Evernote for Android Update Bears First Fruits of Skitch Acquisition

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Evernote acquiring Skitch, originally a Mac app that lets you edit/annotate images. Evernote had big plans for Skitch, including integrating some of the app’s best features directly into the Evernote desktop and its suite of mobile apps. Looks like Android wins out as the first app to benefit from the Skitch acquisition. Read More

Evernote Gets Serious on Image and Screenshots – Aquires Skitch

Evernote apparently agreed with its critics that they could do a better job of handling images and web screen shots.  Specifically, the ability to annotate and/or share images was what was lacking. Well they did something about it and bought Skitch, a Mac application that gives users the ability to capture, markup, draw on, and share images with ease. Read More

Evernote Lands on Windows Phone 7

That’s right – The note/voice memo taking, task conquering, web clipping, all-in-one productivity app finally gets a native version for Windows Phone 7 (WP7). There are so many use-cases for the Evernote app. Now WP7 users can explore all the ways Evernote can be used for personal/business tasks.

I am a fan of the WP7 user interface – It’s just beautiful. The Evernote app for WP7 exploits that beauty and lets you save and find your ideas and memories any time, anywhere. All of the features that Android, BlackBerry, and iOS users are accustomed to make an appearance, in addition to some cool Microsoft-specific features that can only be found on the WP7 version like note mapping that uses Microsoft Bing mapping technology to to show you where your notes were created. To allow the app to save your location, go to the Location panel in the Settings menu and check off the options. Then, you can view you notes on a map.

For those users who want to share some of your ideas captured in Evernote, Facebook sharing is built-in as well. Simply connect your account and the Facebook post option is prominently displayed as one of the three note options for every note. Hopefully, Evernote will add Twitter and maybe Tumblr sharing as well in future updates for even greater social networking capabilities.

So if you’re one of the brave ones and stepped into the new mobile platform realm via WP7, visit the Evernote blog to learn more. If you’ve been waiting on Evernote to come to WP7, you can jump over to the WP7 Marketplace (be patient if it isn’t there), and download your copy…and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Latest Evernote for Android Update goes BIG

Quoted from the Evernote Blog:

This is the first time that we have crammed this many great features into a single release of any Evernote product

In other words, Android folks who swear by Evernote as their go-to “put everything here” service should be in for a nice surprise the next time they check their app update status. Just a few key features include:

  • A progress bar at the top that shows you exactly what is being synced
  • A new ever-so-sexy widget bar that lets you quickly jump into the app to create text, audio and snapshot notes, as well as to perform searches
  • Maps and location. Now in addition to just tagging your notes with location information (if your phone’s GPS in enabled), you can now see all of your notes locations visually on a map.
  • Posting notes directly to your Facebook wall, Gmail, and Twitter accounts in just a couple taps.
  • Browse and edit shared notebooks. If other Evernote users have shared notebooks with you, you can now search for notes within those shared notebooks and edit them if necessary.

Those are just some of the features that come with the free Evernote version. Premium subscribers have the extra functionality of a PIN lock that enables you lock your data with a pin. This comes in handy when you share a mobile device (like a tablet) with multiple users, but still need to keep them away from your data.

The Evernote Blog claims to have even more features in store for Android users. With all the current features and capabilities currently being offered for free, there is no reason why you can’t stay organized on the go. But just in case you don’t believe me, download Evernote for Android and try it for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usUg-CdJEKo&feature=player_embedded

Evernote Updates its Android App

Staying on my Evernote kick, Android users will be happy to know that Evernote updated its Android app with some cool new features to keep you connected to all of your important stuff.

In addition to a bunch of bug fixes…

– Fixed a problem that kept an edited note from updating properly
– Fixed a problem that removed intentional white space within notes
– Added higher resolution iconography (Android 2.1 and later)
– Placed the Save button onscreen on the audio notes screen
– Fixed a problem that kept the app from loading tags properly

…Instead of opening the Evernote app on your Android smartphone, you now can add an Evernote widget to your home screen to quickly browse through your stuff without opening up the app first.

Another feature is pinch and zoom support. So now you have more control over how you view your stuff in Evernote. No longer do you have to be subjected to the pre-determined views by just clicking on “zoom”.

Finally, any Android app that has a Sharing or “send to” option will list Evernote as one of the options. So if you want to save a website or a tweet for later, you can now “Share via Evernote” and send the content to your account…all without even opening up Evernote, or sending tons of emails with the content attached to my Evernote account (my current process since I am using a BlackBerry).

*Shakes fist at Evernote for BlackBerry app*

So if you are a heavy Evernote user, or need one place to store/access your info, and recently jumped on the Android smartphone bandwagon (for good reason) this is an update you should check-out

Evernote Widget For Your Site/Blog Pays You Back!

If you’re not familiar with Evernote, it’s a cool depository for all your online stuff. Notes, links, images, voice memos, you name it, you can store it in Evernote. The cool thing about Evernote is you can access/synchronize your stuff from ANY device. To put it in SmallBizGoMobile terms, if you are on the go and need to refer to some notes you left yourself for a business meeting, but don’t have your laptop, you can access those notes on your mobile device if you used Evernote to save the notes.

If you wanted to save a website to Evernote, you could drag a bookmarklet onto your favorites bar, click on the bookmarklet while on the site and BOOM! (BANG! Is already taken), the website was saved. You can now use your iPhone, iPad, Android, or BlackBerry smartphone to view the site later.

Now that’s no different than similar apps like Instapaper that also allow you to save web pages for later reading. So Evernote decided to up the ante and offer a widget for your blog/website that will allow readers to save your page to their Evernote account.

Now I know what you are thinking, “in addition to the Tweet button, the Facebook “Like” button, the Google “Buzz” button, now I am gonna have to deal with adding Evernote Site Memory button? Well yeah, if you want to get paid anytime somebody signs up for a premium Evernote account. But before I get to the money…

If you are a site owner, and you sign up for Evernote’s premium service and become an Evernote affiliate, you will have more control over your Evernote Site Memory Button. You can change items like the title of the note, the url (if you want to use it on your site’s homepage instead of/in addition to individual blog posts), and a bunch of styling options.

Now to the money – When somebody clicks your Site Memory Button, they will be asked to sign in to their Evernote account (if they don’t have one, they will be given the option to do so). If at any time in the future they decide to upgrade to a premium account, you collect the first $10 bucks Evernote collect from their upgrade.

Disclaimer: You don’t have to upgrade your Evernote account or become an affiliate in order to use the Site Memory Button for your site/blog. But a premium subscription is only $5 bucks a month, and with it now comes the opportunity to give your site’s viewers more options to save/share your page, and potentially get a little kick-back anytime someone saves your site in their Evernote account.
For more information, and how to get the button on your site/blog, visit the official Evernote blog.

Enhance productivity using your mobile and the right software

DropboxThe one thing that defines my life is the constant and overwhelming assault of demands on my time. So for me, productivity is not a nice thing to have, it’s an essential skill to master.

Add to that the fact that I have a naturally curious personality prone to distractions (INTJ in Myers Briggs) and what you have is a recipe for disaster.

So to stay on top of things and be effective I use a suite of software programs that help me be hyper-productive: very focused on the most important tasks for me, on top of the information that I need to get my work done and with a list of things that my colleagues owe me.

I have honed this system over time so that it stays with me, whether I’m working in the office, working at Starbucks, travelling, or even when I’m hanging out and all I have access to is my iPhone or my Android.

Here’s what my productivity software list is made of:

  • OmniFocus
  • + Basecamp
  • + Dropbox
  • + Evernote
  • + Socialtext
  • + Ringio
  • = stay productive.

My personal organizer application: OmniFocus.

OmniFocus
OmniFocus

I mentioned this app in my previous blog post. In a nutshell, OmniFocus helps me implement David Allen’s Getting Things Done system. It is a sophisticated app for managing to-do lists. What’s special about it is that it has many criteria to help you bubble up to the top whatever is important to you.

OmniFocus has desktop software client and a mobile client. I sync between them using a service called Spootnik, which has the added benefit of syncing between my organizer system and the rest of the company’s system, which resides in Basecamp.

Other alternatives to Omnifocus are: Things and TaskPaper (which I really like for its simplicity). Remember the Milk does similar things but is web-based.

My company’s organizer application: Basecamp

Basecamp
Basecamp

It’s not enough for me to keep track of my tasks, I need to be able to keep track of other people’s tasks, and as a group we need to stay organized and seamlessly communicate about each other’s projects. Since Ringio collaborates with a lot of vendors and people outside the organization, we use 37 Signal’s excellent, lightweight project management tool called Basecamp.

If you’re using Basecamp right you will have increased the awareness about the status of projects, and the chances that something will catch you by surprise will be drastically reduced.

If you don’t like Basecamp, or the price, there are many worthy alternatives

My files: always with me with Dropbox

Dropbox
Dropbox

It’s amazing how complicated it was to share files two years ago… if you had a Windows network and had a file server you could set up local file sharing… but it turns out that most of the files you want to share is with people outside of your network :-) The alternative is FTP, but many people don’t know how to use it, and it’s insecure anyways. What you really need is a way to create shared network folders without the network or without the file server… enter Dropbox.

Dropbox is an elegant service that integrates right into your desktop (Finder, Windows Explorer, etc) and mobile, and allows you to share folders with other people. When you update a file on your computer, it updates on theirs, and vice versa. Even when you’re not at your computer, you can log in to the Dropbox website and it gives you access to your files, and shows you recent activity. It even helps you recover accidentally deleted files.

One edgier alternative to Dropbox is Drop.io

My personal note taking system: Evernote

Evernote
Evernote

Evernote is a lightweight note taking system that helps you keep all your text, screenshot and video notes organized. I use it to jot down ideas, meeting notes, feedback from customers, transcripts of phone calls, reference how-to-do-this things….. anything that is for my eyes only.

Evernote does a great job of staying out of the way until you need to recall something, then it’s super search and tagging system come to the rescue.

With their iPhone and Android clients, Evernote helps me capture notes (even voice dictation or pics I take with my camera) while I’m on the road.

My company’s document sharing system: Socialtext wikis

Socialtext
Socialtext

A wiki is collaboration software that helps you keep documents organized and hyperlinked, much like a website that anybody in your team can edit. The ultimate example of a wiki is Wikipedia. We use wikis at Ringio to create things such as product specifications, software release plans, to create customer proposals, to keep track of our competitors, and to store instructions for different kinds of activities that our teams do.

A wiki is a system that acts as “company memory”. If you’re using it right you will be avoiding duplication in the long term, because you will be able to more easily recall when somebody had been working on an idea that you’re revisiting.

There are alternatives to Socialtext, such as Clearspace, or Google Sites.

My company’s virtual PBX system: Ringio

Virtual PBX
Virtual PBX

I spend a good chunk of my time on the phone, making calls to prospective customers, bloggers and the press, investors and partners.

It’s essential for me to spend as little time as possible looking up contacts and dialing, and I need the flexibility to call from any old phone and know that the receiving person is seeing always the same caller ID.

The Ringio software does exactly that for me.

There alternatives to Ringio, such as Google Voice, Toktumi or Ringcentral. I’m biased, of course, so I encourage you to try the different solutions.

Other productivity boosters:

  • Searchable email: I heavily rely on Gmail’s search capabilities and labels
  • Delicious bookmarking, Chrome’s bookmark sync
  • 1Password or LastPass for password management and form-filling
  • Tungle for meeting schedule management

What software do you use to increase your productivity?