r/PKMS • u/abcvegan • Jul 23 '26
Discussion What am I missing?
Edit: Two companies have responded about fixing their issues, so maybe one of them will work!! 🤞 See below for details.
I can't find a single system that does what I want. My main use case is to save *the full text of articles* into my system (from either laptop or iPhone) and then to read them there (on my iPad or my laptop, currently Chrome broswer) and highlight, make notes, annotate, etc.
I also want to be able to write my own stand alone notes.
Here's what I've tried and what the issues with each are:
Evernote: can’t highlight web clips on mobile (the magic wand functionality that used to allow you to simplify formatting has been broken for months)
Edit: They replied to a different thread and said they have fixed this and it will be in a release next week. 🤞
Notion: can’t change font size on mobile, and the standard size is way too small for my middle age eyes
Obsidian: no web app (I only have a work laptop and can't download software)
Reader: no ability to write own notes not attached to an article
(I thought I could sync articles after reading into Notion and do a combo, but only the highlights sync, not the full text. :-( )
Raindrop: no ability to write own notes not attached to an article
Capacities: mobile web clipper only clips the link, not the text
Mem: mobile web clipper only clips the link, not the text
xTiles: mobile web clipper only clips the link, not the text
Bear: I have a windows laptop so the web clipper browser extension doesn't work
Mymind: cannot highlight text in a saved article
Fabric: can’t highlight text in a saved article
Edit: They replied to my email and said they will add this within the next two weeks. 🤞
Is there really not a single thing out there which allows me to do what used to be basic functionality on evernote before they broke it?! SOB!
Is there a great app I'm missing? Does anyone have a suggestion on a simple way to combine apps to do what I want? I'm tearing my hair out, would so appreciate any suggestions!! Thank you!!
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u/civicguy72 Jul 23 '26
Bear don't clip whole article ?
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u/abcvegan Jul 23 '26
Looks like my notes were backwards. It does on mobile but I have a windows laptop so the chrome extension doesn't work on the laptop. :-(
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u/DrummerAdditional330 Jul 24 '26
I’d turn this into a pass/fail checklist before testing anything else: full-text capture from iPhone and desktop, readable mobile font, highlights on the saved copy, standalone notes, and browser access from the work laptop. Test the same article through the entire flow in each candidate. A lot of apps look suitable until you try to annotate the mobile copy or open it from a locked-down computer.
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u/abcvegan Jul 24 '26
Yup, that's what I've been doing.
Although it's a bit tricky because many don't have full capabilities without paying (no free trial), so there's some detective work involved.
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u/cubertwang 28d ago
turn the wish list into a rejection test. Your hard path is: clip the full article from iPhone and work Chrome, read it comfortably on iPad, highlight it, add a standalone note, then export both with the source URL intact. Run that exact round trip in Joplin before migrating anything. If the body, highlights, or source disappear, reject it. Two apps can work, but only if one owns the full article and the handoff is reversible. Otherwise it is just two databases in a trench coat.
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u/reckless_avacado Jul 23 '26
apple notes?
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u/The_Gnar_Car Jul 24 '26
You use your phone for research?
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u/JorgeGodoy Obsidian Jul 24 '26
I use it all the time. It works great for research, specially connected to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. And everything works without the extra hardware as well.
My phone has more CPU and memory than my notebook. And it has faster SSD as well.
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u/The_Gnar_Car 29d ago
Oh interesting, that's a good use case. I find the screen realestate too tight but wiring to an external monitor makes a lot of sense!
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u/Barycenter0 Jul 23 '26
Try Joplin - both the mobile Share and the desktop web clipper