The N800 has a camera that, while not exactly of stellar quality, at least makes recognizeable pictures.

I wonder if it would be possible to create an app that allows the user to take a picture and provides a space for jotting down notes next to the photo. Both the picture and the notes would be visible on screen at the same time and both handwritten and text-based notes should be possible (given the layout of the N800 screen, maybe some thought could go into screen rotation for text entry: the space left next to a 640x480 picture is pretty awkward in landscape orientation. For handwritten notes, this is not so much a problem of course).

Ideally, the storage mechanism would have to be a flat-file database, with the possibility for the user to give each record a name of its own (if not given, the program should provide default record names).

I can see how such a program could be quite useful, and it kinda fits in with the form factor of the N800.

How about just adding photo abilities to "contacts"....

That was my first idea, but I think the scope should be beyond contacts. I was thinking more along the lines of a visual notepad, or a photographic sketchbook. Something you see and want to remember, in the broadest possible sense.

Besides. I don't think you can jot notes in Contacts.

One of the most useful apps on my Palm is Diddlebug (similar to BugMe).

It has a set of pages on which you just scribble notes, although there are also a few drawing tools and you can insert text.

Each note can have an alarm, which has lots of options and is very easy to set. It's just 4 or 5 taps to set a day and time. For instance, there are strips of buttons for hours and for 5-minute intervals (that's how to make good use of a touch screen).

It's both a reminder/alarm clock and a quick, simple note-taker. The only downside is that you can't search the notes since they're stored as a drawing, not text. (If you could apply hwr to the drawings, that would be cool!)

Including such an alarm feature with this photograph+notes idea would make a very useful general-purpose program.

And how about adding sound recording and playback too, to have the option of dictating a note, either to play back on request or as the alarm sound itself?

Actually adding photo capability to maemopad+ or Xournal would be the ideal.

Rick

You can already add photos to contacts.

I don't believe either application has database functionality available.

[QUOTE=paulh;52621]One of the most useful apps on my Palm is Diddlebug (similar to BugMe)./QUOTE]

I was actually -- and as usual! -- thinking about the Newton's Notepad. It's a pity we don't have anything like its "stationary" functionality available. If Newtons had a camera, this "application" could be cobbled up by the newest of newbees in literally a matter of minutes.