iPad/Tablet PC users and apps, Anki App and more

[Judson]

I was wondering if any other premedders use tablets (iPad, Surface, etc.) for taking notes, reading textbooks, or studying. I just got the iPad mini and have been very pleased with the note-taking capabilities. What apps do you guys use? I've been using Notability, Khan Academy, Kindle, and Google Drive frequently.

I'm thinking about downloading the Anki app to sync with my mac. The only thing is, it costs $25.00 and I'm not sure if it'll be worth it or not. Has anyone bought this app?

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[type12]

I was wondering if any other premedders use tablets (iPad, Surface, etc.) for taking notes, reading textbooks, or studying. I just got the iPad mini and have been very pleased with the note-taking capabilities. What apps do you guys use? I've been using Notability, Khan Academy, Kindle, and Google Drive frequently.

I'm thinking about downloading the Anki app to sync with my mac. The only thing is, it costs $25.00 and I'm not sure if it'll be worth it or not. Has anyone bought this app?

I bought it. It works as expected, and it's been out for a while, and is pretty refined. It's the only time the creator ever asks for money, hence the price. He doesn't even charge for the syncing features.

 

[Holmwood]

I personally think it's terrible.

Rinky dinky screen, and you have to buy an additional keyboard.

I just use it for recording, but take lecture notes on paper. Having people vigorously typing in class is also bloody irritating.

 

[type12]

I personally think it's terrible.

Rinky dinky screen, and you have to buy an additional keyboard.

I just use it for recording, but take lecture notes on paper. Having people vigorously typing in class is also bloody irritating.

I think you're talking about tablets; I was talking about Anki. Just to be clear, lol.

 

[Holmwood]

I think you're talking about tablets; I was talking about Anki. Just to be clear, lol.

The OP was talking about tablets. : P

Anyway, I see people use quizlet alot.

 

[TastingJustice]

There are a number of threads about Anki on this forum and on Allopathic. Perhaps someone there has used the iPad app.

 

[mehc012]

I was wondering if any other premedders use tablets (iPad, Surface, etc.) for taking notes, reading textbooks, or studying. I just got the iPad mini and have been very pleased with the note-taking capabilities. What apps do you guys use? I've been using Notability, Khan Academy, Kindle, and Google Drive frequently.

I'm thinking about downloading the Anki app to sync with my mac. The only thing is, it costs $25.00 and I'm not sure if it'll be worth it or not. Has anyone bought this app?

Do you use Anki elsewhere?

My advice is (and always has been) the following:

Anki is most powerful on the computer. That is where you'll want to be making your decks, making the bulk of your cards, etc.
The mobile apps are wonderful for reviewing cards once they're made, especially with the free synching and all.

There is no need for you to purchase the Anki app before you have set it up on your computer - where it's free. So do that. Download it. Try it out. Mess around, get used to studying with it. If you find that Anki is a good tool for you, then it is worthwhile to purchase the mobile app. And when doing so, don't think of it as an exorbitantly expensive iOS app...think of it as a ridiculously cheap computer productivity program with free cloud storage and syncing.

 

[mehc012]

The OP was talking about tablets. : P

Anyway, I see people use quizlet alot.

Quizlet is like Anki on training wheels...it's got almost none of the actual features.

 

[Judson]

I just started using Anki on my computer. I think it's a powerful program and has great potential to help me learn. I was wondering if there were any known bugs or frustrations associated with the app.

Do you use Anki elsewhere?

My advice is (and always has been) the following:

Anki is most powerful on the computer. That is where you'll want to be making your decks, making the bulk of your cards, etc.
The mobile apps are wonderful for reviewing cards once they're made, especially with the free synching and all.

There is no need for you to purchase the Anki app before you have set it up on your computer - where it's free. So do that. Download it. Try it out. Mess around, get used to studying with it. If you find that Anki is a good tool for you, then it is worthwhile to purchase the mobile app. And when doing so, don't think of it as an exorbitantly expensive iOS app...think of it as a ridiculously cheap computer productivity program with free cloud storage and syncing.

 

[type12]

I just started using Anki on my computer. I think it's a powerful program and has great potential to help me learn. I was wondering if there were any known bugs or frustrations associated with the app.

There's no problems. However, you can give it a spin, and if you don't like it, Apple will give a refund. Failing that, the creator is super friendly (you can see Damien and I actually disagree on the algorithm he currently uses in the forums in great detail) and will definitely honor a refund request.

 

[Judson]

Thank you for that response. That gives me a lot of confidence in the purchase.

There's no problems. However, you can give it a spin, and if you don't like it, Apple will give a refund. Failing that, the creator is super friendly (you can see Damien and I actually disagree on the algorithm he currently uses in the forums in great detail) and will definitely honor a refund request.