Springpad
Encyclopedia
Springpad is a free online application and web service
that allows its registered users
to save, organize, and share collected ideas and information. A personal organizer and information capturing service, Springpad is designed to help its users remember content. Content that is added is identified and categorized by the application after which it then generates additional snippets based on the type of object added — such as listing price comparisons for products or show-times for movies.
Springpad is also available as apps on the iPad
, iPhone
, and Android that synchronize with the web interface. Additionally, Springpad is available on new Toshiba
notebook computers through a web application subscription service.
, they can opt to sync the event to it.
In addition to the smartphone app and site, Springpad can be used via the browser extension
for Google Chrome
, or the Springpad Clipper, a bookmarklet
, while browsing any site to analyze the current page and clip the relevant information from it — such as ingredients needed if the page is for a recipe or add the site as a normal bookmark. Another way users can add content to their Springpad "My Stuff" is by e-mailing entries to an e-mail address that is created upon registration and found in their settings.
Included with the smartphone apps are the ability to scan barcodes which Springpad will then use to identify what the product is, save the item to the user's "My Stuff", and automatically generate additional information and links for the user. Other features of the mobile app are saving captured images taken with the phone's camera and locating nearby businesses.
With most of the content added to a users "My Stuff", relevant news, useful links, and other helpful information can be viewed. Users can also attach additional notes and images to content they have already saved, and they can add reminders and alerts which can be e-mailed to the user's e-mail or text message sent to their phone. Springpad will also add alerts to its own Alerts section for relevant news, deals, or coupons for specific products that users add.
For additional organization, anything added to Springpad can also be tagged
. Users are also able to add entries to "Notebooks" to separate content by projects or any other way they wish. Each Notebook includes a section called a "Board", which acts as a pin board in which users can pin content they have added to the Notebook to visually layout items. If the user adds a map to the Board and has entries that include an address, Springpad will automatically point out entries on the map.
By default, everything added to Springpad is private. However users may change the privacy settings for each of the types of items added, decide to make specific items public and shareable on Facebook
and Twitter
, add to their public page, or keep them private but share a link with specific people.
Web service
A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
that allows its registered users
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
to save, organize, and share collected ideas and information. A personal organizer and information capturing service, Springpad is designed to help its users remember content. Content that is added is identified and categorized by the application after which it then generates additional snippets based on the type of object added — such as listing price comparisons for products or show-times for movies.
Springpad is also available as apps on the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, and Android that synchronize with the web interface. Additionally, Springpad is available on new Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
notebook computers through a web application subscription service.
Features
Springpad users can use the main site interface which uses HTML5 from most browsers or use the smartphone app to capture notes, tasks, or lists which are then added to the user's "My Stuff", the user's personal database or collection. Additionally Springpad lets users look up items of interest which are then automatically categorized based on type or manually categorized by the user. Current category types include recipes, movies, products, restaurants, and wine among others. Events can also be added to Springpad, and if the user uses Google CalendarGoogle Calendar
Google Calendar is a free time-management web application offered by Google. It became available on April 13, 2006, and exited the beta stage in July 2009...
, they can opt to sync the event to it.
In addition to the smartphone app and site, Springpad can be used via the browser extension
Google Chrome Extensions
Google Chrome Extensions are small programs that modify the Google Chrome browser. These extensions are written using web technologies like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Google Chrome Extensions are downloadable through the Google Chrome Extensions Gallery. So far, over 2,200 extensions have...
for Google Chrome
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or...
, or the Springpad Clipper, a bookmarklet
Bookmarklet
A bookmarklet is Unobtrusive JavaScript stored as the URL of a bookmark in a web browser or as a hyperlink on a web page. The term is a portmanteau of the terms bookmark and applet, however, an applet is not to be confused with a bookmarklet just as JavaScript is not to be confused with Java...
, while browsing any site to analyze the current page and clip the relevant information from it — such as ingredients needed if the page is for a recipe or add the site as a normal bookmark. Another way users can add content to their Springpad "My Stuff" is by e-mailing entries to an e-mail address that is created upon registration and found in their settings.
Included with the smartphone apps are the ability to scan barcodes which Springpad will then use to identify what the product is, save the item to the user's "My Stuff", and automatically generate additional information and links for the user. Other features of the mobile app are saving captured images taken with the phone's camera and locating nearby businesses.
With most of the content added to a users "My Stuff", relevant news, useful links, and other helpful information can be viewed. Users can also attach additional notes and images to content they have already saved, and they can add reminders and alerts which can be e-mailed to the user's e-mail or text message sent to their phone. Springpad will also add alerts to its own Alerts section for relevant news, deals, or coupons for specific products that users add.
For additional organization, anything added to Springpad can also be tagged
Tag (metadata)
In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
. Users are also able to add entries to "Notebooks" to separate content by projects or any other way they wish. Each Notebook includes a section called a "Board", which acts as a pin board in which users can pin content they have added to the Notebook to visually layout items. If the user adds a map to the Board and has entries that include an address, Springpad will automatically point out entries on the map.
By default, everything added to Springpad is private. However users may change the privacy settings for each of the types of items added, decide to make specific items public and shareable on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, add to their public page, or keep them private but share a link with specific people.
See also
- Comparison of notetaking softwareComparison of notetaking software-General features:-Formatted text features, others:-See also:* Comparison of web annotation systems...
- Getting Things DoneGetting Things DoneGetting Things Done is an organizational method created by productivity consultant David Allen, described in a book of the same name....
- EvernoteEverNoteEvernote is a suite of software and services designed for notetaking and archiving. A "note" can be a piece of formatted text, a full webpage or webpage excerpt, a photograph, a voice memo, or a handwritten "ink" note. Notes can also have file attachments...
, a similar notetaking tool that is often compared to Springpad