Note taking at it's best - Evernote

Introduction

Are you taking a lot of notes in your daily work and personal life routine ? Do you have a smart device and wish to maximize its useability ?

Evernote is a free note taking cloud service where you can store notes (or contents) and sync them across multiple devices and platforms. I started using Evernote back in 2009, it was then I realised that I needed a note taking platform whereby when I log on to another machine, I can still access all my notes and links.Just when I was using Evernote quite frequently, Google launched the Google Keep.

While the aim is similar, Google Keep was a different animal, it was good at the beginning to keep simple notes but there are lack of features and functions which renders it useful when it comes to multiple platforms and advanced content capturing. Given that it is a yet to mature application, I have my reservations when using it to my own needs and likings.

Fast forward a bit and here am I again, back to Evernote. Admittedly I had given up on Evernote a while ago because they had a breach of accounts by hackers but alas, I guess I can't omit that they are still one of the best note taking platform which is available in today's world. It had turned from a cloud based note taking service into a cross platform note taking service - used on desktop, web browsers and mobile devices.

How to start ?

So how would you maximize the use of Evernote ? Now if you browse to their official website, there are many applications which you can download and use. Even Google Play would have a few apps to go with. Step 1 is to register for your free account in the main website (www.evernote.com)

Web Interface for all

Once registered, you can now start creating your notes and organize your folders. The web interface makes sense especially if you're in a platform like Linux or Unix.

Evernote main page - It's Free !

Offline while using Windows platform

While the web interface is sufficient, what about times when you do not have internet access ? How can you access your notes offline ? Evernote also comes with a Windows desktop client where you can download and use. It will sync with your Evernote account periodically and also allow you to manage your notebooks, tags and such. Download and installation is at the link below http://evernote.com/download/

Evernote Main Application for Windows 7

Smart Devices

If you're reading my blog, chances that you have a smart mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. Fred not because Evernote also exist in those platforms, moreover because your smart device would have more capabilities like camera, GPS and such - and you would likely be using it for many other purposes (like jotting down a cooking recipe, planning groceries, taking pictures during travel and such), there are a lot more apps in the mobile platform to cater for different aspects of your life. Here's a Google Play link: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=evernote on all the related apps (There are also some in App Store which you can browse through using your i-device)

Evernote apps for mobile Android devices

WebClipping ?

In my line of work, I use the internet a lot - for research and such. Many of a times, I can only capture the link of a webpage for notes and sharing purposes. Like the prior example, if I'm not connected to the internet, I'm caught without having the capability to access these links which I had captured earlier. Evernote noticed that drawbacks hence they created a WebClipping function. WebClipping is basically a feature in your web browser (I'm using Firefox) which allows you to capture a fragment of the webpage as a note. There are many ads or contents in a webpage which does not makes sense in a clipping but the WebClipping feature allows you to filter out and clip subsections of it - omitting portions which is not important or useable. WebClipping for firefox can be obtained from their Add-On page

WebClipping an article

Sticky Notes = Evernote ?

Remember StickyNotes for Windows 7 ? That little sticky note icon near your Start button ? Apparently there is also a 3rd party app which replaces that. While you can open your Evernote main application in your Windows session but sometimes, the lesser applications running on your desktop, the better it is. This app is also very useful for productivity, creating/editing new or existing sticky notes will automatically sync to your Evernote account - imagine having to plan your grocery list on your desktop and automatically sync onto your smartphone, how cool is that ! Download and install from here: http://hosting.edo-soft.com/stickynotes

Evernote Stickies with Synchronization features

Sticky Notes Widgets on Android ?

Okay, this is an Android blog, not an application blog, what about Widgets on your android device ? Can all the notes you store appears there ? Well, yes of course ! Download and install the Evernote widget app into your device from Google Play via this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote.widget and start customizing your homescreen

Android Widgets ! Yeah !!

To sum it all

Here's a thought and a real use case...

Case 1
1) I spotted a hotel promotion in the web when browsing through a website using the desktop
2) I want to send the link to my wife but it would be via email from desktop (which I think it's inefficient)
3) I copy and pasted the link (or webclip it) and save to my evernote (main application, webclip or sticky notes)
4) Open my smart device and I sync my evernote (well, it will eventually sync up as well)
5) Send the note link to my wife via share through Whatsapp

Case 2
1) I plan my grocery list on my desktop using sticky notes
2) It syncs onto my mobile device !

As you can see, many of a times we still rely on the main desktop for some copy, paste, research and note keeping process while we use the smart device to enrich contents before sending it to others. Having a single platform does help in terms of switching between "workstations"...