(Archived) What if I stopped using Evernote and hardly noticed

[psionmark 73]

Well, this is kinda what's happened.

 

Mostly due to the near impossibility of using Evernote on my iPad - which a while back became a necessity for a number of reasons - I started using Evernote less and less.

 

I started using NVAlt (and Notesy on iOS) with plain text notes (synced through Dropbox) for actual note taking, as trying to do so on EN on the iPad (at the time, might be different with the newest version) was basically asking to have your data lost due to the instability of the app.

 

And guess what? I really didn't miss Evernote at all.

 

I shall most likely keep my account, but mainly because I have 3,000 + (I deleted about 7,000 that I really didn't need) notes that, truth be told, I can't be arsed to move, although I may well look at CloudHQ to dump the whole lot into Dropbox one day. Or maybe into Google where I can now search within docs, which was always the "one big thing" that held me to Evernote. (And at least Google has 2 Factor Authentication...).

 

My main use of EN at the moment is just as a database of existing PDF's that I may need to reference at some point in the future (but have barely needed to so far during this "experiment"). I could achieve pretty much the same functionality by just dumping the whole lot into my file system. And may well do so.

 

I've certainly been doing more deleting of stuff from EN, rather than adding of stuff to EN.

 

So, Evernote, I know I'm only small fry in the big scheme of things, but please do be aware that unstable, unreliable apps can drive paying customers away. Even ones - like me - who previously (but not now) waxed lyrical about EN and encouraged many others to join.

 

I've got a Pro account for the next 2 years (mostly through discounted offerings), so I'll likely stick around, but more out of curiosity than anything else.

 

Mark

 

P.S. I'm not trying to stir things up. I actually just kinda realised this over the past few days. I saw the threads here relating to the security breach and it took me a number of days to even bother to change my EN password, which made me realise just how little I use it now).

[megsaint 441]

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

[psionmark 73]

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

 

It's too bad to see you go! However, you need to choose the application(s) that is best for your needs, and if Evernote isn't a good fit anymore, it's kind of you to let the developers know. The apps you have chosen are quite nice, but also quite different than Evernote. If you are still interested in Evernote, I think you'll find the most recent update (5.2.2) to be one of the best versions ever. It has its issues (I have a feedback thread listing some of them), but it is a significant improvement. Thanks again for sharing your experience with everyone!

[psionmark 73]

 

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

 

It's too bad to see you go! However, you need to choose the application(s) that is best for your needs, and if Evernote isn't a good fit anymore, it's kind of you to let the developers know. The apps you have chosen are quite nice, but also quite different than Evernote. If you are still interested in Evernote, I think you'll find the most recent update (5.2.2) to be one of the best versions ever. It has its issues (I have a feedback thread listing some of them), but it is a significant improvement. Thanks again for sharing your experience with everyone!

Hey Grumpy,

 

I'll still be around and keeping an eye on things. I shall certainly try the new iPad version - it might get me using it more again. As I say, I've already paid for Premium for 2 years, so may as well stick around and see how it pans out...

[gbarry 2,658]

Sounds like you've got a good setup for your purposes.  Selfishly, I'd like for you to stick around because of your thoughtful presence in our communities.    Thanks for the feedback though.

[psionmark 73]

Sounds like you've got a good setup for your purposes.  Selfishly, I'd like for you to stick around because of your thoughtful presence in our communities.    Thanks for the feedback though.

 

Thanks for the comments. I'm not really going anywhere, just wanted to share my observations re "drifting away" from Evernote. I may well "drift back" I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the forum.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I use an iPad a LOT, too.  But my main device is a Windows desktop.  I had the opposite experience.  I do avoid the iPad/iPhone EN app as much as possible.  But I do use third party iOS apps such as FastEver, FastEverSnap, Clever, etc.  However, several months ago, I had to rebuild the database on my main Windows computer.  It would churn for several hours (I have a lot of notes) & then simply stop.  It took me about two weeks, IIRC, to finally get it completed, (thank you,  Allen at EN!)  During this time, for two weeks, I didn't have access to my full database on any computer, since I also had some local notebooks that were only on my main computer.  This really, really, *really* cramped my style b/c EN is so integrated into my life.  Fortunately, the wounded EN database on my main computer would accept new notes, so I could create notes while working & they would sync up to the EN servers.  But I ended up having to use my 2nd computer and/or Clever on my iPad to look up prior, existing notes that had not been sync'd down to the main computer. 

 

Additionally, after having migrated data from my various PDAs & handhelds over the years, I'm hoping EN is the last stop. 

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I've got a Pro account for the next 2 years (mostly through discounted offerings), so I'll likely stick around, but more out of curiosity than anything else.

Again, thanks for your heads up on that Macheist bundle!  I got two of them resulting in 2 1/2 years at a deep discount, IIRC!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

 

 

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

 

It's too bad to see you go! However, you need to choose the application(s) that is best for your needs, and if Evernote isn't a good fit anymore, it's kind of you to let the developers know. The apps you have chosen are quite nice, but also quite different than Evernote. If you are still interested in Evernote, I think you'll find the most recent update (5.2.2) to be one of the best versions ever. It has its issues (I have a feedback thread listing some of them), but it is a significant improvement. Thanks again for sharing your experience with everyone!

Hey Grumpy,

 

I'll still be around and keeping an eye on things. I shall certainly try the new iPad version - it might get me using it more again. As I say, I've already paid for Premium for 2 years, so may as well stick around and see how it pans out...

 

I tend to use a combination of applications, and I am generally interesting in organizational systems, so I have an obscene number of applications lurking on my hard drives. If it is a "notetaking" app on Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS, then I have probably tried it. Evernote, of course, is the main one I use. 

 

THE IOS ENVIRONMENT

To second your point about problems in releases affecting workflows, I feel like Evernote should think about the restrictions in the iOS environment, and consider making a stable, bare-bones (plain text only and no photo, audio, etc.?) version of the app. This one would not be updated as much, or at least updated on a different cycle. In a worst-case scenario, if the regular one runs into issues (shall we call it the deluxe version?) , then users could switch over to the Lite version.

 

THE APP AS MISSION CRITICAL 

As it stands now, there have been many times when the publicly released app is simply unusable (no exaggeration here) and users (myself included) have been left in the lurch. It's not that Evernote is necessarily to blame here, but the iOS update environment, and the problems that occur with lots of apps when an update goes wrong. There is no going backwards, and no way to access notes unless you download a third-party app with all of its issues (no offline notes, for example). Until recently, there wasn't even a way to use the Web version on the iPad. The recent crash on update is a case in point. If I had been traveling that day and expected to have my notes available offline, I would have been livid. 

 

ONE SOLUTION

In fact, though, I have actually run into this experience before, when the app doesn't work and I am on the road. My solution over the last few years? Before every trip, I export my entire account into HTML, convert it to .txt, download it onto my iPad, and have it available in Notesy or VoodooPad just in case. These are both excellent apps, and while they are very different than Evernote, they guarantee that I can access everything as needed. If you are wondering why I don't just rely on them all the time, one of the first answers that comes to mind is "search." Evernote's search capabilities are fantastic, and it is the only app on iPad that can handle searching several thousand notes at once. This is quite a feat (Notesy does it, but you may want to get a cup of coffee while you wait, and VoodooPad is not exactly snappy either -- they both function fantastically with a few hundred notes). 

 

Of course, my minimalist notetaking philosophy (see the link to my website in my signature below) enables me to accomplish this movement in and out of Evernote with very little hassle. My many, many migrations in and out of software in the past have made plain text + YYMMDD titling something of a necessity if I want to live with myself! I don't have time to re-organize everything If you tend to work with a lot of rich text, clippings, PDFs, etc., then it will be a little more difficult (not impossible). 

[psionmark 73]

All good points, Grumpy. I'd pay good money (again!) for a good, stable plain text only variant as you've described. This is exactly what I'm after and exactly the reason I use Notesy at the moment.

 

Believe me, I'd be happier to move back to EN - I really do love the concept, but reliability and "always available" are minimum requirements for me, not nice-to-haves. EN do appear to be moving towards nice and shiny rather than fixing real issues that affect heavy users on a day-to-day basis. If they turn that around, I'll be back before you know it.

 

And this is why I shall be keeping an eye out here - if stuff like this does come along, or even a rock solid iPad version, I'll be back. Having said that, I've not had a proper chance to try the new iPad version (for reasons as stated in the OP), so I'll have to reserve judgement for now.

[hughjc 19]

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

 

I always look for posts like yours because I to am frustrated by the ipad version of EN (although it has recently approved dramatically) and I am always looking for an alternate for EN.  I was disappointed with your comments since you are saying that you can live without EN because NVAlt meets your needs.  If that is true than your past use of EN was like killing a mouse with a sledge hammer.  I certainly understand being disappointed with EN, in particular the ipad version, but I am just not understanding what the point of your post is.  I look forward to hearing your suggestions on organizing and accessing all of those pdfs as you move beyond EN.

 

Hugh

[megsaint 441]

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

 

No, it doesn't miss the point at all. Needs change, software changes. I don't think that necessarily means that Evernote has stopped meeting the needs of everyone who uses it. It continues to be a service I use more times a day than I can count on my MBA, iPad, iPhone and Razr M. I'd use it on my Windows box at work if I were allowed. And the point of that is my needs are different than yours. 

 

Best of luck.

[psionmark 73]

Then, apparently, it's not the product that meets your needs. Glad you found something that does.

 

Yes, you could put it like that, but that somewhat misses the point, which was that EN used to be my number one go to, use multiple times daily, every day application across multiple platforms. It was ONLY, and I mean only, the inability to create a stable iPad app (at a time when I could only use the iPad to access my data) that I realised the shortcomings, which caused me to look for alternatives to what was my favourite all time application. In summary, the company is driving away customers (it's not just me) because of this, and many other problems.

 

I always look for posts like yours because I to am frustrated by the ipad version of EN (although it has recently approved dramatically) and I am always looking for an alternate for EN.  I was disappointed with your comments since you are saying that you can live without EN because NVAlt meets your needs.  If that is true than your past use of EN was like killing a mouse with a sledge hammer.  I certainly understand being disappointed with EN, in particular the ipad version, but I am just not understanding what the point of your post is.  I look forward to hearing your suggestions on organizing and accessing all of those pdfs as you move beyond EN.

 

Hugh

I still use Evernote as a reference tool for storing and accessing a large collection of scanned documents. My main issue with the iPad version (at least those prior to the current one, which I haven't extensively tested yet) was that you couldn't reliably use it for actually making notes on the go, which is something of a prerequisite for an app like Evernote. It would just crash way too often. I could generally keep it running long enough to search for something and display it before it crashed on me. This meant having a two app system - one for accessing my document store (Evernote) and another (Notesey) for taking notes, when one app (Evernote) should be able to do both.

[flaneige 13]

I was so dissapointed with the IOS version of Evernote on the iPhone that I nearly stopped using it.

Now, I am very happy with Clever for Evernote. Good features, very fast, no crashes. It is by far better than the official client.

I haven't tried it on an iPad, may be you should have a look at it.

[psionmark 73]

I was so dissapointed with the IOS version of Evernote on the iPhone that I nearly stopped using it.

Now, I am very happy with Clever for Evernote. Good features, very fast, no crashes. It is by far better than the official client.

I haven't tried it on an iPad, may be you should have a look at it.

 

I do have Clever and yes, it's pretty good. To be fair, I've played around a bit with the new (this week) official iPad Evernote client and it's a LOT better than previous versions.

 

I do, however, still find it clunky for actual note taking. That's not necessarily an issue. I can just keep using Notesy and NVAlt for actual not taking. I might even use CloudHQ to sync my Dropbox and Evernote notes. That way, I can use Evernote for reference (scanned docs, manuals etc) and my plain text system for note taking.

 

I've tried hard to use Evernote and Evernote only for a lot of use cases. But (for me), it's not there (yet). Nothing wrong with using the right tool for the job - just means more apps for me to play with