May 1, 2014 (Vol. 34, No. 9)
URL:
http://bit.ly/RGXI9v
Rating:
Strong Points: Sync with web account, can upload camera photos
Weak Points: Can’t delete notes, limited data upload options
Platform:
iPad/iPhone/Android
Cost:
Free
Summary:
In the era of constantly syncing information between devices and uploading data to the cloud, paper lab notebooks are becoming increasingly outdated. The labfolder app—used in conjunction with the web service—provides a nice “digital lab notebook” that offers researchers access to their notes, data, and protocols from their mobile devices. Registration for a labfolder account is free and easy. The website provides more features than the app in terms of data entry, as the app just allows text entry or photo upload from the device’s camera. A frustrating feature of the app is that while one can create new notes within a notebook, notes cannot be deleted. However, despite these limitations, the app provides a convenient place to jot down notes about your science when you’re on the go, and the fact that it automatically syncs to the web account is nice.
