AFB Set to Release AccessNote, a Note Taker for iOS

AFB have just announced the forthcoming release of AccessNote, their note taking app for iOS.

With many of us already using mainstream apps that offer more functionality than appears to be present in the initial release of AccessNote, it will be interesting to see where it will fit in the iOS marketplace. At $30, some might anticipate that it will sit rather uncomfortably.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on AccessNote. What do you think it will bring to the iOS platform that isn't already available, and do you think that you'll be lining up on the day of release with your $30 in hand?

You can read the full press release on the AFB website.

Here's the introduction to their announcement:

The AFB Tech lab is excited to announce that AFB will soon be releasing AccessNote, a note taker for your iPhone or other iOS device. AFB Tech, in conjunction with FloCo Apps, LLC, has designed what is expected to be a groundbreaking productivity tool for people with vision loss, and developers plan for its launch at the App Store later this summer.

AccessNote is a powerful and efficient note taker that takes advantage of the tremendous built-in accessibility of your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. To allow for much greater typing speed, increase accuracy, and permit keyboard commands, AccessNote is designed to be used with the Apple Wireless Keyboard (QWERTY) as well as wireless braille keyboards and displays. AccessNote will be completely compatible with VoiceOver and the iOS screen reader. It can be used without a keyboard, but a keyboard adds efficiency.

Description of AccessNote
Although there is not yet a final price point, AccessNote will be priced under $30, and it will have many of the features found in traditional note takers and accessible PDAs. AccessNote creates notes in the .TXT file format, and it can also import .TXT files from e-mail or Dropbox accounts. It is designed with a clean, simple interface that uses standard iOS design techniques, so its layout will be familiar to iOS device users.

The home screen is titled All Notes, which is the heading at the top of the screen. The next element is the "Add" button (for adding a new note) followed by the Search field. Next is the user's list of files and notes, which includes a table index for quickly scrolling through notes. Finally, there are three buttons at the bottom of the home screen: "Settings," "Favorites," and "Help." Once the user is in a note, the screen includes a "Back" button to go back to the All Notes screen as well as a "Review" button for going into a read-only mode.

Some of the features designed into AccessNote include:

• Compatibility with the Apple Wireless Keyboard and wireless braille displays.
• Fast and efficient navigation.
• Powerful search features.
• Automatic saving and syncing with Dropbox files.
• Customized keyboard commands.
• A review feature.
• Options for larger text.