Tablet PC productivity tips
Published: 08 Dec 2005
2. Use OneNote to record audio or video with your notes
One of the best things about a tablet PC is how easy it is to take quick notes with it. There are a lot of free note-taking programs out there, such as EverNote, the student-oriented GoBinder, and even Windows Journal. But only Microsoft's £79.99 OneNote lets you record and attach audio and video to your handwritten notes. This feature is especially worthwhile if you spend a lot of time in meetings or lectures. To record audio in OneNote, select View > Toolbars, and then 'Audio and video recording'. Click the microphone icon, and the program will insert a line of text into your OneNote document indicating the time and date the audio recording started.
Increase your microphone sensitivity
The default factory setting on your tablet's microphone sensitivity is probably very low, which will give your recordings tinny, hollow sound. OneNote can adjust the sensitivity of your tablet's microphones so that you catch every word. Click Tools > Options, then select 'Audio and Video' to adjust recording settings. In the Codec drop-down menu, select 'Windows Media Audio 9 Voice' -- the 'Windows Media Audio 9.1 Professional' option is overkill, unless you have a professional-grade external microphone. For Format, choose the maximum value possible; the resulting audio files will be five times larger than the lowest setting, but the audio will be much clearer.
Once you've adjusted the settings, test the system extensively before you have a make-or-break recording session. You'll want to be able to pay full attention to the meeting or the speaker, not fiddle with software.
Record phone conversations
First, the legal position: so long as you're not intending to make the contents of the call available to a third party, you don't have to tell someone that you're recording a telephone conversation. If you are, you'll have to get their consent. You can use a range of devices to capture audio from a conference call into Microsoft OneNote.
Sync video to your handwritten notes
At conference sessions or training meetings, you can hook up a video camera to your tablet and synchronise the video proceedings to your handwritten notes. The procedure is nearly the same as audio recording; just select the 'Record Video' option on the audio and video recording toolbar.
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You should try MyScript Notes from Vision Objects.... Julien Delaporte
