Thursday, 7 August 2014

Boximize - App Review



Some Apps are 'different', and some Apps do an ordinary job in a different way.

Both note taking and databases could be considered 'standard' applications. There are many solutions available for note taking and (under iOS) a smaller number for databases.

This App combines the two.

Now for the ACIDS test:

Aesthetics
There is a sample file with the App names 'Movie Collection', which will give you a taste for the App, although it will also make you think of a database, rather than a note taking App.

Obviously, you want to get started using the App for real. The developers have provided you with 26 templates (Audio Notes, Business Cards, Car Maintenance, Contacts, Customers, Demo Fields, Diet Log, Donations, Equipment, Events, Exercise Log, Expenses, Home Inventory, Inventory, Issue Tracking, Items Sold, Member cards, Member List, Movie Collection, Notes, Products for Sale, Recipes, Student List, Task Assignments, Time Billing, Todo), together with the most important 'blank' for those who prefer to start from scratch.

If you choose to start with one of the templates, you will find that these are fully customisable through the settings (accessed with the 'i' and then 'settings'). You can not only change the form colour and icon (from a large list) but, vitally, edit the fields.

The field types are fairly varied (Audio recordings, Check box, Choices, Colour, Date, E-mail, Lists of items, Location, Notes, Number, Phone Number, Photo & video collections, Rating, Sketches and hand-written notes, Slider, Stopwatch, Text, Time, URL).

The great part about this is that the field type will also determine the field's behaviour; a URL field will allow you to open the page in Safari, an E-mail field will allow for automatic creation of a message... you get the idea. It also ensures that the correct data type is entered; for example, a date is a date.

Cost
The App costs $5 which is perhaps a lot for a note taker but, not much to pay for a database.

Indispensability
If you start using this App and like it then, it will be in daily use. It will probably even find it's place on your home screen dock.

If you are just looking for another way to take notes, it might be a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

From a database point of view, the real drawback is that it is restricted to one iOS device (at a time); there is no synchronisation.

Dependability
The App is elegant and very easy to use.

A minor criticism (or at least something not to my personal liking) is that, when adding fields, the list is in no particular order.

Security
The App is self-contained and has optional password protection.

ACIDS Test Rating:

Could become a home dock item for you.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.


You can get Boximize here and support for the App here.


2 comments:

  1. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 1.1 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - Export as PDF to Evernote and other apps
    - Export as CSV to Numbers and other apps
    - Printing
    - Backup via Dropbox
    - AirDrop support
    - Minor bug fixes (Date format and sorting issues fixed)
    - Updated for iOS 8

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks munificus. We've also just released a version for the Apple Watch.

    Animated Preview: https://twitter.com/MostafaOnTech/status/588691340575301632

    ReplyDelete

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