Monday, September 3, 2012

"Cure" for ADD

I have some children who have difficulty paying attention in class. We gave one of them a netbook computer loaded with PerfectNotes. It already had a built in microphone, so as long as she sat near the front her recording turned out fine.

It came to our realization that this software is actually perfect for students who struggle with ADD. If you miss something, it doesn't matter! When you go back to study they can always hear it again, and again if necessary, as many times as they need to get it right.

Another use for this amazing software! Try the demo today. www.PerfectNotes.com

Friday, July 1, 2011

Record Client Meetings!

We had a customer who ordered several copies of PerfectNotes. I was curious about what he was doing with them. It turns out he runs a CPA firm. I thought that was a brilliant use of the product.

My brother is a CPA, and has worked with many clients. Numbers and details are so important in accounting. Having a recording of everything helps you go back and hear what you missed. Only having to take a few notes helps you focus on the client and improve the personal part of the meeting.

It's a brilliant use of the product. Now why didn't I think of that?

Learn more or try it for yourself.

Eliminating Misunderstanding

I thought my husband was crazy. We were in a meeting and he wanted to record it with PerfectNotes. "I have perfect recall," I thought. "I don't need it!"

About a month later though, the company we were working with delivered the product they were helping us create--and got it completely wrong! Right then and there, I went to my husband hoping he had a recording of that meeting so we could clear up the misunderstandings.

As it turns out, I had perfect recall, but the company's representatives didn't!

I wish there was a happy ending to the story, but there wasn't. He didn't have it turned on at the time, and it ended up costing us thousands of dollars, plus what could have been a good business relationship.

Now I insist PerfectNotes goes with us to all of our important meetings!

Learn more or try it now.

Important Meeting

I was attending a series of meetings where a building committee I was on was trying to decide on an architect. Over five nights, we met with four architectural firms. It began to be very confusing as to who said what.

Fortunately, I had taken a netbook loaded with PerfectNotes with me. I took notes, but it was very nice to be able to go back and listen to what was said, bookmark important parts, and then replay the necessary parts for the committee. Without those notes, I would have been lost!

I'm actually a pretty good note taker, and I used to pride myself on being able to remember everything. Unfortunately, now it doesn't work quite like that! I've been surprised at how many times I've gone back and heard things I forgot.

Learn more, or try it for yourself!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

PerfectNotes Provides a Wonderful Life

George was in despair. At the ripe old age of 40 he felt his life was a failure. He had failed to succeed at pretty much everything during his teenage years, unless you count hanging out with his friends in the parking lot and chasing the girls.

His high school sweetheart had become his wife while they were still very young. Years of struggling to make ends meet had left their mark—on his face lined with worry, on his nearly depleted bank account, and on the pile of unpaid bills getting larger every day.

In complete despair George retired to his room on Christmas Eve night. Christmas day would be a meager one that year. He avoided his wife and children’s eyes as he climbed the stairs to his room.

As he pulled off his work boots he pondered how to break the news of the layoff to his wife. After years of struggling, at least he had always held a job. But the contractor he worked for just announced that he was going out of business after payment problems with their last account. It wasn’t his boss’ fault that their client’s business had suddenly gone under leaving the job unpaid, but it affected the entire team. After nearly 20 years together, all of them were in despair as to what to do next.

He hadn’t yet told his wife. “Why spoil Christmas?” he thought. “I’ll tell her after the holidays.”

Slipping into bed he lay pondering his options. He didn’t know of any other contractors that were hiring. All of the ones he knew were struggling for work themselves. He wasn’t trained in anything else. School wasn’t an option. He had a high school diploma, but school just wasn’t his “thing”. “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks” was his motto.

He drifted off to sleep while fighting off the dark thoughts that maybe it was time to end the pain.

As he slept he dreamt. As he dreamt, a beautiful being of light appeared to him. She was so peaceful that everything around him and everything about him felt light and peaceful in a way he had never felt. He asked the being what her name was. “Hope” she replied.

“I’m here to show you some options for your life” she told him.

“Options? George exclaimed “I don’t have any of those!”

“George, I want you to think for a moment. What is it you really want to do with your life? What are your hopes, your dreams; your visions for what you can become?”

Normally George would have laughed that question off. His dreams were unreachable, unattainable, and completely unrealistic. But in the presence of such a glorious being, anything seemed possible in that moment.

He had never told anyone, but he had always secretly wanted to be an elementary school teacher. He liked kids, and especially liked that age group. He enjoyed his own children; teasing them and joking with them were his specialty. Telling this to the angel, he felt himself whisked away. He found himself suddenly standing in a classroom. Looking around the room, he saw himself in a desk chair in this classroom listening to the professor, asking questions, and enjoying the lecture.

But Angel, how is it possible? I have such a hard time learning. I don’t remember anything. I’m too old to go back to school…” The Angel cut him off mid excuse with a wave of her hand.

“Oh, but George, you don’t know the marvels of technology! Let me show you!” The Angel then demonstrated how all George had to do was to push the record button on the software loaded onto his laptop, take a few notes, and then later on he could go back and listen to the parts he needed to review quickly and instantly.

“Amazing!” George’s jaw was on the floor. He had given up on ever being able to learn in a classroom setting again. He had always thought of himself as a dummy. He was surprised to see himself actually sitting in a classroom enjoying himself. He had never enjoyed schooling before. “Hmmmm.” He thought. “I wonder.”

George found the light around him fading as the Angel started to depart. “But Angel wait! How is it all possible?”

“Talk to your community college after Christmas, George. You will find people there who will help you enroll in the new semester and can help get you student loans.”

“But Angel! What is the name of that software?” George called out to her as she faded from view.

“PerfectNotes.” were the last words on her lips as she disappeared.

George slept well that night dreaming of all of the possibilities. It would be a good Christmas this year. He could make a new start in life and finally pursue the dreams he had always left undreamt.

Monday, December 20, 2010

New Improved Version--What Do You Think?

We listed to you, thought about what you said, and sent our poor programmer back to the drawing board.

After pulling out a lot of code and most of his hair, our programmer is happy to announce that he has a new version of PerfectNotes ready for you to try out.

We're very excited about this version, and want to know what you think of it as well.

As per your requests, the user interface is much simpler. We've removed the timeline that went across the top and opted for a more "indexed" layout. On the left is your recording that now shows what you typed at the time you made your notes.

On the right are your notes in a typical word processor style format. Audio and word processing buttons are across the top. We think this layout is much easier to figure out how to use, and more importantly, easier to use under pressure.


So let us know what you think. You can try out the new version here.

And again, thank you to all of our dedicated users for their feedback.

Friday, December 25, 2009

PerfectNotes Exorcises Ghost of Concepts Lost

Mike sat on the edge of the bed shaking. Ebenezer Scrooge was lucky. He never met the Ghost of Concepts Lost. What a vile and loathsome creature that was!

It all started after coming home for Christmas break, excited that he survived his first semester of law school. Finals were challenging, but felt he had done well.

In horror he looked at his grades that had just been posted. His visions of “A” grades and lucrative job offers were crushed by the harsh reality of just how competitive law school really was.

Finally falling into an exhausted sleep, he was rudely awakened by the Ghost of Concepts Lost. This horrible creature took him back to one of his law school classrooms.

Revisiting his old haunts, he saw the class from a different point of view. He saw himself taking his usual handwritten notes. He was able to hear the lecture again, and see his notes. He noticed that he thought he understood the lecture, but the notes showed that he didn’t completely get it.

The ghost showed him lecture after lecture, each time the newness of the material jading his notes. He was learning but still missing a lot.

Back in his room, Mike sat hunched on the edge of his bed in despair pondering what had just happened.. Through his covered eyes he noticed that the room started to be filled with light. Startled, he looked up. “It can’t be dawn already!” he thought.

Instead of a sunrise, a beautiful apparition appeared before him. “I am the Ghost of Concepts Learned” she said. “I’m here to help you not only for the rest of your school year, but for the rest of your life. Come with me!” Gladly he arose and followed her. She looked much more promising than her counterpart.

Mike saw himself in the same classroom listening to his professor lecturing. This time, he saw one of his classmates taking notes on her laptop. He was surprised that she wasn’t taking that many notes. She was just outlining the key points in some kind of software that looked like a word processor.

The Ghost explained that this software is called PerfectNotes. It records everything that is said, and creates a timeline of the whole class. He noticed that his fellow student was creating bookmarks in the recording that corresponded to her outline. Other times she made bookmarks that marked places she wanted to come back to.

Then the vision changed. He saw the same student at home, working on her laptop. He saw her going through her notes. When she got to a point where she was confused, she clicked a button and instantly got back to that part of the recording. Other times she clicked by the bookmarks that marked places she wanted to come back to. She then fleshed out her notes after hearing again what she was confused by. In a couple minutes, her notes were much more accurate and complete than his ever were, even with all of his frantic scribbling.

“Wow!” Mike said in awe. “I’ve never seen anything like that before! I had tried taking a recorder to class, but it was clumsy and difficult to use. I don’t want to have to go back and hear the lecture again and again. This takes you right back to the parts you missed without rewinding and fast forwarding!”

The Ghost was pleased that Mike had understood the possibilities of this new note taking software.

He again found himself in his room, but instead of in anguish, he was now elated. He fell asleep dreaming of the possibilities.

He was rudely awakened by a pounding on his door and his younger brother yelling to him that it was time to open presents. “It’s Christmas morning!” he realized with a start. All of that had been accomplished in just one night!

Jumping out of bed and throwing his clothes on, he hurried to be with his family. He was still pondering the messages of the night’s visitors. He was still in a daze when his parents handed him a box. Opening it, he discovered a laptop!

“Thanks guys! This is just what I needed!” He gave them a big hug, and excitedly got to work opening the various baggies and plugging everything in.

Once he got his notebook computer running, the first thing he did was to go to www.PerfectNotes.com. He downloaded the software and tried it out. This was going to totally change his classroom experience!

Visions of top grades and lucrative job offers again danced in his head.