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Elements
When I download a new application I like to explore the application. It is like an adventure game to find every nook and cranny, observe every setting. When given a new notebook I will think about if I should dedicate it to a certian topic or put everything in it. All that this really does is distract me from doing what I need to do in a notebook: write. A writer does not need a million settings, they need to write. A text box, a keyboard, and a way to store what has been written. Elements from Second Gear does exactly that. Here is a text box, a keyboard, and it will store all of your notes automatically in your Dropbox so you can access it from anywhere.Elements stores plain text files in your Dropbox, displays the word count, allows you to publish your notes to Tumblr and Facebook, print it wirelessly to your printer, and write and preview in Markdown. That last one is key. Those who know what Markdown is will agree and those who do not are about to have their mind blown. Markdown is a way of writing in plain text to make formatted text.
A Basic Example of Markdown
# Heading
This sentence has *italic* and **bold** text.
This is an example of a [link](http://zicklepop.com).The Output of the Example of Markdown
Heading
This sentence has italic and bold text.
This is an example of a link.The example above is very basic, but if you have ever coded HTML or tried to format text on your phone you can instantly see how much of a benefit this method is. Sites like Tumblr will allow you to write your posts all in Markdown and they will convert it to HTML formatting for you. For example, everything on this site is written in Markdown.
When you write Markdown in Elements it will generate a preview of the outputted format on your iPhone and iPad when you tap on the circled star. There is an option to copy the output as HTML so you can paste it into a HTML document or a blogging application you may have.
The whole point of Elements is that you have these notes everywhere. So what about your computer? If you are on a Mac you have applications like nvAlt. If you are on Windows you can use ResophNotes. These are both terrific applications that allow you to work in the same Dropbox directory of notes you use with Elements on your iOS device. They even support viewing your Markdown documents in a formatted preview. Now that you know about Markdown you will start to notice how it is everywhere, just like your notes in Elements.
More About Elements
