Judebert.com (Entries tagged as review)

Android PIM Review: GooMemo

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:25:00 -0400

Ugh, I can't stand it any more. Catch works nicely for me. Why must I keep reviewing Android notepad apps?

Because maybe something will be even better. Maybe something will be as good as Catch, but sync with Google. Maybe something will be so awesome it'll erase the horrible stain that is Evernote from my mind.

Could it be GooMemo?

The only way to find out is to get my review on!

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Android PIM: Evernote

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:14:00 -0400

I'm on a quest to find the best PIM notepad app for Android phones. If reviews are any indication, Evernote just might take the crown from Catch.

Evernote is free, as is its web service, "Evernote Web". However, you have to pay for premium services. I'm too cheap to pay for a premium account. I'm using version 3.0.2(public).

Well, let's get started checking out the important points!

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Android PIM: Docs

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:46:00 -0400

With one good notepad app for Android on my phone, you might think I'd stop looking. And you'd be right... for about a week. Catch is nice and all, but there's always room for improvement. Like syncing with Google Docs.

The simply-named Docs promises just that. But will it do everything else I need from a note keeper?

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Android PIM: Catch

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:30:00 -0400

I almost didn't review Catch, because AK Notepad also uses catch.com. I believed Catch would just be a refinement on the already-unsuitable AK Notepad.

Boy, am I glad I didn't let my emotions make that decision. Catch rocks!

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Android PIM: AK Notepad

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:08:00 -0400

Continuing the Android PIM Note App Review, we've got AK Notepad. (That's right, I spent so much time massaging my data that, to make up for the delay, you get two reviews in one day!)

AK Notepad is the stripped-down, streamlined predecessor to Catch. Version 2.3.1 is still for free available on the Android Market, so I thought I'd give it a try. How'd it do? Click through to find out.

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Android PIM: Note Everything

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:28:00 -0400

First up in the Android PIM Note App Review (I've got to think of a shorter name for that): Note Everything. Sorry it took me so long; I was fooling around with saving my Palm notes in a format suitable for multiple programs, and I didn't want to review Note Everything until I'd tried out its Palm Memo import feature.

Note Everything comes in free and pro versions. It is nicely-arranged, and has lots of preferences to customize to your liking. An additional free app, NE GDocs, is available for syncing with Google.

I checked out the free version, 4.0.3a, with NE GDocs. On to the review!

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Android PIM: Note App Review

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:12:00 -0400

Ever since my first Franklin Planner, I've been a big believer in PIM (Personal Information Management). Boy, was I ever glad to get rid of the paper and go digital with my Palm Pilot. I went through a succession of Palm products, including the Sony Clie and a Treo. When I heard that Palm was giving up on smartphones after the Pre, I was devastated; I had no idea what I would do when my Treo finally broke down.

The decision was forced upon me, shortly after I took my Treo for a swim. (Note to self: ziploc bags aren't waterproof, even three layers deep.) I'd seen Apple's idea of PIM from my wife's iPhone: barely functional, unless you paid for their Mobile Me service, in which case it was tolerable. I decided to go with Android and got a Samsung Galaxy S.

Good lord the AT&T Samsung Captivate sucks. But the hardware itself is a post for another time; right now, I'm considering the Android PIM software independently. I rate it about equal to the iPhone: barely functional. The one big advantage is automatic sync with Google Calendar.

Notes are a big piece of PIM, though. Over the next few weeks, I intend to run several note-taking apps through my personal PIM wringer. The winner will get the coveted "place on my phone" award. And I'll have a record of what made the losers... well, losers.

Let's get to the rules!

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Rating UML Editors: Open ModelSphere

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:43:19 -0400

I'm still looking for the best UML editor. I've just moved to a new project, so it's time to start the cycle again. At least now I've got a reference of everything that failed in the past!

Today I tried Open ModelSphere, another Open Source editor, recommended by one of the commenters in a previous review. It didn't work out very well for me. Let's see what happened.

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Rating UML Editors: ArgoUML

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:13:36 -0400

I intend to keep going until I find a UML editor that fits my criteria. Onto the burning sands a new challenger comes: ArgoUML! As a developer, I chose the latest beta: 0.28.Beta_4.

I never would have found this if it hadn't been for Laurent's review of UML tools; I just searched aptitude for anything with UML in the description, and it's not in the Ubuntu or Debian repositories. Of course, Laurent just wants to draw diagrams. I want some more modeling functionality.

Let's see what ArgoUML has to offer.

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UML Editors: Umbrello

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0400

I'm still rating UML editors. Last time, Gaphor disappointed me tremendously. After two contenders, can Umbrello restore my confidence in Open-Source programmers?

Let's check that list!

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UML Editors: Gaphor

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:07:00 -0400

I'm still rating UML editors. Last time, BOUML failed to impress me. This time, I'm trying Gaphor.

I thought Gaphor would be terrific, since it's a Python/GTK project, and therefore native to my system (Ubuntu/Gnome). Should be easy to modify, too. And the home page looks good!

But Gaphor failed miserably for my purposes. Let's see why.

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Rating UML Editors

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:28:15 -0500

In my job, I go through a Software Design phase for every task I'm given. That includes drawing a class diagram and a sequence diagram in more-or-less standard UML.

Now, I've drawn my diagrams in a variety of tools in the past, ranging from the highly specialized to the wildly simplistic (like PowerPoint). I've come to understand the shortcomings of UML modeling tools in general. And as a good geek, I'm going to write them down.

Rather than being negative, I'm going to write down what I want from a modeling tool. Then I can use that wishlist as criteria for evaluating the available tools, until I find a good one. If any such thing exists.

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