Myyyy buddy.

Oh, notes, memos, post-its, cocktail napkins, and the occasional back side of  an open envelope - every last one of you a threat to my semi-organized existence. The app / service I'm talking about today, Evernote, isn't all that new. For me, Evernote has become an essential tool that I am almost lost without. For those out there that may not know about it allow me to share my obsession with you. 

At first, a friend of mine and I used Evernote to collaborate on a personal project. Slowly, I started to take my meeting notes in it... then started storing shopping lists and these days if I can scan it, snap a photo of it, or transcribe it, it goes into Evernote. 

Now that we have established that I am a total fan boy for note taking software I should probably provide a reason. Evernote's primary feature is that every note you take is sent up to that cloud all the kids are talking about and from there can be viewed from just about anywhere. Collaboration is the second most important feature. Here at GPB I use Evernote to share my design and meeting notes with my fellow new medians. I even have a notebook shared with my mother so we can swap recipes. A few versions back, Evernote gained the ability to find text within images. Overall this feature does a great job of turning scanned documents into searchable text. I have nearly ridded my apartment of "important documents" by scanning them into Evernote (I might even be able to find them now). Car maintenance history? It's in Evernote… Last 5 years of tax information? It's in Evernote… Receipts for renters insurance?… guess what… Evernote. 

The barrier for entry is low. Much like Netflix you can install Evernote on anything shy of a toaster (LG did announce an Evernote enabled refrigerator at CES…just sayin'). The service is also free for the basics. If you plan to upload a lot of photos or need other people to edit your notes that will run 45 bucks for a year.

I will admit it is weird to be so head over heels about taking notes. However, for me this is a service and software that I can look at and genuinely say that it changed the way I engage with my co-workers on projects, and store my personal information. 

Where to Find it
iOS App Store
Google Play
Windows 8