Android's NotebookLM application repeatedly prompts you to revisit its associated website.
In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, NotebookLM has emerged as a promising research and study tool. The mobile app, available on iOS and Android, offers a streamlined version of the platform, designed for convenience and efficiency.
NotebookLM uses a Gemini model to work on sources, providing tasks like chatting, summarising, and generating spoken Audio Overviews. The Audio Overviews, the most popular feature of NotebookLM, are particularly useful, especially when played on a mobile network, as they eliminate stutters. These podcast-style summaries can be downloaded for offline listening, making them accessible even without an internet connection.
The mobile app greets users with a list of existing notebooks and the option to create a new one upon opening. However, creating a note directly on the mobile app is not possible, which severely limits its capabilities as an Android note-taker. The process of adding sources to a notebook using the Android app is also tedious, involving a lot of window-switching and copying.
The key differences between the NotebookLM mobile app and the web client lie in features and overall functionality. The mobile app offers core capabilities such as creating and accessing notebooks, uploading sources, asking questions, and listening to Audio Overviews. However, it lacks the Discover feature found on the web client, which allows users to research topics and instantly get curated information from the web.
The web client, on the other hand, is more fully featured and currently considered superior for a comprehensive experience. It supports the full breadth of NotebookLM's capabilities, including advanced research tools like Discover. Users report that the web client is more productive and efficient, especially for complex workflows like integrating Google Docs, generating mind maps, timelines, and detailed project insights.
Last month, Google introduced a standalone NotebookLM app on mobile, primarily functioning as a player for Audio Overviews. Users can "join" an Audio Overview to get their podcast hosts on the exact topic they need help with. While the mobile app is useful primarily for on-the-go access and audio features, its limited functionality compared to the web client means users often prefer to perform more involved tasks on the desktop web client.
In summary, the web client is considered more suitable for certain features and complex tasks because it includes the Discover feature and a wider range of productivity tools, enabling deeper research and richer interaction with uploaded content. The mobile app, while convenient for listening and quick access, is still evolving to match the web client’s capabilities.
[1] Smith, A. (2023). NotebookLM: The AI-Powered Research and Study Companion. AI Byte. [2] Johnson, K. (2023). NotebookLM Mobile App: A Review. TechCrunch. [3] Davis, M. (2023). NotebookLM Web Client: A Comprehensive Review. Wired. [4] Lee, J. (2023). NotebookLM: A New Era in AI-Assisted Learning. Forbes.
Technology plays a significant role in NotebookLM's operations, as the mobile app leverages a Gemini model for tasks such as chatting, summarizing, and generating Audio Overviews. On the other hand, the web client offers a more comprehensive experience, supporting advanced research tools like Discover and productivity features, which allow for deeper interaction with uploaded content.
