Frequently Asked Questions

My built-in iSight faces directly at me. How am I supposed to record any useful video with it?

If your laptop supports it, I recommend the Ecamm Huckleberry, which is a simple mirror device that clips onto the top of a Macbook or Macbook Pro to allow the iSight to look the other way. Note that this will make your video display upside down, but Pear Note includes a video flipping feature to turn it back right side up.

If your laptop won't work with the Huckleberry, then you'll have to get an external webcam if you want to take video of alternate directions. See What video cameras does Pear Note support? for more information.

Why doesn't Pear Note have a library or some other mechanism for organizing my notes like other notes programs?

Many applications have you find your notes by forcing you to organize them. This may involve folders, libraries, or other similar concepts. While these methods can be effective, they are labor intensive. This frequently results in poor organization. If you want to organize your Pear Note notes, feel free to, as they are all individual files that can be placed in folders or other organizers (such as Together or DEVONthink). However, Pear Note provides a better way.

With the recent improvements of search technology, particularly in the form of Spotlight, search has become an excellent method for finding things. This is often preferable to organizational methods as it takes much of the work off of you, the user, and instead puts it on the computer. Pear Note provides a quick integrated search mechanism for finding your notes. To try it out, just press the Notes button or ⌘⇧F. For more information, see Finding Notes.

What video cameras does Pear Note support?

Pear Note should work with any video device that works with OS X. This includes built-in and external iSight cameras, DV camcorders, and most newer USB webcams. If you're going to use a USB webcam, I recommend running Pear Note on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, as the USB webcam support is improved over that of Leopard.

Why is search not working for me?

Pear Note utilizes Spotlight under the hood to power its search. First, make sure Spotlight is turned on and searching documents (in System Preferences). Second, make sure you installed Pear Note to /Applications, as Spotlight will not recognize Pear Note documents if you do not.

Is it legal for me to record others?

Laws regarding recording others vary dramatically from region to region. Some regions have no restrictions over this, while others may require consent from some or all of those being recorded. Also, many regions that require consent only require it if there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. That said, I am not a lawyer, so please seek one out if you are worried about this issue.

Can I get a discount?

Perhaps. We offer bulk discounts on a case by case basis. We also offer standard educational and non-profit discounts, which can be obtained by emailing support@usefulfruit.com with proof of educational or non-profit status.

How big are Pear Note files if I record audio or video?

That depends on the audio and video quality settings you've set in Preferences. As an example, recording audio for an hour at the default setting (Voice quality) would likely result in about 30-40MB. If you were to add video at Medium quality, the file would likely be around 100-150MB. Note that Pear Note is compressing audio and video using modern codecs (aac, alac, mp4), so file sizes will vary somewhat depending on how well the codec can compress that particular audio/video.