OneNote can now be used on Android Wear devices

Sep 17, 2014 07:42 GMT  ·  By

There’s no doubt that the wearables industry is becoming very appealing to Microsoft, and even though the company is yet to launch its own device for this side of the industry, it still tries to remain relevant with software solutions.

Today, Redmond has announced the availability of OneNote for Android Wear, which basically brings the Microsoft note-taking solution on smartwatches powered by Google’s Android mobile platform.

The company is aggressively pumping money into OneNote, and the application has received quite a lot of updates in the last 12 months, especially as the company is trying to make tools in the Office productivity suite available on all mobile platforms, including iOS and Android.

Office as a whole is also available on Apple’s iPad, while a touch-optimized version for Windows 8 Metro is in the works as we speak and should see daylight by the end of the year.

OK Google, take a note

After installing OneNote for Android Wear from the Play store, all you need to say is “OK Google, take a note,” and the app is automatically launched and ready to save your notes.

“We are adding a new way for you to interact with OneNote on Android devices: your watch. Simply say ‘Take a note’ and start dictating; we'll transcribe everything you say and save it into your Quick Notes. It's that simple,” Microsoft says in the description of the app.

“One of our primary goals is to help you capture ideas and information in new and innovative ways. Features like Quick Notes, Cortana, and Office Lens have made it easy to preserve those flashes of brilliance and today we’re adding Android Wear watches. Simply install the free OneNote for Android Wear app from the Play Store and start dictating notes to your heart’s desire.”

The application requires an Android phone running OS version 4.3 or higher that’s compatible with Android Wear and a watch powered by this software.

iOS 8 improvements also coming

While Microsoft hasn’t yet implemented Apple Watch support for OneNote, it’s still making some improvements to the iOS version of the app.

iOS 8 users should get options to clip the web, save photos, and include file attachments in their notes without even closing the app they are running.

The new iOS 8 OneNote update should show up in the App Store very soon, Microsoft said without mentioning whether Apple Watch support could be soon implement. This is very likely, however, especially thanks to the Android Wear compatibility introduced today.

OneNote on Android Wear (3 Images)

Microsoft OneNote on Android Wear
The new app can be launched by saying “Take a note”The app requires a phone running Android 4.3 or newer
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