CintaNotes application for Android

This would also give CintaNotes a whole new lease of life, as people move increasingly to multi-platform apps. An iOS app would make most sense, but an Android app might be a useful testbed. As a user of both platforms, I would of course welcome both!

I was just poking around with this.  I use DropBox to sync my Cintanotes Database(es) between two Win7 machines.  I also have DropBox on my Android phone.  I decided to pull a copy of my CN database over to my phone and poke around.  Using DB Browser I found it pretty easy to run a basic SQLite query to get some of the content of my notes.

My suggestion would be to make an App that allows the user to just run queries to look up some of their notes.  Don't worry about editing/creating notes now.  I would LOVE the ability to access the contents of my notes when I only have my phone.

+1 for Android app!

This would be amazing.  CintaNotes is still the lightest and most powerful note taking app.  Please!

One more vote for Android, even as read-only!

Idea for an android app: it would be great if it could sync over WIFI to the Windows client. (Circumventing the need for a cloud service.)

just a button on both sides that when pressed would listen on a certain port, and sync accordingly, probably easier too.

Great idea, thanks Jan!

It might be 6 years on your roadmap, but there still is no solution like this even elsewhere. What you will find are crappy solutions that offer no advantage over syncing plain text files, and people looking for the same thing.

Somehow there are solutions for Mac and iphone: SOHO Notes, Notebooksapp, DEVONthink... they can sync over USB, local WIFI and WebDAV. No cloud, no vendor lock-in.

But, somehow, still none for Windows and Android! You can be the first one!!

Google Simplenote

Simplenote cannot sync offline.

Internet is not oxygen, its not everywhere.

Moreover, I would like to store my notes privately.

Exacly. Another reason is they might DISAPPEAR someday or cease to function to your liking. It happens. All the time. I do use cloud services, but only for convenience and not for storing unencrypted sensitive data, or relying on them for permanent storage.

For plain text notes, EssentialPIM works fine. Desktop version permits rich text formatting, but not android version. At least you CAN enter a Note on android & sync it to the desktop, across your own lan.

The other components of EPIM work fairly well, and it will sync with your Google accounts IF YOU WANT IT TO.

For "Secure" notes, eWallet offers robust cross-platform sync. Have used it for years, although primarily as a form based database as, again, its "Notes" capability is strictly plain text. (Still a wonderful app for things like passwords, account info, serial numbers, license numbers, warranty info - a wide range of discrete data, as opposed to free-form text.)

The best Windows Desktop free-form database application I have found is RightNote (Pro) - but it lacks an android version. It will sync with Evernote, for users of that product - but, again, you are now in the cloud.

Perhaps more useful, it has the ability to EXPORT a database as a "Webbook." This is fine for "static" data which you simply wish to have portable access to, but does nothing for data input while in the field.

Really, really, really MISS the old PhatNotes Windows / Windows Mobile pair.

Then again, with many (most?) ANDROID apps, also Miss SPELL CHECK...

I know about EssentialPIM. It is an overly complicated and fragmented calendar program with different calender views except a monthly list view. Different sections for for example contacts and passwords with fixed entry fields. They took the trouble cramming in an e-mail client but forgot about RSS. No way to move a 'task' to 'notes' or easily move notes around. The syncing part is about the only thing they do right IMO.
Besides, EssentialPIM is a good example that redesigning an interface, like CN is planning for 4.0, is not always well received.

I'm not saying local syncing is a new invention. There are even a few more programs for Windows and Android that can do this. I meant to say that for programs made for storing, organizing and retrieval of custom kinds of data in a conventient manner, like simplenote, onenote, nimbus notes, wiznote, it doesn't exist. At least none that offer a good advantage over syncing conventional files like text or office files or even chm or anything for which there are many readers on both platforms. I'm sorry about not getting my definitions clear for 'plain text files' and 'convenient manner' - I'm only trying to get the idea across which is difficult to describe but easy to understand by looking at the examples I just mentioned. I still think an offlin, Windows-Android syncing 'convenient enough' notes application will be unique.

I'm very interested in some way to sync between cintanotes and a mobile app via wifi only (or just an ability to regularly download notes from my mobile device to my main pc wirelessly - even without syncing). An actual mobile version of cintanotes would be great, but I will settle for just being able to sync or send notes over wifi using another mobile note-taking app. I do not want to store my notes in the cloud, which is why i don't want to use simplenote.

I'm more interested in the ability to write basic notes on the mobile device and then be able to read them on my pc, rather than the other way around.

Thanks for your input, we'll take it into account!

Idea already 6 years old. Simplenote is good, but I dont like to use online sync. May be you can write simple OFFLINE cintanote data base EXPORT to popular android app (goldendict, Simplenote or other lookup program). For android read-only app is also good. As cintalnote base is sqlite database, it have to be easy.

Hi Vladimir, thanks for your comment! Well I think that releasing an Android app is still not out of the question.

As for exporting to a popular android app, the question remaining what app it should be and why.

Omni Notes can import from Springpad JSON archives. This is as close as it gets as far as I could find. Still, two-way automated syncing with CN's own app highly preferred ;-)

Guys thanks for your comments. The "local-sync" solution definitely looks like a good niche to take. We'll be thinking in this direction, that's for sure.

I'm one of many who have gradually moved much of my on-the-go activities to Android and have had to use an Android note-taker as a result. I'm currently running two worlds which do not talk to each other; annoying but with the split in my activities I can deal with it for now. This situation is gradually changing and will eventually reach the point where I have to choose one or the other - unless I can find a shared platform solution.

I naturally applaud any moves towards either a Cintanotes Android client or some form of interworking but am not sure the potential routes which have been discussed so far are really the best. As I see it Cintanotes is a Windows app and that is where its development will continue. Any Android activity will be at best a workaround which is unlikely to make true interworking a reliable prospect.

I strongly suggest that - rather than dilute the core business or divert resources away from the main roadmap - you consider a collaboration with an existing provider in the Android space. There are a number of viable Android note-takers which work fine but aren't up ion the major market and hence would potentially be open to a collaborative deal which would help both parties technical and market position. I'd also encourage looking at a product that was already cloud-enabled to minimise the development work needed to "mate up".

Regards, Mike

Good points, Mike, thanks!

Well we have already teamed up with Simplenote - isn't that good enough?

Good app ever .. but there are some of similar on store ..

Hopping CintaNotes goes multi-platform.  I realize that you want increased sales before taking on such a labor intensive task.  ...but unfortunately, it is the lack of multi-platform that is depressing your current sales.
P.S.: It is hard to believe CintaNotes grew out of SimpleNote. CintaNotes is least ten times better!

I agree wholeheadrtedly. But we need to refresh the UI and prepare CN for multi-platform first, we are doing it now. After that we'll be ready to tackle mobile versions.

What is your timeline to get a first android version out?

Hi Alex, 
Could you inform us about the roadmap for mobile integration? By providing a simple solution first, you could harvest a new user base, as more and more people are moving to 'mobile only/mobile-until-another-platform-is-unavoidable'. It could enlarge your fan-base enormously if you would start to implement a read-only app. A 'Cintareader for Android' (or even Iphone) with the simplest of a search function, that would enable users to do a fast lookup of info held in the PC-based database. Simple, no integration with other apps. Doable, methinks!

If users have an idea of the timeline for such a solution, it could keep them from looking around for existing alternatives.
For now, I love the sheer simplicity of your application and would be happy to stick to it for life in its present form (well, almost, exept for my modest wish list . . . ), so please give us a reason for keeping loving it and getting to love it even more in the future.

Hello and thanks for your kind words!

Do I understand correctly that the current CintaNotes/Simplenote sync is not good enough for you?

You can definitely use the Simplenote app now as a "Cintareader for Android".