Of all the multi-purpose note-taking, productivity apps available in the Apple App Store, there may be no other so highly rated and user-friendly as Evernote, designed and marketed by the Evernote Corporation. What sets Evernote apart from much of the competition, is its innate ability to store all of your content and data in three locations: your device (be it iPhone, Android OS-powered device, Windows Phone, etc), your Evernote web site account and your Evernote desktop application (available in your App Store for Mac users, or downloadable from evernote.com for PC users). Once a note has been created, say from your handheld device, the content is automatically and instantly synchronized between all three locations, making it easier than ever to access your material no matter where you are. This is true whether the note is created from your device, your desktop application or from your online evernote.com account.
Much of Evernote’s appeal lies in the wide range of options users have for what makes up a “note.” With Evernote, a note can be anything from a simple piece of formatted text (the desktop application includes font options, bold, italic, underline, paragraph alignment, etc.), or more complex and stylized material such as voice memos, web page clips, photographs (in virtually any image format), .PDF files and other attachable documents, or even hand written “ink” notes (always a fun experience). Once a note has been created, it can then be categorized and organized into customizable notebooks (folders, really) and tagged or annotated. Users may also edit, attach comments, and export their notes as well. Whether you are operating within the desktop application or the app on your handheld device, Evernote makes it easy to share your note via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. Users will also find printing options here as well.
On select smartphone devices, the Evernote app supports direct image captures from the device’s camera. This is a quick, easy and efficient way to snap a photo and store it in your Evernote account without the hassle of locating the file and moving it into the app yourself. Also, if your handheld device supports geolocation, Evernote can tag your notes and content with specific location details. For some users, this may be a nuisance or privacy concern, so be certain you check your device’s location settings or simply select “No” when the Evernote app asks to use your current location.
For the countless college students who make up a sizable percentage of Evernote’s 11 million users, the app is a smart and fun way to take notes in class. By typing their notes into Evernote’s free Mac or PC desktop application, students are able to effortlessly store all of their notes in two to three locations (desktop app, evernote.com account and/or handheld smartphone device). Even if you do not use Evernote’s smartphone app, the program and software still can’t be beat for its automatic synchronization back-up abilities. The majority of college students tend to find themselves burdened with keeping track of loads of information. From class notes, test and assignments due dates to syllabus content and professor contact information, remembering important details can be a hassle. With Evernote, storing all of this data is quick, simple and efficient. With easy-to-create notebooks, students can organize and separate their course notes and material by class name (i.e. English 225, Spanish 2, Chemistry, etc.), as well as tag notes with reminders and key words for easy searching later on.
But Evernote isn’t just great for students. Plenty of businessmen and women use the software to keep track of critical data, meeting times, budget planning and sharing, and even those fancy data pie charts and tables that no one in the outside world understands. Working closely on a project with your colleagues has never been easier.
Moms are using Evernote to store recipes (in text format, PDF, Word doc. format, you name it), shopping lists, online coupons clipped from web sites, or even to store the recently snapped, phone camera photo of those new shoes at the mall. You know, just as a reminder to return and check on their sale price in a few weeks.
For the travel guru, Evernote is fully-equipped and capable of storing all your trip details, flight itineraries, hotel reservation information, maps, even any special travel documentation you may need to scan and save. Evernote has you covered. That way, you won’t be so caught up in remembering the important trip details that you forget to have fun.
With an Evernote account (username and password), users also have access to Evernote’s “Trunk,” an online treasure trove full of exciting applications and additional hardware designed to “make your Evernote experience more awesome,” according to The Trunk’s official page. Here, you can even visit the Gear store to purchase Evernote trademark products such as physical notepads, Evernote t-shirts, sticky screen wipes, and even a wallpaper pack for your desktop, iPhone or Android smartphone. You will also have access to the official Evernote blog, where you can keep up with Evernote news and announcements on a regular, daily basis.
Although your Evernote device app and desktop/web site account is free, Evernote offers a paid premium membership option. Users with the standard free account are limited to around 60MB of data usage per month. Premium members pay $5/month or $45/year and are allotted 1,000MB of data usage per month. In addition to the increased MB upload limit, premium members have access to handy features such as text searches within .PDF documents, quicker word recognition and increased content security. For note-taking, information-storing, content-saving business men, a premium membership is definitely worth the cost. However, the majority of college students and average users should be fine with the free account.
The aforementioned features barely scratch the surface of this application’s abilities. It’s no wonder the app has received four out of five stars in the Apple Mac App Store, as well as the iPhone App Store. For productivity fanatics looking for an all-in-one software capable of storing notes, documents, photos, ideas, reminders and so much more, this is the application for you. From one obsessive-compulsive, multi-tasking, organizational guru to another, you won’t regret installing it. Visit your app store today and/or install the desktop application to your Mac or PC and start uploading your content.