Image rights: Shiny Frog.Bear is one of our favorite writing and notes
apps, and with version 1.7 the developers
have introduced a ton of new features for
both Mac and iOS. The mobile apps get Dark
Mode, Split View on iPad and Face ID/Touch
ID note locking and encryption (for Pro
users). On the Mac there’s Spotlight
integration to make your notes searchable,
automatic updating of links between notes so
they stay current even when a note is moved,
a Safari extension, autocorrect for emoji, and
some new Pro themes.
You can lock and encrypt notes
individually, enabling you to protect the
vhqvlwlyh#vwxļ#zlwkrxw#orfnlqj#|rxu#hqwluh#
library, and the selection of Special Search
operators has been expanded. These
operators work alongside normal search
whupv#dqg#hqdeoh#|rx#wr#Ľowhu#iru#vshflĽf#
criteria such as notes that contain images or
attachments, that include todo elements or
that are locked.
We love Bear’s simplicity: there’s no
learning curve and you can be making andBear 1.7
Distraction–free writing, notes, and tagging
Free ($1.49/month, $14.99/year) From Shiny Frog, bear.app
Needs macOS 10.11 or later; iOS 10.0 or laterBEAR 1.7
Very easy to use
Excellent tagging
Deceptively powerful
No CMS integration
EXCELLENTsyncing notes straightaway. It’s easy to add
tags or create to-dos, the formatting options
suit most kinds of writing, and it’s easy to
dgg#lpdjhv#ru#olqn#wr#rwkhu#Ľohv#ru#qrwhv1#
The power features are easy to access, with
good use of keyboard shortcuts that mean
|rx#zrqġw#euhdn#|rxu#ľrz#wr#dgg#irupdwwlqj#
or tags. The word and character counts mean
it’s great for anyone who needs to hit writing
targets such as students and copywriters,
dqg#kdqgrļ#ehwzhhq#lRV#dqg#Pdf#zrunv#
well, so you can start writing on one device
dqg#slfn#xs#zkhuh#|rx#ohiw#rļ#rq#dqrwkhu1
Our only niggles are the lack of CMS
support — rivals such as Ulysses enable you
to post directly to WordPress and Medium
The updates mean that more than ever,
Bear is an ecosystem rather than an app:
it’s at its best when you use it across your
devices, dictating on your Apple Watch,
marking up images on your iPhone or iPad,
dqg#grlqj#wkh#elj#vwxļ#rq#|rxu#Pdf1#Lwv#
syncing is fast and reliable, formatting and
tagging options are comprehensive enough
for most users, and it costs a fraction of
platforms such as Evernote.
THE BOTTOM LINE. Bear is an excellent,
dļrugdeoh#dqg#ehdxwlixoo|#ghvljqhg#zulwlqj#
app to rival the big–name note platforms.
CARRIE MARSHALLBear is easy to use, but
it’s powerful too. It’s great
for serious writing.It’s easy to get Bear’s interface just–so, and you can also
adjust how it sorts your lists and tags.
Reviews
48 DEC 2019 maclife.com