(Archived) Not enough space...VERY disappointed with evernote.

[nateftw 0]

I'm currently in medical school and just started using evernote for holding and organizing all my notes, powerpoints, pdfs for human anatomy. There is a HUGE problem however. Most of my anatomy pdf/powerpoints are around 45mb because they have lots of images. And as soon as I start annotating them they go slightly over 50mb. I can't put anything over 50mb into evernote?? is there anyway to disable this. I don't care about syncing stuff online. It seems like i just wasted $50 on this program.. It's also pretty ridiculous that we can only put in 1gb of information (I realize we can make them local), but then whats the point of paying for this app... Is there anyway to disable syncing so I can just do what I want with the application? I'm very very disappointed...suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

hi. i am a researcher who frequently deals with files well over 50mb in size. i split them up and upload them. no big deal. they are searchable and available to me at any time.

as for the benefits of the premium membership, it gets you 1gb of storage per month, which adds up to 12gb per year. this is a big deal if you want to (for example) put all of those medical texts into evernote and be able to search them (this is basically what i do).

if you intend to annotate and manipulate these pdfs on a regular basis, i suggest putting the files into dropbox and using something like goodreader or iannotate (on the ipad). besides the searching, and the convenience of having (for example) all of your journal articles available, evernote isn't designed to "do" much with pdfs. after all, it takes forever and a day to download all of that data. you are better off (in that case) with dropbox.

the strength of evernote (in my opinion) is that it is a great place to dump everything from emails to web clippings. by having everything, in any format, all in one place i can access everything at anytime. it helps if you scan your notes (scansnap) or handwrite them on the ipad (notes plus).

you may not care about the cloud, and a lot of people don't, but if you have ever had your computer die on you, or you are at a conference with nothing but your smartphone, evernote starts looking pretty cool. everything is safe and sound, and readily accessible.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I'm currently in medical school and just started using evernote for holding and organizing all my notes, powerpoints, pdfs. There is a HUGE problem however. Most of my anatomy pdf/powerpoints are around 45mb because they have lots of images. And as soon as I start annotating them they go slightly over 50mb. I can't put anything over 50mb into evernote?? is there anyway to disable this. I don't care about syncing stuff online. It seems like i just wasted $50 on this program.. It's also pretty ridiculous that we can only put in 1gb of information (I realize we can make them local), but then whats the point of paying for this app... Is there anyway to disable syncing so I can just do what I want with the application? I'm very very disappointed...suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Seems the medical student has failed to do his due diligence.

I don't care about syncing stuff online. It seems like i just wasted $50 on this program.. It's also pretty ridiculous that we can only put in 1gb of information (I realize we can make them local), but then whats the point of paying for this app...

What's your point? If you don't care about sync'ing...then put everything in a local notebook & don't worry about the monthly upload limit. This can be done with the free version.

Dropbox may be an option that works better for you.

[jbenson2 2,147]

I'm currently in medical school and just started using evernote for holding and organizing all my notes, powerpoints, pdfs.

I'm very very disappointed...suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Suggestion: Please don't set up your medical practice in the Minneapolis area.

[nateftw 0]

I got this application for organization purposes and to make my life easier. I dont want to have to break my files up just to put them into the application. Drop box doesn't do what I want. Why can't evernote at least take off that 50mb limit if we decide to put all my notebooks on local? It makes no sense...at all. I guess I was looking for a mac onenote alternative, but because of this aspect, this program is definitely not it.

And PS. I don't know why you are trying to insult me. I have done nothing to YOU. I am expressing my opinion on FLAWS of this application. Many people want to use it for the same purpose that I am, but cannot due to this ridiculous file limit.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Why can't evernote at least take off that 50mb limit if we decide to put all my notebooks on local? It makes no sense...at all.

Because it's their app & that's what they've decided. (shrug)

And PS. I don't know why you are trying to insult me. I have done nothing to YOU. I am expressing my opinion on FLAWS of this application. Many people want to use it for the same purpose that I am, but cannot due to this ridiculous file limit.

My comment is not an insult but an observation. You've paid for a full year for an app that apparently you did not fully research to make sure it works for you. And then you come to the message board dogging the app because it doesn't do what you want it to do. Even the slightest due diligence in the form of comparing the differences between free & premium accounts would/should have alerted you to the items you are complaining about.

[jbenson2 2,147]

I don't know why you are trying to insult me. I have done nothing to YOU. I am expressing my opinion on FLAWS of this application. Many people want to use it for the same purpose that I am, but cannot due to this ridiculous file limit.

I was expressing my opinion on the FLAWS of a medical student not bothering to research a product or even try out the free version before squawking about the product.

[nateftw 0]

okay. Well then I am giving evernote a suggestions (a VERY GOOD suggestion I might add). I would say nearly all the mac users at my school began to use this application and then realized that it wouldn't work for our needs. It would be in evernote's best interest to take this limiation off for local notebooks. Instead of being a fanboy, maybe you should open your eyes so you can see how this suggestion would actually IMPROVE the application. And if you think that this wouldn't improve the application, then you are greatly mistaken.

Anyways, to the others, thanks for the suggestions.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

If you don't care about syncing, and if you don't want to break up your files, and if you don't want to use a bibliographic program like Bookends or Endnote (to link from the record to your pdf), then you may want to try a personal wiki.

1.

VoodooPad is a fabulous piece of software for Mac. I think it succeeds where Evernote fails in linking notes and other information together smoothly.

2.

In Windows, I highly recommend BLADEWiki. It is a tiny, tiny program which works almost as well as VoodooPad to organize all of your informaiton.

For me, Evernote is not the best notetaking program. I don't even think Evernote enthusiasts would argue that. It also isn't the best for organization. VoodooPad and BLADE Wiki do a lot better job, in my opinion. But, it is the best at doing it all: syncing notes and files while keeping it all organized. It isn't for everyone, but if you use more than one device, I highly recommend breaking up those PDFs and giving it a try. If you don't plan to sync, and this PDF thing is going to be an issue, I am not sure that you can really get much use out of it, and I think you might be better off contacting Evernote and asking for a refund.

At any rate, I think people are having a negative reaction to your thread because you are disappointed that the program doesn't do what it says it doesn't do.

[nateftw 0]

Thanks Monkey for your input. I'll give those programs a try.

also, if I did decide to break up pdfs, what is the easiest way to do that?

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

okay. Well then I am giving evernote a suggestions (a VERY GOOD suggestion I might add). I would say nearly all the mac users at my school began to use this application and then realized that it wouldn't work for our needs. It would be in evernote's best interest to take this limiation off for local notebooks. Instead of being a fanboy, maybe you should open your eyes so you can see how this suggestion would actually IMPROVE the application. And if you think that this wouldn't improve the application, then you are greatly mistaken.

Although I am a fan GIRL, there is no fan girlism going on here. You need to realize this is an app that you didn't fully research. Your mistake. If you were the doc for any of my family members, you would now be fired.

As to what's in EN's best interest, I think they have a much better handle on this than you do.

At any rate, I think people are having a negative reaction to your thread because you are disappointed that the program doesn't do what it says it doesn't do.

Yup. (Although that should have been sufficiently clear to OP 2-3 posts into this thread.) Actually, to clarify, it does what it says it does. I think most people are smart enough to realize Evernote isn't the be all/end all app for everyone & every situation. But to not fully research an app & then gripe b/c it doesn't do what you assumed it did or because it doesn't do what you think it should do (especially when there is a free version to play with!) is nonsensical.

[nateftw 0]

Yeah, I treat my patients the same way I use evernote; that was a great correlation!

Evernote is NOT a onenote substitute, which they do advertise. I bought the full version thinking that it would take out the ridiculous limitations, my bad.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Yeah, I treat my patients the same way I use evernote; that was a great correlation!

Evernote is NOT a onenote substitute, which they do advertise. I bought the full version thinking that it would take out the ridiculous limitations, my bad.

Really? Where do they advertise Evernote as a OneNote substitute? I didn't know that.

Again, I don't think it is fair to purchase a product, expect it to do what it says it will not do, and then complain that you are disappointed about it. But, it's your choice on how you want to approach it.

I think Evernote is different than OneNote, but has overlapping functions. Regarding PDFs, it doesn't simply link to them on your hard drive (as OneNote does), it syncs them to a copy in a server somewhere.

I usually split files at about the halfway point (the end of a chapter). Or, in large files, I split it into smaller chunks.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

bought the full version thinking that it would take out the ridiculous limitations, my bad.

You really keep digging your self deeper & deeper. Please stop while you're "ahead."

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Yeah, I treat my patients the same way I use evernote; that was a great correlation!

I'm not even sure what that means. But FYI, yes, many personality traits carry over. So yes, if you do not fully check out something for your own personal use (and certainly in this case, SIMPLE), that would most certainly be a red flag to me (your customer) that you may not fully investigate items pertaining to me or my ___ (husband/child/parent)'s medical condition & yes, I will fire you & find someone I feel confident with & who will fully investigate options rather than "assume".

[JeromeB. 3]

hi,

One of the OP's problem is that the size of one note can not be > 50mb.

I am curious to understand what is the reason of the size limitation of one note? Thx.

(edit : typo)

[jbenson2 2,147]

hi,

One the OP's problem is that the size of one note can not be > 50mb.

I am curious to understand what is the reason of the size limitation of one note? Thx.

Even though Evernote is only 3 years old, they have made massive improvements.

But unlike the Wall Street Protestors who want something for nothing, someone has to pay for all the Evernote services.

12 million users

1,500 notes per average user

No restriction on file type

The indexing system and network is expensive

14+ clients requiring multiple IT knowledge

37 AMP processors and over 500 ENRS servers

150 million HTTPS requests per day, (peak traffic at 250 Mbps)

95%+ of the users do not pay

(Numbers are estimates I have heard.)

[Wern 246]

Well, as usual there are several reasons:

Speed, bandwidth, (some people are still on slow Internet connections), response time, server requirements etc.

I can understand that you would like more than the current 50 mb limit (for one note) but this is a decision by EN developers, who have to balance the above requirements. Smaller files are easier to handle on several fronts.

Wern

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

You may find this thread informative, too. It sounds like (to me) that the limitation is imposed b/c in a database, each record must be able to (potentially) contain the maximum amount of data. IOW, if your note is only 400 kb, it still takes up as much space as if it was 50 mb (in the Evernote database.) So by determining the average size (as mentioned in that thread), they have (hopefully) found a compromise between accommodating larger notes while not having to "waste" a lot of space by having 100 mb records when most of the records are 50 mb or less.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I think it is also important to understand how the service works. As I understand it, you upload a file and whenever you want to view that file they download it to you. They do this for free (for most customers) or for a tiny fee (for premium members). What this means is that you can request this file as many times as you want, and they have to provide it. 50MB is pretty large for this. At least, it seems like a lot to me. Not to mention storing tons of our data on their servers in the first place.

Of course, I do wish they would bump it up to 75 or 100 MB. I have many files that large, and I am loathe to break them up. I have put it on my wish list. But, in the meantime, the service is what it is. I am not disappointed, because it does exactly what it says it will do.

[gbarry 2,658]

Moved to General Discussion, not a Mac-only thang. Carry on.

[jefito 5,589]

okay. Well then I am giving evernote a suggestions (a VERY GOOD suggestion I might add). I would say nearly all the mac users at my school began to use this application and then realized that it wouldn't work for our needs. It would be in evernote's best interest to take this limiation off for local notebooks. Instead of being a fanboy, maybe you should open your eyes so you can see how this suggestion would actually IMPROVE the application. And if you think that this wouldn't improve the application, then you are greatly mistaken.

Just a side comment on this: there are any number of features that would improve Evernote to some degree, but nothing comes for free (i.e., development resources are finite, as is time). The job of the Evernote folks is to determine which of those improvements would help out a significant number of their customers, in an achievable amount of time. Some demonstrably useful features just don't make the cut at all, while others are delayed. That's the nature of the game.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

along the line of improvements, i'd like to say that it's great that people suggest them, but just because evernote doesn't do what we want, that doesn't mean there is anything "wrong" with it.

en captures stuff and makes it available to the user. that's its reason for existence as the developers currently define it. i imagine the trade-off here if we allowed huge files to be stored in evernote would be some kind of restriction on the unlimited file transfers we now enjoy. personally, i wouldn't call that an improvement. sure, they could bump up the file size limit (something i would enjoy), but there would be some kind of cost (something i wouldn't enjoy), and i don't know if it is worth it.

ultimately, the developers have to weigh the costs and benefits, and i accept that sometimes our calculations won't match up. just because someone points out the costs doesn't make them a fanboy.

[cdnirene 0]

There is a very easy work-around to the file size limitation if you are only using Evernote locally. I just tested it and it works fine.

* Create a file directory on your hard drive where you place all the extra-large files.

* Create a note in Evernote for each of the files.

* In the note, create a descriptive word(s) for the file. Highlight the word and right-click. Select "Hyperlink" and then "Add". Replace "http://" with the "url" to the file on your hard drive. For example. If you have created a note called "test.pdf" in a directory called "Notes" on your C drive, the url would be: C:\Notes\test.pdf

That's all you need to do.

[dlu 628]

I'm currently in medical school and just started using evernote for holding and organizing all my notes, powerpoints, pdfs for human anatomy. There is a HUGE problem however. Most of my anatomy pdf/powerpoints are around 45mb because they have lots of images. And as soon as I start annotating them they go slightly over 50mb. I can't put anything over 50mb into evernote?? is there anyway to disable this. I don't care about syncing stuff online. It seems like i just wasted $50 on this program.. It's also pretty ridiculous that we can only put in 1gb of information (I realize we can make them local), but then whats the point of paying for this app... Is there anyway to disable syncing so I can just do what I want with the application? I'm very very disappointed...suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Thanks for posting. If you're not interested in syncing files, what features are you looking for that a regular file system on your laptop doesn't provide?

If there weren't technical constraints in place, I'd be completely for upgrading the note limit. I'll bring it up internally.

Also, if you write into customer support, I'm sure they'll give you a refund. Please tell the other students at your medical school if they too prepaid for a year and then realized it doesn't work for them. (Mac, Windows, doesn't matter)

[NathanY 0]

Can Evernote provide more space for free accounts? 50mb is a little small. 

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Can Evernote provide more space for free accounts? 50mb is a little small. 

 

There's a saying...beggars can't be choosers.

 

You can increase your space for $5 a month or $45 USD for a year.  Once you're premium, you can add an additional 4 or 5 gigs (I forget) in 1 gig increments for $5 per gig.  That's pretty inexpensive.  If you elect to not pay, that's certainly fine & your choice.  But you'll just have to live with the limitations of a free account.  That's kind of how most of these apps/services work. The Evernote people have bills to pay just like you & I do.

[jefito 5,589]

Can Evernote provide more space for free accounts? 50mb is a little small.

Just to be clear -- 50MB is not a limit on the amount of space you have for a free account, instead, it's a limit on how much you can load into a free account per month. Another thing: you can go premium for a month ($5), and upload the max for the month, and then go back to free.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Can Evernote provide more space for free accounts? 50mb is a little small.

Would 60mb be OK? If so, then you are all set, because the monthly upload limit is actually 60 mb

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=169

I would recommend Premium if you are running out of space, or creative use of local notebooks if you are unwilling to upgrade. By the way, how much higher would you like the upload limit to be?