I’ve used the desktop version of ShoveBox for a while, ever since I heard about it on MacBreak Weekly. It’s a simple, evernote-like notes app that you simply drop information into, and it can automatically organize that information. When I heard the news that a mobile version of ShoveBox was coming out, I immediately put it on the list of apps I wanted to review.



Interface: This app’s interface is blindingly simple, in fact it’s so simple that if you use it too much your eyes will melt and your brain will explode. Your notes start out in your inbox folder, and the number of notes in this folder is displayed in the app’s icon badge. Moving notes is extremely easy, as is adding labels or comments to existing notes. Unfortunately, though, creating a new note is a two-step process: tap the ‘new note’ button, and choose between text note and bookmark. It would be easier to use this app if the text note was default and you could choose the bookmark option once you’re composing the text note. If you use the desktop version of ShoveBox, you’ll quickly become acclimated to the mobile interface.

Noting: Once you create a note in Shovebox Mobile, you can move it, edit it, delete it, tag it, and add comments, pretty much everything you can do with the desktop app. Unfortunately, the filters that you apply to your notes in the desktop app (filters automatically sort your notes, sort of like smart folders in iTunes) don’t exist in ShoveBox mobile, but once you sync the two apps over wifi, the filters go to work. Another unique feature Shovebox and Shovebox Mobile have is the ability to create notes using a safari bookmarklet. Simply tap ‘Shove This’ (which you can bookmark at the ShoveBox blog). Using this bookmarklet you can create any type of note, including photo and bookmarks.



Bottom Line: ShoveBox Mobile is a great compliment to the ShoveBox desktop app. Syncing the two apps is seamless, though it does take a while initially if you have a lot of notes. It seems to me, though, that ShoveBox is more of an iPhone compliment to a mac app rather than an iPhone app that syncs with your mac, though it is useful to be able to quickly save a note on the go. The interface is simple and fairly easy to use, though I do wish the text note creation could be simplified to a one-tap process. This app is a little expensive, but it has a lot of potential to be the next Evernote-like note-taking system.

I give ShoveBox Mobile 3 out of 5 ‘Shove This’ bookmarklets



Price: $3.99



trumcgowan