REQUEST: Evernote for Chromebook

[Tom Scholfield 0]

I would love to get one of the new Google Chromebooks that are coming out in June, but I wonder how Evernote would work on them.

I realize that the web version would work just fine, but I wonder how you would be able to upload PDFs and images from SD cards.

Any brainstorming ideas?

Tom

[spg SCOTT 736]

They are all web based aren't they...so installed apps? Doubt it.

That would leave the web...which can handle attachments, just drag and drop.

[Tom Scholfield 0]

I realize there won't be installed apps but "Web" apps.

I am also wondering where you will be dragging from since there is no desktop or obvious file system.

[Owyn 457]

I realize there won't be installed apps but "Web" apps.

I am also wondering where you will be dragging from since there is no desktop or obvious file system.

The new ChromeBook supports local file system on SD cards. It also supports Box.net with anticipated support for DropBox.

[buckethead 218]

I have been using EN web on my CR-48 for almost 6 months now and it works just fine. The one thing that would be nice is offline ability for all notes and attachments.

[electricvines 0]

Am I the only person with a Chromebook that cannot use the full version of Evernote? If there was a general problem with this then I would expect more chatter on the web about it.

If I try to log in to the full version, then the "home action" screen never loads, and I get a spinning disc next to the address box at the top of Chrome. It loads fine on my laptop running win7 on the same network.

I can use the mobile version of Evernote, but this is limited. If anybody has any ideas as to what is happening, I would appreciate the help. Many thanks

Mike

[Bud_T 1]

Folks-

I've been using EN on windows and Android for a few years now. I've used the web interface to a lesser extent. But I will be using Chromebooks this coming year with the students at my university, and therefore will spend some serious time using the web app.

Question: has a specific Chromebook (not just Chrome) EN app been discussed which might have some offline capabilities? I'm thinking of multiple note authoring and storage until online sync, and perhaps some local sync of select notes. Now that new Chromebooks do have some local file storage, I think limited offline capabilities would be attractive and quite useful. A quick search of these forums did not turn up much discussion of this. Thoughts?

[Owyn 457]

Welcome to the forums.

I have not seen anything on this topic and class it as even less likely than a native Linux client from Evernote.

[beholder121 7]

Hello everyone,

This is a discussion not just about Evernote - I also hope to reach out to "geeks" in general who have experience with computers and can tell me about living with a Chromebook.

I've been looking at Chromebook in the past, but always felt these computer are built cheap, and I even though I use web apps 80% of the time, I still have some local apps that I don't think I could leave without, one of which would be Evernote.

Now that the new Chromebook is out for about $250, I am starting having second thoughts. A macbook air, which I originally considered, is indeed an "overkill" for me. I am a person who writes and blogs a lot, and I am fine with Google Docs which is what I use all the time anyway. I have been using Scrivener here and there on my mac for my fiction writing, but I think I could live without it.

What about the Evernote app? Anyone here is using only the web version? I do like the desktop version but there's one thing that concerns me and that's security: if someone steals my computer, they have the whole database to their disposal; however, if someone steals my chromebook.. one change of password and that's it. On the other hand, I probably can't use evernote when I'm offline.

Another issue would be tethering: I use easytether, which is an Android app that allows me to use my Android phone as a modem. I doubt there's any version for chromebooks (since nothing can be installed on these computers), which means when I don't have wifi, I'm pretty much screwed. Other issues I might have with a Chromebook:

I think 11inch screen is too small. Too much room is wasted on the address bar, tabs etc. I had the EEE PC before and that has been an issue.

backlit keyboard - it's the thing that got me to use a mac in the first place, I write in coffee shops a lot.

the computer is pretty much "dead" without connection to the internet.

Anyone here can tell me more about the experience of using Chromebooks, and with Evernote specifically? How do you handle not having WiFi? Any tips would help. Thanks!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Hi. Interesting question. I have not used a Chromebook, but I have used the Web client, and even thouh it is fine as far as it goes, it pales in comparison to the desktop clients. One obvious example would be working offline. You can't. Evernote servers are down? You are out of luck.

As for security, password protect your computer and encrypt your drive. Nothing short of a government agency like the NSA could access your data. In addition, your desktop version functions as a kind of backup.

[redwater 0]

Hi

I wonder if there is any update on this now $250 Chromebooks are starting to appear.

I see there are only two Chromebook-related forum entries - but between them as of today they have had 818 views.

So it seems they may be some interest in these questions?

Pete

[gazumped 11,652]

Actually the main drawback in using a Chromebook would be the lack of storage space. If this is to be your main access to Evernote you wouldn't be able to set up an account because you can't 'install' Evernote and save your main database on a local drive. You'd have to have another machine - a standard lap or desktop - on which to create the account and store your local database, and then just use the Chromebook as mobile access when it had a net connection. Adequate for occasional reference purposes, but I'd suspect not practical for note taking or general database maintenance.

[redwater 0]

Google docs works fine offline on a Chromebook. So I can't see why Evernote could not?

[logandb 227]

...

Another issue would be tethering: I use easytether, which is an Android app that allows me to use my Android phone as a modem. I doubt there's any version for chromebooks (since nothing can be installed on these computers), which means when I don't have wifi, I'm pretty much screwed. Other issues I might have with a Chromebook:

...

Around Android v2.3, the ability to use the phone to host a wireless hotspot was introduced. It would depend upon the phone and OS you have, but it's certainly possible (and works very well). Some US carriers restrict this feature, however, although it works a treat here in Australia!

[hvelez 1]

Hello All

With the new cheap Chromebooks coming out, it will be really great to have a dedicated or at least offline capable Evernote.

I have tried the Evernote Web version on my Chromebook and it is really slow and cumbersome.

My 2 cents

Thanks

[gazumped 11,652]

Evernote is, by definition, an online service, unless it's downloaded and installed to a local hard drive or 'phone memory. Although Chromebooks are a cost-effective portable option for online activities they are as likely to make toast as they are to run Evernote offline.

[hvelez 1]

Just as the client for Android, IOS and other devices. It could have a feature that select only specific notebooks or notes for offline content. I have been use the Chromebook for awhile and it is very nice for online and offline work

Of course it could never compare with a full PC, but it gets the work done.

[gazumped 11,652]

It's interesting that you say the Chromebook is good for both online and offline work - I didn't realise there was any local storage. I'm probably displaying the depths of my ignorance here, but is it possible to 'install' anything on the machine and run it offline?

-Just to add to my previous comment, the CBs are also a different OS from anything else currently in play - even if it's technically feasible, it would be a huge investment for Evernote to spend money developing a new client for a brand new and so far (with all due respect to You Know Goo) untried market.

[hvelez 1]

Yes, there is Offline Apps for the Chromebook. There is local storage on the machines (SSD and regular hard drives) The investment is a good point, but it will be nice if a little be research will be conducted to see how feasible it could be. They are $250 bucks and some only $200. For a quick email, evernote note, etc. they are not a bad deal.

[jdmbaldwin 0]

My first-gen Chromebook runs Evernote web so slowly as to make it unusable. I can't advise as to the new one, but the old one frankly disappointed me all around. It gets the job done, but I kinda wish I'd saved my money a bit longer and gotten a regular Windows laptop. There's just too much you still can't quite do, and web apps rarely work as well as advertised.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

The Chromebooks, for me at least, are unappealing.

I think you would have to use Evernote on the Web with no local storage (as Gazumped mentioned) and a significant lack of important features that I use on a regular basis. For example, there would be no way to export your notes using that computer. There would be no way to use Spotlight (on the Mac) to search your notes.

Chromebooks seem like a great concept that just won't work terribly well in the real world beyond a few very limited use cases. If you just surf the web, for example, or don't need to do a whole lot of work in Evernote, then it seems doable. But, with Windows machines going for roughly that amount, and tablets going for only a little more (pair an external keyboard and you have something even more powerful, in my opinion), I just don't "get it."

[Wern 246]

Chromebooks are not viable for serious work. There is no harddisk and therefore no local storage (as others have mentioned above). You are left with the WEB version of EN and that is slow.

There may be a bright future if we all had superfast Internet connections and big online storage capabilities. These conditions will not exist for the average user for years to come.

[redwater 0]

Hi @grumpymonkey and @wern.

Personally I think my work is serious, and I do think Chromebooks will work very well in my world, which is very real for me.

I am planning to stop using Evernote, and just use Google docs, and its offline capability.

But I am just me. The question for Evernote is perhaps less what I think and more what the market says ie how well Chromebooks sell.

I guess we will see over the next 6 months or so.

Best

Pete

[redwater 0]

This might be of interest to some:

http://www.zdnet.com/yes-you-can-use-the-new-chromebook-offline-7000006103/

I have been playing quickly with these features and can confirm that gmail works really well offline - reading and writing.

So does the gdrive - although have only checked gdocs so far and not the spreadsheet or presentation module. Again seems to sync automatically.

GCal is - as the article says, still limited - read only.

I am currently using the "scratchpad" app which is simple but seems to work well too. It is much simpler than Evernote but for what I need - capturing notes offline and syncing them automatically when I go back online - it is fine.

There is a list of offline apps for Chromebooks here. I can't see Evernote

My chromebook came with 16 Gbytes of local storage and 200 Gbytes on the cloud (although this is only completely free for the first two years).

Best

Pete

[BenChapman 0]

Hi - interesting discussion. I am a big fan of Chromebooks (and am writing this on the original CR-48). I also use Evernote extensively and use it as my primary to-do app. I'm willing to live with the limitations of the web app (after all, the Chromebook is my second computer). However, at least on the CR-48, it seems like Evernote web is too slow to be usable. Has anyone else experimented with Evernote Web using one of the new Samsung Chromebook 3's? Obviously, it should be much faster than the CR-48, but I wondered if it's fast enough to be usable?

I know that there are probably many variables that affect this. The goal for me is to be able to do a search by tags through a 1,000 item collection of Evernote notes split across 3 or 4 notebooks. Currently, when I do this on the CR-48, I get a timeout and "this page has become unresponsive" in Chrome.

Thanks for any insights, Ben

[tgb 1]

This conversation is getting/ has gotten silly. I use a Chromebook and do serious work. I don't need someone who doesn't know me, what I do, or how I do it, and doens't know the capabilites of a chromebook to determine what I can and can't do. The Chromebook has offline storage, witness gmail and gdrive being able to offer offline capability. It requires some work with html5, but offline apps do work. I also use an android phone, and with a premium evernote account I can get offline note storage on a phone. So, we know that evernote offers offline storage, and we know that chromebook apps can work with offline storage. Now it is just an engineering problem. I don't need to be able to store all my notes offline, just some by selecting which notebooks I want to sync, just like I do on my phone.. One of the reasons I choose going premium was being able to access notes on my phone while on a plane, or whatever. The evernote web app has to be more than just accessing the website, it has to take advantage of current web capabilities and make some or all of the notes available locally. My Chromebook has 8Gb of local storage, so I know that I can't sync all my notes, but workbooks that I choose just like on my phone.

[hvelez 1]

I agree a 100% I use a Chromebook for serious work and it works perfect! I have not touch our main PC for almost 4 months (Since I got my Chromebook) Evernote could use the SSD Storage on the Chromebook. There is 16 gigs in there. C'mon just use the same concept from Android and the IOS and enable selective offline access. The Evernote web access on the Chromebook is really not a good experience. I keep debating between abandoning Evernote completely and just using Google Docs for every other chore.

Thanks

[SASEsq 0]

Does anyone know if there has been any movement in this area?  I work almost exclusively in the Chrome environment through the browser on my Windows PC or Mac.  I would like to pick up a Chromebook to work faster and bypass everything I DON'T use on my Windows PC or Mac (literally the only programs I ever open...ever...are the Chrome browser and the Evernote client).  However, the bugginess of the EN web interface, coupled with the lack of offline access is the single factor which has kept me from switching my daily computing entirely to a Chromebook.  EN is the one application I use more than anything else.  Despite having virtually converted 90% of my work process to the cloud, I cannot switch to using a Chromebook until EN can basically duplicate its local client experience (or at least its EN for Android experience) on that OS.   

[emerkel 1]

My goal when I bought my chromebook recently was to use it almost exclusively when not on my machine at work. My needs have changed and I do less programming now and more writing and researching. I am very happy with it, working on and offline. The only place I really see a gap is in Evernote. The poster above who said this is an engineering problem is right, at this point this has to be more about business case and development schedule priority than technical problems. The Evernote developers are smart guys and have built a wonderful application that I love. All they need to do now is make selected parts of it available offline. I do not currently pay for the premium service, but I would gladly pay for premium to be able to do that on my chromebook. As it is now Google Docs could easily be used to fill the gap and that may be the way I have to wind up going. 

[Phil Stephens 2]

This is a very old thread, but in the interests of keeping up to date...

 

I own a number of PCs and Laptops, and a Samsung Chromebook. I love the Chromebook. It is light, cheap and fast. I can Access (Google) Documents, Calendar, Mail and notes (Keep) offline and online. I recently spent 3 days travelling with no network connection and watched video and listened to audio stored on a USB stick and in 16Gb of local storage. I edited documents, read and replied to e-mail (sent when I re-connected) and, finally used my Android phone as a hot-spot to connect me to the Internet and sync back up. Evernote was, I regret, not part of this, unless I was online.

 

I am still deciding in Evernote everywhere is more important that the fast, simple and reliable ChromeOS experience.

 

In the meantime, I am moving contacts and key information into Google Drive as docs I can access offline in and emergency.

 

A Chrome App would be a HUGE undertaking, re-writing even PART of the Evernote experience in Javascript is daunting. But the result would be access to Evernote for everyone with a browser. Welcome to Linux, ChomeOS and who knows else...

 

Regards, Phil S

[MarkAtl 0]

I agree with tgb.  I have a new Samsung Chromebook as my traveling computer and find that it is perfect for my needs.  EN runs okay on it... of course, my problem isn't with the Chromebook, it is with the web version of EN.  I get easily frustrated with the different development levels of the different EN platforms.  I have EN on my iPad, iPhone, Chromebook, Windows 8 desktop, as well as an older Mac Airbook.  And, each platform is at different development stages and UX levels.  I wish the web version allowed for link copy and had the reminders feature.  I wish that the Windows version was a v5 EN and had the reminders.

 

As soon as the web version of EN gets caught up with the other versions, I could 'live' on my Chromebook.  (And PS, I am not a fan of the UX of the iPad and iPhone versions... it almost becomes a photo 'flip book', which is different from the other platform versions... very weird.)

[Phil Stephens 2]

 I wish the web version allowed for link copy and had the reminders feature.  I wish that the Windows version was a v5 EN and had the reminders.

Mark the reminder feature is there in the web client on my Samsung Chromebook. A little alarm clock on the top-right of the note. And you can add a link by popping a note out into a new window, copying the URL and adding it as a link to any text.

 

My problem is my Chromebook is offline a fair bit, and that makes Evernote unusable while offline. I can keep a note open, and edit it, but If I close it, my notes are lost. I am Using Google Keep and Docs a lot more now.

[BostonDan 1]

My chromebook is great with the exception of Evernote.  It makes no sense to me why Evernote isn't offering this on the Chromebook given the growing popularity of the device.  Other than making this post, I'm not sure how this can be prioritized with Evernote management.  

[BostonDan 1]

Hi All - It would be great if Evernote provided the ability to synchronize local data on the Chromebook.  Chromebook supports local synchronization of data.

 

I know there have been some other threads that touched upon this topic, but I have not yet seen an official thread requesting this functionality.  My hope is that enough people will reply to this thread that maybe someone at Evernote will include this in their roadmap.  Thanks everyone.  BostonDan

[jefito 5,589]

There's no such thing as an "official thread" -- any topic that requests the feature is taken by Evernote to be a feature request.

[gchamberlin 17]

Official or not, I'll add my second a wish for a Chromebook compatible version of Evernote.  Even if it was structured similar to the Android version that allowed for offline folders and offline creating/editing of notes that would be sync'ed once the Chromebook had an internet connection.  

[Puppy_fam 0]

The Chrome Web Store now allows for desktop applications. It would be great to have an Evernote desktop app on there. The Evernote web app is slow and is not as enjoyable to use as native Evernote apps (for instance, the whole app has to be reloaded if it sits for awhile. Also the web app does not remember how you like Evernote to appear--side menu showing or not). If a native desktop app is not possible at least offline usage of the web app would be nice. 

[dalle fjong 0]

Hello,

 

so i've been writing on an essay all day, when suddenly the weekly log in-thing kicked in. after i refreshed the page, all was lost, even though i had autosync on. is there any way to restore what was written?

 

thanks,

 

daniel

[gazumped 11,652]

Have you logged into the web client again? Is there anything there of your note? If it didn't get saved at all I'm not sure what you could recover,  if anything. Have a look in the trash in case there's something there,  otherwise I can only suggest you throw yourself on the mercy of the support team and raise a ticket..

[dalle fjong 0]

Have you logged into the web client again? Is there anything there of your note? If it didn't get saved at all I'm not sure what you could recover,  if anything. Have a look in the trash in case there's something there,  otherwise I can only suggest you throw yourself on the mercy of the support team and raise a ticket..

yes, im using the web client. im on chromebook, so everything is done online. i've logged out and in a couple of times, but all seems lost. the last sentence i remember writing is from this morning. and the wifi has been working like it should all day,

[dalle fjong 0]

i cant tell if it has been saving through the day, though. i have always trusted it to save all the time, which it has done until today.

[gazumped 11,652]

I'm sorry to make light of it,  but if something technical can mess with your workflow,  it usually will.  If you don't find anything in the trash the support guys are your best and only bet I think. 

[dalle fjong 0]

I'm sorry to make light of it,  but if something technical can mess with your workflow,  it usually will.  If you don't find anything in the trash the support guys are your best and only bet I think. 

im chatting with one right now. Thank you!

[Lemayp 58]

Did they resolved you issue?

 

I use a chromebook too and luckily never faced this kind of problem.  I am curious to see how this has been resolved.

[dalle fjong 0]

Did they resolved you issue?

 

I use a chromebook too and luckily never faced this kind of problem.  I am curious to see how this has been resolved.

hello,

 

unfortunately no. all work was lost, so im gonna use google docs from now on. the support guy was very kind, though, and i got i refund.  

[Lemayp 58]

Scary situation.  I hate those.  Thanks for the feedback.

 

I prefer writing in google drive when I am on the chromebook. I always use it when I need to write somethings that contains more then 1 sentence dedicated to facebook/google+, and I am using it to write things while I am on the train (personal and work related).

 

 Make sure to enable the offline mode of google drive before using it. 

[seth_krane 0]

I'm more than tempted to agree with this as my Chromebook is my main (and only) computer. I've been doing just fine with only the web app and my tablet for the moment, but I admit that the possibility to work offline directly on the Chromebook to create new notes (and have them sync once I'm back online) and to be able to chose to have access to some notebooks/notes offline would be greatly appreciated. Another feature that is only available on desktop versions at the moment is the possibility to link notes together to facilitate organisation; having quite a few notes that I would potentially link together if I could, this feature is one I miss dearly. 

Though I admit that I'd already be very happy with only the 'create note link' feature to be available on the web app instead. I'd probably be able to do without a Chrome OS desktop version of Evernote if that feature was available on the web (as offline access is easy to achieve with my tablet and a Premium account...).

[barbk 0]

I would like to add my own request for a local desktop app for a Chromebook. I use my Chromebook for off-site business meetings and press conferences, and because I can't be sure that there will be a useable Wi-Fi connection, I have to use a separate app -- such as Google Keep -- for note-taking. Since up until now, all my business notes have been in Evernote, I would much prefer that I be able to use that rather than move to a different application.

[BostonDan 1]

I'm feeling very discouraged.  Evernote for Blackberry 10 but still no offline support for Chromebook.  

It would be really nice to know if this is being worked on. Tethering my Chromebook to my phone when there is no wifi to use Evernote is growing old.  I'm moving further away from my Windows laptop and using my Chromebook even more.

Can someone from Evernote please at least provide an update as to whether this is being worked on and when it might be available?   

[Metrodon 2,184]

This is a user forum, if you want a direct response to a direct question then you should open a support ticket.

 

My guess is that the response will be a polite "no comment" as Evernote very very rarely discuss their roadmap.

[Karl Kelso 2]

With the rise in popularity of Chromebooks, it would be extremely beneficial to offer Evernote in an offline mode or native app when internet access is not available. Especially for schools that you use Evernote with their students and Chromebooks. 

[gazumped 11,652]

Hi and welcome to the forums - the devs read these posts,  so consider your request noted - bear in mind that it can take a while to see the implementation even if that is practical and makes business sense...

[Karl Kelso 2]

Hi and welcome to the forums - the devs read these posts,  so consider your request noted - bear in mind that it can take a while to see the implementation even if that is practical and makes business sense...

Thank you very much! Evernote offers a great service as well as support for a lot of different platforms, which in turn adds to the overall usability of their service. 

[Mr. Howl 2]

I would like to heartily second this motion!

 

I use a chromebook for my university work, and I find I actually have to use Google Drive for taking and saving my lecture notes and the various PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, Word Docs, etc. that our lecturers make available for download.

 

This is a shame, because with the desktop app at home I use Evernote as my filing system - the premium feature that enables searching within attached files makes it doubly great. However, with the web app this becomes impossible, because without an option to use offline storage (which my Chromebook has 320GB of by the way, no problems there), Evernote keeps all my attached files in the cloud at all times, and I have to redownload them every time I want to open them and clutter my HDD with endless copies.

 

Plus, the web app can be slow - I have high-speed wifi all over campus, but the sheer number of notes, tags, attached files, etc. I have makes the web app much much slower than the desktop version. Again, Google Drive wins out.

 

Tl;dr: I'd love to see a native Chrome app, though I appreciate this is yet another separate platform for the devs to work on and may be impracticable.

 

Failing that though, would it be easier to give the web app the capability to save a database locally, the way GMail, Google Drive and many other chromebook-friendly apps do these days? I'm no programmer, but I can only imagine it'd make it much quicker to not have to access the servers constantly, would enable offline use (very useful) and certainly make a lot of Chromebook users very happy.

[jefito 5,589]

Hmm, I can see a case for offline notebooks being extended from the mobile apps to the web app. The scenario is pretty similar, and the offline model gives you some control over how much of your Evernote database you would be caching.

[WestOfPecos 1]

I support the request for adding an offline mode to the chrome app. It seems to me to be essential to the general use that most of us make of Evernote. We use it ALL the time :-) Like many of us, I have recently purchased a chromebook as a convenient note-taking tool all day long. Without offline, Evernote is not really usable in a chromebook.

[idealpragmatist 0]

I know this is a few months dated now, but I've had similar happen on several occasions. I'm on a Chromebook also and use the web client exclusively these days. What I've seen even more often is a hiccup in network connectivity (WiFi or otherwise) that then hangs the Evernote browser instance. Only way to move on is to force a browser refresh which then pops the warning that you're going to lose updates. I've at least learned to do a quick copy to clipboard BEFORE refreshing, then just paste it back in and continue. I've never been pushed back to the login screen though...that sounds like maybe a really bad timing of what I've been seeing and your login instance timing out for the week. Most other web apps (especially Google) seem to be able to pick up the session right where they left off if it's just a momentary network lapse.

 

As a side note....the web client feels like it's getting slower and slower these days. Not sure why.

[bfskinnerpunk 1]

I just did a search for a dedicated Chromebook Evernote application.... one in which I can use my premium version to keep notes offline and ready.

 

There aren't many devices like the Chromebook:  dirt cheap, solid state, durable "ultrabooks"... the form factor beats tablets (even the tablet w/ keyboard) for heavy, note taking usage.

 

I may resort to an Ipad with a keyboard..... but please don't make me do that!   (side note:  I'm assuming that the Evernote app DOES work like the desktop app on the iPad.)

[jefito 5,589]

I may resort to an Ipad with a keyboard..... but please don't make me do that!   (side note:  I'm assuming that the Evernote app DOES work like the desktop app on the iPad.)

I'm pretty sure that your assumption would be incorrect. As best I know, the iPad client acts like a mobile Evernote client: your notes are not stored locally, unless they're in offline notebooks, no local notebooks are available, notes that are not cached locally need to be downloaded from the Evernote server to be accessed.

[furashgf 0]

Yes! Please do this!

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I'm pretty sure that your assumption would be incorrect. As best I know, the iPad client acts like a mobile Evernote client: your notes are not stored locally, unless they're in offline notebooks, no local notebooks are available, notes that are not cached locally need to be downloaded from the Evernote server to be accessed.

That would be correct.

[Coffee First Thing 112]

Having Evernote offline for a Chromebook would be awesome. It would make Evernote truly cross-platform, not to mention very useful on Chromebooks.

[gazumped 11,652]

"Truly cross platform" would mean Evernote should work on my Dragon 32,  but I bet it won't....

 

[Coffee First Thing 112]

Chromebooks are immensely popular. 1,760,000 Chromebooks were sold between January and November 2013, an increase of 400,000 over the previous year. Compare that to Windows notebook growth over the previous year, which was zero. In 2013, Chromebooks accounted for 21 percent of notebook sales. 

 

One of the great features of a Chromebook is that it's instant on. It boots even faster from power off than an iPad does. Evernote, however, is web-only on a Chromebook, which makes it slow. I've noticed that while Evernote web has gotten somewhat faster over the past year, it still takes about 25 seconds to open on my Samsung Chromebook with a 70 Mbps Internet connection. 

 

Anything to speed up Evernote web would go a long way toward making Evernote a true cross-platform service. But having a native Chromebook Evernote application is what would really make Evernote usable on a Chromebook.  Having a native Chromebook app for Evernote would also make it possible to access notes while not connected to the Internet.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Anything to speed up Evernote web would go a long way toward making Evernote a true cross-platform service.

I believe the point was (and I agree), your definition of "truly cross platform" is inaccurate.  Evernote absolutely is truly cross platform.  The fact that it doesn't have a native client for your Chromebook (or even linux, for that matter) does not diminish that fact. 

[Coffee First Thing 112]

Never mind what I said about cross-platform or "truly cross platform." I should never have used those words, because they distract from the main point: it would be great if Chromebook had an offline mode. At present, Evernote is very slow on Chromebooks, and that's what matters. At present, you can't access your notes at all on a Chromebook if you don't have an Internet connection. 

 

 

 

Anything to speed up Evernote web would go a long way toward making Evernote a true cross-platform service.

I believe the point was (and I agree), your definition of "truly cross platform" is inaccurate.  Evernote absolutely is truly cross platform.  The fact that it doesn't have a native client for your Chromebook (or even linux, for that matter) does not diminish that fact. 

 

[cwb 225]

Lets also remember that a typical Chrome book starts with about 9.8 GB free SSD space.

That assumes a primarily online mode for data storage.

At best you might have space for something similar to the mobile clients.  But agreed that would be useful for a Chromebook user.

This would give (taking from the ipad experience):

 

• The ability to create notes offline and have them stay cached until they can be synced over a data connection.
• Recently viewed items would be cached and available offline
• Items marked as favorite/shortcut kept cached locally
• Notebooks can be marked as available offline

Note that offline notebooks on mobile devices are a Premium feature, so most of the benefit would require a premium account, something like 1-2 users in 10 (granted perhaps much more so in the Chromebook demographic).

So how much development effort does that slice of the pie warrant?

We're at something like 1.5 million Chromebooks sold, compared to (what I can glean from Apple filings and wikipedia):

450 million iphones and 170 million ipads, both of which can share substantial portions of the same codebase for Evernote.

 

Chromebook is going at a good sales clip but it's perhaps a little early in the game to hope for native client and advancing on feature parity.

[Mr. Howl 2]

Chromebook is going at a good sales clip but it's perhaps a little early in the game to hope for native client and advancing on feature parity.

 

That's a good analysis, thank you for the interesting figures also.

 

I agree that it would probably be too much to expect a native Chromebook app, but in fact I don't think we need one. Chromebooks don't really have any native apps at all (as far as I can tell), except the native ones for controlling the webcams and so on. Everything else is just web apps with a shortcut.

 

What I personally think would be both feasible to implement and extremely useful, is the kind of offline capability that apps such as Gmail and Google Docs have. They're web apps that, if you opt-in in the settings, will save a cache locally so that you can access some of your content offline (your last 30 days of emails, your recently used docs or whatever) and will also allow you to create new content offline (composing an email or making a new doc) which is then synced to the server the next time you connect.

 

I'm not very knowledgeable about such things, but it seems to me that that would mean faster browsing of locally saved notes (the choice of notebooks to save locally, like in the mobile apps, would be a great premium feature) and the ability to make new notes when offline. That's all we really need, right?

 

Better yet, these improvements wouldn't be limited to Chromebook users, they'd apply to the web app in general, regardless of operating system or browser. Truly cross-platform, you might say. It would also be invaluable in scenarios like school PCs, where you can save files and access a web browser, but not install programs. This way, the web app would become a viable alternative to the desktop app in many cases.

[Birdman65 0]

I would also like to second the request.  Long time Evernote user and big Chromebook user.  Love both of them but occasionally need to take notes offline and would like to do it directly into Evernote instead of putting it in later.

[crispeto 3]

The Acer and Samsung chromebooks were the two most popular laptops on Amazon this Christmas season. I got the Acer c720 Chromebook and I absolutely love it. Probably my favorite laptop ever. Now that these are so popular, I'm hoping that Evernote will create an offline version for chromebooks so I don't have to rely on other note taking apps while offline. Devs are you listening?

[99lives 1]

I know this is the forum for the web clipper, but it is the most appropriate.

 

The Chrome Evernote web app is basically just a shortcut to the online version of Evernote, but I think it has potential as an actual Chrome web app; with a more streamlined UI, powerful editing tools, and offline availability. Perhaps an actual desktop Chrome App could be created. Adding these features to the Chrome web app or creating a Chrome App would be extremely useful when working on another computer and would be a very lightweight way to manage our notes.

 

I'd really appreciate these suggestions be considered,

Thanks

 

P.S. Make sure you open the links, so that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

[Bluegrass Geek 0]

I'd love to see that happen. Evernote is one of my must-have apps, and no offline support is a deal breaker. I'd love to pick up a Chromebook, but I'd need a real Chrome app with offline Evernote support.

[99lives 1]

I agree, I'm moving to a much more web-based ecosystem, and am thinking of getting a Chromebook. I'm sure that many other people are too.

[Canadian EN Fan 0]

I vote for this feature too. I second Mr. Howl's suggestion.

[livejamie 1]

I would pay for this feature

[livejamie 1]

Would love to see this addressed

[Coffee First Thing 112]

A native Chrome application with off-line notes would be terrific, but I'd settle for a faster (and more customization) web version of Evernote. Evernote we has improved over the past year, speed-wise, but it's still too slow. On my HP Chromebook 11, Evernote takes between 30 - 35 seconds to open, with no other tabs on my Chrome browser open. 

 

It would also be helpful if Evernote web's layout could be customized. For example, in Evernote Windows you can view the note titles and summaries as list, snippets or cards. But on the web only list and snippets are available. Card are a great way to view one's available notes, and it would be great if that worked on the web, too.

 

If I were the The Person in Charge, though, and I could only choose one thing to improve the Evernote experience, it would be making Evernote web faster. 

[ESG 1]

I want to wean myself away from Microsoft. To that end I bought a Chromebook. For Evernote to work with Chromebook I need Evernote WebClipper to work. I have imported a couple of thousand OneNote entries into Evernote. Where OneNote uses Tabs, Evernote converts them to Tags. Under that tag all of my OneNote notes appeared.

 

When I open WebClipper, Evernote displays all the Tags, but none of the notes.

 

I've written to Evernote support and they tell me there is nothing in my WebClipper. I told them I understand my notes are not there, but how in the world did the Tags migrate to WebClipper without dragging my notes along? No answer.

 

Thankfully I only purchased a one month premium.

 

Frankly I am surprised with the enthusiastic fan loyalty towards Evernote. It is very nice, and I guess I need to test it more to get used to it, but it is certainly not as elegant as OneNote. There I can view a line list of note titles while in the main note view. I can get a line list in Evernote, but I have to take extra steps to invoke it, and when it appears it only display a few items before I have to start scrolling. Yes I know I could search by keyword, but sometimes I can't recall the keyword, and having that line list helps jog my memory.

 

I also do not seem to be able to put in math functions. Lets say I have a bread recipe. The basic loaf calls for so much flour and so much yeast. However if I want to make 16 loaves, I can place the math functions and just change the quantity from 1 loaf to 16 and it will display the amounts I need for the large batch.

 

I guess I will have to see if I can get Google Docs and Google Sheets to handle my OneNote/Evernote requirements. <sigh>

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I want to wean myself away from Microsoft. To that end I bought a Chromebook. For Evernote to work with Chromebook I need Evernote WebClipper to work. I have imported a couple of thousand OneNote entries into Evernote. Where OneNote uses Tabs, Evernote converts them to Tags. Under that tag all of my OneNote notes appeared.

 

When I open WebClipper, Evernote displays all the Tags, but none of the notes.

 

I've written to Evernote support and they tell me there is nothing in my WebClipper. I told them I understand my notes are not there, but how in the world did the Tags migrate to WebClipper without dragging my notes along? No answer.

 

Thankfully I only purchased a one month premium.

 

Frankly I am surprised with the enthusiastic fan loyalty towards Evernote. It is very nice, and I guess I need to test it more to get used to it, but it is certainly not as elegant as OneNote. There I can view a line list of note titles while in the main note view. I can get a line list in Evernote, but I have to take extra steps to invoke it, and when it appears it only display a few items before I have to start scrolling. Yes I know I could search by keyword, but sometimes I can't recall the keyword, and having that line list helps jog my memory.

 

I also do not seem to be able to put in math functions. Lets say I have a bread recipe. The basic loaf calls for so much flour and so much yeast. However if I want to make 16 loaves, I can place the math functions and just change the quantity from 1 loaf to 16 and it will display the amounts I need for the large batch.

 

I guess I will have to see if I can get Google Docs and Google Sheets to handle my OneNote/Evernote requirements. <sigh>

First, I think you need to have an internet connection when using a Chromebook.  Do you have an internet connection when you are trying to pull up notes?

 

Second, Evernote & OneNote are similar.  But they have their differences & I don't see them as competitors.  "Elegant" is in the eye of the beholder.  Evernote strives to work consistently across many platforms.

 

And, as is the case with any software, yes, you need to work with it up close & personal to determine if it's something useful to you.  IMO & IME, simply playing with something a day or two or three doesn't really give you a good feel for an app.

 

Good luck with whatever app you find that works well for you.

[jbignert 473]

Hi ESG,

The purpose of the Web Clipper is almost singularly on creating notes from webpages that you are viewing. Web Clipper doesn't offer a browsing interface to view your notes. When you are logged in we sync the tags to the Web Clipper so when you are creating new notes you can also tag them immediately. 

 

To view your notes you should log into what we call the webclient by signing in on www.evernote.com.

 

Hopa that helps.

[ESG 1]

jnignert, you are correct, I incorrectly wrote Web Clipper instead of Evernote Web in my note. I did know the difference between the two, I just confused the two terms, not the functions.

 

I must further say I finally got a response from Evernote support that identified the problem. I'll write the solution, not for you, but perhaps a new user runs into the same snag and if they do a search for Problem getting imported files to appear in Evernote Web. This might help them as well.

 

When I imported my two OneNote notebooks, they created two same named notebooks with all of the notes. However, when those notebooks flowed into Evernote, they came in as Local not Synchronized.

I cured this by exporting each of my Evernote Notebooks to my desktop. I then imported those files back into Evernote, I was then able to name them as a new notebook and select Synchronized. Apparently if you have a local notebook you cannot later change it to synchronized. Now it is possible that I just missed the Synchronize/Local option when I imported OneNote to Evernote. I really do not recall seeing such an option.

 

After all the files came back to my harddrive, I opened Evernote Web. There were my files.

[earthabbey 3]

I use a netbook at work b/c I work with kids and it's the cheapest thing I can use...until now, now there are Chromebooks. My netbook just died and I am trying to decide between a Chromebook and a netbook. I understand that the Chromebook works on an in the cloud philosophy however does anyone here know if I can use Evernote on the Chromebook without being connected to the internet? I'm a little bit confused about the way this works...

 

Oh, I already have a tablet but its not appropriate for work due to how much typing I do when I'm on it (I'd go crazy with a tablet even with a bluetooth keyboard). I need a laptop replacement.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Coffee First Thing 112]

There is no Evernote offline for Chromebook. If you're not connected to the internet, on a Chromebook you won't be able to see your notes.

 

I have two Chromebooks, the original beta test Chromebook and an HP Chromebook 11. Evernote web works okay on both, but Evernote web on a Chromebook can be slow to open: about 30 seconds for my HP Chromebook 11. Evernote on a Chromebook via the web is usable. It's not swift, but it works. 

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill

[earthabbey 3]

There is no Evernote offline for Chromebook. If you're not connected to the internet, on a Chromebook you won't be able to see your notes.

 

I have two Chromebooks, the original beta test Chromebook and an HP Chromebook 11. Evernote web works okay on both, but Evernote web on a Chromebook can be slow to open: about 30 seconds for my HP Chromebook 11. Evernote on a Chromebook via the web is usable. It's not swift, but it works. 

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill

 

Thanks Is there any way to work on the Chromebook with text at all if the internet goes down? It goes down at work a lot. I don't mind not being able to access the notes in that case but I will still want to type more. Is there a notes feature separate from Evernote I could use and then copy & paste over when the Internet comes back up?

[Coffee First Thing 112]

Google Docs will work offline. You can create notes in Google Docs and then, later when you're reconnected to the Internet, put those notes into Evernote.

 

There are syncing services that will automatically sync between Google Docs and Evernote: www.cloudhq.net is one of those. That's one option of you want to automatically sync what you write in Google Docs while offline with Evernote.

 

Bill

 

[gchamberlin 17]

Thanks CoffeeFirst  for the heads up on cloudhq.net.  I do use Google Docs for most of my writing, even if it is destined for filing in Evernote.  The formatting options seem to be better and are preserved more consistently.  And like you point out, you can use it even if you are off line (I'm also a Chromebook user - and have pretty well moved off of all things MS). 

[n.p 0]

This is NEEDED big time! I am using evernote on all platforms and was about to buy a chromebook and then checked out this. I understand that evernote might be thinking that this is such a minor market segment not worth putting effort... Why not make strategic partnership with one of the existing offline note taking apps on chromebook store and allow sync? Evernote did that with many apps over all platforms allready! Pls! Give us some attention, you can do it in no time... I am sure some of this offline note taking developers would be more than happy to work with evernote and do all the work on their own.

[Metrodon 2,184]

Evernote has a well documented and apparently easy to use API. Anyone can sign up and create an Evernote client that accesses the service. Generally it seems that Evernote prefer not to build these integrations themselves.

[sch01ar 48]

+1 for this! Workflowy, Keep and Wunderlist all run offline perfectly on Chromebook, as well as Google Drive (selectively) Totally agree it would be wrong to expect a full sync, but need to be able to start new notes and view / edit "starred" ones. Evernote is on hiatus with me until some kind of limited offline capability surfaces: Chromebook platforms means that much to me now! Evernote developed a client for Samsung's watch, so size of user base won't be the only criteria.

[cwb 225]

And Google Glass.

http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2013/05/16/first-look-evernote-for-google-glass/

[cwb 225]

 

Chromebook is going at a good sales clip but it's perhaps a little early in the game to hope for native client and advancing on feature parity.

 

That's a good analysis, thank you for the interesting figures also.

 

I agree that it would probably be too much to expect a native Chromebook app, but in fact I don't think we need one. Chromebooks don't really have any native apps at all (as far as I can tell), except the native ones for controlling the webcams and so on. Everything else is just web apps with a shortcut.

 

What I personally think would be both feasible to implement and extremely useful, is the kind of offline capability that apps such as Gmail and Google Docs have. They're web apps that, if you opt-in in the settings, will save a cache locally so that you can access some of your content offline (your last 30 days of emails, your recently used docs or whatever) and will also allow you to create new content offline (composing an email or making a new doc) which is then synced to the server the next time you connect.

 

I'm not very knowledgeable about such things, but it seems to me that that would mean faster browsing of locally saved notes (the choice of notebooks to save locally, like in the mobile apps, would be a great premium feature) and the ability to make new notes when offline. That's all we really need, right?

 

Better yet, these improvements wouldn't be limited to Chromebook users, they'd apply to the web app in general, regardless of operating system or browser. Truly cross-platform, you might say. It would also be invaluable in scenarios like school PCs, where you can save files and access a web browser, but not install programs. This way, the web app would become a viable alternative to the desktop app in many cases.

 

 

They are somewhat native to Chrome.

Especially when you wrap it as a packaged app in the Chrome store.

 

On the one hand it's "just" HTML5, CSS, and Javascript.  Which you can actually do quite a lot with.

However the offline bits, are custom methods.

It's needs specific tailoring and assumptions:

https://developer.chrome.com/apps/offline_apps

 

Then when we ask questions like, is there an assumption of being able to search when offline?

Now you're looking at implementing an entirely different search routine.

The web client can leverage server side SQL databases, and indexing utilities.

The desktop clients can leverage installed SQlite databases (mobiles too), and indexing utilities.

 

An offline Chrome client can access neither the server side utilities, or the compiled binaries that would be on a desktop.

So anything you do, must be re-implemented in javascript.

 

Then you're as a developer going to ask, how am I going to store stuff offline:

API choice

• Chrome Storage API
  • ​Best Use: Small amounts of string data
  • Great for settings and state. Easy to sync remotely (but you don't have to). Not good for larger amounts of data, due to quotas.
• IndexedDB API
  • Best use: Structured data
  • Enables fast searches on data. Use with theunlimitedStorage permission.
• ​Filesystem API
  • ​Best use: Anything else
  • Provides a sandboxed area where you can store files. Use with the unlimitedStorage permission.

 

Note: Packaged apps cannot use Web SQL Database or localStorage. The WebSQL specification has been deprecated for awhile now, and localStorage handles data synchronously (which means it can be slow). The Storage API handles data asynchronously.

 

I'm going to guess that Evernote rules out the first one.

You read under Storage and throttling limits: "chrome.storage is not a big truck. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled, and if they are filled when you put your message in, it gets in line, and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material."

 

And later that there's limitations of a few MB's and so many operations per hour.

Maybe they use the second...

With the 3rd one the File system API , again your're at re-architexting your local search in javascript.

 

Plus it's not just HTML5 file system stuff but additional Google API's: "Chrome's Filesystem and Sync Filesystem APIs extend the HTML5 FileSystem API."  And Chrome has some special rules and abilities that have to be followed.

 

Using the Chrome Local

https://developer.chrome.com/apps/app_storage

 

At the end of the day, that's a bunch of re-implemented and unique stuff, not leveraged anywhere else at the moment.

[sch01ar 48]

So I read just today that the new Chromebooks - the Samsung ones at least - will have Wunderlist Pro pre-installed as standard. (see my post above) Shame, cos so clunky compared to EN, but there you go.

http://www.chromestory.com/2014/03/free-goodies-with-samsung-chromebook-2/

[Thomas Cackler 1]

I just picked up a Chromebook as an ultra portable laptop. Beats a tablet and a keyboard for sure. Count me in for someone who would like an offline app to sync certain notebooks too (ala the Android app). This is literally the only thing I don't have for my Chromebook that I truly miss from my Windows 7 laptop.

[Kathy C 0]

I am using evernote to record information about my students that comes my way, along with Kustom Note, primarily on my desktop and ipad, but am now also using it on my chromebooks. Evernote web is working fine on the chromebook for the most part. I can keep Kustom Note open at the same time and continually add new notes and refresh evernote and they are there. My question is, on the ipad I can click on a little arrow at the top of the note and it will open - larger version- without the sidebars, which is much more functional. The only similar function I see on the chromebook is to open it in a new window, and when I do it is not bigger. It takes up the same space, but the rest of the screen is blank. Any help?

[P-Unit 0]

Just got a Chromebook, and loving it so far. Only thing I'm really missing is the Evernote offline functionality for use during travelling, so another request for this feature!

[edwardszd 0]

Chromebooks are becoming more and more popular.  I would love to see Evernote create an offline chrome app with the same functionality as OSX and windows app.  No offline evernote chrome app is pretty much the only thing stoping me from getting a chromebook...

[MagicMarc 1]

I want to agree with the desire for a Chromebook Evernote offline app.  My macbook is close to its end of life and I bought a Chromebook.  I love it a ton, except for Evernote.  That's my one pain point.  I'm looking into Evernote alternatives.  

[Thomas Cackler 1]

According to the news today, it looks like the wait on this is over. I, for one, am thrilled because it means that I can totally forget about Windows now!

 

http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2014/06/26/excited-google-io/ 

[SweStars 0]

According to the news today, it looks like the wait on this is over. I, for one, am thrilled because it means that I can totally forget about Windows now!

 

http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2014/06/26/excited-google-io/ 

I just wish they could have been more specific.. but.. I am still simply glad that they are working on a better solution.

I hate the web-based Evernote. It's just horrible.

[dix-huit 1]

According to the news today, it looks like the wait on this is over. I, for one, am thrilled because it means that I can totally forget about Windows now!

 

http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2014/06/26/excited-google-io/ 

 

That page doesn't exist any more so I'm a bit confused. Did Evernote announce offline web app use for Chrome? If so, why has the post been pulled?

 

I'm about to buy my wife a new laptop and this particular point is the knife edge that the decision is balancing on in terms of whether it's going to be a Chromebook or not.