notes

Browser with Note for iPad 130318 Review

The idea behind Browser with Note for iPad is good. Add a memo box to a browser so users can jot notes while browsing, instead of flipping back and forth between Safari and a note app. However, the execution is lacking in many ways, and this app, which is devoid of features, is clogged with a space- stealing ad, and buggy on more than a handful of Web sites.

When you open the new browser, you'll be greeted with a Google landing page, back button, address bar, memo box, and "mail" button. The idea is that as … Read more

U.S. Navy uses laser to take down drone

CNET Update is powering up the laser cats:

Lasers are coming soon to a battleship near you. The U.S. Navy posted a video of a laser weapon that set fire to a drone, and it plans to put one on a ship by the end of the year. One shot of energy from the laser costs about $1.

Also featured in this tech roundup:

- The Galaxy Note 8 is an impressive 8-inch tablet that's tripped up by a $400 price tag. But if you like a stylus, you might not mind that it's more expensive than … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Lots of features, beautiful screen, high price

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an 8-inch tablet that costs $399. In a world where the 7-inch Nexus 7 exists for $200 and even the 7.9-inch iPad Mini starts at $330 or lower, $399 is a tough sell. If you're looking for a simple small tablet, the Nexus 7 is still your best bet and the iPad Mini provides Apple's still unbeatable app ecosystem in a smaller, lighter, and cheaper package than the Note 8.

The Note 8 is arguably Samsung's best tablet yet, but depending on your experience with the company's offerings, the … Read more

Synchronize note-taking with recordings, with Pear Note for Mac

For students or professionals who often have to take notes during lectures, organizing them can prove difficult. Pear Note for Mac works well to track audio and typed notes in one program for later reference and organization.

While the full program costs $39.99 to purchase, a free, 14-day trial is available. Download and installation of Pear Note for Mac were fast, and startup occurred without any user interaction beyond accepting a licensing agreement. No instructions were easily available, but the interface is fairly easy to interpret and use. The program's basic graphics were a disappointment, but the layout … Read more

Samsung takes smartphone battle to the storefront

DALLAS -- Samsung has opened a new front in its battle for smartphone supremacy: the storefront.

The Korean electronics giant plans to set up mini Samsung stores inside all U.S. Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile venues within the next couple of months -- just in time for the Galaxy S4 launch. The "Samsung Experience Shops," which start rolling out Monday, will be in 500 big-box Best Buy stores and all 410 Best Buy Mobile locations by early May. Best Buy's remaining 550 large-format Best Buy stores will feature the shops by early June.

A larger … Read more

Keep track of your to-do lists, notes, and other information with RightNote Portable

If you haven't found a way to wrangle all those little notes stuck to your monitor, RightNote Portable offers a solution that lets you add, organize, and search notes with nearly any type of information and keep them on your computer. While it certainly does more than the typical sticky note, it's also much more complicated than jotting down a note and placing it on your PC or workstation.

Initially, RightNote opens with a very busy interface packed with information about the program. It not only tells you what the product can do, but it also demonstrates the &… Read more

Google Keep geared for Google Glass

This week, Google quietly launched Keep, a simple, note-taking mobile app. It's not as full-featured or multiplatform as Evernote, the leader in the revived personal organizer or "external brain" category, and currently only works on Android and Google Drive. Google will likely make Keep available on Apple's iOS, as it has with its other apps, and add features, such as the ability to attach files and embed video. Nonetheless, the press and other observers are questioning the company's commitment to its apps after the recent notice that Google Reader would cease to exist.

The reality … Read more

Protect your private thoughts with Secret Notes Lite

Owners of iPads and iPhones are turning to their devices increasingly as resources for everything from photography to journaling. With so many private activities taking place on these devices, it's a shame that Apple doesn't provide more security features. To fill that void, app developers are creating new tools like Secret Notes Lite to empower iOS users to keep their personal information safe from prying eyes.

Secret Notes Lite does exactly what it promises: it protects your notes and journal entries against unauthorized access. While the interface is basic and lacks any sense of uniform design, it is … Read more

Get started with Google Keep

Google just made an announcement introducing Keep, its new note-taking service. Keep is currently available for devices running Android 4.0.3 and up, or through the Google Drive Web site. Notes will automatically sync between the Web site and the Android app.

After installing the Android app you'll be prompted to select the Google account you want to use with Keep. Once that's done, you can begin keeping notes. There are four different methods you can use to enter a note:

A quick note directly from the text box on the initial screen. Add a checklist by … Read more