Moleskine app review

The world-known Moleskine company, which produces iconic notebooks and notebooks, has recently become very active in the market of mobile devices - over the past three years it has already released four full-fledged applications for iOS. These applications, according to the company itself, allow you to use all the features of the legendary Moleskine notebook on your device. Of course, they do not convey those tactile sensations that you experience when working with paper and pen, but functionally they can give a head start to many top applications, and today we will tell you about these apps.

History of Moleskine

But first, a little history for those who are unfamiliar with Moleskine products. "Moleskine" is the collective name of the notebook, which is made with the following conditions: hard cover (usually black), elastic band for fixing the notebook in the closed state, bookmark and a pocket on the back cover for papers and business cards. Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway used these notepads in their time, which now the Moleskine company is proud of and tells in every press release, but this information is not quite correct. The fact is that the "moleskines" in their current form were invented by the Italian company Modo & Modo in 1997 - it is clear that by that time none of the above mentioned people used exactly these notepads, but the story is beautiful. In general, the brand Moleskine today - it's the most favorite notebooks of hipsters, managers, executives and just brand hunters. This is not the best notebook on the market and not the most durable, but Moleskine has an interesting and rich history, a huge range and the ability to properly present themselves. And, more recently, interesting software.

Moleskine Notes

The company's first app that appeared in the App Store (of the currently available, of course). The developers didn't think long and made the notepad emulator "straightforward" - it is a simple drawing editor, which is designed in the style of Moleskine - the backs should give the impression that you are writing on ruled paper, different tools give the possibility to create a drawing from scratch, work with pdf and jpeg/png formats. Of course, without additional "equipment" like a stylus to draw something intelligible will not work, and the size of the smartphone screen is not enough. As a result, the application failed - in Russian Store it was rated 1.7 (only 6 ratings), in the U.S. store users were just as unhappy with what is happening (2.2, 56 ratings).

Moleskine had to think seriously - recall that the app appeared in 2016, in the midst of the global economic crisis. Sales of notepads were falling, the new market was unapproachable, and the obvious shoddy workmanship hit the company's image. So the developers, apparently, were replaced (or locked in a dark room and not released), but already in 2018 the company shoots a duplicate - and very successfully.

Moleskine Actions

The unapproachable App Store decided to storm again, and for this purpose they chose the "Productivity" category - what creativity, there is money to be made. The Moleskine Actions app allows you to create to-do lists for all occasions - for work, home, family, leisure, and travel.

The app creates lists of tasks that you can color-code, so you don't get confused about what you have to do. Each task is configurable by time, then you can go to the daily schedule - the app shows you what you need to do today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Task management is intuitive - swipe to delete, drag to move tasks between lists or by day. The app has stunning animations, a user-friendly interface, and good music, as well as light and dark themes. The developers made the right choice - they didn't try to adapt notepad for the app and created a completely new product that has managed to be dubbed "the killer of Things", and in some ways this statement is true. The application is really good and of high quality, and you want to use it.

But Moleskine is an odd company, otherwise how do you explain their rolling out another app that has become both a companion and a competitor to Moleskine Actions. It's

Moleskine Timepage

Which connects to your calendar and displays your schedule nicely. But this "alternative" calendar looks very cool - it also allows you to set colors for different tasks and clearly see what you have to do that day. It is true that the timeline and tasks are not limited - the app is able to connect to your contacts and schedule events taking into account your address book and, of course, perfectly recognizes Siri.

It is worth noting that Timepage also has a number of features that are not really necessary, but their presence gives the app a few extra points. For example, it shows the coordinates, the time it takes to travel the desired distance (on foot, by car, or by public transportation), the weather, and interesting facts about today. Also, Timepage connects with Actions - the apps integrate with each other, so you can keep both a pretty calendar and a nice to-do list. Either way, both apps look cool.

The apps have an interesting feature - they are sold for free, but they require a subscription, otherwise they will work in read mode. At the same time, previously these applications could be purchased for a fixed amount, and many users did not like this solution. As explained by the developers themselves, almost all services are moving to a subscription format, and the application is supported every day. To be honest, personally we were not satisfied with such an answer.

Moleskine Flow

As we said before, Moleskine is a company with oddities, otherwise it's impossible to explain why they decided to release the Flow app, which is essentially an updated Notes, connected to Paper 53. It's an endless drawing sheet on which you can draw with different tools to create sketches, paintings, and diagrams. Clearly, with a stylus and on the iPad the app looks handy, especially when there is no paper at hand, but the same functions are handled by the stock Notes app, and the iPhone doesn't seem to need this app. However, the program appeared quite recently, so there was not enough time to test it yet. The only disadvantage is that the application slags when working, and this is annoying.

In general, the apps from Moleskine look really cool, they are intuitive, useful, and enjoyable to use. But they don't have a very user-friendly format, so if you want to use nice programs, be prepared to pay all the time.

Sergey Park

I have been writing reviews of mobile games since 2011. I am actively involved in the development of mobile eSports, commentating on Auto Chess, Clash Royale, PUBG Mobile matches. If I like a game, I like it for a long time and study it thoroughly. And share my thoughts with everyone!