I love my Android Smartphone. Every now and then, a service comes along that actually justifies my having one.

Evernote is one of them. They have native apps that communicate and sync with your free online account for Iphone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm Pre. They recently released a beta app for Android, and I’ve been playing around with it all morning. So far, I think this is a must have app for professors and students.

Cool Features in the Native Smartphone Apps

1. Type in Notes
2. Snap Pictures of Handwritten Notes (which are searchable! Yes…searchable…it’s awesome)
3. Capture an Audio Recording
4. Upload a File
5. Add Tags (makes sorting through notes a breeze)

The Black Board Test
While we’re on the topic of cool features. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could snap a picture of the blackboard at the end class or conference presentation, and later search for a word and have the image of the blackboard come up if it contained that word? I’ve heard people say this is possible with Evernote, but I thought it would be worth testing out in the Android App.

I snapped this picture from 10 ft from within the native Android App. The uppercase letters are each about an inch tall. The lowercase characters are only about a half-inch tall.

Then I went into my Evernote account, and searched each word. This picture returned EACH TIME. With the word highlighted. Here’s a screenshot.

Pretty Awesome.

My Wish List for this App

1. Local Storage/Syncing
   3banana is a note taking app that syncs your online account with a folder on your phone. So you don’t need network/wifi access to access your notes. I like that feature. I wish Evernote had it.  (UPDATE: I think you can get this feature, but only if you upgrade to their premium account. So, my updated wish is FREE syncing)
2. Combine Images and Create PDFs
   Qipit.com is a photo only storage app that specializes in combining several photos taken from your phone and combining them into a single PDF document. It’s really great. Qipit is perfect for making a quick xerox of a journal article in the library. You’ll have a beautiful electronic copy where ever you go. I wish Evernote did this.

However, overall Evernote seems like a must have app if you’re a student or professor with a smart phone.

One Response to “Evernote: Must Have App for Professors and Students With Smartphones Comes to Android”

1. 

   Vaz

   September 1, 2009 at 1:37 pm

   You should all honestly check out myPocketProf!

   The best Android App is myPocketProf for anyone studying. I cannot believe its not even mentioned here!

   It synchronizes your notes to your phone. It doesnt limit you to small flashcards. Instead, after you’ve used it and have finished with it, you can even sell your notes via their online course system.

   You can share your notes with anyone also! Its brilliant.

   I think an iPhone version is going to be out very soon – check with microexcellence who own the product.

   Its super fast, especially when the notes are synchronized.

   Reply