Microsoft Unveils Notes App

The application, which Microsoft Group Vice President Jeff Raikes said will span devices from Tablet PCs to traditional laptop and desktop PCs, promises to help users better capture, organize and search their notes, whether they're typed, mouse-clicked or "inked" into the computer.

"It does have utility, if it lives up to its promises. I have stacks of paper with handwritten notes lying around, and I would love to be able to store these electronically," said Michael Cocanower, president of ITSynergy, a Phoenix-based solution provider. "That model seems to extend naturally into the Tablet PC environment. I do not, however, see how it extends to either a notebook or a desktop environment."

A lightweight app that collects and organizes notes without the overhead and bulkiness of Microsoft Word but with more structure than Notepad would be a plus, said another solution provider, who requested anonymity. Users wouldn't have to consciously save their snippets because items are saved "to the app surface just by creating them," he said. Still, editing and deleting might be a bit clunky, he added.

Users also can "tape" meetings and annotate important points in progress with written or keyed-in notes, said Microsoft Group Product Manager Chris Pratley.

The application uses its own file format for typed or inked input, tentatively called .Notes, Pratley said. Audio is saved in Microsoft's Digital Media format, and users can send notes and comments to other OneNote users via Outlook or as HTML files to non-OneNote recipients.

Also at Comdex, Microsoft said Windows .Net Server 2003 is now slated to ship in April, in the same time frame as Visual Studio.Net 2003 and 64-bit SQL Server 2000.