One reason we still value MS office is because of the hassle free offline capabilities. MS Office Onenote is one of my favourite applications because the versatility of the app makes it perfect for online research or note taking.

The one problem with the app is that it cannot be easily synchronised across different computers. If you work from home and then want to access those notes again, the best thing would be to carry a copy in an USB or something. This is why the Google Scratchpad for Chrome is an excellent alternative, providing users with offline access, Google Docs integration and a simple user interface. In terms of functions, it is not as good as OneNote but for simple note taking it is perfect.

Interface

The app opens up as a tab in the Chrome web browser but users can choose to make it pop-out and use it separately. Standard tools include font, size, bold, underline, italics and numbering. The interface is simple enough and creating a new note or selecting an existing one only require one click.

Google Docs integration

Users who choose to integrate the Google Scratchpad with Google Docs will be able to access their notes from another computer with ease. As soon as you save a note on the scratchpad, it automatically syncs that particular note in a folder on Google Docs (now Google Drive).

However, keep in mind that if you then choose to edit the article on Google Docs, there will be a conflict between the versions of the document and you will have to choose the version you want to keep (Google Docs version Vs Google Scratchpad version).

The Scratchpad also helps solve the lack of offline editing issue with Google Docs. However, make sure you don’t have multiple versions of the document.

Bugs

I don’t understand why Google has not done more to make this app more stable but the unfortunate reality is that the app has plenty of bugs and is known for crashing every now and then. I would recommend using Google Docs with an active internet connection whenever possible. If you are working on something important then I still think you should maintain a version on Google Docs, sync whenever possible or use an offline programs like MS Word or Openoffice Word. For simple or slightly less important material, this is still a valuable app.

Google Drive on smartphones

The Scratchpad documents can also be accessed via smartphones since the folder is synced on Google Drive.

(By Navam Niles)