sync notes between mac and android

Having an Android phone and Mac computer…not what  intended…and syncing between them can be awkward. I use Dropbox on both and avoid iCloud for various reasons (some related to security), but I’ve always found syncing notes a problem.

My Android phone has a couple of notes apps , and my mac has, of course, the horribly-lemon yellow Notes.app, Stickies, and even Reminders can be used , not to mention TextEdit. The result was that I found I was keeping notes in several different places and then not knowing where to look for something, hunting around trying to remember which application I’d left some obscure, half-remembered note to myself in.

Then I discovered Notational Velocity. This is a great, free, open-source app built for OS X and it’s got all the simplicity I need. It has a combined search and enter field reminiscent of Spotlight, and the interface is clean, fast and efficient, requiring minimal keystrokes or trackpad movements.

On top of that, it can link to a web-based notes app called Simplenote.com (also a free service). Notational Velocity and Simplenote.com will sync to NV’s sister-app, Notational Acceleration, which is basically NV for the Android platform (and if you have an iOS device, there’s a Simplenote app for that too). Once you’ve got all of these set up, you have a notes app that you can use on your android phone, you mac, or log into from someone else’s computer, and the whole lot will keep in sync automatically!

Total cost: zero!