There are some very new and exciting ways for us to take notes today.  We are no longer constrained to a pencil and paper but can store things on our phone, take notes on an iPad, even write them on paper and then view those notes on our computer when we get home as if we had written directly on the computer screen. 

So we thought we would share with you some of our favorite new technologies and web applications that are helping revolutionize the way we study, share, and work.  Here is a quick list of some really exciting technologies available to us today.

1. Pulse Pen from LiveScribe – this new product has yet to catch fire but is surely a glimpse into the future.  With the Pulse pen you can take notes on paper and view them on your computer later as if you had written them on the computer.  That’s not all; you can record audio with the pen too. Plug the pen into your computer when you get home and with this unique technology you see all the notes you took in a digital document.  No more transcribing your notes from paper to your computer! 
2. iPad – Apple’s new iPad is sure to revolutionize the eBook industry and how we view our newspapers, magazines, and even textbooks.  But it can also be used to make taking notes a cinch.  Open up your touch screen keyboard and start taking notes without a real keyboard.  Bam! You’re looking cooler than Miles Davis.  Not to mention all your notes are in an easily readable format.  Try using the iPad with one of the below applications to share with friends. 
3. DropBox.com – DropBox won the 2009 Mac Editor’s Choice Award.  DropBox is cloud computing (storing and editing of documents), allowing for accessibility from any computer at any time.  Even share folders with others so that any changes you make to a group project or document can be viewed real-time by those you share it with, totally eliminating the need to email back and forth.  The best part of DropBox is that you do not need an internet connection to access your files like Google Docs or Evernote. We use it! And it’s free!
4. Google Docs – Take and save your notes online with Google Docs.  Spreadsheets, presentation, and documents can all be created in Google Docs.  Google Docs allows you to share what you create with friends and gives you access anywhere from your Google account.  
5. Evernote – Similar to Google docs, Evernote allows you to create folders and documents, giving you the option to share with friends.  Evernote also has an iPhone app that allows you to take and access notes without being in a browser.

All these applications and products are exciting and at the front end of innovation in today’s quickly changing technological environment.  We at CollegeNoteShare are working diligently on introducing our own note-taking application that will allow you to take notes and instantly upload them to your class, gaining you credits and downloads that lead to cash in your pocket.  Stay tuned as we will launch our new app soon.

-Ryan Guerrettaz

The question posed is why aren’t more people using eBooks on college campuses?  They are cheaper than hard copy books and they lighten the load you have to carry around with you. They are also more environmentally friendly as they are not shipped and do not need to be manufactured. So why haven’t the masses adopted this new technology?

Here are 3 main reasons eBooks have yet to launch.

1.   Affordability – when you buy a textbook you can resell it to the bookstore or on a website like Half.com.  But when you buy a digital textbook you cannot resell it, meaning the price of the book must be less than the money you spend after reselling your book.  Example:  I buy my book for $150 and resell it for $80 meaning I only paid $70 to use the book for one semester.  The problem arises when the eBook costs $85.  Now you’ve paid more and you don’t have the luxury of resale.

2.   Accessibility – eBooks can be accessed online at anytime, but there are catches.  Some sites will only allow  you to view the book so many times, for instance you can view 150% of the book, so if you keep coming back over and over eventually you will no longer be able to view what you paid for.  Another problem is always needing an internet connection.  With a hard copy of the book you have access anywhere, anytime.  

3.   Printability – so you paid $85 to buy this eBook and now you want to print it out so that you can view the pages in class, highlight, and take notes, but the book cannot be printed!  Why?  Again textbook companies understand that if they allow printing of their books then people could easily share them with classmates.  But let’s say that the textbook is printable and you just paid $85 for it.  If you print out the pages at an average cost of 5 cents per page a 400 page book would cost you an extra $20, add that to the total cost of the initial cost and again this whole eBook thing is a bad deal.

So what is the solution?  With eReaders like the Kindle and iPad gaining popularity we will see a trend of more and more college students going digital instead of buying their books.  Google will help lead the pack with their free digital books and companies like Apple and Amazon will be the marketplaces we go to find our textbooks at a gradually lowering price.  Once the books are affordable and the technology is adopted eBooks will become the standard.  In fact I predict within 10 years we will see a larger amount of eBooks being sold than hard copy books and vice versa with newspapers and magazines.  Think about CDs and the music industry, iTunes disrupted that industry with their MP3 downloads and the iPod.  I believe the iPad is the eBook version of the iPod, but we will have to wait and see.  

-Ryan Guerrettaz

This will make students a lot happier this tax season...

"The American Opportunity Credit is not available on the 2008 returns taxpayers are filing during 2009. The new credit modifies the existing Hope Credit for tax years 2009 and 2010, making the Hope Credit available to a broader range of taxpayers, including many with higher incomes and those who owe no tax. It also adds required course materials to the list of qualifying expenses and allows the credit to be claimed for four post-secondary education years instead of two. Many of those eligible will qualify for the maximum annual credit of $2,500 per student."

(via University Parent) - Read more...