“In the classroom at Harvard Business School where Dan Bricklin came up with the idea for an electronic spreadsheet, there now hangs a plaque that designates the resulting software program as the ‘original killer app of the information age,'” Scott Kirsner reports for Boston.com.
“Bricklin and his colleague Bob Frankston formed a company in 1979, Software Arts, which would eventually sell the VisiCalc spreadsheet program for $99. It ran on a new ‘personal computer’ called the Apple II,” Kirsner reports.
“Thirty years later, Bricklin is now selling a $1.99 app for the iPhone called Dan Bricklin’s NoteTaker,” Kirsner reports. “It debuted last Friday on Apple’s iTunes Store, and is climbing up the list of most-popular productivity apps sold through the online store.”
Direct link via YouTube here.
Kirsner reports, “Bricklin told me he has been interested in developing a mobile app for some time; his last big project was SocialCalc, a collaborative online spreadsheet that is being marketed by Palo Alto-baed SocialText and may soon be included on the One Laptop Per Child initiative’s low-cost laptops. He considered developing for the Palm Pre and Google’s Android operating system, but instead chose the iPhone since Apple’s customers had already proven their willingness to pay for all kinds of software.”
Full article here.
More info about Dan Bricklin’s NoteTaker (US$1.99) via Apple’s iTunes App Store here.
That was really amazing. But I wonder if I used a toothpick or empty biro case or something equally mundane, if it might be easier to write more neatly?
Pretty cool concept.
I’m always amazed at what other people will think of that I never would. (Then again, since I’ve never invented anything it shouldn’t come as any big surprise)
I tried the $2 app. It is Sssssick!!!
But could they have picked someone with better “finger”-manship. I’m guessing it’s Dan doing it but really….
Just downloaded it. Very cool!
Now all I need is an app that’ll make my fingerwriting legible!
I guarantee my handwriting isn’t much better.
It seems like a lot of work to do it with your finger, not to mention how bad my handwriting is. I’m sure I could type notes faster.
Now, add this app to a tablet size device and include a stylus, it might make a great note taker, especially for symbolic characters like in math.
OldQuillUser…
As an old charcoal and graphite user, I just tried it with a Pogo Sketch Stylus. It’s MUCH easier!
Now I finally have a use for it! It even works with a MacBook Pro trackpad! Slick!
http://tenonedesign.com/sketch.php
I bought it just because Dan deserves to be richer than Bill Gates.
what can you expect from the creator of the legendary VisiCalc?
Julian @ http://no-spamming/