The way we read and take notes is highly personalized. Everyone has their own method for learning new information from text, and there is a different tool for every style of note-taking. Note-taking and annotation tools can be expensive and free note-taking and annotation tools often limit the user to highlighting and adding short comments. Rarely do they have the features necessary for deep, critical reading. However, I recently discovered a new free tool called LiquidText that can take your reading and note-taking to a deeper level.
What is LiquidText?
LiquidText is a free PDF and document annotation tool for iPad that allows you to read text in a flexible environment. Import your content from Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, email or directly from a webpage, and then highlight, make notes, and comment as you read. LiquidText works with PDF, Word, and PowerPoint documents and with webpages.
LiquidText has an impressive array of features. You can create excerpts, add notes, and then organize them in the workspace next to your document. The workspace allows you to pull out, organize, and map your ideas while staying connected to the text. The workspace is flexible, allowing you to determine how your ideas will be connected and organized. The following video by LiquidText demonstrates its many features.
You can connect your ideas across multiple pages, and comment on multiple pages at once. When you are finished, you can share your annotated files with others through Dropbox, iCloud, or email.
How is LiquidText Different?
One thing that differentiates LiquidText from other annotation programs is its large workspace next to the document. In this workspace you can drag out important passages from the text and connect them to your comments and notes. Connected passages can be linked, moved, and organized however you wish, but they still remain connected to the original text. You can apply your comments to multiple sections and connect comments into groups. Because the app was developed for touchscreen technology, you can “scrunch” and “pinch” pages to see text from multiple pages in a single view. Now you can see all your highlights and comments on a single page, making it easy to locate information within your document.
Another useful feature is that you can collaborate with others and share your annotated documents. Save your documents, with all of your notes, comments, and connections as PDF files, and upload them to Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, or share them through email. Sharing information can lead to deeper, more meaningful review sessions and improve academic performance.
LiquidText is a well-designed app that is intuitive, easy to use, and provides enough flexibility to meet the needs of individual note-takers. It offers more features than any other free app, and helps make your notes more meaningful and reflective. The process for linking notes and comments makes sense, and is easy to undo if you make a mistake. In fact, I like just about everything about this app. The only drawback I find is that it is only available for the iPad, and at this time there isn’t an android version being tested. If you are an iPad user, I highly recommend this app. You certainly can’t beat the price.