Catch Notes discontinued...need alternative

[Dabrador]

I received the following email yesterday from Catch Notes:

Dear Catch user,
Catch has made the difficult decision to take the company in a different direction. As such, we will be terminating service next month. We value our users and have greatly enjoyed providing Catch to you and millions of others over the last several years.

Catch will no longer be available after August 30, 2013. We apologize for the disruption this may cause to you. We've created an export tool to help you keep your notes and transition to another service. Please follow these directions to download your data before that date. Afterwards, you will no longer be able to access your notes on the web and our mobile apps, Catch Notes and AK Notepad, will no longer sync content across devices or allow collaboration. Click here for help and information about other note taking apps.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at support@catch.com. We apologize if we are not able to respond to all emails.

Thank you again for your support,
The Catch Team

I've used this app since it was called 3bananas and I have a lot of notes in there.

Anyway, I'm looking for an alternative. I really liked Catch for the following reasons:

• local storage of ALL notes
• password protection for the app itself
• elegant user interface
• generous monthly storage limit

I'd like to hear what others are using and specifically why. At this point, I don't know how/if I'll be able to import all my Catch notes.

Thanks all.

 

[persiomenezes]

So send about the end of Catch.com. This service was amazing! So, I have to say "elegant user interface" is not avaiable, but you can try this apps:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.somcloud.somnote
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dayup.gnotes
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.memonic.mobile

 

[vpelton]

So send about the end of Catch.com. This service was amazing! So, I have to say "elegant user interface" is not avaiable, but you can try this apps:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.somcloud.somnote
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dayup.gnotes
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.memonic.mobile

I just tried SomCloud. It told me how to save my Catch Notes & upload them to SomNote. That was nice. Notes are synced between my cell & my PC. That's what I was looking for.

P.S., reviewers said Memonic (see above) no longer exists.

 

[vpelton]

SomNote is driving me crazy already. On my PC, I scroll down to read my notes. Then want to edit it. But I have to scroll to the top to click the "edit" button. Then scroll back down to where I want to edit. Then scroll back up to "Save". But that ends the edit session so then I have to click "edit" again, scroll back down, etc.

For Catch, I could just click on the note & that would put it in edit mode. It also saved automatically every few seconds.

Do any one have another suggestion for a Note App?

 

[chanchan05]

I'd suggest Evernote but it doesn't have local storage unless you pay. Same for OneNote.

 

[vpelton]

I'd suggest Evernote but it doesn't have local storage unless you pay. Same for OneNote.

What do you mean by "local storage"? I tried Evernote. On my PC I can use it from the web at no cost. But it has the same problem as SomNote. To edit a note, you have to click the "edit" button, the scroll down to edit, then up to save. Then down to edit again, etc.

For OneNote, on my PC, it said "free trial", so I guess it costs to use it on the PC.

 

[Deleted User]

What do you mean by "local storage"? I tried Evernote. On my PC I can use it from the web at no cost. But it has the same problem as SomNote. To edit a note, you have to click the "edit" button, the scroll down to edit, then up to save. Then down to edit again, etc.

For OneNote, on my PC, it said "free trial", so I guess it costs to use it on the PC.

With the paid version of Evernote, you can store notebooks offline so you have access to them without an Internet connection. I think that I'd what the other poster was referring to.

 

[gingersnapgirl]

With the paid version of Evernote, you can store notebooks offline so you have access to them without an Internet connection. I think that I'd what the other poster was referring to.

am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous to have to pay for access to your documents offline? When I can just use another app and store them locally on my device? Or use Google Drive which allows me to store them in the cloud AND access them offline for free?

 

[chanchan05]

I just realized that my old long reply didn't get posted. Lol.

Anyway, Evernote has a cache, it can save SOME offline files, but the cache is limited. The premium version allows you to choose which notebooks get stored locally as well. This is mainly because of the features of Evernote, which can let you have so many notes that you can actually exceed the phone's capacity. You can use it on your desktop to take down notes with videos of lectures or meetings. Such noted can get more than 1GB in size if you accumulate them. So yes, in this case a paid version may seem necessary. The Evernote service is just more than just keeping notes.

 

[vpelton]

Google Keep looks pretty good. On the PC, to edit, you just click on the note. It then saves automatically. No need to scroll up & down all the time. That's what I was looking for.

But I don't know how to use the cell phone app. I can see the info I typed in on my PC. But when I add text to the note on my phone, it does NOT appear on my PC using the Google Keep website. I did a "refresh" on the PC website but it's still not there. How can I get that to work?

All the info on the web talking about Google Keep just says what you can do but doesn't say HOW to do it.

Update: In the 4 minutes it took me to try various things, it finally appeared on my PC. Is there a way to make it appear faster? Going the other way (typing on PC, appearing on phone), it took 4 seconds.

 

[chanchan05]

One thing I hate about Google Keep is the lack of organization. Anyway, no I don't know how to nake it faster. It's always been quite speedy for me

 

[Deleted User]

Google Keep looks pretty good. On the PC, to edit, you just click on the note. It then saves automatically. No need to scroll up & down all the time. That's what I was looking for.

But I don't know how to use the cell phone app. I can see the info I typed in on my PC. But when I add text to the note on my phone, it does NOT appear on my PC using the Google Keep website. I did a "refresh" on the PC website but it's still not there. How can I get that to work?

All the info on the web talking about Google Keep just says what you can do but doesn't say HOW to do it.

Update: In the 4 minutes it took me to try various things, it finally appeared on my PC. Is there a way to make it appear faster? Going the other way (typing on PC, appearing on phone), it took 4 seconds.

I think the trick with Google Keep on your Android phone is to type the note and hit the icon in the lower right (circled in red in the attached screen shot). Then hit back and my notes are saved. If someone has a better way they can chime in.

 

[vpelton]

That's exactly what I'm looking for but on my Android cell I don't have that. In the top bar on the right, I only have 1) painter's pallet and 2) camera. I'm up to date on the updates. How do I get the square-arrow "save" button? Using Droid RAZR on Verizon.

Also, I need the same thing on my PC (using Google Keep on the web).

 

[GrouchoM]

I use gnotes.

 

[Raptor_Jesus]

just for offline uses, which alternative suggestion? thx.

like the widget of catch.

 

[jfzab856]

I looked at Google Keep, and it said it was incompatible with my HTC Incredible 1.

 

[ebusinesstutor]

I am a diehard Evernote user and I really like it. Don't let its cloud aspect turn you off. It does store your files locally as well.

I did pay for the premium but mainly to support it - I was never close to the limits on my free account.

It saves me a LOT of time having all my notes there and synchronized between my desktop, smart phone and tablet.

 

[Lirarosa]

am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous to have to pay for access to your documents offline? When I can just use another app and store them locally on my device? Or use Google Drive which allows me to store them in the cloud AND access them offline for free?

I thought I was the only person to feel that way.

I'm rather annoyed because I just found Catch and simply love the UI and how smooth it is on my Note. I sent an email to them, I could give a rat's butt about online storage/syncing, I just want the damn thing to continue to keep what I put in it.

 

[basily]

I thought I was the only person to feel that way.

I'm rather annoyed because I just found Catch and simply love the UI and how smooth it is on my Note. I sent an email to them, I could give a rat's butt about online storage/syncing, I just want the damn thing to continue to keep what I put in it.

I don't see why it wouldn't keep working if you're not interested in online storage/syncing. See:

Catch | Locally Stored Notes

 

[vnaz]

We are producing next generation Catch - memki.com/about
You can help us!

 

[derrick7]

SomCloud has the similar following features that is similar like Catch Notes:
- Cloud Sync
- Pin lock

and it allow to import csv files exported by Catch Notes: https://somcloud.com/invite/52160bae140ba0365e000096

 

[larrytxeast]

I asked the same question recently (http://androidforums.com/android-applications/756199-ak-notepad-shutting-down-replacements.html). So I sort of have an answer & I sort of am still looking for answers. Right now ColorNotes is the best choice so far as a replacement for me, especially because it mimics AK Notepad's aesthetics a lot in terms of how it looks & works and also because it easily (with the "Catch to ColorNotes" app) imported my AK Notepad notes right in, even maintaining the same sorting order.

My priorities are:

• Offline access (no thank you Evernote), the whole POINT of notes is offline access, I come from a "Palm Pilot" background like that
• Searching ability
• List view (not "grid" or "thumbnails") & it must be a TRUE listing type of view that shows like 12 items per page on a 3.5" phone screen (Google Keep fails there)
• Cloud sync/backup/restore (my tablet needs to have the same notes & I tend to break phones a lot)
• Easy ability to share or copy-paste
• No ads
• Import/export to common formats like .csv so you don't have to send every single note to yourself if the app shuts down (at least Catch/AK Notepad got that part right)
• PC access via a website

AK Notepad/Catch got ALL of those right. Springpad, if I recall, has ads. OneNote (Microsoft) won't allow me to use my physical slider keyboard. Evernote--again, no offline access of notes, are you freaking kidding me? Such a glaring fault & yet it's so highly recommended, why? Google Keep is one people mention a lot (and it does backup to Google where you can easily access it via PC & not be "trapped" into its system as much) but it can't import my current AK Notepad notes & worst of all its "list" view only showed about 2 entries on a page (because it wants to "preview" the contents & create several lines for each item). Others I've tried have had ads get in the way.

So far the one that's gotten it the most right for me has been ColorNotes. It fails on the part of the last 2, but those 2 are perhaps the least important, and it gets the others right. Its aesthetics & how it looks/feels/works is a lot like AK Notepad to me. I also like how you can share or copy a note without having to enter edit mode (unless you want to select PART of the note) as you do with AK Notepad.

That there was a "Catch to ColorNotes" app which made it easy to change over without losing anything (and gives me some hope that if ColorNotes shuts down they'll be a similar "ColorNotes to Google Keep" app in the future to plug the exporting feature hole) was huge, & I appreciated how ColorNotes thus allowed me to see how it handled notes without having to make any or create a login first, so I could see what the interface would be like first before going through much hassle in order to do so. It all made it a very painless transition.

However, the last 2 (import-export to CSV, PC access) it falls short. I rarely edit my notes at a PC (surprisingly) but I really would like to know that if ColorNotes goes the way of AK Notepad then I can easily export as I imported the AK Notepad notes into it. Again, if I knew that someone would write a "ColorNotes to Google Keep" app or the like as they did a "Catch to ColorNotes" app, then I'd feel a whole lot better.

LRH

 

[Raptor_Jesus]

what i want.

offline
no login/no web
widget for quick note inputs

onenote comes close to replacement but it must login

seems the app has went away from store, but should be found at https://www.google.com/search?q=catch+apk



گردا

 

[MAB888]

google here google there, google everywhere. I am astonished that nobody is mentioning microsofts OneNote, it is slick, easy and superfast. and there is a backup/sync. *Option* with the microsoft cloud, which I consider secure. You can mix all media in one note. And you have everything offline too. It is definitely VERY usable. no overload with fancyness, it just does the job in a very practical way and with a minimalistic interface. its one of my most used apps; I use the widged, where you can define one function per icon (ie. start voicerecording, writing, photo) to start a new note.
ps: and its free.

 

[chanchan05]

google here google there, google everywhere. I am astonished that nobody is mentioning microsofts OneNote, it is slick, easy and superfast. and there is a backup/sync. *Option* with the microsoft cloud, which I consider secure. You can mix all media in one note. And you have everything offline too. It is definitely VERY usable. no overload with fancyness, it just does the job in a very practical way and with a minimalistic interface. its one of my most used apps; I use the widged, where you can define one function per icon (ie. start voicerecording, writing, photo) to start a new note.
ps: and its free.

Because the mobile app sucks compared to the alternatives. Don't get me wrong, I love OneNote on my PC, but i find the mobile app just bad compared to say, Evernote, whose app is much more capable. OneNote on my devices just becomes a reader for me of stuff I wrote down on my PC.