By Evernote is continuing development on their note-synching and productivity app, and they’ve recently announced that the latest version – 2.0 – is in beta. The best thing about this announcement is that you can go and grab it from their site right now to try it out for yourself. They warn that – because this is beta software – you’re at risk of losing any notes you take with this app. I wouldn’t bet on that happening, but a warning is a warning. So just what can you expect upon installing that .apk file? Glad you asked.
Take a nice look at this long laundry list of changes before heading over there to get your fix. (Remember that the file does not automatically update when Evernote releases a new version. You’ll need to make your way back to this page to download any future updates.) [via AC]
What’s new in Evernote 2 Beta
The Evernote 2 Beta is an almost total rewrite of Evernote for Android, here’s an overview:Great new user interface
You’ll immediately notice our new, more intuitive home screen, which allows you to make notes, gives you a great snapshot of the things you have in your account and shows synchronization status.Easier sorting and browsing
We made browsing notes, tags and notebooks much easier. You can group your notes by notebook, location, or month and use the scroller to switch between sections. Note sorting happens lickity-split and even works offline. You can also press and hold on any of the notes in a note list to quickly access options like edit, delete, note info, email or tagging.You’ll noticed that we’ve changed the interface, adding a convenient header bar to make it easy to switch among searches, notes, tags, and notebooks.
Dramatically faster
Evernote 2 Beta dramatically improves browsing, viewing and searching through notes by downloading all data about your notes, such as tags, notebook names, saved searches, note titles, and thumbnails when you first launch the app. It will also do this periodically in the background to make sure you’re always up-to-date (only available on Android).In addition, whenever a note is viewed or created on the device, it will be stored offline for easy access even when there is no network connectivity. This feature is available for both free and premium users.
The initial sync may take some time, so we recommend connecting your phone to a power source and turning on WIFI.
Offline notebooks for Premium users
Premium users get even more. If you have an Evernote Premium account, then you will be able to specify the notebooks that you want to be saved for offline viewing. Evernote will then download all the notes contained in those notebooks, including any attached images and files, and saves them all onto your device’s SD card.Simpler note creation and multiple attachments
Creating new notes is now much more powerful, allowing you to attach as many images, PDFs or audio files as you’d like. In the new note and note editing screens, use the buttons in the header to add a picture, assign tags, switch notebooks, or pull in data from other application or your local files. We still have the quick snapshot note.Sharing from other apps
You can capture information in other apps on your Android and send them to Evernote using the sharing option. We’ll grab the info and turn it into a note.When viewing a note, you’ll see a little tab at the bottom of the screen. Flip this open and you can see all the notes in your current search. Scroll back and forth through the thumbnails to quickly switch between the notes. Also, you can tap the note title to see more note details.
Work in progress
There’s a few things we haven’t finished yet or aren’t working perfectly.We’re still working out the kinks with sync, it’s a little early to rely on it offline for critical information. The initial sync takes a while.
Highlighting search results isn’t fully implemented
Editing notes is still in the early stage of implementation
Play back and recording of audio now requires a 3rd party application
Note tag dialog does not yet auto-complete tag names
Upgrading from 1.5 to 2.0 Beta a little rough so you may need to uninstall Evernote 1.5 before installing 2.0 Beta
We still have some polish to add to the UI
download springbad instead.
er springpad i mean.
Ah, finally an update for Evernote. Long over due, but glad to finally see some improvements in this app.
Evernote for android has been useless up to this point because of no local adding or editing of notes. Since they added that in this release it might be worth another look.
I really wish they added checklist functionality. I would love a combined notes and checklist app that was fast versatile. I’ve tried a ton of apps and I’ve come to the conclusion that the checklist functionality included with all note apps are just included as a gimmick… “look we can do sh**ty checklists AND notes!” …..ugh
kg, I think you’re right about springbad. I found at least four bugs in how it mangled notes I had clipped before I gave up on it.
I think all of these note systems are fundamentally screwed. The only decent system I’ve used has been Opera’s notes function, but it becomes hard to access it quickly from other devices. I gave Evernote a try (begrudgingly, at the recommendation of Scott Hanselman) but couldn’t put up with the fact that the login sessions time out so quickly. That’s not how note management should work. People need quick access. I’ve just taken to emailing myself instead, that way I’m inclined to sort it later rather than letting it linger.
I gave up on Evernote and converted to Springpad as the Android version of the app was crap and I can’t be bothered to try it again. Maybe not too little, but definitely too late.
First Skype on Android last week and now a long-overdue update to Evernote! Christmas has come early. This is a big step in the right direction, bravo!
The old Evernote did allow editing of notes….
Nice new interface. Too bad you risk the possibility of losing your notes just for trying the beta version. Hopefully they will fix that issue for the actual launch of the new 2.0 version of the app.
Curt, what on Earth are you talking about? You could ALAWYS add and edit notes from your phone. I’ve been doing so for six months.
@Nick
Edit offline ?
Just in time. I was about to switch to a competitor because Evernote 1.5 was so horrible on Android. It was slow, would lose new data sometimes. I was very frustrated.
But Evernote 2.0 for Android looks very promising!
Wow, really Evernote? I’ve been a loyal user for a while now but only supporting Offline access for Premium users? That’s BS. Evernote already stores data on my SD card, just let me access it, you miserly douchebags.
Install from week one definitely had sync issues. Current one is working great, no issues on this end. Was starting to migrate to SpringPad but with this release I’m back to Evernote for good! Orig Moto Droid
How many times must I get kicked in the nuts before I learn.
“Don’t get suckered into into vendor lock” I told myself.
“Just keep plain text files on your SD card”
But nooo. I *had* to use EverNote, and now – only Premium Users have access to offline sync.
Serves me right… turn your back on opensource and you get burnt – every time.
Excuse me while I go and export 20 000 notes from nevernote … there goes my weekend.
Oh yea, one more thing .. DIE EVENOTE DIE DIE DIE DIE ARHGHH!!!!!