropbox menu in Notability. Pretty slick! There are also Cloud based options I have not delved into yet. Maybe some of you iPad users will like this app. Bill Can you use a stylus instead of a finger for pdfs with cursive practice?:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Bill - have you looked at PDF expert? My husband said they use it for their board at work. It sounds like a pretty versatile app and from what I can tell you can also zoom in. I have not used PDF Expert. Can you "draw" with it? I have Goodreader, which was the first really good PDF reader. It has many great features, but the annotating feature is no good as a replacement for pencil on paper. The Notability app is almost there. If it had "pinch-to-zoom" it would be almost perfect. As it is it's pretty darn good, so long as the spaces you have to write in are not very small. Otherwise Notablitiy is like doing pencil, pen, or highlighter on paper. Only electronically. This is a "Holy Grail" type app for me, and (except for the lack of pinch-to-zoom) this one comes pretty close. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 It looks like one can draw and highlight with PDF Expert. I hope PDF Expert users will chime in. Perhaps it is a better app for this purpose? It is $10, but that might be worth it some some people if it really works well. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thanks, Bill! I grabbed it a couple of days ago when acurtis75@yahoo.com recommended it somewhere on here. Thanks for the detailed review. Hopefully I will get a chance to try it over the Thanksgiving break. I got it a couple days ago, so the sale time may be over soon...so yes, if one is up for risking $0.99, now is the time to act. Bill (who has no financial interest in Notability) I posted about the 80% comment in the other thread. Specifically, I find it a little odd for them to claim it is 80% off when, in fact, it has never sold in the past for more than $3.99. Most of the time, it seems the price was $2.99. Perhaps $4.99 will be their new (future) price, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Please forgive my stupid question...but can someone buy aps for an iPad that they have not yet gotten? Mine is arriving at tax time! :D Are the aps just stored on my computer or at the Apple store or must they be downloaded immediately to the iPad? Thank you~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have been using Math Mammoth and MEP pdfs with a stylus on our ipad as well! (The stylus makes it much easier to write quicker.) The fact that we can't zoom in is my one complaint too! I hope they will add this soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thanks, Bill! I grabbed it a couple of days ago when acurtis75@yahoo.com recommended it somewhere on here. Thanks for the detailed review. Hopefully I will get a chance to try it over the Thanksgiving break.I posted about the 80% comment in the other thread. Specifically, I find it a little odd for them to claim it is 80% off when, in fact, it has never sold in the past for more than $3.99. Most of the time, it seems the price was $2.99. Perhaps $4.99 will be their new (future) price, though. I did not realize that there had been another thread about this app. Sorry about that. Now to search for that one. As to the price, $ 0.99 would be a steal if the pinc-to-zoom feature existed. It is also a steal if one doesn't need to zoom in to write in a very small space. There is a work-around "zoom box" feature, but it is poorly implemented. Being able to write (and highlight) PDFs is just something I've wanted to do on the iPad for a long time, and this app is almost perfect (excepting the lack of pinch-to-zoom). Have you tried PDF Expert? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Can you use a stylus instead of a finger for pdfs with cursive practice?:D Yes, we use the sylus for both Notability and a Doodle app. Notability in the zoom/highlight mode is perfect for cursive practice. I plan to use it next week while we're traveling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Yes, we use the sylus for both Notability and a Doodle app. Notability in the zoom/highlight mode is perfect for cursive practice. I plan to use it next week while we're traveling. I'm sorry that I didn't see your earlier thread :001_smile: Does the stylus make it easy to write in small spaces using Notability? I will say their development team has been very responsive and have made repeated email inquiries. I even linked them (at their request) to the MEP math pages we were wishing we could "zoom." If you have a moment you might request "pinch-to-zoom" as squeaky wheels get the grease, and with this feature Notability would be an almost perfect app. What a boon it will be not to have to print paper copies of PDFs. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I did not realize that there had been another thread about this app. Sorry about that. Now to search for that one. As to the price, $ 0.99 would be a steal if the pinc-to-zoom feature existed. It is also a steal if one doesn't need to zoom in to write in a very small space. There is a work-around "zoom box" feature, but it is poorly implemented. Being able to write (and highlight) PDFs is just something I've wanted to do on the iPad for a long time, and this app is almost perfect (excepting the lack of pinch-to-zoom). Have you tried PDF Expert? Bill I have PDF expert and don't find myself using it much. I can see myself using it for business transactions in the future but right now our ipad is used mostly for school and personal stuff. I like both Noterize/Paperport and Notability better for taking notes and/or writing on on a PDF. PDF expert seems a little easier to use for typing on a PDF which is why I might use it for business transactions in the future. Right now I have some forms I use that have to be printed and mailed but in the future we're going to be able fax them. I can see using PDF expert to type in the data and then sign the form before faxing. I also use the strikethrough mode on there to mark out items purchased on a menu planner I have in PDF mode. I like the ability in Noterize/Paperport to toggle between zoomed writing and the non-annotation mode for moving/re-sizing the page by double-clicking. This was a workable solution before I found Notability. The writing in Notability just turns out looking much better. In both Noterize & PDF expert the writing looks jerky and much less readable. FWIW I didn't like the large box on the bottom for zoomed writing at first but after a few uses now it's working well for me and I love it. DD didn't have any problem adjusting to it. Probably because her vision is better and she could still read the small numbers on her worksheet just fine when they weren't zoomed and didn't have to look at the large box for anything but writing. Overall, the discovery of these apps means I probably won't carry a paper notebook anywhere to take notes again. That is revolutionary for me because I'm a huge note taker. I take notes at church, in meetings, while reading, etc. I'm also considering moving a considerable amount of dd's worksheets and schoolwork in to pdf's and putting them on the ipad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I'm sorry that I didn't see your earlier thread :001_smile: Does the stylus make it easy to write in small spaces using Notability? I will say their development team has been very responsive and have made repeated email inquiries. I even linked them (at their request) to the MEP math pages we were wishing we could "zoom." If you have a moment you might request "pinch-to-zoom" as squeaky wheels get the grease, and with this feature Notability would be an almost perfect app. What a boon it will be not to have to print paper copies of PDFs. Bill I will make the request. I still like the writing box at the bottom now that I'm used to it but would like the ability to zoom the content at the top so I can easily read the numbers on the worksheet. The stylus works great. My dh is a bit of a neat freak and is constantly cleaning my ipad screen. I initially bought it so dd wouldn't get sticky fingers all over the screen all the time but I find myself using it constantly. I find writing in notability feels and looks just like writing in a notebook for me. The link is for the stylus we bought. I spent $20 on one and lost it in a day so we found this cheaper option that has a cord to attach it to the headphone jack. I think RegGuheert was ordering one for his son that was a little more expensive and magnetic. I'm pretty sure my dd who is 6 could still manage to lose the magnetic one and the cheap one is working great. We bought 2 in case we lost one and the second one hasn't been opened. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HO86P6/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 I will make the request. I still like the writing box at the bottom now that I'm used to it but would like the ability to zoom the content at the top so I can easily read the numbers on the worksheet. The stylus works great. My dh is a bit of a neat freak and is constantly cleaning my ipad screen. I initially bought it so dd wouldn't get sticky fingers all over the screen all the time but I find myself using it constantly. I find writing in notability feels and looks just like writing in a notebook for me. The link is for the stylus we bought. I spent $20 on one and lost it in a day so we found this cheaper option that has a cord to attach it to the headphone jack. I think RegGuheert was ordering one for his son that was a little more expensive and magnetic. I'm pretty sure my dd who is 6 could still manage to lose the magnetic one and the cheap one is working great. We bought 2 in case we lost one and the second one hasn't been opened. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HO86P6/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details I don't mind writing in that "zoom box" so much (although I would really prefer not to need to) it is the navigation tools that are necessary to get one in the right position to be able to write in the correct space that I can't stand. It is akin to navigating a word document using only "tab" and "return" keys rather than a mouse (or with an iPad, a finger). This makes the zoom box a pain IMO. Can you tell me a little bit more about PDF Expert and how it compares with the ability to write and highlight on top of PDFs? I have no interest in filling out forms with "text" (although I understand the need for a "form-filling" app) but having a replacement for pencil/pen and highlighter features on paper in an iPad app is a very compelling use. I'd like to know why you don't like PDF Expert as I'd rather not waste $10 :tongue_smilie: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I do find moving that little selection box around inconvenient and wish I could change it's size. I think it's less of a problem for me when I take notes because it automatially moves down to the less line. Things I didn't like about PDF Expert: 1) you can't change file names & it gives things weird names when you import files 2) Even with the stylus I find it very difficult to write neatly on files so I don't think drawing will be any better. 3) You can't add pages to files. With both Noterize & Notability you can add and insert pages to existing files. Those pages can be lined, blank white pages, photos, web captures, etc. 4) I find the switching between annotate and zoom to be more difficult Overall it just seems to be designed more for business use than personal. It has cool features for use in business like the easy typing on documents, the ability to strikethrough text on a doc by selecting it, the ability to save your signature to insert on forms & the ability to capture customer signatures. All of those are good features and I wouldn't say I dislike the app. I like it for business use but not for school or personal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I did not realize that there had been another thread about this app. Sorry about that. Now to search for that one.No problem. For reference, here's the previous thread on Notability: Notability iPad app. But we had more discussion on this topic in this thread: Kindle Fire and pdfExpert equivalent? Please let there be one. I think we are all in the hunt for a best-of-class PDF annotation solution. I'll take one for iPad AND Kindle Fire, if available. If not, iPad will suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 No problem. For reference, here's the previous thread on Notability: Notability iPad app. But we had more discussion on this topic in this thread: Kindle Fire and pdfExpert equivalent? Please let there be one. I think we are all in the hunt for a best-of-class PDF annotation solution. I'll take one for iPad AND Kindle Fire, if available. If not, iPad will suffice. When you get the chance to try Notability out I think you will agree that it is "way cool." Then the time will come when you want to "pinch-to-zoom" and can't, and will be :glare: It is frustrating when things are "almost perfect" but not. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Here's a quick snap of my guy working some Math Mammoth on our ipad using notability with a stylus. He's lying on his tummy on his bed. (Our regular math program is Singapore, but we're doing review and worksheets this week as it's my busy week at work.) I've found that it works much better horizontally as the numbers and writing spaces are larger. You can only imagine how much he loves lying in his bed in his PJs doing math instead of up at our school room table. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Here's a quick snap of my guy working some Math Mammoth on our ipad using notability with a stylus. He's lying on his tummy on his bed. (Our regular math program is Singapore, but we're doing review and worksheets this week as it's my busy week at work.) I've found that it works much better horizontally as the numbers and writing spaces are larger. You can only imagine how much he loves lying in his bed in his PJs doing math instead of up at our school room table. :D A picture is worth a thousand words! Thank you for posting. Cute kid! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Here's a quick snap of my guy working some Math Mammoth on our ipad using notability with a stylus. He's lying on his tummy on his bed. (Our regular math program is Singapore, but we're doing review and worksheets this week as it's my busy week at work.) I've found that it works much better horizontally as the numbers and writing spaces are larger. You can only imagine how much he loves lying in his bed in his PJs doing math instead of up at our school room table. :D Cute picture, I love the green glasses. DD is doing her math on the ipad in Notability right now. She loves it. She also figured out how to make that selection box you use for zoomed writing bigger so you can see the whole problem at once. Yes, the 6 year old figured it out but I'm not embarrased because I'm her teacher. It was an accident because we're normally using the stylus and it's a 2 finger operation. With one finger near the top left of the fectable and the other near the bottom right you can make it bigger and smaller by moving your fingers out and in on a diagonal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Cute picture, I love the green glasses. DD is doing her math on the ipad in Notability right now. She loves it. She also figured out how to make that selection box you use for zoomed writing bigger so you can see the whole problem at once. Yes, the 6 year old figured it out but I'm not embarrased because I'm her teacher. It was an accident because we're normally using the stylus and it's a 2 finger operation. With one finger near the top left of the fectable and the other near the bottom right you can make it bigger and smaller by moving your fingers out and in on a diagonal. Please thank your very smart daughter for this discovery (and thanks to you for sharing it)! This just made Notability a lot more user friendly. I still don't like having to write in a separate box, but this is a hugely better work-around solution that I may not have ever discovered myself. Thank you! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Please forgive my stupid question...but can someone buy aps for an iPad that they have not yet gotten? Mine is arriving at tax time! :D Are the aps just stored on my computer or at the Apple store or must they be downloaded immediately to the iPad? Thank you~ You can buy apps before you have an iPad, just make sure you are logged in under the iTunes store account that you want to use with your iPad. The account will keep a record of your purchase, and when you sync your iPad (or iPhone) you will be able to download the app right to your device. I admit that I am snapping up some great deals because I hope to get an iPad soon ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Ok, I got the Notability. Now I need Dropbox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Ok, I got the Notability. Now I need Dropbox? It makes it really easy to get your PDFs into Notability. It is not the "only" way, but I get say Dropbox. It is free and easy. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) double post. Edited November 18, 2011 by Miss Peregrine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 It makes it really easy to get your PDFs into Notability. It is not the "only" way, but I get say Dropbox. It is free and easy. Bill All righty. Notability looks awesome. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 Those following the KISS Grammar thread on the Logic Board will know that the materials are free to download (once one figures out the confoundingly confusing site). The problem is printing this "free" material in color can be very expensive. But I just downloaded the Third Grade Workbook (and had to save it as a PDF in Word), threw it into Dropbox, and it opened perfectly in "Notability." Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 OK, does anyone have links to where I can buy Notability and Dropbox?:D Are these the ones that make PDFs very useful on Ipads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Please thank your very smart daughter for this discovery (and thanks to you for sharing it)! This just made Notability a lot more user friendly. I still don't like having to write in a separate box, but this is a hugely better work-around solution that I may not have ever discovered myself. Thank you! Bill I will thank her. Not only was I unlikely to figure that out on my own I told her the box didn't change when she asked me how to make it small again. She just laughed & said, "that's funny because I just made it big so I'm pretty sure you can make it small..here let me show you." :lol: I'm off to check out KISS grammar to see what I can dowload. If I can just get dh to agree to get another iPad so she we don't have to share I'm thinking I can get rid a lot of paper. I was thinking earlier that we used to carry lots of books, schoolwork, crayons, pencils, an mp3 player, a portable DVD player, a case full of dvd's, and a computer when we traveled. I can now see the ability to have her bring only the iPad but have the ability to do everything she could do with all that other stuff PLUS play her educational apps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I got Notability today and am going to get Dropbox next. Now I need a stylus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 OK, does anyone have links to where I can buy Notability and Dropbox?:D Are these the ones that make PDFs very useful on Ipads? Notabliity is an app that (among other things) allows one to write or highlight on top of PDFs. It also let's you record yourself, take notes, and has other features, but it is the ability to write on PDFs that has caught my interest. Dropbox is a way to transfer files to the iPad without using iTunes. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 OK, does anyone have links to where I can buy Notability and Dropbox?:D Are these the ones that make PDFs very useful on Ipads? I'm not sure how to link to app store but if you search for notability and Dropbox they show up as iPad apps. Dropbox is free. After you download the app you'll get an email with instructions for setting it up on your computer too. Both the app & the computer software are free for up to 2gb of storage. After you set it up notability auto syncs with Dropbox & saves your notes & pdf's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garrett Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 (edited) Hello everyone! I'm a developer for Notability, and I found this thread with a little bit of Googling. It makes me happy to see users enjoying and discussing the app :) I see that the main issues seem to be: 1. No pinch to zoom (only on iPad 1, iPad 2 should be able to pinch zoom just fine) 2. Zoom view is clunky We hear you, and we're doing our best to resolve them for the next release. We all use the app ourselves, and we have issues just like you guys do, (our app isn't perfect!) so we're trying hard to get these (and other) improvements in the app. If anyone has questions or suggestions that they'd like to see in Notability, don't hesitate to post here or PM me your thoughts. If are curious about how an aspect of the app works, or are confused by something in the app, (we're trying hard to make everything more intuitive) send me a PM. Cindyz: I really like the picture you posted! Would it be alright if Ginger Labs used it on our blog? ( Located at: http://gingerlabs.com/blog/ ) Edited November 20, 2011 by Garrett formatting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 (edited) Hello everyone! I'm a developer for Notability, and I found this thread with a little bit of Googling. It makes me happy to see users enjoying and discussing the app :) I see that the main issues seem to be: 1. No pinch to zoom (only on iPad 1, iPad 2 should be able to pinch zoom just fine) 2. Zoom view is clunky We hear you, and we're doing our best to resolve them for the next release. We all use the app ourselves, and we have issues just like you guys do, (our app isn't perfect!) so we're trying hard to get these (and other) improvements in the app. If anyone has questions or suggestions that they'd like to see in Notability, don't hesitate to post here or PM me your thoughts. If are curious about how an aspect of the app works, or are confused by something in the app, (we're trying hard to make everything more intuitive) send me a PM. So Garrett, pinch to zoom works on the iPad 2 but not on the iPad 1? Can you get that function working on the iPad 1? Pretty please?! Apps like yours are the wave of the future and will be really useful for home educators and schools alike. Many educational programs aimed at home educators now come as PDFs. Printing is costly. Being able to do work on the iPad is an exciting use of technology. The same will prove true in the schools. I am in a small minority on this forum in that we "after-school" and my son attends a very good public elementary school. Right now we (the Parent Organization at school) are rolling out iPads in the classroom. The ability to use apps like Notability will greatly extend their use for education. There is an issue beyond the "pinch to zoom" feature that I am running into and perhaps your team might address it at some point. If you open a "Note" it opens at the head of the document (as opposed to opening where you left off working). Right now I am working my way through a grammar program called KISS Grammar that an English professor makes available as a free resource on the web. There are separate "books" for the student section and the teachers notes, so when I want to check "answers" I have to scroll through many pages to get back to where I started. Perhaps I am missing a feature that already exists, but I would like to be able to switch between Notes/Documents and have them open where I left off. In a "dream world" I would be able to open 2 Notes/Documents side-by-side. But at least having an "open at last page" option, or even having a "bookmark" option would be really helpful. I hope the forum moderators do not mind this discussion. I have been discussing this app in this thread and others because it is the sort of thing that many of us may really benefit from (and have been seeking). I want to be clear I have no involvement in Notability, other than having a $0.99 investment as an end-user ;) Bill Edited November 20, 2011 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I have an iPad 2 and but I'm not sure how to make pinch to zoom work. I tried doing what I do in other apps but it doesn't zoom. I'm sure it's operator error so an explanation of when and how pinch to zoom works would be helpful. I also agree with Spycar that bookmarks or saved pages within notes would be helpful. Overall, the app is working great for both note taking and annotating pdf's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garrett Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Spy Car: We're working on getting pinch zoom enabled for the iPad 1. I also use an iPad 1 so this is especially important to me :) As for your second point, (notes always starting at the top) we've noticed that's a bit annoying as well, and I'm fairly sure (I'd have to check) that we're making notes 'remember' where they last were for the next release. And I agree very much with your comments on the future of education. There's a ton of potential and possibilities there. It's exciting! acurtis75: I'm pretty sure it's not operator error at all. With the current app store version, we made the unfortunate mistake of only allowing pinch-to-zoom while handwriting, but not while typing. Try going into handwriting mode and pinch zooming. If it doesn't work, then you've found a legitimate bug :). We're planning on improving pinch-zoom (by allowing pinch zoom in both modes) in the next version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Hello everyone! I'm a developer for Notability, and I found this thread with a little bit of Googling. It makes me happy to see users enjoying and discussing the app :)Hi, Garrett! Thanks for joining in our discussion! Yeah, this site has such heavy traffic that we have to be careful what words we type into posts lest we attract the wrong traffic here. :glare: (And, no, I don't mean you, just in case I'm not clear on this point!) Anyway, since you are here, I will add a request for an Android version of Notability in the future if you can manage it. We have several iPads (1s and 2s) here and we have just added a couple of Kindle Fires to the mix. They are keepers! So now that we are a mixed-tablet family who has purchased Notability, we would like to be able to use it on Android as well. In our case, the students will be using iPad, but the teacher is on Android using Kindle Fire. Thanks for your consideration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garrett Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) RegGuheert: We have been talking a bit about Notability on other platforms, and we like the idea of it. But our team is so small right now that it's pretty difficult to justify using our very limited development time on other platforms, as it would take so much momentum away from developing the iPad app, and there's still tons that we want to do with Notability on the iPad. So I guess my answer is a bit of a disappointment. Sorry about that! :) Edited November 21, 2011 by Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 So I guess my answer is a bit of a disappointment. Sorry about that! :)Thanks for the quick answer, Garrett! Understood. I think we'll get quite a bit of use out of it on the iPad, anyway. One more question: Can docs with all the annotations be read using a normal PDF viewer on Android? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks for the quick answer, Garrett! Understood. I think we'll get quite a bit of use out of it on the iPad, anyway. One more question: Can docs with all the annotations be read using a normal PDF viewer on Android? I played with this last night and found out you can export to email as a pdf and it worked fine to read on my computer so I assume it would work okay on android too. I was testing this for my husband because he has finally realized he could use an ipad for his business presentations and brochures. He wanted to highlight/annotate and then get it back in ibooks. He also wanted to send stuff to his computer to merge/reorder pdf's in his Adobe software. Everything we tried worked great. You're question got me thinking about this more and I realized that dd could email her completed pdf's to me to check her work. I would think that would be even more useful for a mom with lots of kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I played with this last night and found out you can export to email as a pdf and it worked fine to read on my computer so I assume it would work okay on android too. I was testing this for my husband because he has finally realized he could use an ipad for his business presentations and brochures. He wanted to highlight/annotate and then get it back in ibooks. He also wanted to send stuff to his computer to merge/reorder pdf's in his Adobe software. Everything we tried worked great. You're question got me thinking about this more and I realized that dd could email her completed pdf's to me to check her work. I would think that would be even more useful for a mom with lots of kids! Thanks! That sounds great! I'll have to run this past MomsintheGarden and see if it will pass muster. I know she normally grades papers and then makes them rework errors, so it may not. But perhaps there are some cases where it could work this way. OTOH, they will all have their own iPads after Christmas so perhaps they can treat it just like a paper and turn it in to her for grading. This is all new for us, so we'll just have to see if it can help or if it just a distraction. MomsintheGarden is not bashful about giving me her opinion on this type of thing. ;) Thanks again to you and Bill for the recommendation! And thanks to Garrett and the team for the excellent work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks! That sounds great! I'll have to run this past MomsintheGarden and see if it will pass muster. I know she normally grades papers and then makes them rework errors, so it may not. But perhaps there are some cases where it could work this way. OTOH, they will all have their own iPads after Christmas so perhaps they can treat it just like a paper and turn it in to her for grading. This is all new for us, so we'll just have to see if it can help or if it just a distraction. MomsintheGarden is not bashful about giving me her opinion on this type of thing. ;) Thanks again to you and Bill for the recommendation! And thanks to Garrett and the team for the excellent work! I was thinking it would work for us because when you export it as a pdf the original file that can be changed is still in notability and dd could make go back and rework. I make her redo all incorrect problems also. Homeschool moms have high standards.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Hello everyone! I'm a developer for Notability, and I found this thread with a little bit of Googling. It makes me happy to see users enjoying and discussing the app :) I see that the main issues seem to be: 1. No pinch to zoom (only on iPad 1, iPad 2 should be able to pinch zoom just fine) 2. Zoom view is clunky We hear you, and we're doing our best to resolve them for the next release. We all use the app ourselves, and we have issues just like you guys do, (our app isn't perfect!) so we're trying hard to get these (and other) improvements in the app. If anyone has questions or suggestions that they'd like to see in Notability, don't hesitate to post here or PM me your thoughts. If are curious about how an aspect of the app works, or are confused by something in the app, (we're trying hard to make everything more intuitive) send me a PM. Cindyz: I really like the picture you posted! Would it be alright if Ginger Labs used it on our blog? ( Located at: http://gingerlabs.com/blog/ ) Hi Garrett, Feel free to use the photo. :D Thanks for the great app and for working to make it better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garrett Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi Garrett, Feel free to use the photo. :D Thanks for the great app and for working to make it better! Thank you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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