- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (60 Day Trial);
- Operating system: Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: April 05, 2004
- Total Downloads: 878,097
- Downloads last week: 497
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 305 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
This program organizes project information, but it takes time to master its many functions. The tabbed interface is intuitive with a mix of information panels and note-entry areas. Readability is good with full control of screen color and fonts. The program takes input in many forms such as documents, onscreen handwritten notes, and media files. Microsoft OneNote's outline and search functions collate and outline the project data. This program doesn't have a particular method of use; you are expected to build your project in a way that fits your method of organization. To help new users, Microsoft includes an introductory guide, which explains most functions. This program does require immediate registration to use and some functions are disabled until purchase. An irritation is that disabled functions can be selected, which forces users to cancel numerous registration dialog boxes. Though it is an 82MB download, this program is worth a look. Novice users and those with small projects would do well with a basic word processor, but anyone looking to take notes and collate research will find this a worthy program.Publisher's description
From Microsoft :Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 gives you an easier way to take, organize, and find your notes and information. Like paper, you can take notes anywhere on the page. Like a binder, it lets you organize your information into sections. But with OneNote 2003, you get the flexibility to do even more. Capture virtually any type of information and share it easily. And because all your notes are in one place, find what you need with just a few clicks anywhere--at your desk, in meetings, or on the road.
CNET Editor's Note: You'll need to receive a trial key for Microsoft Office here to be able to try this program.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 305 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 106 user reviewsSee all 106 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
18 out of 29 people found this review helpful
Version: Microsoft OneNote 2003
"The most helpful software for your Tablet PC."
Pros: Makes your Tablet PC feel like a notebook.
The program itself provides temples that look like notebook paper.
It is very easy to use.
It has all different pen, pencil, and highlighter styles to write with.
Cons: I think it was probably designed with the Tablet PC in mind.
Its not free, however, if you buy a Tablet PC in most cases you get the software included. Microsoft Office 2003 Professional comes included with the software on CD5.
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30 out of 31 people found this review helpful
Version: Microsoft OneNote 2003
"Great features, incredibly easy to use & very pleasing appearance."
Pros: Easy to install, immediately checks for updates at the MS Office website.
Exceptionally easy to use - I installed it on both my XP Pro PC, & on my XP Tablet Edition slate (new toy ;). On my slate, the benefits are overwhelming - improved handwriting recognition plus far more intuitive means of writing documents than either Word or Journal offer. OneNote could also be ideal for younger children to use for homework projects etc, although the software is not ?childish?.
OneNote?s tabbed format is immediately obvious & understandable - coloured, named tabs for different projects at the top of the screen, with different pages / sections down the side. When created, new pages are visibly timestamped, making it very easy to find particular sections again.
Moving whole pages of information between different projects etc is an easy cut-&-paste operation. Notes are saved automatically - no need for manual saves, unless making a backup.
No doubt due in large part to OneNote, I haven't felt any need to attach a keyboard to the slate ? even although I seldom use a mouse on my PC (unless I'm surfing). OneNote really has transformed my slate into a genuinely useful tool in its own right - no need to try to make it more like a "normal" PC.
The greatest benefits were writing on the slate into OneNote, & further editing in OneNote on the PC before dragging my notes into final Word documents. The single-window format of OneNote is especially appreciated when compared to my old "system" of working on 1/2 dozen Word docs at a time!
Importing media & other documents into OneNote is also easy - & very useful to have literally everything in the one place.
I love OneNote, both for use on my PC, but especially on my slate. Without OneNote, my decision to buy the portable slate rather than a convertible tablet/laptop may have been a poorer choice.
However, OneNote is the single most useful piece of software I have seen for a long time. Especially when using a either a laptop or tablet out of the office, OneNote really is ideal.
Cons: Large filesize, even after turning handwriting to text, & with no drawings. Sending notes via E-mail can therefore require multiple mails.
Sending via Outlook is easy, but although the content was preserved, the appearance was somewhat disappointing (plain text notes appended to the resultant e-mail, although the OneNote tabs & effects were visible while I edited the e-mail).
Document import into OneNote can be slow - up to a minute for a large document. In fairness, this was using the slate, which currently has only 256MB of RAM (until tomorrow).
One benefit that OneNote would appear to offer is for drawing quick diagrams, or adding notes to them. However, after creating the main part of a chart in Word & importing it into OneNote to add some finishing touches, I encountered a problem for which I still need to look for a solution:
The drawing & written additions separate & misalign on exporting the diagram back out of OneNote again. Exporting to .doc format, the original Word diagram displays at the top of one page, & OneNote additions - which should display on the same diagram - are a mess underneath (lots of pieces, no cohesion at all).
Exporting to .mht works better - but only if viewed from the same PC it was created on...
Eventually, I went through the MS Document Writer & Document Imaging rigmarole, & finally managed to create a .tif that displays the diagram as a whole. However, it's far too small (OneNote displays text & items somewhat larger than Word does - if it hadn?t already been late, I might have noticed this before I began, which could have been useful). At this point I was too sleepy; I gave up for now & went to bed.
I should point out that these are issues encountered on my first day using OneNote; as an IT worker, I?m generally fast at finding limitations in software, pushing limits that many people might never find in a product. A little more practice with the "fiddly bits" will pay off - & I might eventually get around to looking to see what?s in the help files, too ;)
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1 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Version: Microsoft OneNote 2003
"Another good program from Microsoft."
Pros: Great, you can take your notes anywhere! It is very simple to use.
Cons: The size of the download is quite big.
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4 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Version: Microsoft OneNote 2003
Pros: Its just one more of microsoft's great programs.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Microsoft OneNote 2003
"GREAT with the usual MISSINGS!"
Pros: Finally, MS recognized that in the real World colors are used! I'm sure they use colour patches and tags themselfs for years!
It's a great program! AND, I'm not particular fond of MS! REad on at the lower section!
Cons: Typically for MS, create something new, great, BUT NEVER have the ENDUSER in mind!
As a user, I want to work "out/use" of as few programs as possible. Why, for crying out loud, was it not possible to incorporate Outlook into NOTES? WHY, and I ask again, WHY, do I have do import/export, to OUTLOOOK? MS should have abandoned Outlook, or better yet, incorporatet it into NOTES. Is it really so difficult to make a NOTE and then simply say, "paste it through" to, Calendar, Diary, or what ever? LOTUS could do this in its 1997 SUIT! Again, Notes is a great program, but without a Calendar, hey you developers, do you have deadlines marked by CW (Calendarweek)? Why, in Gods name, none ever comes up and offers a CW function on MS?
In Conclusion:
A Great Program, just needs some outsiders to kick the responsible MS person to get it right! Include a calendar and I buy it!
Until then: I stay with ESSENTIAL.PIM
Greetings
Anton Salzmann
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