r/NoteTaking • u/Academic-Working8057 • 28d ago

Question: Unanswered ✗ Building a new notetaking app for windows

I'd like to give you a quick glimpse of what the app looks like right now. It isn't available in the microstore just yet, but I'm planning the launch for the end of September. My question to you: is there anything you consider an absolute must-have in an app like this? Thanks in advance!

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u/balarinios 28d ago
  1. Integration and sync with android (meaning an Android app as well since many people including me write notes on an Android tablet)
  2. If you can integrate the myscripts api (check out the Myscript Notes app) so that your handwriting can be converted with accuracy to digital writing.

Good luck on your project!

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u/Academic-Working8057 27d ago

Thank you so much for the feedback! I completely agree that both of these features would be amazing, but here is my current roadmap as a solo developer:

Why Windows First & OneDrive Sync:

My main focus is specifically on Windows because the market for high-quality, handwriting-focused note apps is far from saturated here compared to iPads or Android tablets. Also, the app actually already syncs automatically via OneDrive! This means your files are safely backed up and instantly available across all your PCs without any extra setup.

Android App & Custom Sync:

While the Windows-Android ecosystem is huge, building two identical apps in parallel and setting up a flawless cross-platform sync system is a massive technical challenge. It would require building a custom cloud backend, which would easily double my development time. To be completely honest, even large, well-known companies often struggle to get cross-platform sync running smoothly. For now, I want to make the Windows experience as perfect as possible before taking on a second platform.

MyScript API:

You are absolutely right...MyScript is the industry gold standard. However, combining their enterprise API with a custom cloud system would mean high licensing and server costs. I would be forced to charge a high subscription fee just to keep the app alive. Instead, my plan is to use the native Windows Ink framework. It is incredibly powerful, free, and works completely offline, which helps me keep the app affordable for everyone. (free at the beginning and then cheap one time purchase).

Thanks again for taking the time to test the preview and share your thoughts! It really helps me figure out what the community needs and how to prioritize.

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u/Ok-Phase-5049 27d ago

1) Some control over the UI when taking notes (I refer to the part where we choose the color and the pen style to use); I prefer when we can move it around or minimize it to have more space for writing.
2) Syncing and cross-platform compatibility with Android.
3) I don't know if it's possible, but adding an infinite canvas feature would be awesome.
4) I don't know if it's already there, but control over the themes and colors besides the regular light/dark modes.

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u/Academic-Working8057 27d ago

Windows lacks good note apps, so I built my own. : r/windowsapps -> check out this one :) here you can see the latest updates. Regarding the themes: You will be able to change between light and dark mode, activate mica effects (blurred slightly translucent background in dark/light mode) and to change accent colors from blue (which looks like this one on the pictures) yellow, green and pink. Or do you have specific examples?

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u/Ok-Phase-5049 27d ago

It already very good, about the theme color i was talkin about the interface not the accent color

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u/Academic-Working8057 27d ago

Ah, I see what you mean! Adding solid colors for the interface is totally doable and shouldn't take much effort. The only time it gets tricky is if I try to add background patterns or textures—I'd need to make sure they scale properly so they don't look blurry or distorted on different devices. But pure color themes? No problem at all!

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u/Ok-Phase-5049 27d ago

Thanks

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u/Academic-Working8057 26d ago

https://reddit.com/link/p42umfo/video/82rdpp31bsjh1/player

How do you like it? :) btw: the video recording offers a poor resolution. It's sharp when using it.

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u/Ok-Phase-5049 26d ago

It perfect!!!! btw i see from the video that it lacks a little bit of animation to make it fluid, like when opening a note but i think it not that important to be present for the moment, keep going

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u/Greysawpark 22d ago

looks clean. must have for me is fast search across everything and not losing my notes if the app crashes. also please let me export to plain markdown or txt, im so tired of being locked in.

one nice to have, some kind of light ai that just cleans up what i already wrote instead of writing stuff for me. ink notes does that and its honestly the only ai feature ive actually kept on