My wife and I upgraded to Android phones a while back, and I have been ridiculously hooked on the whole “app” experience. I know. I’m late to the game, but I am in it now, and I’m ready to learn as much as possible.
The app that’s rocking my world right now? Evernote.
Evernote is a note taker’s dream, and I constantly take notes throughout the day. I might just need to jot down something as simple as items to pick up at the grocery store or a significant portion of my next story or article. Whatever that note might have been in times gone by, it ended up as a scrap of paper that would go into my wallet or pocket never to be seen again. The only time those notes would see the light of day was after laundry was done, and we were picking bits of paper out of the dryer or my pockets.
Evernote is breaking my bad habit and saving trees everywhere. The most beautiful feature about Evernote is the fact that users can access it from a wide variety of devices: iPhones, Android phones, desktop apps (PC & Mac), and in web browsers. I can start a note while I am at work in the web browser version. (After all, I don’t want to download additional software on my company computer.) Later, when I get home, I can access that same note from my desktop app and add more information. When I’m out the next day or the next week, I can then quickly pull up that same info on my Android phone without missing a beat.
Much More than Text Notes
If Evernote only handled text, it would be handy but not essential. What separates Evernote is that it can easily merge audio files, images, URLs and more into users’ notetaking. For example, an Evernote user can be driving down the road and suddenly remember a vital piece of information. Rather than having to pull out a notepad or type on a phone keypad, the driver can record an audio message with the phone and save that audio to Evernote. By tagging the note and saving it to the appropriate “Notebook,” users can stay organized on the go.
I have to confess that I still catch myself jotting ideas on paper — there is just something about the physical process of writing that holds an allure. In the past, this “old school” approach only doubled my efforts. If I really wanted to keep that exact data, then I had to bring it home and transcribe it into a Word document. Now, if I want to keep the note, I can take a picture of the page and still have all of the relevant data. Evernote even allows for plugins / add-ons that extend the functionality. Theoretically, I could create a PDF of my notes and have searchable text that could be copied and pasted to another application. The only problem is that my handwriting is far too messy for any OCR device to match up the text properly.
Endless Possibilities
Evernote has created an effective marketing tool with their blog. While the company offers several tips on how to optimize the user experience, Evernote also focuses on innovative ways that users are already applying the program. From expense reports to diet plans, the program is obviously able to adapt to the needs of customers.
I can say that it has already made a big difference in my day-to-day routine, and I can’t wait to try out some of the ideas from the Evernote blog.
Evernote has a free plan that currently allows users 60MB of data to be transferred, which is more than one might think. I was concerned that I would quickly blow by that usage number, but I’ve yet to cross the line into premium plan land. I have no doubt that I will end up getting the very affordable plan as I become more dependent on the service.
Check out the service at Evernote.com. If you switch between information and communication devices throughout the day, you’ll quickly realize the value of having your data centralized and easily accessible.
