Carol covered Notes and Reminders along with other related topics.
Remember the Radio Shack ad? All the items on sale added up to $799 - making our choice of an iPhone a great deal because we have all those features and can purchase additional apps at low cost.
Read the User Guide chapters and then play with these native apps... these overlooked apps.
Our journey with Notes begins with Settings > Notes > Default is iCloud. Settings > Notes > Sort Notes by > Date Editing. Settings > Notes > New Notes Start > Title.
Beware of settings a password on Settings > Notes because there is no backing out. This could be set after you have used the app and are keeping sensitive information there.
Open the Notes app and touch all the buttons. Experiment. Carol showed us her Travel Prep note listing with buttons to turn on off as items are packed. Notes can be organized into folders. If you want to see Notes on both iPad and iPhone, be sure you are saving them under iCloud.
From the Home Screen swipe left to right until you get to the Today View. Information is displayed on this screen view in Widgets. Many new apps you purchase can include a widget. To personalize your Today View, swipe up until you see the Edit button. The top segment of this list has red (-) markers and on the right edge 3-lines indicating you can re-order the list. If you do not want a widget on your screen, touch the red marker to move it to the hidden options. The bottom segment of this list are widgets not yet visible in the normal mode. Touch the green (+) mark to add the widget for your favorite apps. When you finish, tap the Done button at the top edge of your screen to dismiss the edit view.
The Reminders app is a fancy to-do list that is smarter than your average bear. You can set reminders based on time or location. This is a great time to practice with Siri - your personal assistant. You will want to create a Contact card for yourself and add the names (contact cards) for people you want to connect with. Then invoke Siri and say "Remind me to call my sister when I get home." My orange tree would like me to set a reminder to fertilize in February, April and September.
Working with anyone is a matter of appreciating each other's strengths. A little appropriate humor goes along way. Your personal assistant, Siri, is the same - it takes practice. Read what Apple tell you about Siri. Doesn't hurt to search for clues, tips and Siri jokes. Don't confuse Siri with Dictation, although you use voice commands for both services.
Search from Home Screen to find Notes, Pages documents, Mail messages and Calendar items.
You will find that re-reading the User Guide will help you measure what you know, what you've learned and what you want to know about effectively using your iPhone and iPad.
The Control Panel is another way to access a few features or apps. Add the Timer, Flashlight, Magnifier and Voice Memo apps.
Remember to practice gestures and touch controls. Tap, swipe, touch and hold, pinch ... and more.