12
votes

One of the things I assumed the Android OS could do was let me use a stylus and just record notes in my own handwriting (without handwriting recognition). The goal being that I could remove the need for a notepad and mechanical pencil on my desk.

I found that the Samsung Galaxy Tab sells a cheap stylus that does exactly what I need, but I need to know what app is out there (even if I have to pay for it) that lets me store long notes in my own handwriting. Have you heard of any?

2
  • 1
    Have you used the stylus yet? I have one (a pogo) and have found that capacitive styli leave something to be desired. They tend to be jumpy and weakly responsive. Also, annoying, you can't write with your palm wresting on the screen like you would a notepad.
    – Matt
    Commented Dec 19, 2010 at 20:01
  • Closely related: android.stackexchange.com/questions/2053/…
    – ale
    Commented Dec 19, 2010 at 21:38

3 Answers 3

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7
votes

Sparx's suggestions seem pretty good. Here are a few more (also untested):

  1. Genial Handwriting
  2. MyLetter (this one seems if-y)
  3. Graffiti for Android (very cool if it works because it converts the handwritten notes to text)
4
  • Seemed among all suggestions that Genial Handwriting would be most suitable. Maybe eventually in my Android programming I can get to a point where I can code some kind of notepad, and also make it not react to most people's handrests -- only working with stylus.
    – Volomike
    Commented Dec 19, 2010 at 20:19
  • That would be a sweet app, although I don't know if it's possible to isolate the stylus from the hand in a capacitive screen. How has the stylus worked for you?
    – Matt
    Commented Dec 19, 2010 at 20:29
  • Stylus finally arrived in the mail. Got a red Boxwave brand -- red so that I can find it easier if I misplace it. It came with a pin you push into the earplug socket if you want to keep it handy. Anyway, it works as designed, but not like a thin stylus. Ended up using Graffiti for Android to get what I want.
    – Volomike
    Commented Jan 4, 2011 at 23:14
  • Genial is good, but looking for an input method, Graffiti is decent, but have to learn it's "language"
    – David Lozzi
    Commented Nov 15, 2011 at 12:51
4
votes

Untested by me, but check out:

Finger Letter handwriting

There's also HandwritingNote, but it seems a bit limited.

QMemo also seems like an alternative, based on what you require.

2
votes

Old question, but still an important question out there and all these answers aren't satisfying (anymore). I searched for apps for a couple of hours (october 2017) and this is my list (roughly sorted, first ~= better):

Edit: I improved/sorted/group the list according to testing

Edit2 (Feb 2019): OneNote has improved - it now has a lasso tool. Also now Nebo app is in play store. The list should be still pretty complete, but i don't guarantee anymore for that, because i cannot exclude, that there aren't any other newcomer like nebo (i heared from none).

I myself now switched to OneNote as it is the only good crossplattform app (Nebo is following another concept -> ocr). I would really like to see MS word improved for digitizer/pens. But as ow now OneNote is the crossplattform solution.

Short comparison: What does android app imo really lack in comparison to onenote uwp app and onenote 2016 (last version with local storage saving):

  • No Forms (also no recognition)
  • No math formulars (also no recognition)
  • No Tables
  • No "insert space"
  • Only for 4 customizable pens (+2 markers)
  • Paperbackground quad paper size and color cannot be changed

Many things of that are nice to have. But with lasso tool android app now gives you basic editing features, which are sufficient for me (i first wanted to switch to surface only for better onenote software) as I need crossplattform (and lecturesnotes doesn't provide that).

My best apps for keyboard and handwritten mixture:

If your focus is on handwriting, this apps might be very relevant for you as well:

  • HandWrite Pro Note & Draw
  • Quill
  • INKredible

Still other relevant apps:

  • Squid
  • Evernote
  • Genial Writing 2
  • Handrite Lite

I believe this list is very likely pretty complete to this date and contains the best apps for stylus-based (and maybe keyboard mixed) notes (if you nevertheless think you found a better app, leave it in the comments, I'm curious to get as best as it gets :D). Btw. surprisingly microsoft onenote is not part of my list. Stylus support is a joke. (oneNote for windows is good, but for android...).

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