What is Evernote?

[Stobes80 0]

Hi,

I have been using Evernote for the last two weeks. It was recommended to me by a work collegue. It seems to be a great App and I have learnt a lot about tagging and organising things on my computer. I am just trying to understand what is the difference between Evernote and Dropbox. I read on one forum that someone couldn't understand what the difference was between the two. Is evernote a form of storage for word documents etc? Can I store Powerpoint documents? I understand that Dropbox also stores software and Evernote doesn't etc. However, I am trying to workout what the advantages are between Evernote and Dropbox? I am a teacher so how can evernote advantage me?

[Wern 246]

Hi and welcome to the forums !

 

Well, this is a broad topic and much has been said abut this in the forum here.

In general, EN can do everything you pointed out in your post and much more. Think of a big "bucket" that can hold all your information AND with easy ways to organize and FIND everything again quickly.

 

The following will be a good start and helpful for you:

 

http://evernote.com/video/

https://evernote.com/getting_started/

 

Have fun!

 

Wern

[Kirby Krieger 72]

DropBox gives you cloud storage for computer files.  You can share individual files and folders of files with specific people, or make them public.  Since it is cloud storage (non-local, Web-based) you can access your DropBox from any computer or device that allows Web browsing.  It is best thought of as, and shows on your personal computer as, a folder in your file management application (on the Mac, this is Finder).

 

Evernote gives you cloud storage for text-based Notes.  A Note is a proprietary container of in-line information — perhaps most easily imagined as a special kind of email message.  You can share Notes with individuals or make them public.

 

The difference between _files_ and _Notes_ is critical.  If you need a file manager with cloud storage, use DropBox.  If you make and take a lot of notes (memos, research, things to read, shopping, stuff from the Web, etc.) then Evernote can be useful.  It provides nearly-frictionless multi-platform (OS X, Windows, Android, iOS, etc.) access to your database of Notes, with good tools for creating new Notes and for finding Notes or things in your Notes quickly.

 

Evernote does much more than that, but that is the core functionality and covers the core difference between DropBox (a cloud-based database of computer files) and Evernote (a cloud-based database of Notes).

[Wordsgood 526]

You know, Kirby, I think this is the best description I have heard! Nicely done.

DropBox gives you cloud storage for computer files. You can share individual files and folders of files with specific people, or make them public. Since it is cloud storage (non-local, Web-based) you can access your DropBox from any computer or device that allows Web browsing. It is best thought of as, and shows on your personal computer as, a folder in your file management application (on the Mac, this is Finder).

Evernote gives you cloud storage for text-based Notes. A Note is a proprietary container of in-line information — perhaps most easily imagined as a special kind of email message. You can share Notes with individuals or make them public.

The difference between _files_ and _Notes_ is critical. If you need a file manager with cloud storage, use DropBox. If you make and take a lot of notes (memos, research, things to read, shopping, stuff from the Web, etc.) then Evernote can be useful. It provides nearly-frictionless multi-platform (OS X, Windows, Android, iOS, etc.) access to your database of Notes, with good tools for creating new Notes and for finding Notes or things in your Notes quickly.

Evernote does much more than that, but that is the core functionality and covers the core difference between DropBox (a cloud-based database of computer files) and Evernote (a cloud-based database of Notes).

[Kirby Krieger 72]

You know, Kirby, I think this is the best description I have heard! Nicely done.

 

 

Thanks.  Much appreciated :-)

[megsaint 441]

I would like to add that they are not mutually exclusive apps. I use both regularly. I use DropBox for storing files such as back ups of photos. I also store copies of documents I might to access from many different places such as my resume. I've got some music and podcasts there. I have some apps that use it to back up settings and data (1Password, etc). I can't say I interact with it every day (the photo back up is automated) but I consider it necessary. 

 

Evernote on the other hand is something I use all the time. Files get put in Dropbox and left there until I need them. Notes in Evernote get changed, updated, edited, searched. 

 

Best of luck. 

[jefito 5,589]

Just to amplify Kirby's excellent answer:

In simple form: Dropbox provides a file system that syncs across the cloud to other devices. Evernote provides a note database that syncs across the cloud to other devices.

A file system organizes files in a hierarchical collection of folders. A file is just a named collection of bits, in some arbitrary format (text, MS Word, images, music, etc.). A folder is a named collection of files and folders. In general, each file is contained by exactly one folder. As with file systems in general, the Dropbox file system is managed using tools provided by the operating system on the device where the file system resides.

The Evernote note database organizes Evernote notes in a flat (non-hierarchical) collection of notebooks, and is composed of one or more files in a file system.. An Evernote note is just a collection of formatted text and attachments. A notebook is just a collection of notes (but not notebooks). Similar to the above, a note is contained by exactly one notebook. Attachments are just files (in the sense given above) embedded in a note; a note can contain an arbitrary number of attachments, and those attachments can be extracted to make separate files in a file system. An Evernote note database is managed using tools provided by an Evernote client, which is an application that understands the note database for the device that it resides on.

A big part of choosing to use a tool is to understand what you are trying to accomplish. I don't have any sense of what that might be.