Android tablet users now have a better note-taking app from Microsoft. The company announced today that it’s launching a new version of OneNote for phones and tablets running on Google’s operating system, just in time for back-to-school season.
The app, which is available for free, offers popular OneNote features including support for handwriting and a new tablet UI that’s similar to the one used in OneNote for iPad. It’s a big upgrade for users of large-format Android devices like the Galaxy Note phablets, or tablets like Google’s Nexus 7. The previous OneNote for Android user interface worked well on phones, but didn’t scale up elegantly.
In addition, Microsoft also updated the version of OneNote that uses Windows 8.1’s “modern” user interface with support for printing, inserting files and ink highlighting. Users of Livescribe pens can also now set up their notebooks to automatically upload their content to OneNote as well.
It’s a part of Microsoft’s campaign to more broadly roll out its note taking app to more customers to compete with other companies like Evernote, which has made a name for itself by offering its apps on just about every platform imaginable.
The launch of OneNote for Android is also good news for people who are waiting for Microsoft to launch a version of Office for Android devices. A version of OneNote for iPad was released alongside its full Office suite for Apple’s tablets, though it wasn’t the focus of Microsoft’s announcement. The fact that this version of OneNote is available with a UI that looks like it would be at home with future Office apps is a positive sign that more Office apps may be coming soon.
