Microsoft updates OneNote tablet app with ability to scan and search images

Microsoft has unveiled an updated version of its OneNote app that enables Windows tablet users to scan using their device’s camera and then search any text within those scans. The update also makes it easier to capture notes from other apps.

In a post on its Office blogs site, the software giant said the changes had been inspired by Windows 8.1 and that new tablet devices designed for this latest version of the operating system are perfect for note-taking.

This version of OneNote is a Windows Store app, available as a free download, which runs in the Metro-style user interface introduced with Windows 8 and Windows RT. It differs from the OneNote version that users get as part of Office 2013, which runs in the legacy desktop environment along with Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

OneNote’s new Camera Scan feature enables users to capture images of documents and whiteboards, for example. The app can then make any text in the image searchable via optical character recognition and allow users to copy and paste it into other apps, Microsoft said.

As usual, OneNote can be used to annotate content using either a keyboard or marked up with a digital stylus once captured.

The new app also makes use of the Share Charm in Windows 8 and above to enable users to capture content from websites and other apps and send it to OneNote. Because OneNote stores information in a user’s SkyDrive account by default, and any information captured will be available on all the user’s Windows devices, according to the firm.

A new Recent Notes view shows all the notes a user has taken in order of when they were last edited, across all devices. Instead of just the page title, this shows a preview of the notes with text, images and even ink content, so that users can see their notes without having to open the entire page.

The updated OneNote tablet app also includes usual bug fixes to provide an improved experience, Microsoft said.