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Whether you are a student or someone that has to do a lot of research, making notes is never easy nor fun. However, here is a list of tools that will help in make making notes faster and easier.
Foxit Reader
When I am doing my research and making notes, there are a significant amount of documents that are in PDF format. Sometimes during research online, I specifically avoid clicking on PDF documents as it takes too long for Adobe Acrobat Reader to load. However, with Foxit Reader, opening PDF documents is so painless and quick that you will wonder how you're able to do research without it.
Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer and printer, with incredible small size and a breezing-fast launch speed. It can be downloaded here.
Texter
While I was taking notes, one thing I dreaded doing is typing a long and common word over and over again. Don't you just wish there was a way you can create a short cut for that word? Well, with this free tool, you can do just that! Don't let me explain how it works to you, just watch the video.
What I do is I create a short cut for a long common word, such as 'copyright' or 'undertaking' into the program. Every time I'm making notes and the word pops up, I would typically just type 'cop[tab]' and the rest is completed. This saves time and note making doesn't seem as tedious.
Texter is a free program that can be downloaded here.
Snapter
Have you ever had books you wanted to scan and compile it as notes but you do not have a scanner handy? Well this problem can easily be solved with Snapter. All you need is a decent digital camera and your choice of book or any other tangible document.
Snapter automatically turns these pictures you take into fairly clear readable images. It is very easy to use and intuitive. This program basically eliminates the need for a scanner for day to day uses.
Click here for more information on Snapter or to download this great free program.
Shoka
If you are doing research and trying to compile notes, there's a good chance that is a large amount of PDFs stored in your computer. Even with nicely named folders and files, it is still hard to look for the right information you need without spending a lot of time. However with Shoka, the PDF library management tool, looking for the relevant data in a large amount of PDFs has just gotten easier.
Although this program is still in its infancy, it shows a lot of promise. It currently allows you to view all the PDFs at a glance and be able to search through all the PDFs for the information that you need.
This program is free and can be downloaded here.
Gmail Drive Shell Extension
I don't know about you but I am quite a paranoid about my nicely compiled notes. I tend to make backups on every conceivable media. I even send these notes through email back to myself just so I know there's a copy of these notes in case my house burns down.
However, if you use Gmail, you can download this nifty little program that will utilize the copious amount of space that is provided to you by Gmail. What this program does is it creates a virtual file system around your Google Gmail account, allowing you to use Gmail as a storage medium. What this means is that you basically gain an online hard drive where you get to back up all your notes on.
Click here for more information on Gmail Drive Shell Extension or to download this great free program.
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