Microsoft unveils OneNote preview

Microsoft has unveiled a preview release of updates and enhancements to its OneNote 2003 note-taking application.

OneNote Service Pack 1 (SP1) Preview includes performance enhancements and new features being released with Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 SP1 later this year.

Additional functionality includes the ability to copy notes from mobile devices, increased integration with Office 2003 and the ability to password-protect notes.

Jo-Anne Handley, product manager for OneNote at Microsoft UK, said in a statement: "People like the feel of pen and paper but OneNote gives them the freedom to scribble, doodle, type and include and annotate images, audio and video clips and more in their notebooks.

"Because they can share and repurpose this material, it removes the constraints that have made note-taking on the PC awkward in the past. It's a very attractive option for Office customers."

The service pack includes improved support for rich media, which allows for notes to be copied from a Pocket PC or smartphone and automatically synced into OneNote. It also allows users to synchronise video notes with typed or handwritten notes and capture screen clippings.

The upgrade's better integration with Microsoft Office will allow users to insert documents from other Office programs into OneNote as pictures and annotate them with typed or handwritten notes.

In addition SP1 allows users to password-protect and encrypt notebook sections, while the provision of a recoded API is designed to allow third-party developers to build add-ons for OneNote to import additional data types into a user's notebook, allowing for integration with other products and devices.

OneNote SP1 is scheduled for release following the Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 expected in the summer.

The OneNote SP1 Preview is available as a free download here.