LAS VEGAS, Nov. 17, 2002 — Today in his keynote address at COMDEX Fall 2002, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced the company’s plan to deliver Microsoft®
OneNote, an application designed to allow people to capture notes in one place and then organize and use them more effectively. Scheduled to be available in mid-2003, OneNote will enable people to take typewritten notes on a desktop or laptop computer. In addition, Tablet PC users will be able to capture handwritten notes, pictures and diagrams. This new application is tailored to meet the needs of note-takers who want a better solution for organizing, accessing and sharing notes. OneNote builds on the easy-to-use tools and features found in Microsoft Office to enhance the way people take notes, which is often the first step in creating a formal document.
“Note-taking is a highly personal process that has not been well supported by computer software,”
said Jeff Raikes, group vice president of productivity and business services at Microsoft.
“OneNote complements individual styles for capturing and organizing thoughts. It pairs the flexibility of a paper notebook with the organizational efficiency of digital content. By creating new applications such as OneNote, we are keeping the Microsoft Office family fresh and making strides to meet our goal of improving information-worker productivity.”
OneNote is the second new Microsoft Office family application introduced in the past month and is another example of Microsoft’s continued commitment to innovation and to providing applications that help people get value from the technology they use every day.
A Better Way to Work
In a recent study by Microsoft Research, 91 percent of information workers surveyed said they regularly take notes; 26 percent of these note-takers transfer handwritten notes into e-mail, and 23 percent admitted they often can’t find the information they’re looking for. Of the respondents, 36 percent said they were ready for a better note-taking system.
Professionals, information workers, students and other note-takers use a variety of tools — from paper notebooks to laptops — to organize their thoughts. However, none of these tools encompasses all the features and capabilities people want in a single place. Paper gives people the flexibility to write and draw anywhere but limits the ability to search and reuse information. In addition, when notes are written on paper, there is no simple way to rearrange text, change bullet numbers or move a paragraph without erasing or creating a disorganized and difficult-to-read document. Desktop PC and laptop users have the advantage of sharing their thoughts electronically but are constrained in their ability to write and draw freely and to organize text and data in the way that makes the most sense to them. Microsoft OneNote will enable people to take free-form notes as they would in a paper notebook by clicking and writing or typing anywhere on a page, while delivering the easy access, organization and search capabilities of digital technology.
Freedom to Organize Notes the Way Users Want
OneNote captures thoughts, research and notes in one place and allows people to write down information quickly without worrying where it will be saved or how to find it again. With the tabbed interface, people can create and manage multiple notebooks, making it easy to group and organize different pieces of information. In addition, people are not limited by how much paper they have with them.
OneNote’s auto-save feature eliminates the problem of lost notes. The intuitive application always opens to the last page of text created. OneNote also can eliminate the task of flipping through reams of paper to find information. The search feature will scan across all notes taken to retrieve data quickly and save time.
OneNote provides a solution for people who want to capture, organize, retrieve and reuse their notes effectively. Its unique tools and features give people one all-inclusive place to accomplish these tasks whether working on a desktop, laptop or Tablet PC.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
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