ab1kenobee

Howdy ~ Alan, an interesting & sobering thought. While this forum's title implies that some of us are looking for an alternative to Evernote, I believe that at the end of the day those same people do not really want to move away from Evernote. But what has frustrated those people is the real and/or perceived lack of Evernote's connect with its customers, its users. Of course, perception and real experience are different for everyone of us, but the minimum we probably agree on is that that connect leaves something to be desired. This brings me to the real point I want to make with respect to the BBC article you point us to but that is not mentioned in there: apart from innovation, the other essential requisite for survival and success is customer satisfaction & customer connect. A paragon of accomplishment in this area is Apple, which has managed to make its customers emotionally connected to its products, not only because of design & innovation, but also because Apple listen to their customers & really hear what those customers say. Apple actually acts upon that. And its customers feel like they are part of a big family. How crafty !! So, in summary I would say that none of us would like "something to give" (= break) in the case of Evernote, but Evernote certainly have to clean up their act in this area, instead of just publicly making grandiose, sweeping statements that seem out of place for many of us. They would do well to look at an Apple or other such company. Howdy, Pete: Appreciate your thoughtful response... in fact I had found an article about Apple that totally brings your point home: The Greatest Comeback Story Of All Time:How Apple Went From Near Bankruptcy To Billions In 13 Years http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-comeback-story-2010-10?op=1 So what's to be learned from their story? Think simple - The iPad is so simple 2-year-olds can use it. Be different - Like the iMac. Be a risk taker and make tough decisions - Jobs partnered with Microsoft and nixed the Newton. Make great products, and package them even better - Show customers what they want, like the iPhone did. Create an experience - Apple did this with their stores. And hype, like Macworld does for the media. Be confident - don't hold focus groups and ask people what they think. Be passionate - Steve Jobs said in his Stanford commencement speech: "Have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." I am personally not an Apple user... however... I think the premise of this article is INDISPUTABLE!!! Apple's market turnaround and success is INDISPUTABLE!!! I also would agree that there is enough SOCIAL evidence that Evernote now languishes in "customer satisfaction & customer connect." In conclusion... by all appearances... Evernote could represent a modern software Titanic... repeating many of her fatal mistakes. ~ Alan

Howdy, Partners! We're all tied to Evernote... for the moment... because there's not yet an overwhelmingly superior alternative. Sooner or later... something will give! What do these companies have in common? RCAAtariOldsmobileE.F. HuttonMCIPan AmRadio ShackAOLMontgomery WardBlockbusterCircuit CityPolaroidZenithLevitz FurnitureTower RecordsBorders BooksSharper Image Innovate or die: The stark message for big business http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28865268 LOL! Something will give! ~ Alan

Howdy, Chris: I loved Maximizer v. 5.0. I think my last upgrade was v. 8... and it had grown to a multi-GIG monster... so I got bid farewell to Maximizer. If only EN could be integrated with the contact management capabilities of Max 5... I would love it and it would make my business life oh so much easier! I don't use MS Outlook... so BCM is not an option in this neck of the woods! Take care! ~Alan

Howdy. For business purposes, I can say that I miss Maximizer 5.0 contact manager (ancient!). I was conducting a Google search for the keywords: "integration with Evernote" ... when I found this interesting article written by an EN user: Use case for IQTELL: super-charged CRM system https://getsatisfaction.com/iqtell/topics/use_case_for_iqtell_super_charged_crm_system | I am going to pursue this to see if it meets by business needs better than EN alone.EN integration is now the key for me regarding CRM capabilities. Hope this proves helpful to some! ~ Alan

i think roberta is a diligent spammer, alan. she doesn't join the discussion except to promote her product. here is my response to her earlier spam.https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/66103-power-user-discontent-best-alternatives-to-en/?p=347299 Good to know.

Roberta... thank you... interested to get some additional feedback from other EN Power Users! Appreciate the post! ~ Alan

I took a quick look. At Intellinote's $10/mo vs. EN's $5/mo... for a start-up app?... that was enough for me to take a breath... and close the website... at least for now. ~ Alan

Howdy, JB: If nothing else... RISK is certainly spread among multiple applications... and therefore mitigated. ~ Alan

Howdy EN Members: This Crunchbase.com report about Evernote may be of interest to some... good resource... ~ Alan

JMichael: Good point... and HTML is a lesser import option. Another point to consider is... Evernote is the current 800 LB gorilla... which potentially could warrant many or most future contenders to provide for robust EN importing ~ Alan

Howdy, Chris: Worthy article. Problem for me is... PLAIN TEXT... is a block of black text... which offers diminished VISUAL ACUITY. COLOR CODING... is invaluable to me in regards to... annotating notes... categorizing concepts... so that upon a later review my eye can speed scan a note... and quickly find what I'm looking for and understand the conceptual ideas laid out in 1/10 the time vs. reading BLACK plain text. From a PORTABILITY perspective... no doubt plain text has more going for it! LOL! Poor color coding examples above... but the enhanced visual acuity is quite obvious. This issue may compel me to be an EN indentured servant for the unforeseen future!!!??? Appreciate! Point well noted! ~ Alan

Howdy, Ian: I would calculate after one reading all 15 pages... I would guess the following would yield begrudging... but unanimous agreement among EN Power-Users... 1. There is NO clear contender... 2. Some apps have positive attributes which are potentially attractive... 3. Unresolved security risks... 4. NO alternative app is a clear winner - at this time - as a full comparable, functioning, worthy alternative to EN... YET... 5. For most users, a transition from EN to some other app could be the equivalent of jumping from the frying pan into the fire... high long-term risk... Have I missed anything? LOL! ~ Alan

Howdy, Lindsey. Thank you for "chiming in". Microsoft never rectified the issue with you?... that's remarkable! ~ Alan P.S. See PM.

Best suggestion is... get off the BAD WATER... and get on with it! LOL!!!

Howdy jbenson2: With 287 posts and climbing... I have 100% CERTAINTY that Evernote administrators and developers are well aware of the DISSASTISFACTION and TECHNICAL ISSUES discussed within this thread and others which they have not yet resolved within the past 3-years. The biggest problem facing EN subscribers is EN's own internal INATTENTIVENESS to its subcriber base. Just like the U.S. Executive branch and Congress... things will either get better... or they won't... making the need for change much diminished... or demandingly pressing. Right now... American's perceive the greatest threat to America is not ISIS... but rather the Executive Branch and the Congress. Likewise, EN has apparently not realized that EN is also its own biggest threat... to its future predominance. In the meantime... a 3rd party may publish a new application built upon much needed and compelling INGENUITY... which could profoundly change the playing field. Highly probable. We all have a VOTE... and sooner or later... we individually and together will exercise it. ~ Alan

Power User is broadly defined all over the Internet, however the following (2) definitions offer an accurate overview: A sophisticated user of personal computers. A power user is typically someone who has considerable experience with computers and utilizes the most advanced features of applications. SOURCE: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/power_user.html A power user is an individual that operates a computer or device with advanced skills, knowledge, experience and capabilities. A power user has the ability to reap multiple benefits and functionalities of a computer, software application or the Internet... also known as a super user... typically has a more advanced grasp of using and/or operating standard computers or software than regular users. SOURCE: http://www.techopedia.com/definition/1784/power-user Hope this proves useful. ~ Alan

For POWER-USERS... this is critical. For CASUAL-USERS... this does not matter... UNTIL it does. ~ Alan

jusu - well said... to the point.

Howdy, Cal: Appreciate your response. InfoCube sounds like another another Text DB (PIM) that I used for years called TreeDB... which also offers many excellent qualities. However for my purposes in business now, I receive enormous value via EN's CLOUD portability capabilities... which portability has proven indispensible. Appreciate the referral to InfoCube. ~ Alan

Howdy, ZZZ: Appreciate the scoop on InfoCube. I did read the article... sounds like IC is a potential diamond in the ruff... however I did not see any description concerning cloud backup and cross platform viability (comparable to EN). Having formerly been a software applications evaluator and beta tester... and now just a full time power user of EN... don't have time for applications in their primordial stages... EN has enough potential user risks of its own without being distracted... no distractions from business unless highly justifiable based with immediate potential advantages and functional payoffs... again as far as my own business needs are concerned... interesting but no cigar. Appreciate, Alan

Howdy, Roberta: Appreciate the share. I'm going to take a closer look at Centrallo myself. The biggest negative I currently see is: Centralla's premium limited storage is a total of 1 GB... vs. EN’s 1 GB / mo. (I would assume 1 GB is not practical for many power users.) #52Tech Week 27– Centrallo http://hunterswritings.com/2014/07/04/52tech-week-27-centrallo/ Looking for an Evernote alternative? Centrallo might be what you’re looking for http://markcarrigan.net/2014/05/12/looking-for-an-evernote-alternative/ Centrallo – A New Productivity Tool http://takisathanassiou.com/centrallo/ Organize your life with Centrallo http://www.androidguys.com/2014/09/19/organize-life-centrallo/ Centrallo http://hypi.st/centrallo/ Best 10 Android Apps This Week http://techpp.com/2014/09/29/best-android-apps-hangouts-dialer-scramble-with-friends-centrallo/ Centrallo http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/centrallo Centrallo - your life, centralized http://www.techwallah.net/stories/centrallo Centrallo app review (Sponsored) http://www.phonedog.com/2014/05/21/centrallo-app-review-sponsored/ Hope this proves helpful. Alan

FYI: Evernote's radical plan to kill files http://www.cnbc.com/id/102047277 Something's got to give somewhere! LOL. Alan

Howdy, Sentinel: Personally, IMO your apology is misplaced. I do not agree your comments were negative but were objective... nor is it you who ought to be apologing... but rather it is EN that ought to be rightfully apologizing to its entire user base. I am 61. I have been in business since 1976 from the day I got out of college. If I ran my ship with the same sloppy and calous customer service and tech support that EN does, I would be out of business. Subscribers have every RIGHT to report technical issues. After the same issues have been reported... even for several years... then SHAME on EN... not the subscriber who is disaffected due to poor management and customer support. I had previously been an independent Software Applications and Beta-tester for years from Microsoft to shareware houses. EN's handling of subscriber complaints is a TEXTBOOK 101 case study on how NOT to do it. Hope this proves helpful. Alan

Howdy adama31: I just got off the phone with Synology. DSM 5.1 beta runs exclusively on Synology's hardware... not WIN, not iOS, not Android, etc. I'm expecting a return call from their marketing department. If anything changes, I'll relay the info here and at en2one.proboards.com. Alan

EN can not sustain a viable company as subcriber reports continue to confirm unsustainable poor customer service. Businesses will read about it... and walk. How unfortunate and shortsighted. Alan