I have been a steady user of OneNote for a couple of years on my laptops and desktops. Microsoft provides a lot it courseware including all the slides and notes in a OneNote file.
I own a HP Slate since half a year and it came with Evernote. Tried it twice but didn’t really bother to examine it thoroughly. And then, a couple of weeks ago Evernote for Windows Phone 7 came available and a lot of folks were cheering about that. In the meanwhile I’ve been working really a lot on Office365, which means SharePoint, Office and Office Wep Apps, including OneNote.
So it looks like a good time to compare the two on the three Microsoft driven devices.
I use the HP Slate for taking notes when I’m in meetings, training or seminars, it has handwriting recognition and that feature works very well in Evernote and slightly better in OneNote. In both apps you don’t need to bother with closing and/or saving your work, it will just be there (after you’ve set up your workspace properly). Including pictures I take with the great camera on the back of the HP Slate.
Both apps store the notes “somewhere out there”, accessible from other devices. The apps sync every now and then in the background and of course you can do a forced sync. Advantage for OneNote: OneNote WepApp which needs no syncing as you perform your action in the browser, very practical when no Wifi is available.
At the office or at home I work out my notes on my laptop into proper documents (or leave them just as they are). As the OneNote files are stored in a SharePoint Library, the sharing with others is a lot easier than the mail invitations in Evernote. And there is the OneNote option of working together in the same file which is really great when attending seminars together (you can even use it to chat).
On the Windows Phone I do not do editing of notes, sometimes I add a picture or a sound recording, but mostly I use the WP7 for looking up some stuff. On the WP7 OneNote leaves Evernote far behind in look and feel, it is actually OneNote instead of an app capable of opening and somewhat editing a Evernote.
My conclusion is that OneNote is the better option when you have SharePoint available (and of course you need Office) for its sharing possibilities and WP7 experience. Both apps do a fine job when working alone where Evernote is for free (up to 60 MB/month, which is more than sufficient if it’s just for text).
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