Arrow Note free iOS text editor review

Category: Productivity
Developer: Takeshi Fuchi
System Requirements: iOS 4.3 or later
Compatibility: iPad, iPhone or iPod touch
Price: Free (ad supported)
Availability: Out now

Gradually, third party developers are making improvements in the iOS’s mediocre default text-handling capabilities.

Arrow Note is a simple freeware text editor that adds three extra rows of command and function buttons to its virtual keyboard, which both streamlines and simplifies working with text. Select/cut/copy commands have also been included in the toolbar, giving users an option to pressing and holding on top of the text. Always-visible number keys are also provided, along with a Tab key, common symbol special character keys, parentheses and brackets, en-dash and carat keys, and more. Unfortunately, there is still no case change or forward delete keys, something for the developers to consider in a future version upgrade.

Another feature that would enhance Arrow Note’s appeal substantially would be Dropbox integration. As it stands, you can refer your documents to open in one of several other iOS text apps that do integrate with Dropbox, but direct linking would be a lot more convenient.

Meanwhile, new in the latest Arrow Note version 1.6.0 are:

• Two fingers on the keyboard
• To select text, tap the keyboard with two fingers
• To move the cursor, touch and drag on the keyboard with two fingers

Returning features include bigger buttons for the Pad mini, Text To Pasteboard (Menu), noticeable delete key (iPad), Instant Edit Mode (Fonts & Settings), Split View in iPad- Backup by email, and many more including:

• New toolbars added to Apple’s default keyboard
  • Use arrows to move through text
• Up, down, left, right, beginning, end
  • Use arrows to walk through selected text
• Additional tab buttons
  • Select/cut/copy/past/undo/redo
• Hide second toolbar when not in use
• Character count on toolbar
• Find and Replace words
• Return to previous position – useful for long texts
• Folder based filing system
• Data exchange
• Email
• “Open In” option
• Copied text in clipboard automatically appears in app as new file
  • Enabled inside app

Arrow Note documents can be created, viewed and deleted in a hide-able column window on the left.

Aside from the aforementioned still-desired missing keys and lack of Dropbox linking, another issue that prevents me from giving Arrow Note a better than 3 out of 5 rating is somewhat erratic keyboard response, especially capitalization transitions, that can be maddening at times.

Arrow Note is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and requires iOS 4.3 or later. It is optimized for iPhone 5.

Arrow Note is freeware (ad-supported with in-app advertising)

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