Microsoft OneNote Arrives For iPadMicrosoft OneNote Arrives For iPad

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Microsoft released Monday the long-awaited iPad version of its note-taking app OneNote.

OneNote, previously available for Windows and Windows Phone 7, was released for Apple's iPhone about a year ago. The iPad version, 1.3, offers users more screen real estate than the iPhone version and is proportionally more useful as a tool for creating searchable notes with text and images.

It also includes several new features suited to the more expansive tablet form factor, such as a tabbed user interface and table rendering. The revised app supports several additional languages, rapid note creation in the Unified Notes section, a notebook sync option when connected via Wi-Fi, and improved Windows Live sign-on.

The free app comes with an integrated upgrade option: iPhone users can pay $5 to lift the 500 note limit imposed on non-paying customers; for iPad users, the upgrade cost is $15.

[ The app store model appears to be working. Read Apple's Mac App Store Passes 100 Million Downloads. ]

Microsoft OneNote for Windows costs substantially more, $80 if purchased outside of its usual Office 2010 bundles.

OneNote stores written content in pages, which can be grouped into sections and notebooks. If the user has a free Windows Live account, he or she can store OneNote data in the cloud using Microsoft SkyDrive.

Microsoft technical writer Michael Oldenburg suggests in a blog post that OneNote can help users remain organized as they shift to different devices during the course of a day.

"You can go through your to-do lists while sitting on the couch with your iPad, and then plan the work day when you're back at the computer on your desk," he writes. "No matter where or when you use OneNote, it helps you keep your life together--all in one place."

There's no shortage of similar apps out there, Evernote being one of the most noteworthy, but Office fans may prefer Microsoft's take on note taking.

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