One of the most attractive elements to have made its way to Microsoft Office and become one of the four key pillars of the company’s popular productivity suite is OneNote, which is basically a “digital notebook.”

That OneNote is becoming one of the noteworthy elements of Microsoft Office software is evident from the fact that Microsoft ensured that OneNote grabbed the spotlight at the launch of the Consumer Preview of its forthcoming Office 2013 version earlier this week.

Even though the forthcoming Office 2013 version will boast its three conventional elements - Word, Excel, and PowerPoint -, it is OneNote which is the shining star of Microsoft’s new mobile, touch-friendly Office suite.

While Word is for word processing; Excel is a spreadsheet program; and PowerPoint is for making slideshow presentations, OneNote is a powerful as well as versatile tool which facilitates the users in organizing a number of things. It helps them make their ‘to-do’ lists; jot down notes during a presentation; and write down random ideas which run through their minds for later reference.

The inclusion of OneNote in the Office 2013 version will enable the users not only to store and organize information, but also to search text, audio, video, photos, and handwriting. Users can embed information in a wide array of formats; with the OneNote 2013 giving them the ability to write using your finger, mouse, or a stylus; and also converting the handwriting to editable text.