Show HN: NotesTab - A notes app with real-time syncing for iOS, OS X & Windows 8

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4906333

by wyldstallyn26 • 14 years ago

15 9 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

We built NotesTab as we couldn't find a note taking app that we liked. Either they were too bloated with needless features or were overly simple like those made by Apple. We wanted something that balanced features with simplicity and could sync seamlessly across platforms - so we made NotesTab - a handy note taking app that fits nicely into your daily workflow.

We've already got updates in the works, but wanted to see what fellow HN'ers thought of what we've made so far.

Find out more here: http://www.notestab.com

App links:

iPhone/iPad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notestab/id502287001?ls=1&mt=8

Mac (Lite): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notestab-pro/id506772307?ls=1&mt=12

Mac (Pro): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notestab-pro/id506772307?mt=12

Windows 8: http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/notestab/b44bcc73-9b6a-4d35-9d72-ce3aa308f095

thirtysixred• 14 years ago

Clickable links:

NotesTab: http://www.notestab.com

iPhone/iPad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notestab/id502287001?ls=1...

Mac (Lite): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notestab-pro/id506772307?ls=...

Mac (Pro): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notestab-pro/id506772307?mt=...

Windows 8: http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/notestab/b44bcc73...

danielna• 14 years ago

I really like the design of both the app and the website. Nice job!

If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage the cross platform dev?

wyldstallyn26• 14 years ago

Thanks a lot! Regarding cross platform development, we built native apps for each one.

runjake• 14 years ago

Looks great, but your apps look a lot like the equivalent Simplenote and Notational Velocity apps with some skeumorphism slapped on.

Can you go into more detail about how your app is different than the SimpleNote/NV combo?

Any plans for an Android client?

n9com2• 14 years ago

Thanks for your comment.

There are a fair few differences:

- We have native apps all under our brand for iOS, Mac and Windows 8.

- UI Themes

- Text styling support

- Distraction free full screen mode for Mac

- Starring notes to pin them to the top of your list

- Anchor the Mac app to the top of your screen - great for copy/pasting during research

simba-hiiipower2• 14 years ago

nice work; some feedback on the windows 8 version:

- note titles should be editable directly (currently the note takes the title of whatever my first line of text is; feels odd)

- support for bullets and numbering would be nice (lack of these was immediately apparent when creating my first note)

- being able to pin individual notes to my start screen would also be nice (a very basic feature, common among w8 apps)

and i know this is subjective, but relating to the design, i’d highly recommend removing the colour gradient from the app tile; it’s particularly pronounced and feels very inconsistent with the design principals of the os

also, i really like the idea of charging to enable syncing across devices, though i (personally) find it less appealing than i otherwise would given there is no companion app for windows phone.. any thoughts on a wp8 release? as an aside, i think it would be interesting to hear how that goes given the similarities between the two platforms and supposed ease in porting code from one to the other

n9com2• 14 years ago

Thanks for the feedback. We will make sure those suggestions are incorporated in the future update.

As for the colour gradient, not sure exactly what you mean.

No plans for wp8 at the moment, Android is next on the list.

simba-hiiipower2• 14 years ago

always glad to help; and i really am enjoying the product by the way.

regarding the colour gradient comment: i was referring to the background of the app tile/icon.. it fades from a dark yellowish to a light brownish, a fairly pronounced shift. while there’s nothing wrong with that generally speaking, it tends to contrast (in my opinion, in a bad way) the ‘metro’ design common to the os where gradients are typically avoided, or less pronounced if used, in favour of flatter design (solid colours)..

regarding the wp8 version: totally understand you have to prioritize. if you ever do get around to it, would love to hear your thoughts on the process of porting from w8 to wp8.

all the best

girishso• 14 years ago

Looks nice. Any plans on adding password protection? For me it's a must have for any note taking app.

Show HN: NotesTab - A notes app with real-time syncing for iOS, OS X & Windows 8

Related Stories