Yesterday, I posted a quick review of the new version of the Logos Bible Software App. I was able to spend quite a bit more time with the new App and I have a few more detailed comments on the notes feature of the app. I spent a couple of hours in my Starbucks reading John commentaries and taking notes on John 9 for my Sunday Evening Bible Study. This is the ideal application of Logos for me (no, not last minute sermon prep! Reading and note taking!) Here are a few observations.
First, the note box could use spell check. I would have thought the normal iPad spell check and replace system would work, but it does not. On the one had, this is a good thing since I avoid confusing replacements. But I also make errors when typing notes fast, so a red-line feature would be great.
Second, I would like to access a given note from any page, just not the page it was created on. I created a new note (John Notes) and anchored it to the first part of the commentary I was reading. Later I can add new text to an existing note, but I have to create a new anchor on the page I am now reading. If the metaphor used in the App is a notebook, it would be nice to be able to open that on any page and write without embedding a new anchor in the text. I realize that the metaphor in Logos is a marginal note written in a book, but I would like another way to access these notes. For example, on the desktop version of Logos, I can load a whole note file in a window, edit individual note, etc.
Third, when you copy and paste text into a note, it retains the book’s formatting. This is good, since Greek and Hebrew pastes correctly, perhaps an option to paste using the current font and font size could be added.
Fourth, maybe I just did not notice this before, but footnotes are not displayed at the bottom of a page as footnotes! This is a huge improvement to the previous system which required me to touch the note number. They are very tiny and perhaps my fingers are too fat, but I always had a hard time hitting the right spot to read a note. But these footnotes are not “real text” — I cannot cut and paste them, nor can I add a note to a footnote. That is certainly something which I hope can be addressed in the future.
I also learned that you need to finish your note (hit done) for it to be saved. I was writing a note, then realized I was not online, so I switched to Safari so the wireless could connect. I looked at a few pages, updated twitter etc., then switched back to Logos. The program had to reload and my unsaved note was lost. I do have a fairly lightweight 16GB iPad which is mostly full right now. Perhaps with more memory available Logos would not be dumped when switching to a different program.
I returned to my office later that afternoon and opened the John Notes file on the desktop version of Logos. Everything was there as expected, so I exported them to Word, fixed my spelling and grammatical creativity and then blended these notes into my regular file for sermon notes.
There is nothing here that is a epic failure. In fact, I greatly enjoyed taking notes with the Logos App 2.0. The App is intuitive and easy to use. The App is free at the App Store, or check the Logos website for more information.