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Have you ever wished you had a Treo application that allowed you to jot down a quick note, phone number or other information? Want to take a screen shot of a web page and write notes on it? Would you like to draw pictures or put icons on a Google map? BugMe+ Notepad by Electric Pocket is just such an application. BugMe is available for both Palm OS and Windows Mobile. For this review, I tested the Palm OS version.

I originally downloaded BugMe because, coming from a Tungsten T3, I missed the notepad application built into that device. I wanted another application that would let me jot things down, just like with a pen and a sticky-note. BugMe, however, has a great deal more to offer as well. You can put flexible alarms on notes, making them “quick to-do’s" and timed reminders. You can categorize your notes, just like tasks, memos and calendar events. You can also mark notes as favorites, and BugMe allows you to list favorites in a single list, regardless of individual category.

With a freeware add-on called PopMe, also available from Electric Pocket, you can take quick screen shot of whatever is on your Treo’s screen, and it will open up BugMe and paste the image in as the background a new note. You can then write on that note, enter text, or add icons. Taking the screen shot is as simple as a single press of the side button.

I was pleased to find that this functionality was implemented in a way that doesn't interfere with the side button launching its assigned application, nor does it interfere with the KeyShades hack, which I also have on my phone. Since a single, quick press of a button is involved, however, it's possible to unintentionally create a note by accident.

One drawback to BugMe is that the screen occasionally misinterprets my entries, meaning erroneous stylus strokes appear on notes. I’m not sure if this is a problem with BugMe or the Treo, though, because I have seen the behavior in another applications as well. I also found that the readability of the written notes varies depending on the width of the “pen” used. (This, as well as the “ink” color and background color, can be changed.)

Fortunately you have the option of entering text using the Treo's qwerty keyboard as well. If you create text that includes a phone number, you can tap that phone number from within BugMe and the Treo will pull up the Dial dialog box. If it is a web URL, BugMe will open that page in your browser. You can also add icons to your BugMe notes. BugMe has several built-in icons, and will also support icons from Agendus and SilverScreen.

BugMe has a multi-level Undo option which allows you to remove mistakes. You can also erase the writing, drawing or icons from the note, and if you have a background, it will not erase that. There is a menu option to remove the background, if you need to do so.

You can pull up an existing photo from your Treo and use it as a background for your note. You can also open the camera from within BugMe, take a picture, save it, and BugMe will automatically place it as the background for your note. You can also add voice notes (up to 25 seconds) to a BugMe note.

Once your note is complete, you can send it via BlueTooth, MMS, beam it, or e-mail it. You can also save it to your SD card as a JPEG. From there you can move it to your computer to include many other documents.

You can also lock a note, making it so that it cannot be deleted or further edited.

One thing users should be careful to note is that the the file that holds the icons (symbols.pdb) does not get backed up during hot-syncs. Therefore, if you do a hard-reset and restore with hot-sync, you will lose your icons. Further, BugMe comes as a Nutshell installer, and re-installing the application will over-write your existing notes and alarms.

Overall, BugMe is a great application for taking quick notes on your Treo with the flexibility to do much more. Combined with the freeware add-on, PopMe, it's a valuable tool.

Related Links

BugMe! Notepad

DiddleBug

Treo Software Gems

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