Review: PhatPad 4 — Taking a Memo Was Never So Easy

Posted by: dgoldring on Jan 02 2007 - 9,460 views

 

"Take A Memo!"  It is almost the catchphrase of a bygone era in office life.  Today, in the age of computers and digital media, we rarely rely on secretaries or assistants to record the random thoughts that occur during the course of the day.  Yet these items must be recorded — and in today’s world , there is considerably more and more complex information to be recorded.  For example, you need to design a new organizational chart.  On the phone, a client is giving you a new address or telephone information.  You are being given a confirmation number on a telephone order.  You want to record this information, but the on-screen keyboard is too cumbersome. What you need is a program that allows you to jot on-screen notes, doodles, or diagrams in your own handwriting.  What you need is PhatPad 4. 

 

 

Installation and Registration: Download the setup file to your desktop PC.  You can use it for 30 days without registering.  This is an abundant amount of time to learn all of the advanced features of this program.   Owners of previous versions of PhatPad may be eligible for an upgrade discount.  Visit the PhatPad Upgrade Policy to learn more. 

Overview:  PhatPad 4 takes one of the most robust notetaking programs available for Pocket PC, and makes it even better with numerous improvements and new features.  PhatPad allows you to:

• write a note in your own handwriting;
• draw a doodle, illustration, or map;
• add typed text to any note.

In fact, one of the great features of PhatPad 4 is that it allows you to do all of this in a single note.  You can draw a diagram or illustration and then insert typed text to add more specific labels or detail.  This is great for drawing maps or directions.

Writing and Drawing:  The primary input method of PhatPad 4 is by using the stylus to add handwritten text or drawings to note pages on the screen.  This is so easy to do, my four year old figured it out within seconds of discovering PhatPad.  By default, when you begin a new note, the mode button will be set to "Draw Mode".  This is illustrated by the pencil icon on the main toolbar (you can tap the pencil to change modes, more on that later).  Once a new document opens, just start drawing on the screen with your stylus. 

For added detail, you can also change the color of the pen tip you are using.  To do so, just tap the pen color icon (it looks like three colored circles) and the color menu will appear.  Select a color or click custom color for more options.

In addition to adjusting the color of your pen, you can also adjust the thickness of your pen tip.  Use a 1 point tip for fine detail work, and go up to a 9 point tip for outlining notes that are easier to see, but require less detail.

One of the features I was really looking forward to testing in PhatPad is the shape corrector.  Let’s be honest here.  I am terrible at freehand drawing and, quite frankly, I cannot even draw a straight line with a ruler.  So, my shapes usually look a little funny or lopsided.  Enter PhatPad’s shape correcting tool.  Just draw a shape on the screen and it will automatically straighten the lines and square off the angles.  I found that, while this worked well for angled shapes, it had a little trouble recognizing circles  — or at leats my crooked circles.  Nonetheless, it was a tremendous help for my poorly drawn diagrams.

Inserting Text: As I mentioned, PhatPad now allows you to add text to any note.  Combine text and images on the screen to help keep your thoughts in order.  Simply select typing mode, and tap the spot on the screen where PhatPad should open a text box.  Once the text box is opened, just input your text.  Use the options menu to change the font face or size of the text.

Voice Note: PhatPad also allows you to enhance any note with a voice recording.  This is another outstanding option for adding additional details to any of your notes.  Write a note or diagram on the notepad and then record a voice memo explaining its significance or reminding you of any associated tasks.

One of the really nice things about this program is how easy it makes everything.  To add a voice note, just select the voice note button from the main toolbar and the voice recorder will appear on your screen.  Record your note and hit "OK".   Once you have recorded a note, the voice note button will toggle between play and pause as long as that note is open.

Moving and Removing Items: Like I said, PhatPad just makes things easy, which is one of the reasons it is such a great program.  If you make a mistake, all you need to is erase it and start again.  Erasing as is simple as 1…2…well, that is as far I got before the image was erased.  Just select the erase mode on the mode button (the one that looks like a big red X,) and draw a line through any item on the screen.  That image or text box will be deleted, allowing you to start again.

Likewise, moving images on the screen is a snap.  Just select the move tool from the mode button (it looks like a multidirectional arrow), select the item you want to move and drag it around the screen. 

Animation: You can animate any note or series of notes by selecting Animation under the Views Menu.  This allows you to see a sequence or progression of related notes and images.  You can even set an audio recording to play in the background explaining the slide show.

Background Images: PhatPad also allows you to modify the backgrounds in any note or series of notes.  Just select Set Background from the view menu and choose the image you want to use as the background.  I found this to be an extremely useful tool for making notes while reading.  Just select a section of an e-book, capture it in a screen shot and choose that screen shot as your background.  Then, you can jot any notes you need to add.

Likewise, this is also an effective way to personalize notes by adding your vacation or family photos as background images.

Toolbars: PhatPad offers a myriad of toolbars which place virtually any feature right at your fingertips.  The main toolbar is always displayed at the bottom of the screen.  From here, you can start a new note, enter the menus, change the input mode, or change your pen attributes.  Additionally, you can toggle between two extended toolbars.

The two extended toolbars are fully customizable toolbars with 10 buttons on each bar.  Just go to Toolbar 1 and Toolbar 2 in the options menu to select from any of the 60 different feature buttons.  This is a fantastic option, because it allows you to put the features you use or need the most on top. 

Too many programs give you toolbars that include the features they think are important, but which frustratingly may not reflect your actual use of the program.  This is why I was thrilled to find the customizable toolbars in PhatPad.  You decide which features are important to you and add them to the toolbar in whatever order you want. 

Integration With Other Programs: I like it when the programs on my Pocket PC are able to interact and "Play Nicely" with each other.  There is nothing more frustrating than having great information in one program and a means of displaying the information in another program, but the two will not work together to display the information on the screen.  PhatPad now offers full integration with two programs: PhatWare Calligrapher and SPB Diary.

If you have PhatWare Calligrapher, then it can be used in conjunction with PhatPad to provide handwriting recognition in any PhatPad Note.  This allows you to convert your handwritten notes into typed text without leaving the program.

Additionally, PhatPad Notes are now displayed in the Notes Tab in SPB Diary.  From here, the information in the note can be viewed or converted into an appointment, task or contact.  This provides an easy and convenient way to organize and access the information in your notes. 

Reminder: PhatPad also offers a unique reminder feature.  Just set the date and time, and input whatever text you would like to appear in the reminder.  Then, at the appointed time, a chime will sound and a reminder will appear on your screen. 

This was the only feature I found in PhatPad that I felt could have used additional improvement.  There was no way to customize the alarm sound.  It would be nice, if there was an audio recording associated with the note, if that recording would play instead of the chime. 

Additionally, instead of (or in addition to) inputting separate text to display with the reminder, the alarm should allow a setting in which the note would automatically open.  In this way, if you had to stop at the store, you could write a note that says, "stop at the store."  Then, at the correct time, the chime would sound, and your stop at the store note would automatically open.

Password Encryption: PhatPad has now incorporated a 256-bit security key, allowing you to protect any note or document you create.  There are two ways to protect files.  First, you can mark it as read only, so that a future user will only be able to read it, but not edit or modify the document, unless they have the correct password.  Second, you can choose to completely protect a file so that it cannot be opened, read or modified without a password.

Conclusion: I found PhatPad to be exactly what I needed it to be: a quick and easy way to jot notes or memos for future reference.  I loved the fact that I could add drawings, handwriting and typewritten text to a single note.  This greatly enhanced the usefulness of the various notes.  Additionally, because I am a user who loves to customize everything, I loved the fact that the toolbars were completely customizable so that I could put the features I use the most on top.  I was disappointed, however, to find that there was no way to add multiple photographs or images to a note.  Additionally, I thought the reminder feature could have been designed to work more effectively.  However, this was easily tempered by the complete integration with SPB Diary.  Overall, this is the most robust and feature-rich notetaking program I have used on the Pocket PC.

Vital Statistics:

Name: PhatWare PhatPad

Version: 4.0 Build 4.271.1215

Platform: WM 2003 SE

Also Available: WM5 and Tablet or Desktop PC

Developer: PhatWare

Available From:    PhatWare

                             JAMM Store               

Price: $29.95 (with discounts for current users upgrading to version 4.0)

Technorati Tags: notes - phatpad - phatware - pocket pc

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