Word 2011 ships with a layout view named Notebook Layout View which turns Word into a note-taking application that is at par with OneNote. If you’re interested in exploring this feature and the awesome toolset available check out the guide below.

Software/Hardware used: Word 2011 running on Mac OS X.

1. Open Word 2011 and create a blank document.

2. Click the Notebook Layout View button located on the bottom portion of the Word application window.

Note: If you place your cursor over the button you will see a description of the view you are selecting, the same applies for other document layout views.

When you enabled the Notebook Layout View you will notice that Word will transform before your eyes.

A. The first thing you will notice is that document’s layout and view changes to that of a notebook with a background, title, paper lines, and more.

B. You will also notice that this view has tabs or sections which allows you to divide your notebook into categories/subjects.

C. The biggest change comes in at the functionality level. The Office Ribbon is transformed to display all of the tools commonly found in OneNote. We’ll briefly go over each of the tabs below.

In the Home tab you will find the text formatting tools along with Note Levels, Scribble (not displayed above), and Note Flags. The former will allow you to set items on your notebook as Outlook tasks…one of my favorite Outlook/OneNote features. The Scribble tool will allow you draw items on your notebook that can later be edited.

The Appearance tab allows you to customize the look and feel of the notebook you are working on. Word 2011 ships with a series of Notebook types and Backgrounds that will make your notebook feel like it’s yours. The notebook tabs can be customized to suit the number of subjects, colors, and more.

In the Audio Notes tab you will find the tools necessary to add, you guessed it, audio notes to your Word notebooks. Here you will find options like which microphone to use, volume, exporting audio note options, and more.

Now that you know how to enable the Notebook Layout View and have become familiar with some of the tools available, it is time to try it out on your own. The screenshot above is an example of the things you can do with the Notebook Layout View.

What do you think about this feature? Is it a viable OneNote alternative for the Mac? If you have any comments or questions please use the comments form below.

I mention Evernote because I was forced to it due to the lack of syncing capabilities between OneNote 2010 and my iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, OneNote for the iPhone is miles away from what Evernote’s capabilities are, but it certainly is one step closer to bring multi-platform support for one of their popular applications, better late than never…

The OneNote app allows you to access your Notebooks from your computer and those that are synchronized via Microsoft’s cloud solution, Office Live. In order to use the app you need a Windows Live account and access to OneNote for your computer or OneNote on the web. The app is currently free, but will carry a price soon so head on over to the App Store and download your copy today.

With OneNote Mobile, you can:

• Create flexible notes that include text, pictures, bullets, and checkboxes.
• Check To Do items off on the go.
• Save time with quick access to your most recent notes.
• Work with confidence – OneNote Mobile automatically syncs your notes with Windows Live in the background.
• Organize your notes into sections or create new notebooks using OneNote 2010 or OneNote Web App and access them from your iPhone.

Via iTunes and MacRumors.com.

Like I stated in my previous post, I was able to get a copy of Office 2010 and have been playing with it since. The videos below will show you the updated OneNote application and the Publisher application. As time permits I will be posting additional videos for the applications I have not covered yet. Once I’m done uploading the sneak peeks, I’ll start going over some of the specific features and some how-to’s.

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OneNote 2010 Sneak Peek

Publisher 2010 Sneak Peek

For the Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint videos visit this post.