When it comes to taking notes in meetings or classroom, there are only two tools to consider. Apple’s Mac and iPad. For each to become an accurate note taking machine, you need an app. The best I’ve ever used is Pear Note.
What’s sets this remarkable app apart from other commercial notes apps is the threefold approach to capturing information in a meeting or classroom.
Record everything.
Not only does Pear Note record notes the old fashioned way (keyboard entry), but it also syncs the notes with an audio recording. And a video recording.
And all that can sync up to a slideshow of notes, too. Pear Note looks like a combo notes app, audio recorder, and video camera with a place for slides.
The recording transport tools are in the top Toolbar. The notes taking section is on the left and works like a mini word processor, complete with highlights, bold face, and bullet point lists.
The multimedia section is on the right and features Audio, Video, and Slide show controls.
Pear Note uses the latest OS X tools, including Auto Save and Versions. Finding a spot in your notes is easy and works like the Mac’s Time Machine interface.
When you click on the text within a note, the audio version jumps to that location in the timeline. A web version of your notes can be shared on Dropbox (but not yet iCloud).
Pear Note records everything you need including keystrokes, the audio, video, even slides and keeps them on an iMovie-like timeline. There’s even an iPad version which syncs notes between Mac and iPad using Dropbox.
Negatives? Not much. Pear Note is more of a professional tool than a typical Mac app for students or taking notes in meetings. And it’s priced like a professional tool.