MyScript Memo Review

BY Karen Freeman on Wed February 01st, 2012 Handwriting MyScript note notetaking Vision Objects

MyScript Memo (Free) by Vision Objects is a neat handwriting recognition app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Take notes by hand and convert them into text. The app will recognize 30 different languages. Add pictures, too. You can export your notes via email, Twitter, Facebook, or Evernote, but you’ll need an in-app purchase to unlock the full functionality.

I found the handwriting recognition to be quite good, actually. My handwriting is terrible, and the app was even able to recognize the skewed letters in “AppAdvice” as they dangled off to one side. I did not make the in-app purchase, but even without doing so, there is plenty you can do. You can share your notes in handwritten form. You can convert the handwriting to text, but if you want to share that, you’ll need to upgrade for $2.99.
Add photos from your photo library or camera to your notes by tapping the camera button. In “Settings”, you can choose your language; there are 30 different languages you can download for free, including languages that use totally different alphabets. Pick your background paper, pen width and color, and even add words to your “Personal Dictionary”. You can even set your writing guard tab position to left or right, depending on which hand you write with.
Tap the pen icon to write, the eraser to erase, and the lasso icon to choose a specific part of the note. Once you’ve lassoed a selection, you can delete it or export it (as an image or as text).
Go into “Notes” to see a thumbnail view list of your notes. Each note can only be one page, which may be too limiting for some folks.
Tap the “share” icon in the top right corner to export the note: copy it to your clipboard, email it, save it to your Photo Album, or share via Evernote, Facebook, or Twitter. You can share the note as an image for free, but if you want to convert it to text and then share it, you’ll need that in-app upgrade.
All in all, this is a nice note-taking app with a number interesting features, and it’s currently free to try out. It converts handwriting to text surprisingly well. MyScript Memo isn’t an enormously full-featured app, but for someone not looking for heavy-duty features, it may just fit the bill. However, if you’re looking for more features, stay tuned: I’ll be reviewing the new deluxe version for iPad, MyScript Notes Mobile, very soon.