A while back, I learned about a new information manager called EverNote that was announced at DEMOMobile. A public beta has just been made available and, based on a first look, this program may redefine the note-taking, information organizing category. EverNote uses a timeline metaphor and a combination of automatic and manual category tags to assist with filtering and search and can capture clips from Office programs, web sites, and media files.

To add information from any of these sources, you can either copy and paste or drag and drop into a new note. A link back to the source file or web site is automaticaly created at the end of the new note. EverNote includes a number of prebuilt note templates for to-do and shopping lists and recording expenses. Additional templates are promised.



As you can see in this screenshot, EverNote supports ink as well as typed text. This ink is not based on Microsoft's Tablet PC technology. It uses the ritePen technology developed by EverNote's founder. This ink has interesting chracteristics including dynamic color and line style modification and it can be created with a mouse or graphics tablet as well as on a true Tablet PC. Ink text in EverNote can be recognized and is searchable. The ink component also refines drawn shapes (rectangles, circles, etc.) into regular objects.

One of the most compelling prospects for this application is promised platform support for other operating systems including PDAs and Smartphones. Synchronization between devices is a cornerstone of the product vision.

This is a first beta release. Many of the features planned for the initial release are not yet functional. For example, printing, linking between notes, and synchronization are not yet available. Subsequent beta releases will turn on additional core functions but this first release is usable and provides enough capabilitiy to begin getting a feel for what EverNote will be able to do. If you enjoy trying out the very latest thing and have been looking for a truly fresh approach to information capture, organization, and retrieval, you may want to grab a copy and take it for a test drive.