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First Look: Evernote for iPhone

by Mat Lu Jul 11th 2008 at 1:00PM

Evernote for iPhone (iTunes link) looks to fill one of the big remaining holes on the iPhone: virtual notes syncing. Basically, the iPhone app is a stripped down version of the Evernote client which allows you to create and access notes which are stored in the Evernote cloud. Once created these notes can be accessed on the web or through any Evernote client application (they're available for Mac OS X, Windows and Windows Mobile).

If you're running the Evernote client for Mac OS X you can easily create notes accessible on your iPhone. Technically, this isn't syncing since the notes are not really stored on the iPhone itself; a network connection is required to access the notes. It's rather unfortunate that there isn't any kind of caching on the iPhone, because this means you lose access to all your notes if, for instance, you go on a plane.

The Evernote application allows you to create several different kinds of "notes." Naturally you can create text notes. However, you can also create "Audio Notes" recording a short audio message to yourself, or either of two kinds of photo notes: from a previous taken snapshot, or one newly generated from within the application itself. You can then select which notebook you want it added to, as well as add tags and text. Once saved it goes into the pending category and is shortly uploaded to the cloud. Unfortunately, once created you can only access (and delete) notes from the iPhone; you cannot edit them.

There are a few rough edges on the app. Sometimes the syncing does seem to work quite right. Text notes created on the iPhone default to a ridiculously tiny font. And you cannot edit notes. Nonetheless, it's a handy addition to the iPhone toolkit and finally provides a reasonably good work-around for the missing notes syncing. Check out the gallery below.

Evernote iPhone



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Evernote for iPhone (iTunes link) looks to fill one of the big remaining holes on the iPhone: virtual notes syncing. Basically, the iPhone...
 

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Leif

Yeah, I've been puzzled as to the lack of appstore apps to sync to desktop. Must be more of trick than we know?

Also, I can't get evernote to sync the notes --they just stay in pending. Anyone else have this problem?

July 13 2008 at 11:10 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stephen Lang

What a useless app, it provides the same limited functionality as the mobile web site!

No note editing, and no local storage of notes...what's the point? I thought this could replace Notes.app for me, but it's actually worse.

July 11 2008 at 3:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
chuck

Has anyone here using Evernote switched from using Journler? I have both apps, but still have all my entries in Journler. This iphone interface (app or webversion) is pretty cool feature to get access on the go and a good reason to switch. But I wonder how people judge Evernote as a journal/diary tool over Journler.

July 11 2008 at 3:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to chuck's comment
Leif

Hi Chuck, I'm in the same position as you except I think it's hard to compare the two. Journler has so many more features and ways of organizing notes...I see evernote more as a 'capture' app and Journler more as a 'store/organize' app.

July 13 2008 at 11:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris

The biggest problem with Evernote is that it's full of rough edges, regardless of which version you're using.

July 11 2008 at 3:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
All Evolve

Everytime I try to start it up, it crashes. I uninstalled it and reinstalled and it keeps crashing.

July 11 2008 at 2:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
impiri

I'm disappointed that you can't edit notes from the iPhone. I love Evernote, but the iPhone app isn't useful to me in its current state.

July 11 2008 at 2:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
davemorgan


I don't know what's so hard about syncing text notes from your Mac to you iPhone/Touch. Why are there only web options available?? The thing syncs contacts, calendars... WHY NOT NOTES!?! It makes no sense at all.

July 11 2008 at 1:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
andy

I'm really not taken with Evernote - it's not really got a Mac app feel to it at all - and the iPhone app is like a broken pencil (pointless!). Why bother having a native app at all?

And don't get me started on trying to get any large numbers of notes out of Evernote once you decide it's not for you!

Take a look at OmniFocus (both for iPhone and Mac) to see how things can really work!


Andy

July 11 2008 at 1:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
steven kappler

is anyone getting a message when they log into mobile me tht says that they have entered the wrong username and password?

July 11 2008 at 1:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to steven kappler's comment
eSystm

Way to keep your comment relevant to the blog entry.

July 11 2008 at 1:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gary Brinkman

wait.... You can actually log into mobileme? Must be nice to at least get that far. :)

So when should I expect the media/blog backlash to start over how long it has taken apple to get mobileme up and running and the issue with activations?

You would have thought after last year they would have figured out a better way to go about it.

July 11 2008 at 3:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
totoro

Weird. Just started using this program using the Web-based interface on the iPhone. It is a bit quirky, but works. Wonder what a native app really has over the web based one, given it needs to access the web anyways.

July 11 2008 at 1:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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