{"id":14198,"date":"2026-10-20T15:50:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=14198"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:09:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:09:05","slug":"take-better-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2026\/10\/20\/take-better-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"Take better notes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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How to use a notes app<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plus: Apple’s smart home push, a tiny Office alternative, and a faster way to type your email address<\/h3>\n\n\n
Jared Newman<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>October 20, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Hey there! I\u2019m Jared Newman, a longtime tech journalist, and this is Advisorator, my weekly tech advice newsletter.<\/em> Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up<\/a> to get it every Tuesday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re reading the free edition. Paying members<\/a> get in-depth features each week, including this one:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple weeks ago, I asked Advisorator members to post their dumbest questions in my Tech Buds forum<\/a>. Those questions ended up being so smart that I now have story ideas to last me for weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m going to start by tackling the topic of notes. If you’re not already using an app to take notes, you should be. And even if you’re already a prolific digital notetaker, you may still have room for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here’s a primer on what to use for digital notes and how to do a better job taking them. While this guide is fairly basic, next week I’ll dive deeper into my own notetaking setup, which is more advanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case for a notes app<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

No disrespect to pen and paper, which I still occasionally use myself<\/a>, but a notes app has several advantages ..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading this story with a paid membership<\/a>. The free newsletter continues below.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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News in brief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apple’s smart home push:<\/strong> After five years of rumors<\/a>, Apple has released a smart display akin to Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The $299 Homeview<\/a> has a 7-inch square screen with either a tilting base (and integrated subwoofer) or wall mount. It cycles through bits of information like the time and weather, and you can use it to play music, control smart home devices, check your messages, and so on. It uses face recognition and nearby phone detection to personalize the experience based on who’s using it. Being able to fling a recipe from your phone<\/a> sounds especially useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still think the killer application for these devices is photos, as one of Google’s smart displays has won a space on our kitchen countertop for over eight years<\/a> just by stirring up fond family memories. Homeview will have photo frame features, provided you use iCloud Photos<\/a>, though it’s unclear how prominent they’ll be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on the Apple smart home front: Co-branded cameras, thermostats, and sensors from LG and Schneider<\/a>, a second-gen HomePod Mini<\/a> with support for Siri’s new AI features<\/a>, and the new Apple TV box that I covered in Cord Cutter Weekly<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More notable news and reads:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n