App reviews: Papyrus, Grid

Papyrus

For many, digital note-taking, particularly on the fly, has yet to really surpass the traditional notepad. Sure, lots of people type faster than they write, but most slow down when they get to a touch-screen keyboard, and the immediacy of putting pen to paper is hard to beat. The Android app Papyrus, however, gives it a largely successful shot. The app doesn’t fiddle around with handwriting recognition, which may be a drawback for some, but it does recognize things such as the pressure you’re applying to the screen to make a digital pen stroke thicker or thinner. Users who have an active pen stylus, such as the Samsung S Pen, will get the most out of the app, which can also be operated through pen gestures. But if you’re looking for a good — and free — replacement for your pocket pad, it’s worth a download. Free, for Android devices.

Grid

Just because you might have a Type A personality, it doesn’t mean you can’t have pretty things. Grid aims to help you organize your life, whether you’re planning an event or making a grocery list. The layout of the app, which is simply a blank grid, gives users a lot of flexibility to create their documents. Tap on an empty grid square and you can mark out an area of the document that suits your content — bigger sections for photos of a recipe you’re recording, for example, while the ingredient list can occupy a smaller square. Its flexible layout also lets you embed contacts, so you can pull a list of party guests together quickly and text or call them from within the app. Editing a grid is not as intuitive as creating one, but it doesn’t take much practice before you’re swapping tiles like a pro. Free, for iOS devices.