Jump to content
  • 0

Penultimate 6.0.1 Released


cifip

Idea

  • Level 5

Hi all,

 
We released Penultimate 6.0.1 to the App Store just a short time ago.
 
Release notes:
  • Zoom and drift improvements: resizable zoom box, writing speed responds to your handwriting, drift pauses when you stop writing
  • Note page thumbnail tray: clear and delete pages, insert new pages, and find specific pages more easily in long notes
  • Page break and number visible
  • Automatic note titles turned on by default
  • Jot Script accuracy improvements
 
Notable bug fixes:
  • Increased tap targets for tool menu (to avoid extraneous ink dots around menu)
  • Note names created with system date format (was dd/mm/yyyy)
  • Cut lines display in zoom view
  • Copied or duplicated Penultimate note from Android now synced properly in Penultimate app (orig from 5.3.1)
  • Searching with Chinese characters
 

Let us know what you think.

 

You can download the Penultimate app from the App Store. 
 
More to come. Stay tuned.

 

Cheers!

 

Link to comment

83 replies to this idea

Recommended Posts

I fully agree with DotJot post above. 6.0.1 is still a ***** and a major step back when compared to verdion 5. I would have never ever decided to choose penultimate if I were offered it in this bloody user unfriendly 6 version. Landscape mode does not work, layout and menu sucks. I want software I paid for !

Link to comment

I fully agree with DotJot post above. 6.0.1 is still a ***** and a major step back when compared to verdion 5. I would have never ever decided to choose penultimate if I were offered it in this bloody user unfriendly 6 version. Landscape mode does not work, layout and menu sucks. I want software I paid for !

it is interesting to see how sensitive the administrator of this forum is. The word above which i used was "crab" spelled with p at the end. Pity that people responsible for the app did not exercise similar level of sensivity when introducing that "crabby" version 6 of the software....

Link to comment

5.3.1 was 2 steps forward; writing got a lot smoother, flipping pages was a breeze, it was like a real note book without the additional weight- really loved the app.

6.0.1 went 5 steps back; nice background colours but bad functionality, scrolling instead of flipping, functions that were aptly placed got screwed placing for the sake of aesthetics, worst of all the writing performance sacrificed for the sake of additional redundant program design/code(guessing).

Two small strokes of the pen(.1) a giant flip(-off) to loyal clients. By the way it was your previous design that convinced me to invest in the jot script.

I'm guessing some 'highly qualified' over zealous staff joined the team or some dolt bought a significant amount of equity in the company and arrogantly decided that she/he was qualified to make such drastic poor changes, thus missing the mark that the penultimate factor in the app's success is the client. The solution to this debacle: drop the ego, listen to the collective advice, bring back the previous design, make improvements on that design. You could keep the new design for iPhone users who seem to prefer the scrolling instead of flipping the pages but the previous design works optimally for the iPad.

Having spent money on your product it would be an immense disappointment if you do not heed our collective feedback and therefore creating a lose-lose situation.

Link to comment

Ipad 2

iOS 8.1.1

Fiber mesh tip stylus

Premium customer

I used penultimate for work a lot. After the upgrade the app is absolutely useless to me. Granted that some may be due to the iOS 8.x known issues.

Here is my list:

1. It crashes often and looses all data in the session

2. It crashes is opening

3. It is extremely slow in opening

4. The stylus calibration is off by about an inch - totally useless particularly with the eraser

5 cannot keep up with regular speed handwriting - incomprehensible hand writing results

6. 2 fingers scrolling is sluggish at best and it works only on the upper window

7 mixing diagrams and handwriting is a total pain

I can see the potential in many of the improvements. The execution has been a disaster. I seriously doubt it that it was even user tested once. 5.x worked, this doesn't. I would not reccomend penultimate to anyone at this point. A total bungle. Fix it.

Link to comment

Hi guys,

 

I loved version 5.3, I showed everyone I could and I was an advocate of your product for years.

 

I was very disappointed with 6 and almost afraid to use it.  I have given 6.0.1 a solid go and after 3 days of frustration I have downloaded all my notes, moved my Penultimate app to a bucket folder and switched to Notes Plus (Not a decision that gives me any joy I assure you, it is almost as imperfect as your most recent version but it is more dependable - honestly I am happy with neither app).

 

If you cannot go back to 5.3 functionality you are going to have to accept that you are going to lose many loyal users permanently.

 

I'll wait to hear another announcement before deleting your app but as of now I am no longer using your app - it simply does not do what I want it to do.

 

I leave you with this thought, "customer expectations define good customer experience, not product management" - Scott Thomson

 

Best wishes,

Scott

Link to comment

First off, I gotta say I was not willing to install this update on my actual work iPad after the debacle that was 6.0.  Instead, I waited till I got back to the office this morning and tried it on one of our test devices instead.

 

Evernote, I am so disappointed.

 

These minor appeasement updates to the app still do nothing to return it to its former glory, unfortunately.

 

The format is still toilet paper roll.  Seriously, guys--nobody wants to write this way.  We abandoned the "scroll" format in the Middle Ages, with good reason.  I just don't understand why they think we want this.  The page breaks are *****, too.  It takes a lot of delicate scrolling with the poorly executed two-finger scroll to get a full page centered properly.  And since the page break line looks exactly like the zoom box line, it makes the already unpleasant zoom box system even more confusing.

 

And let's talk about that zoom box again.  The whole concept is bad.  The split screen is jarring and hard to look at.  When you zoom in, the zoom box doesn't necessarily start where your fingers were.  And lining it up properly is a major pain in the rear.  And while it's nice that Drift finally STOPS when you stop, it still runs way too fast.  I write in cursive.  All my words are unnaturally stretched out because it scrolls too quickly.

 

By the way, the two-finger scroll is STILL stupid.  It leaves marks all over the page and is simply ridiculous.  Why on earth wouldn't you do a "next page" button like you had before?  Idiotic.

 

The "page tray" seems like a last ditch sort of effort.  But it's still useless, since you can't re-arrange the pages like you could previously.  And, unlike the good version of the app, it's no longer in a grid.  So notebooks with large page counts are still difficult and time consuming to navigate.

 

And who in the heck thought it was a good idea to put the "Clear Page" feature there?!  What was once a simple doubletap on the erase button, you now have to make three steps to clear, drilling through multiple menus, and then three more steps to get back to your work.

 

The original app was a delight to use... seamless, intuitive, and smooth to use--not to mention visually appealing.  This version is STILL clunky and awkward--causing the user to have to fight with the app, rather than have the app work for them.  The UX is frustrating and time consuming, putting up roadblocks between the user and the result desired.  Why?  Why would you do that?  To make it "pretty"?  Making an app so counter-intuitive is bad business, especially when you have so many professional and corporate users relying upon it.

 

It's looking like I'm going to either have to change to another app or go back to using paper notebooks again.  I'm still using 5.3.1 on my actual iPad, since I rolled it back after the initial 6.0 update, but I can only imagine that Evernote will likely make things incompatible with it as time goes on.  I suppose I can go back to Bamboo Paper, but if I have to switch apps I definitely won't be renewing my annual Evernote Premium subscription.  No reason to if they're going to handle my data so sloppily and foist these sub-par apps on us.  I gotta say, my trust in Evernote has really taken a hit with this mess.

 

It's worth noting that, in the time since the initial update came out, I've spent about $25+ on competitor's apps trying to find something else to use if I have to replace Penultimate.  That's money I could have spent on Evernote products (and would rather have done so), but did not.

 

We, your customers, are making our thoughts known in big, neon flashing letters.  If you can't see that and take appropriate action, you're going to lose us.

Thank you!

 

I just second your every single coma on this post!!!

 

....pitty that the evernote/penultimate responsibles insist on the mistake and dont give in....

 

cheers,

Link to comment

Hi all,

 

We released Penultimate 6.0.1 to the App Store just a short time ago.

 

Release notes:

  • Zoom and drift improvements: resizable zoom box, writing speed responds to your handwriting, drift pauses when you stop writing
  • Note page thumbnail tray: clear and delete pages, insert new pages, and find specific pages more easily in long notes
  • Page break and number visible
  • Automatic note titles turned on by default
  • Jot Script accuracy improvements
 

Notable bug fixes:

  • Increased tap targets for tool menu (to avoid extraneous ink dots around menu)
  • Note names created with system date format (was dd/mm/yyyy)
  • Cut lines display in zoom view
  • Copied or duplicated Penultimate note from Android now synced properly in Penultimate app (orig from 5.3.1)
  • Searching with Chinese characters
 

Let us know what you think.

 

You can download the Penultimate app from the App Store. 

 

More to come. Stay tuned.

 

Cheers!

The changes dont address the complaints. Further, does not show value to customers.
Link to comment

The new version has breached the original agreement of puchase based on how the product was intended to be used by changing the focus from note taking to graphics illustration

Based on the number of complaints and response from the service department the issues may force customers to resolve the issues through a class action law suit. As I see it, to prevent this, evernote needs to fix the following:

Fix the zoom function by returning it to the way it was or make zooms to not control half the page, preventing adequate area to make changes.

Not require sign in to evernote to force sharing data or syncs

Put controls in the settings area on ipods to allow control and deletion of the app (every apple user should complain to apple on this issue)

Restore notebooks to all notebooks and fix the issue where notebooks were converted to pages under a single notebook

If you don't like the new version, take the following actions to see if evernote valuse its customers:

Make direct complaint to the service department.

Post issues and displeasure on the app site under reviews.

Post issues on your social media pages.

Post your complaints on Youtube to warn other against purchase of evernote products.

Link to comment

My experience with the update on my iPad mini 32gb with Retina has been mixed.

The good – The tray feature is a welcome, but still lacking, feature; it's close to the previous thumbnail page-view to me. Portrait-to-landscape rotation also seems to work well.

The bad – Two-finger scrolling is still terrible, working only half the time and creating long ink-streaks down the page the other half. The lag-time and ink-inaccuracy is still a bad as well; the ink doesn't show up under the tip of the stylus. The zoom box advances too quickly.

I bought the Evernote Jot Script Stylus hoping it would make a difference. Though it is a nice-looking and well-weighted stylus, it's functionality is very disappointing with Penultimate, Unacceptable. I will probably be returning it if corrections aren't made to the app quickly. Unfortunately, I'm still not optimistic.

Link to comment

For those who are, like me, disgusted by the uselessness of version 6 (and 6.0.1) there is a way to return to your previous version. 

 

It will only be open to you if you have iTunes on your mac (or PC) and access to an older version of the app. 

 

I had to go back through my time machine backups to get to a previous decent version (5.3.1 I think) that was backed up the day before the update debacle.  This last point is key, I think, as if you have a very old version backed up it might not have all of your most recent notebooks saved. 

 

In saying that, I'm actually not sure if Penultimate stores anything locally, but it's a bit of a moot point for me, as I sync with Evernote (lucky me), so I have backups of the notebooks stored on the Evernote servers.

 

Anyway, I sourced the 5.3.1 penultimate.ipa file and saved it to my desktop.

 

Then, after switching off "automatic updates" on my iPad I deleted the crappy 6.0.1 version. 

 

Then I opened up iTunes, went to the apps library and dropped in the old version of Penultimate on to iTunes.

 

Then I connected the iPad to my MacBook, opened up iTunes, selected the iPad, clicked on the Apps tab and scrolled to the older version of penultimate, which gave me the option to install it, which I did...

 

Once it had synced I launched Penultimate 5 and, after a while it had synced with Evernote and my old notebooks were there.

 

I DID however lose a notebook that I had been fiddling with the new 6.0.1 version, but 11 out of 12 notebooks wasn't too bad.

 

Not sure if any of the above would work for someone who does not sync with Evernote????

 

I hope this is helpful to others.

 

I'm going to hang on to my older version until this is cleared up, or, if not, I'll migrate to another App.  Evernote need to sort this out, and quickly, or I'll be cancelling my monthly subscription...

 

 

Link to comment

After 2 years of Penultimate everyday using now i can say that it is COMPLETELY, ABSOLUTELY UNUSABLE after upgrading to 6.0.1 I So in this case I have to switch to other one, for exam Note Plus or GoodNotes which REALLY do that they are intended to. 

Link to comment

Ipad Air 

Penultimate 6.0.1.7330

Evernote 7.6.2.313133

Jot Script

 

Known issues:

 

Notes I've sync to Evernote after the update are lost. Only the title appears on Evernote. Please help me I've lost precious notes!

 

Writing style is far worse than before. Its like i've never write on a paper before or like a kid is trying to write.

 

Jot Script is not always recognisable. About 1/5 of writing attempts the pen is not recognisable thus there is nothing on the note even if you write.

 

Any help provided will be highly appreciated.

 

Thank you 

Link to comment

I agree with all said here.  New version is better than 6.0 but is still light years away from v5.  ZOOM BOX IS STUPID!!! it is still a major step backward in usability.  Please bring back the old fullscreen zoom.

 

For those interested, the Wacom Bamboo paper app is pretty close to the old penultimate we love and miss.  It is missing two key features, but it sounds like they might actually listen to their customers and if enough of us ask they will most likely add them.

 

the two missing features are auto scroll and cut/slice content from your notes.

 

Other than those two things the writing is super fluid and very nice to use, you have individual "pages" that can be switched with a button press.  Zooming works great and gives very good control.  

 

the IAP for that app is just for some different pins and paint brushes.  The default pens they give you mirror what penultimate has always had.  You can sync your work with evernote as well.
 

While this may not be a perfect solution, it is so much better than the current version of penultimate.

Link to comment

I had high hopes for these fixes, but like others have said, I'm still experiencing critical problems. :(

 

- The zoom box still randomly jumps to the upper left corner of the screen

 

- Trying to move the zoom box with my finger -- either because it's jumped randomly or because I want to put it somewhere else on the page otherwise -- takes literally SEVERAL tries

 

- The drift feature is back, but it's nowhere near what it was before. The previous speed felt perfect. Is this the same as the previous version? It feels different and too fast. And if you move the zoom box somewhere else and have drift turned on, it begins drifting before you've begun writing -- not cool.

 

- I own a Jot Script Evernote Edition, and the writing is *still* not where it was in version 5. It's choppy, sloppy, skips, and and feels very poor. It was so smooth and easy to write cleanly and neatly in version 5. I even have a brand-new battery and have checked this in other note-taking apps -- it's definitely Penultimate at fault.

 

I've switched over to Notes Plus, and I guess that's where I'm going to stay. 

Link to comment

First off, I gotta say I was not willing to install this update on my actual work iPad after the debacle that was 6.0.  Instead, I waited till I got back to the office this morning and tried it on one of our test devices instead.

 

Evernote, I am so disappointed.

 

These minor appeasement updates to the app still do nothing to return it to its former glory, unfortunately.

 

The format is still toilet paper roll.  Seriously, guys--nobody wants to write this way.  We abandoned the "scroll" format in the Middle Ages, with good reason.  I just don't understand why they think we want this.  The page breaks are *****, too.  It takes a lot of delicate scrolling with the poorly executed two-finger scroll to get a full page centered properly.  And since the page break line looks exactly like the zoom box line, it makes the already unpleasant zoom box system even more confusing.

 

And let's talk about that zoom box again.  The whole concept is bad.  The split screen is jarring and hard to look at.  When you zoom in, the zoom box doesn't necessarily start where your fingers were.  And lining it up properly is a major pain in the rear.  And while it's nice that Drift finally STOPS when you stop, it still runs way too fast.  I write in cursive.  All my words are unnaturally stretched out because it scrolls too quickly.

 

By the way, the two-finger scroll is STILL stupid.  It leaves marks all over the page and is simply ridiculous.  Why on earth wouldn't you do a "next page" button like you had before?  Idiotic.

 

The "page tray" seems like a last ditch sort of effort.  But it's still useless, since you can't re-arrange the pages like you could previously.  And, unlike the good version of the app, it's no longer in a grid.  So notebooks with large page counts are still difficult and time consuming to navigate.

 

And who in the heck thought it was a good idea to put the "Clear Page" feature there?!  What was once a simple doubletap on the erase button, you now have to make three steps to clear, drilling through multiple menus, and then three more steps to get back to your work.

 

The original app was a delight to use... seamless, intuitive, and smooth to use--not to mention visually appealing.  This version is STILL clunky and awkward--causing the user to have to fight with the app, rather than have the app work for them.  The UX is frustrating and time consuming, putting up roadblocks between the user and the result desired.  Why?  Why would you do that?  To make it "pretty"?  Making an app so counter-intuitive is bad business, especially when you have so many professional and corporate users relying upon it.

 

It's looking like I'm going to either have to change to another app or go back to using paper notebooks again.  I'm still using 5.3.1 on my actual iPad, since I rolled it back after the initial 6.0 update, but I can only imagine that Evernote will likely make things incompatible with it as time goes on.  I suppose I can go back to Bamboo Paper, but if I have to switch apps I definitely won't be renewing my annual Evernote Premium subscription.  No reason to if they're going to handle my data so sloppily and foist these sub-par apps on us.  I gotta say, my trust in Evernote has really taken a hit with this mess.

 

It's worth noting that, in the time since the initial update came out, I've spent about $25+ on competitor's apps trying to find something else to use if I have to replace Penultimate.  That's money I could have spent on Evernote products (and would rather have done so), but did not.

 

We, your customers, are making our thoughts known in big, neon flashing letters.  If you can't see that and take appropriate action, you're going to lose us

 

Good comments, it appears however the EVERNOTE has turned off their hearing aid, the one that listens to customers.  I echo your comment about 5.3.1 being intuitive to use, that is why I like it.  Sure 5.3.1 did not have all the bells and whistles of the other apps but it worked and felt like taking notes with pen and paper.  I am getting extremely frustrated and p__sed off at EVERNOTE with there absolute lack of acknowledgement that they screwed up.. Give us 5.3.1 back and make improvements to it.   DO NOT cram a junk product down our throats - in the end you will lose.

Link to comment

First off, I gotta say I was not willing to install this update on my actual work iPad after the debacle that was 6.0.  Instead, I waited till I got back to the office this morning and tried it on one of our test devices instead.

 

Evernote, I am so disappointed.

 

These minor appeasement updates to the app still do nothing to return it to its former glory, unfortunately.

 

The format is still toilet paper roll.  Seriously, guys--nobody wants to write this way.  We abandoned the "scroll" format in the Middle Ages, with good reason.  I just don't understand why they think we want this.  The page breaks are *****, too.  It takes a lot of delicate scrolling with the poorly executed two-finger scroll to get a full page centered properly.  And since the page break line looks exactly like the zoom box line, it makes the already unpleasant zoom box system even more confusing.

 

And let's talk about that zoom box again.  The whole concept is bad.  The split screen is jarring and hard to look at.  When you zoom in, the zoom box doesn't necessarily start where your fingers were.  And lining it up properly is a major pain in the rear.  And while it's nice that Drift finally STOPS when you stop, it still runs way too fast.  I write in cursive.  All my words are unnaturally stretched out because it scrolls too quickly.

 

By the way, the two-finger scroll is STILL stupid.  It leaves marks all over the page and is simply ridiculous.  Why on earth wouldn't you do a "next page" button like you had before?  Idiotic.

 

The "page tray" seems like a last ditch sort of effort.  But it's still useless, since you can't re-arrange the pages like you could previously.  And, unlike the good version of the app, it's no longer in a grid.  So notebooks with large page counts are still difficult and time consuming to navigate.

 

And who in the heck thought it was a good idea to put the "Clear Page" feature there?!  What was once a simple doubletap on the erase button, you now have to make three steps to clear, drilling through multiple menus, and then three more steps to get back to your work.

 

The original app was a delight to use... seamless, intuitive, and smooth to use--not to mention visually appealing.  This version is STILL clunky and awkward--causing the user to have to fight with the app, rather than have the app work for them.  The UX is frustrating and time consuming, putting up roadblocks between the user and the result desired.  Why?  Why would you do that?  To make it "pretty"?  Making an app so counter-intuitive is bad business, especially when you have so many professional and corporate users relying upon it.

 

It's looking like I'm going to either have to change to another app or go back to using paper notebooks again.  I'm still using 5.3.1 on my actual iPad, since I rolled it back after the initial 6.0 update, but I can only imagine that Evernote will likely make things incompatible with it as time goes on.  I suppose I can go back to Bamboo Paper, but if I have to switch apps I definitely won't be renewing my annual Evernote Premium subscription.  No reason to if they're going to handle my data so sloppily and foist these sub-par apps on us.  I gotta say, my trust in Evernote has really taken a hit with this mess.

 

It's worth noting that, in the time since the initial update came out, I've spent about $25+ on competitor's apps trying to find something else to use if I have to replace Penultimate.  That's money I could have spent on Evernote products (and would rather have done so), but did not.

 

We, your customers, are making our thoughts known in big, neon flashing letters.  If you can't see that and take appropriate action, you're going to lose us.

Link to comment

Penultimate 6.0.1 is a significant improvement from 6.0. However, I was using Penultimate on Saturday, November 20, and everything I wrote on a page was erased two separate times; Penultimate crashed and all was erased. It seemed to happen as I neared the bottom of the page in zoom mode. I was just trying out the app so nothing critical was lost; however, if that sort of instability continues, it will be difficult to trust the app for critical work. This was on an iPad Air. I also have noticed that my iPad Air allows me to write in landscape mode or portrait mode while my regular iPad only works in portrait mode. Is this a feature?

 

The drift speed is much better. The return of the multi-page view is very welcome but not yet as functional as before (no page duplication). The writing fidelity has improved but is still sluggish and somewhat non-responsive in zoom mode. The scrolling paper format causes problems if care is not taken to ensure that photos do not break across the page. All writing on the photo is lost when this happens after the app is closed and reopened.

 

I am still having difficulty emailing pdf files due to the size. I take snapshots of forms and paste the photos into Penultimate. I write on the forms while in the field and email the results to myself and others. A six page form with writing on each page, plus three extra pages with embedded photos and writing and three more pages of handwritten notes was previously a total of 5 Megs, the limit for my email server. This same six page form when it is completely blank with no other notes/pages now becomes 15 Megs when converted to pdf. Is there anything that can be done about this?

 

I did find a workaround for emailing my work to myself using iTunes for times when I am in the office or near my laptop: export pdf to iBooks, connect iPad to laptop with iTunes installed, click on iPad icon in iTunes, click on Books under "On My Device", click on the pdf that was exported to iBooks, click "Add to", right click on the file in iTunes, click on Copy and then paste to the desktop or other folder on the laptop. This fix will not help when trying to email notes while in the field.

 

I am not currently paying for Penultimate as we are still testing out the functionality and have not yet decided if this is an app we are willing to commit to. Another user implied that input from non-paying users might not be as valuable as input from paying customers. I wonder if input that helps to improve the product and helps the developers to understand how people use the product could be useful regardless?

 

Thank you very much for working so quickly to improve Penultimate! I am lucky that I won't need to use it in the field much for another month or so and so I hope that things get sorted out by then.

Link to comment

Penultimate is still a big mess. I'm about done checking in for updates on whether you have made it usable for taking hand written notes. Tired of spending all my time erasing errors caused by the page shifting, or the lines by trying to scroll, or the zoom feature that pops up when you don't want it. Why, why, why did you think this is what we wanted!!!!

 

What's that?

 

Got it, still silent... 

 

Keep your heads buried in the sand... We've got better things to do.

Link to comment

Sinds I upgraded to Penultimate 6.0.1 my Jot Script doesn't work correct anymore. It can't draw a line without blanks and doesn't write half the time. 

I always used my Jot with great pleasure, but now I can't even use Penultimate anymore. 

The battery is fully charged and blue tooth up and running...

 

To bad there is no roll back possible

Link to comment

Dear Sirs.

 

How do i put the last version back on my iPad

 

i have tried to use this new version but it is so rubbish and i think was designed by a couple of kids who know nothing about business. The last version was fantastic,and easy to use, clean , well organised but this is so poor and all over the place. its a joke

 

Big mistake for you me thinks

 

Not happy at all

 

James of Yorkshire

Please check other topics on this forum. There is a topic devoted to recovering Penultimate 5 (HOW TO GET OLD VERSION BACK), and another (please anyone suggest a new note-taking app?) devoted to third-party alternatives.

Link to comment

Dear Sirs.

 

How do i put the last version back on my iPad

 

i have tried to use this new version but it is so rubbish and i think was designed by a couple of kids who know nothing about business. The last version was fantastic,and easy to use, clean , well organised but this is so poor and all over the place. its a joke

 

Big mistake for you me thinks

 

Not happy at all

 

James of Yorkshire

Link to comment

When will the new version be available?

Although a loyal Evernote customer until now I'm so tempted to switch to Goodnotes if this isn't sorted this week and all the functionality I enjoyed in the last version is returned!

 

Give me a date... or I'm off! So disappointed.

 

Ian

Link to comment
  • Level 5

So, it's been a couple weeks now and still radio silence from Evernote. I was trying to be patient, but at this point I've more or less given up on ever seeing my favorite app return to something useful.

Well, looks like I'm switching to GoodNotes. I hate to do it, but there's not much other choice and it doesn't appear Evernote has any plans to fix this disaster. Nor have they given any real response since that initial lip service attempt to save face. Look at the review status: 4 stars to 1 star in just one version update. If that doesn't raise red flags, then they have their eyes shut and ears stoppered.

For shame, Evernote team.

 

Hi,

 

The team has been pretty heads-down working on many of the issues, feedback, and requested functionality. Version 6.0.2 with many improvements was submitted to the App Store on Tuesday. We'll release it shortly after Apple approves it. Thanks for your patience and feedback.

 

Cheers

Link to comment

I gave up on Penlessthanultimate and switched to Noteshelf. Easy and intuitive interface was up and running with it once I downloaded it. Still needs some new page d

 

It make no sense what they did to the program - they sabotaged their own product with the 6.0 redesign, which is what it should be billed as, not an upgrade. It is anything but.

 

I will continue to use EN, but really dislike the fact that I can't chose when I sync on my mobile devices.

Link to comment

Hi, i am using penultimate for about one year now. But the version 6 IS unusable in ms iPad 2. there IS so much lag, that Writing IS impossible. I Already reset myiPad to make Sure that IS not the Problem, but version 6 Is nothing I want to use anymore.

Please bring back version 5. With that version I used penultimate like a real paper, with version 6 I feel 10 years ago when I start writing on small PDA devices.

You sent me an email, that you did not do a good job with that release - respect. Now take the chance, and bring the old version back, then develop again on version 6, let it test by many users and let users decide which version they want to use.

Link to comment

So, it's been a couple weeks now and still radio silence from Evernote. I was trying to be patient, but at this point I've more or less given up on ever seeing my favorite app return to something useful.

Well, looks like I'm switching to GoodNotes. I hate to do it, but there's not much other choice and it doesn't appear Evernote has any plans to fix this disaster. Nor have they given any real response since that initial lip service attempt to save face. Look at the review status: 4 stars to 1 star in just one version update. If that doesn't raise red flags, then they have their eyes shut and ears stoppered.

For shame, Evernote team.

Link to comment

...wtf?!?!

 

Its been weeks now since the last ***** update to PU and thousands of post in the blogs....and still no feedback/reply/smoke signal from the PU Responsibles..

This is ridiculous!!!!

This is pure incompetence and lack of customer awareness.

I am really pissed and disappointed

Link to comment

 

First off, I gotta say I was not willing to install this update on my actual work iPad after the debacle that was 6.0.  Instead, I waited till I got back to the office this morning and tried it on one of our test devices instead.

 

Evernote, I am so disappointed.

 

These minor appeasement updates to the app still do nothing to return it to its former glory, unfortunately.

 

The format is still toilet paper roll.  Seriously, guys--nobody wants to write this way.  We abandoned the "scroll" format in the Middle Ages, with good reason.  I just don't understand why they think we want this.  The page breaks are *****, too.  It takes a lot of delicate scrolling with the poorly executed two-finger scroll to get a full page centered properly.  And since the page break line looks exactly like the zoom box line, it makes the already unpleasant zoom box system even more confusing.

 

And let's talk about that zoom box again.  The whole concept is bad.  The split screen is jarring and hard to look at.  When you zoom in, the zoom box doesn't necessarily start where your fingers were.  And lining it up properly is a major pain in the rear.  And while it's nice that Drift finally STOPS when you stop, it still runs way too fast.  I write in cursive.  All my words are unnaturally stretched out because it scrolls too quickly.

 

By the way, the two-finger scroll is STILL stupid.  It leaves marks all over the page and is simply ridiculous.  Why on earth wouldn't you do a "next page" button like you had before?  Idiotic.

 

The "page tray" seems like a last ditch sort of effort.  But it's still useless, since you can't re-arrange the pages like you could previously.  And, unlike the good version of the app, it's no longer in a grid.  So notebooks with large page counts are still difficult and time consuming to navigate.

 

And who in the heck thought it was a good idea to put the "Clear Page" feature there?!  What was once a simple doubletap on the erase button, you now have to make three steps to clear, drilling through multiple menus, and then three more steps to get back to your work.

 

The original app was a delight to use... seamless, intuitive, and smooth to use--not to mention visually appealing.  This version is STILL clunky and awkward--causing the user to have to fight with the app, rather than have the app work for them.  The UX is frustrating and time consuming, putting up roadblocks between the user and the result desired.  Why?  Why would you do that?  To make it "pretty"?  Making an app so counter-intuitive is bad business, especially when you have so many professional and corporate users relying upon it.

 

It's looking like I'm going to either have to change to another app or go back to using paper notebooks again.  I'm still using 5.3.1 on my actual iPad, since I rolled it back after the initial 6.0 update, but I can only imagine that Evernote will likely make things incompatible with it as time goes on.  I suppose I can go back to Bamboo Paper, but if I have to switch apps I definitely won't be renewing my annual Evernote Premium subscription.  No reason to if they're going to handle my data so sloppily and foist these sub-par apps on us.  I gotta say, my trust in Evernote has really taken a hit with this mess.

 

It's worth noting that, in the time since the initial update came out, I've spent about $25+ on competitor's apps trying to find something else to use if I have to replace Penultimate.  That's money I could have spent on Evernote products (and would rather have done so), but did not.

 

We, your customers, are making our thoughts known in big, neon flashing letters.  If you can't see that and take appropriate action, you're going to lose us

 

Good comments, it appears however the EVERNOTE has turned off their hearing aid, the one that listens to customers.  I echo your comment about 5.3.1 being intuitive to use, that is why I like it.  Sure 5.3.1 did not have all the bells and whistles of the other apps but it worked and felt like taking notes with pen and paper.  I am getting extremely frustrated and p__sed off at EVERNOTE with there absolute lack of acknowledgement that they screwed up.. Give us 5.3.1 back and make improvements to it.   DO NOT cram a junk product down our throats - in the end you will lose.

 

 

I bought both Notesplus and Penultimate, and even though I paid ten times more for Notesplus I still preferred PU to it. No, PU didn't have all the features of NP, but it's function and design was so fluid, simple and intuitive I deleted NP from my iPad and used PU exclusively. 

 

I tried given the upgrade a chance before successfully reverting back to 5.3.1. If there were major improvements in the upgrade, they didn't really impress me. I did like the return of the thumbnails, but the writing was still lagging, the two-finger scrolls never worked properly for me, and I had to take more steps just to clear a page. Not to mention the light blue coloring was kind of harsh on my eyes (another reason why I preferred old PU, the color scheme was easier on my eyes). A patch here and there is not going to cut it. The whole design needs to be reworked. Or better yet, rolled back to 5.3.1 (which will not likely happen, from the looks of things). This is like getting stuck with Vista without the option to downgrade to XP. 

 

Now that I have the older version back, the differences between the two versions are just astonishing. The writing is more fluid and natural feeling. The layout is simple and easy to follow. I appreciate the 5.3 version so much more. This is such a wonderful product I hate to see it end up like this. 

Link to comment

@koeselitz -- I understand your grief. I too mourn the drift feature. I am a comparative newcomer to Penultimate, having adopted it after the Evernote acquisition. I am also a veteran of 30 years in the commercial software industry.

 

You're right. There was nothing quite like drift. I flirted with other note-taking apps and kept coming back to old Penultimate for drift. Even though drift didn't always keep up with my writing, even though Penultimate lacked features the others had, I kept coming back. But having the experience in the industry that I do, I kept my notes synced to Evernote religiously. Why? Because from the standpoint of Evernote, the only purpose of Penultimate was to bring users to their cloud service. THAT is the company's revenue source. They do not sell apps -- they GIVE AWAY apps so that people can make use of their service. Since the acquisition, Penultimate has been a loss-leader for Evernote, useful to the company only so long as it brings in cloud users.

 

I don't blame Evernote for its attitude that Penultimate exists only to bring users to its cloud; it is the economic reality of Evernote's business model. I DO blame them for not uploading every single one of your unsynced notes to Evernote as part of the upgrade process, at no charge for the one-time backup. You should have had the opportunity to extract your work, dissociate yourself from Evernote and move on with no data loss.

 

I am saddened by this whole fiasco, but hardly surprised. Having been an employee of several firms that were acquired by a much larger company to fill a "hole" in the larger company's line-up, I've seen wonderful products gutted before in order to fit the acquiring company's business model. My only astonishment is that it took Evernote so long to de-featurize Penultimate; my only regrets are that folks like you lost your data and that the drift feature is dead. Truthfully, Evernote doesn't want a great notetaking app; it wants a way for iOS users to get handwritten input into Evernote. A single-page handwriting input module added to the main Evernote app would suit them much better. That's all the Android users have, BTW.

 

Evernote management take note: Shame on you for not coming clean about the REAL reasons for the downgrading of Penultimate. I don't know what those reasons are, but I've been in the industry long enough to recognize that the happy BS you've been putting out about why you re-wrote a working app from the ground up is just that -- BS. Your "apology" took far too long to arrive. Your denial of data loss fools no one who went through the upgrade process -- EVERYTHING that was not synced to Evernote was simply erased. I watched it go and be replaced by my synced data.

 

There is nothing else on the market to my knowledge that does what the Evernote service itself does. OneNote won't work for me. So for now, I remain your Premium customer. But I'm going to be watching carefully to see what else is out there. And once something else works for me -- I'm gone.

Link to comment

I have never been an Evernote user, and I'm certainly not going to become one now. One of he worst parts of he new interface is the sudden requirement that you log into an Evernote account to use the app at all. And, as I've said in a few places, this update deleted hundreds of pages of my notes. So I know I can't really trust Evernote, or even Penultimate, ever again.

What really hurts me is that I miss drift so deeply. It made writing notes in class on my iPad a true joy. I spent countless hours taking down my thoughts whilst writing my master's thesis last year, working hard and learning so much while doing it; my thoughts just flowed across the electronic page, and it was all so seamless and clear. I've tried other note apps, and none comes close to offering anything like drift. All are crufty and ugly, and their best auto-advance features are jerky and painful to use. The hours I spent in the Boston Public Library writing out notes on medieval philosophy and whiling away the time in pure thought are gone. I will never, never get to take notes like that again.

And all the notes I took there are gone - deleted by Evernote callously with a single update.

Sincerely, this has made me sadder than anything that's happened to me in a while. I feel like something very real has been taken from me. My iPad now feels like a little portable web browser, nothing more - no longer is it an extension of myself and my thinking and writing. Almost everything I loved about it is gone now. And I don't really feel like I can trust it at all.

I just want the Penultimate team to know what I've gone through over this - a lot of sleepless nights, sadly struggling to try to carry on enjoying what I once had with Penultimate and trying to recover from the betrayal of losing so many notes.

You know what? I'm not going to switch to another app. Like I said, they're ugly and crufty, and what's more I will never trust them. They probably about me and my data almost as little as Evernote and Penultimate did.

I'm going back to using an actual pen and notebook. At least you can trust a pen and notebook. At least you can hold them in your hand and know they won't disappear into thin air. It'll take a lot of getting used to, though. And I'll still be sad about this for a long time.

Link to comment

Holy Cow!!  v6.0.x sucks!!  I have no idea why you would change a working application to a crappy one.  The Jot Script is useless with this version.  Brand new battery, and the point and "ink" are way off.  I try to write simple words, and it looks like just wavy lines.  Does not pick up my writing style at ALL.  Oh, and it seems you don't take into very much consideration for us left handers, as the hand positioning still bites.  

 

Please fix this, or give me my money back, as my $80 Jot Script is basically a paper weight with this version of Penultimate.

 

Good Notes here I come......

 

 

Link to comment

There is no way I will be updating. I managed to restore the older version, but frankly, it was never that good anyway.

As I've said before, the sync of a note to Evernote is good, but once it is come across there is little one can do with it. One cannot add to the note, not a ben text.

GoodNotes is my best choice, lots of great features, the only down side is seven steps to export to EN.

Link to comment

By Evernotes absence I fear they do not care about the product users.  As another person posted, the only reason that these posts continue is that the previous version was so functional.  By the way that Evernote released V6.0 and 6.01 they just do not get it or do not care about their customers.  This is prime opportunity for another cloud based data storage company to come onto the scene with a note taking app very similar in function to Penultimate V5 and syncing that works.

By the way, does anyone know where I can get 5.3.1?  I managed to salvage 5.3 put would like to go back to 5.3.1

Link to comment
Thank you for your responsiveness to your customers concerns. And thank you for bringing pages back. The new interface is still inferior to the old, but it's better than nothing. Sadly, other things are are still broken, making the app MUCH less usable than the previous version:  
 
1) Notes previously taken in landscape do not display correctly.
2) Previous notes are in "fatter" ink, making them very difficult to read
3) Two-finger scroll is hit-and-miss for whether it actually works. I much preferred the ability to :flip: though pages like a real notebook. The toilet-paper roll model just honestly sucks and needs to go. 
4) Zoom and drift is still less responsive than before the 6 update. And I much prefer the previous version of the zoom without the panel. 
5) Stylus accuracy is still MUCH worse than before 6 update. There are huge lag and skip issues, as well as issues with "ink" placement being way off. Everything I try to write is almost completely illegible!
6) Eraser is too big.
7) What has happened to sharing? I used to be able to email someone a pdf of a page of a notebook or the whole notebook. Now???
8) Sometimes I cannot erase specific marks. Like, part of a word will erase, but part will still be there until I close and reopen the note.
 
I know many of us would like to continue to use penultimate. It WAS a great productivity tool. But, sadly, these issues mean that I have personally had to switch to a different app to meet my daily note-taking needs. The app is just not usable in its current state. It makes me very sad to say that I am now using Notability and will continue to do so for as long as it continues to be vastly superior to the "new" Penultimate. To be honest, it makes me kind of angry, too, as I am a paying Evernote user primarily because of penultimate.

I miss Penultimate very much. It was so good at what it did. I hope you will bring it back, because this new app is just NOT IT. 
Link to comment

You can count me as one of the (apparently few) people who think that the new interface is an improvement.  I really like being able to hold my iPad mini in portrait orientation and using the zoom area to write in.  I also like the fact that new pages appear naturally as I advance the zoom area (I really hated having to zoom out to add a page and then having to zoom back in).

 

I have noticed that the zoom box jumps into the top left corner of the screen occasionally and assume that this will get fixed in the near future -- this is mostly an annoyance and the kind of thing  that can be expected when anyone makes this big of a change to an application.

 

The more frustrating thing is that I just lost an hour of note taking.  Somehow, penultimate managed to sync the background for my notes (two pages), but my notes are nowhere to be seen.  They don't show up on my iPad and they don't show up on the desktop or the web..... very frustrating.  This happened to me with an earlier version, so it's not specific to the new release, but it is the kind of thing that would cause me to move away from Evernote entirely (and I am a paying customer).

 

As much as I like the new version, I have a couple of suggested improvements :)  1)  make it possible to use zooming without scrolling -- writing on a scrolling screen really is unnatural and there are lots of examples of how to advance the zoom window more effectively; 2) I'm surprised by the poor quality of the "ink" in this version of Penultimate -- this used to be the killer feature of Penultimate, now the ink is really pretty pathetic, especially when compared to ether apps.

 

Why do I continue to use Penultimate when there are clearly better note taking apps -- some of which actually synchronize with Evernote?  Simple, the seamless integration/synchronization with Evernote.  Hopefully, Penultimate will continue to provide updates in the coming weeks to address the issues that I and others have raised and I won't have to find an alternative.  The fact that Penultimate took this big of a step after such a long time with an outdated interface is promising.

Link to comment

As I noted in my separate thread, I purchased a Jot Script last week to give Penultimate another try. I started with Penultimate the day it was first released way back when. I got my Jot Scipt on Thursday evening and tried it out. It was unusable. I tried several things yesterday to make it work, all failures. With the release of v6.0.1 I had hoped the issue was resolved. It was not.

This is horrible. I can not use this for real life work. It was a complete waste of $75. Evernote should be embarrassed to have put this on the market and put their name behind this product, both the new version of Penultimate and the Jot Script.

I will go back to pen and paper, and my Fujitsu scanner, as well as my iPad and keyboard.

Link to comment

You don't need to ask us anymore of 'what we think' unless you have brought back all the functionality of the 5er version.

 

Oh, actually, if you want to know what I think: I am here now for the last time, just to unsubscribe and I've already happily moved on to Notes Plus.

Link to comment

So there are definitely some improvements but the saddest thing is still the sluggishness of the app. I am using a Jot script Adonit and it still performs like a leaky pen. I actually can't write anything clearly which makes Penultimate a useless app.

Guys - surely the code that worked so well in previous versions can still be used in the latest version?

Link to comment

Penultimate 6.0 was 10 steps back from a perfect App (Penultimate 5). It made it one of the worst if not THE worst note taking App.

6.01 is a slight update of 6.0 it brings the App nowhere. Sorry but I don't get it.

I will be checking every couple of weeks to see where you are going, but right now, you have one user less.

Link to comment

PizzaFiend, 

 

Are you using an iPad Air 2? 

 

That is a big problem. I've tried using the Jot Script on Notes+ and GoodNotes4. It is awful on them as well. It is caused by the new laminated screen on the iPad Air 2. Adonis says they have an SDK out that is supposed to fix this. I don't know if Evernote has implemented that in v6.0.1. If they have that is even more of a problem. It is completely unusable. I can't write a complete sentence. There is no possible way I could use this for actual work.

 

As for Evernote's involvement, remember Evernote markets this heavily as an Evernote recommended and branded item. That is one of the reasons I was willing to try it and spend the premium on it. I viewed this as an integrated system; stylus, Penultimate and Evernote. It is completely unworkable and unusable.

 

No Arrow, I'm using an iPad Air, but have had a few Jot Script stylus's get flaky on me, some right out of the box. Never once was the issue app related, and each time, Adonit had replaced it. Normally I would've cut my losses and gone with another stylus, but when the Jot Script works, it is very, very good and it does enhance the Penultimate app. When it doesn't work, or worse, acts intermittently, it is very, very frustrating.

 

I can't speak for the Air 2, but try using your Script on an older iPad or an iPhone. Even if you're not taking advantage of the Bluetooth support, it should function as a passive stylus if powered on. That should allow you to determine whether the issue is with the Script or your iPad's laminated display. 

 

But now we're way off topic... The fact that your Jot Script performs poorly on the other apps on your iPad points to a device problem more so than a Penultimate problem.

Link to comment

PizzaFiend, 

 

Are you using an iPad Air 2? 

 

That is a big problem. I've tried using the Jot Script on Notes+ and GoodNotes4. It is awful on them as well. It is caused by the new laminated screen on the iPad Air 2. Adonis says they have an SDK out that is supposed to fix this. I don't know if Evernote has implemented that in v6.0.1. If they have that is even more of a problem. It is completely unusable. I can't write a complete sentence. There is no possible way I could use this for actual work.

 

As for Evernote's involvement, remember Evernote markets this heavily as an Evernote recommended and branded item. That is one of the reasons I was willing to try it and spend the premium on it. I viewed this as an integrated system; stylus, Penultimate and Evernote. It is completely unworkable and unusable.

Link to comment

Thank you for addressing some of the v6 issues so quickly!

The new drift speed is a huge improvement over the fixed speed, although I still prefer the pre-v6 Zoom-Drift over the "write panel" that is commonly found in so many inferior note taking apps that force you to write on the bottom of the display. While this new Zoom Box is not so bad when writing in landscape mode with the iPad on a desk, it is unnatural and uncomfortable if holding the iPad in one hand and writing with the other; resizing doesn't quite fill the gap. It would be nice to have a configurable option for Zoom-Drift or Zoom-Box in Settings.

The notes page thumbnail tray is also a major improvement over, well, having nothing... But still looking for the ability to have more than one paper style within the same note. Page turning would also be a very welcome return.

Keep the updates coming!

By the way, I appreciate the updated support for the Jot Script in v6; the battery level indication works and is useful. I am not having any issues with my Jot Script and the v6 release, however I have had issues with the Jot Script in the past, and have had nothing shy of stellar support from the folks at Adonit. Speaking from experience, before pointing blame at Penultimate, be sure to test your Jot Script on other apps or even other devices. 

 

 

iPad Air iOS 8.1.1

Link to comment

I have been using this app for two years. I took thousands of pages of notes with this. But now writing a single recognizable phrase became a real challange. Please bring back 5.3.1 or relaunch it as a separate app. This new thing is awful. There are way better note taking apps than the current form of penultimate.

Link to comment

Version 6.0.1 - NOT IMPRESSED!

 

I currently have a personal iPad 4 with the newest release of Penultimate 6.0.1, and also a Corporate iPad 4 running Penultimate version 5.3.1.

 

Here are my first observations:

- writing on the zoom box on the bottom of the screen is NOT my favorite.  I much prefer the 5.3.1 version. - BRING IT BACK PLEASE!

- writing in the zoom box is somewhat erratic and ink is slow. Letters are not clearly defined and do NOT resemble my natural handwriting. The letters are boxy looking.

- there are much more marks left by my knuckles than on version 5.3.1 (none !) - I tried changing my wrist position in 'Settings', but no improvement.

- the zoom  box speed is still too fast. Version 5.3.1 is IDEAL.

 

Comparing the SAME note on full screen, on the two iPad: the letters on version 6.0.1 looks more granular (pixelized!) than version 5.3.1 (sse link to Dropbox):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/txbw0rgixhk22l4/AABYxRFXoxztaLEkQ-KK-0yaa?dl=0

 

Bring back version 5.3.1 AND add features to it.

 

I just reverted my personal iPad to Penultimate Version 4.2. Unfortunately, I never synced my iPad with Penultimate 5.3.1. 

 

Was version 6.0.1 ever tested with some users?

Link to comment

6.0.1 is an improvement from 6.0, but still not better than 5.3.1. Here are some concerns:

 

- Drift is faster and I'm having to raise my Adonit JotPro several times to make it stop so I can keep writing. It would be nice if the speed could be adjustable.

- Recognition and sensibility on the screen still has problems: there is delay, sometimes I write and what I'm writing doesn't appear on the page, my handwriting is much bulkier and sometimes non-readable. I use the Adonis JotPro and the experience used to be much smoother.

- I'm having more "accidental" dots with my palm than I used to.

- The erasing on the Zoom is too large, basically the same size than on the regular page. Which makes it impossible to erase a small detail.

- When you cut a good size note (A large paragraph or two) and try to relocate it, it is virtually impossible. There is delay and non-response.

 

Hope this helps to keep improving.

Link to comment

The writing use still very bad with a 1/2 second delay each time I lift and place my pen on the surface or use a finger.

Try writing a sentence in print format and you will see this plain as day. The writing should be smooth and I have no idea how this stuff gets tested for quality at Evernote. Still lots of bugs and issues

Link to comment

Twi weeks ago i purchased a Jot script pen to use with penultimate. I was a pleasure to work with the application. Then you issued a new version and everything (everything i mean) went bad. The most frustating issue was the gap between the tip of my pen and the ink on the screen. Totally unacceptable.

I downloaded this morning the latest fersion of the app with high hopes that you would have cleaned your boo boo. But no, the ink recognition is still sloppy and there is still the gap between where i put the tip of the pen and where the ink appears on the screen.

PLEASE, bring back the old version. Why change something that worked ?

Link to comment

You had one job...

Nothing else matters to me than to be able to flip to a new page, like one naturally does when writing in a notebook. In the previous version, all I had to do was tap the bottom corner, the page flipped and I was on a blank page.

The orientation in 6.0.1 is unnatural. It's like I'm an Egyptian in the 4th century writing edicts for the Pharaoh on a papyrus scroll. No one has written that way in CENTURIES. The 2 finger scroll to get to a new page is bizarre and doesn't even work when the stylus is turned on because when connected, Penultimate IGNORES all finger and palm impressions. I have to turn off my stylus, do the 2 finger scroll MULTIPLE times (which then adds markings to the page), then turn back in the stylus to continue writing. This is a serious usability issue.

I weep as I type this, but I'm going to purchase Goodread. I can't wait any longer for Penultimate to get right what was not even broken. I sang your praises for 8-months, but now I'm breaking up with you.

Link to comment
Hi there,

I use Penultimate Premium Member on the iPad Air, v6.01.

The Upadate is indeed an improvement over the v6.0, but still not to use in everyday life. Here my criticisms:

 

1) The Jot Scricpt pin is poorly recognized and integrated

2) Often the connection is interrupted, resulting in a choppy typeface, so it is therefore not possible smooth writing

3) In other apps the pen writes normal and liquid

4) Battery problem: even if the battery is full to 3/4, the Jot Script pin is not connected. Only change of a new battery helps.

5) The Zoom window jumps when writing partly in the more left upper corner of the screen.

6) Navigating with the zoom window is uncomfortable, it is navigated too fast and jerky.

7) the total typeface with the Jot script pin has worsened. You have to write very big to get a clean typeface.

    This was better in the old version.


8) VERY IMPORTANT: Insert the images or photos is poorly resolved. I can not move it or resize it. The images are placed in the middle of screen.

 


Please dear Evernote Team: have (A BIG) a look at how other apps work (Good Notes, Notabilty, ...).

It can not be so difficult to take these apps as a positive example !!!

 

BR Tom

Link to comment

I am a paying Evernote customer. I was disappointed when Penultimate 6.0 was released. Not by the new app but by the way it was done. And I suggested that Evernote gave us the old version back. Evernote has now on their Blog recognized their error and are doing their best to correct the situation. So I am sure that all will be well soon. Thank you Evernote for your apology. Other software vendors might learn from that!

 

I also have a few commends regarding the user reactions. First I would like to distinguish between paying customers and those who just use the programs without paying anything. If you do not pay then you should just accept what Evernote decides to do and say thank you too. Next, I already see performance and function related comments to the 6.0.1 version. But the critics do not bother to tell us about the equipment they use or the Operating System version. So all we get to know is that someone is annoyed with something. Not helpful comments.

 

Some users have shared their surprise that the 6.0 upgrade could create such a mess in the first place. All those notes in the Penultimate Notebooks... Is it really the intention with Penultimate that the program should serve as an archive for a lot of notes? Should that not be the task of the Evernote App itself? Isn't Penultimate just intended as an interface to Evernote.  An interface designed for making drawings rather than entering text? Perhaps users with large amounts of data in Penultimate should reconsider their work flow and their data storage and retrieval habits? 

Link to comment

Wow, epic fail 2.0. After using this new version for 5 minutes, I've grown more disdainful of Evernote than before.

- the biggest problem is that when I write something, it takes around a half second for it to show up

- the pages are more zoomed in by default which is annoying

- you brought the thumbnails back but left out the ability to copy pages

- all of my notebooks are still lumped into that stupid penultimate circle

You guys seriously fucked up a great app. I am officially done with Penultimate in its current state. I'll only come back when 5.3.1 is available again, which is a what all of us customers asked for in the first place.

Link to comment

It's not yet available to me in the App Store... is it under review? Are others having any luck seeing it?

--UPDATE 2014.11.21 20:58 PST--

After refreshing, refreshing, refreshing, refreshing, the update finally appeared. Downloaded it. Looking at it. We'll see when I get home and turn on my stylus whether my gripes were addressed.

--UPDATE 2014.11.21 21:03 PST--

 

First thing: PAGES ARE BACK. I wasn't particularly frustrated by their disappearance, but it's good that they seemed to find a medium between pages and infinipaper. But I AM irritated by the automatic insertion of more pages than I actually want... why is it two pages automatically? Because the screen is bigger than one page. Easily avoidable. Not going to prevent me from using it, but it's flaring my OCD more than anything.

 

Second: Drift seems to be working as it always should have. In fact, it seems to be a slight improvement.That's comforting.

 

Third: I like being able to resize the zoom pane. That's a lot more usable.

 

BUT PROBLEMS STILL EXIST.

A-- Two-finger scroll seems not to work more often than it seems to work. Not too much of a problem now that you can skip directly to a page, but I don't want to have to do that every time.

B-- It's really problematic that the tools hover over the writable area.

 

C-- I suppose this isn't a problem as much as a hesitation... I haven't broken out the JotScript yet to see if the connectivity issues have been resolved. They may not be. That's more concerning than it should be... as much as my initial anger has been resolved here, it'll all be for naught if my stylus won't work.

Link to comment

It is extremely disconcerting to hear of notes being lost, app crashing etc. This is the stuff of BETA versions not of full releases! Of extremely serious concern is the potential for the Evernote app and program to go the same route. If they can make a mess of a note taking app what could they do to Evernote?

Maybe time to switch to Microsoft Onenote and Onedrive.....

Link to comment

Though the update is an improvement it is still worse than penultimate 5.x was. I liked how it felt like pages in a journal/notebook before and I could just push a button to flip a page. The old way of zooming in was far superior and much preferred. Also it still lags when I'm writing and I've noticed that my writing comes how sloppier and choppier than it had in the past (though I don't have the best handwriting). I think I speak for everyone when I say that I would prefer that you just go back to the old version instead of trying to fix the new one. If you had left the old design and added new features that other note taking apps have like the ability to type in a note, and mode where you can pan around a page without marking on it or just adding the ones that you did add without changing the design (like highlighters and different pen sizes) I would have been happy. I am a student technology leader at my school and I have been hearing similar thoughts and complaints from my peers. It seems as if many of them are switching note taking apps and using things like Bamboo and Notability instead. If you were wise you'd listen to your users and heed my advice otherwise you'll lose your place as the best handwriting app on the app store.

Link to comment

I am a paying Evernote customer. I was disappointed when Penultimate 6.0 was released. Not by the new app but by the way it was done. And I suggested that Evernote gave us the old version back. Evernote has now on their Blog recognized their error and are doing their best to correct the situation. So I am sure that all will be well soon. Thank you Evernote for your apology. Other software vendors might learn from that!

 

I also have a few commends regarding the user reactions. First I would like to distinguish between paying customers and those who just use the programs without paying anything. If you do not pay then you should just accept what Evernote decides to do and say thank you too. Next, I already see performance and function related comments to the 6.0.1 version. But the critics do not bother to tell us about the equipment they use or the Operating System version. So all we get to know is that someone is annoyed with something. Not helpful comments.

 

Some users have shared their surprise that the 6.0 upgrade could create such a mess in the first place. All those notes in the Penultimate Notebooks... Is it really the intention with Penultimate that the program should serve as an archive for a lot of notes? Should that not be the task of the Evernote App itself? Isn't Penultimate just intended as an interface to Evernote.  An interface designed for making drawings rather than entering text? Perhaps users with large amounts of data in Penultimate should reconsider their work flow and their data storage and retrieval habits?

Link to comment

Sigh.

 

It's better. I know you were working on a tight deadline and couldn't fix everything. It's great to have a working drift feature back. But the handwriting rendering is sluggish and looks awful compared to, say, the beautiful handwriting recognition of Notes Plus, which I bought last week. Seriously, you should look at the work they've done on inking. Vector graphics are the way to go.

 

Other notes:

- Nice to have pages back, but I still miss the page-turning metaphor.

- If you really insist on using a zoom box instead of full-screen zoom (sigh, again), please give us a way to undo and select pen function (i.e. pen/eraser/highlighter) right at the top of the zoom box, rather than at the top of the screen.

- Landscape mode would be nice. I know you've said you're working on it.

- What usability is gained by hiding all the tools? Is having all tool buttons permanently visible really so distracting?

 

Overall, it's better, but the sluggishness and poor handwriting rendering make it unusable for me at work. Sorry, guys -- I'll keep an eye out for updates, but I'm sticking with Notes Plus for now... especially because I've realized that I don't really need to have my handwritten notes perfectly synced with Evernote. 

 

For more info: iPad mini Retina WiFi 32G, running iOS 8.1 (12B410)

Link to comment

After a few days with it, I think I've finally reached my conclusion: Notability it is.

I'm a JotScript user on a first-gen iPad Mini running iOS 8.1.1. Penultimate 6.0.1 definitely does a better job of picking up marks than 6.0 did... but it's MUCH worse than 5.3.x, and the improvements in Notability (and I'm assuming other programs as well) since 5.3.x was released leave me with no other option.

 

I had begun to think that I MIGHT be able to deal with it if I wrote slowly enough (not an ideal situation, to be sure). Except.

 

Every. Single. Time. I write an ascending character the zoom area jumps to the extreme upper left corner. No matter what I do-- different hand positions, writing with my hand off the screen entirely, using Drift or not-- this happens every time. And that makes it nearly impossible to write in the zoomed area. Which makes the whole app absolutely useless.

 

I can't write at anywhere close to my normal handwriting speed. Only about two thirds of my handwriting is picked up. When it IS picked up, the app unexpectedly prevents me from writing where I want to write.

 

Bye, Felicia. It was fun while it lasted.

Link to comment

The new app is clearly a disappointment and perhaps developed by and for the programmers rather than the people using it. I am an artist and have used this app since it came out, I have hundreds of pages and really loved the way it mimicked a real notebook. I understand that the programmers think it's necessary to make everything more minimal in it's design because it is the current trend. In my opinion it is an error to sacrifice functionality for design. Evernote has been absolutely brilliant in developing and delivering  functional tools for everyday use. This is why I am sticking to Evernote but for me the Penultimate app is not usable anymore in its current format. why?

 

1) The pen is too slow

 

2) landscape unavailable

 

3) photos in the notebook are not as flexible/resizable

 

4) one long note - instead of pages 

 

What is the purpose of having a drawing/notetaking app if it does not mimic the freedom and functionality  of the real notebook?

 

All the constraints that you have just built in make it unusable. 

 

Please go back to the original idea of why you created a notebook in the first place ?

 

The first app was brilliant - ask yourselves why ?

 

 

 

 

Link to comment

The new app is clearly a disappointment and perhaps developed by and for the programmers rather than the people using it. I am an artist and have used this app since it came out, I have hundreds of pages and really loved the way it mimicked a real notebook. I understand that the programmers think it's necessary to make everything more minimal in it's design because it is the current trend. In my opinion it is an error to sacrifice functionality for design. Evernote has been absolutely brilliant in developing and delivering  functional tools for everyday use. This is why I am sticking to Evernote but for me the Penultimate app is not usable anymore in its current format. why?

 

1) The pen is too slow

 

2) landscape unavailable

 

3) photos in the notebook are not as flexible/resizable

 

4) one long note - instead of pages 

 

What is the purpose of having a drawing/notetaking app if it does not mimic the freedom and functionality  of the real notebook?

 

All the constraints that you have just built in make it unusable. 

 

Please go back to the original idea of why you created a notebook in the first place ?

 

The first app was brilliant - ask yourselves why ?

 

 

 

 

Link to comment

I am a paying Evernote customer. I was disappointed when Penultimate 6.0 was released. Not by the new app but by the way it was done. And I suggested that Evernote gave us the old version back. Evernote has now on their Blog recognized their error and are doing their best to correct the situation. So I am sure that all will be well soon. Thank you Evernote for your apology. Other software vendors might learn from that!

 

I also have a few commends regarding the user reactions. First I would like to distinguish between paying customers and those who just use the programs without paying anything. If you do not pay then you should just accept what Evernote decides to do and say thank you too. Next, I already see performance and function related comments to the 6.0.1 version. But the critics do not bother to tell us about the equipment they use or the Operating System version. So all we get to know is that someone is annoyed with something. Not helpful comments.

 

Some users have shared their surprise that the 6.0 upgrade could create such a mess in the first place. All those notes in the Penultimate Notebooks... Is it really the intention with Penultimate that the program should serve as an archive for a lot of notes? Should that not be the task of the Evernote App itself? Isn't Penultimate just intended as an interface to Evernote.  An interface designed for making drawings rather than entering text? Perhaps users with large amounts of data in Penultimate should reconsider their work flow and their data storage and retrieval habits?

As someone who was considering becoming a "paying customer", I can't say all of these issues encourage me to plop down even $5 of my hard-earned money to upgrade. How do I really know it gets better?

Link to comment

guys,

 

...nice to see that you tried to react quick....but its still not enough.

 

Pull the plug!

 

Go back to the old one, fix the ***** up once and for all, than release the new ideas again.

 

Maybe that would be a cleverer way out of this mess?

Link to comment

Device: iPad 3 

OS: iOS 8.1.1

Stylus: Jot Pro

 

This version makes me can't write on Penultimate anymore, here are my concerns:

 

1. Lag. Yes, a lot.

2. I write with my palm on the iPad—this version leave "accidental" strokes that uneraseable. (If I close and re-open the note, the stroke dissapears).

3. Point number 2 is very annoying.

4. Two finger scrolling sucks. Sometimes when I try to write, the app accidentaly register my palm as "two finger scrolling".

5. Writing delay approx 0.5 second after input.

6. While the toolbar opens, sometimes writing delay time increases to 1.5 second.

7. Writing feels less natural.

 

Solution: Bring back Penultimate 5.3.1

 

p.s. my sister iPad 3 still on OS 7, and she can't install previous version of Penultimate.

Link to comment

Issues noticed even after release 6.0.1:

1) with larger notebooks (>1000 pages) the 2-finger scrolling is not working still: this is equivalent to a huge data loss to me! PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE IS A MAX NUMBER OF PAGES NOT TO BE EXCEEDED

2) the system is still extremely volatile and tends to crash very often even with newly created notebooks

3) I have been trying to export to pdf but after a few seconds it all stops (especially with larger notebooks)

I am using an Ipad 2. I am reporting this to give you a full picture (please do not ask me to upgrade).

I am trying hard not to show my disappointment but I think that paying customers should deserve a better treatment.

Thanks

Link to comment

This 6.0 release makes Apple's Final Cut Pro X release look like a hugely popular success!

 

6.0.1

 

- response is STILL terrible, writing STILL blocky and ugly

- the page tray is here... hmmm, ok, better than nothing... but why can't we ADD a new page between two existing pages?

- adding a photo is irratic and frustrating (I 'lost' a photo between two 'pages'. I can see the top of it but not enough to select it and pull it out from 'behind' the next page)

 

As a university teaching, I've used this app in all my lessons for over two year (projected like a digital whiteboard). This means every course and every lesson is now trapped inside Penultimate. So, I'm moving away from Evernote apps in general, because who knows when my notes will get trapped inside another one of their apps.

 

You tried to reinvent the wheel, but you forgot why we wanted to move in the first place.

 

Sure, version 5 looked a bit dated, but a coat of paint would've been enough. 

Link to comment

This 6.0 release makes Apple's Final Cut Pro X release look like a hugely popular success!

 

6.0.1

 

- response is STILL terrible, writing STILL blocky and ugly

- the page tray is here... hmmm, ok, better than nothing... but why can't we ADD a new page between two existing pages?

- adding a photo is irratic and frustrating (I 'lost' a photo between two 'pages'. I can see the top of it but not enough to select it and pull it out from 'behind' the next page)

 

As a university teaching, I've used this app in all my lessons for over two year (projected like a digital whiteboard). This means every course and every lesson is now trapped inside Penultimate. So, I'm moving away from Evernote apps in general, because who knows when my notes will get trapped inside another one of their apps.

 

You tried to reinvent the wheel, but you forgot why we wanted to move in the first place.

 

Sure, version 5 looked a bit dated, but a coat of paint would've been enough. 

Link to comment

You had one job...

Nothing else matters to me than to be able to flip to a new page, like one naturally does when writing in a notebook. In the previous version, all I had to do was tap the bottom corner, the page flipped and I was on a blank page.

The orientation in 6.0.1 is unnatural. It's like I'm an Egyptian in the 4th century writing edicts for the Pharaoh on a papyrus scroll. No one has written that way in CENTURIES. The 2 finger scroll to get to a new page is bizarre and doesn't even work when the stylus is turned on because when connected, Penultimate IGNORES all finger and palm impressions. I have to turn off my stylus, do the 2 finger scroll MULTIPLE times (which then adds markings to the page), then turn back in the stylus to continue writing. This is a serious usability issue.

I weep as I type this, but I'm going to purchase Goodread. I can't wait any longer for Penultimate to get right what was not even broken. I sang your praises for 8-months, but now I'm breaking up with you.

Just spent $5.99 on Goodnotes after really trying to use v 6.0.1. In addition to some of the issues I mentioned above, here's what else I noticed in this version that were once in v5.x...

* images inserted into the page can no longer be resized.

* when I press and hold the erase button, there is no longer an option to clear the page

* and when I try to erase, not all the markings are removed; it's like I'm using that pink, hard eraser that does nothing instead of the white soft one that always removes the pencil marks

* it takes about 5 or 6 flicks on my IPad using 2-fingers to scroll down to a blank screen

Link to comment

Dear Evernote,

Your clairvoyant 'vision' of what the portable note taking experience should be, is truly awe inspiring, but I think you would be wise to respect the wisdom and needs of your customer base. Version 6.x.x should have been sold as a different product, to a different group of users, NOT a forced paradigm shift onto your loyal users.

As far as I am concerned, 6.0.0 & 6.0.1 show arrogance and contempt to the user, and as another poster put it "epic FAIL 2.0".

Why can you not understand that we want version 5 back?

Clearly, you seek innovation at all cost - good luck with that attitude... I'm moving on.

Link to comment

Sigh.

 

It's better. I know you were working on a tight deadline and couldn't fix everything. It's great to have a working drift feature back. But the handwriting rendering is sluggish and looks awful compared to, say, the beautiful handwriting recognition of Notes Plus, which I bought last week. Seriously, you should look at the work they've done on inking. Vector graphics are the way to go.

 

Other notes:

- Nice to have pages back, but I still miss the page-turning metaphor.

- If you really insist on using a zoom box instead of full-screen zoom (sigh, again), please give us a way to undo and select pen function (i.e. pen/eraser/highlighter) right at the top of the zoom box, rather than at the top of the screen.

- Landscape mode would be nice. I know you've said you're working on it.

- What usability is gained by hiding all the tools? Is having all tool buttons permanently visible really so distracting?

 

Overall, it's better, but the sluggishness and poor handwriting rendering make it unusable for me at work. Sorry, guys -- I'll keep an eye out for updates, but I'm sticking with Notes Plus for now... especially because I've realized that I don't really need to have my handwritten notes perfectly synced with Evernote. 

Link to comment

Guys, please revert back to 5.3.1 (rock solid version), then take your time to work on the new version (6.x or better yet 7.0), forget the pressure you get from your marketing team to throw up a new version. Ask some of your most valuable users to test a BETA version BEFORE your ***** up AGAIN. This is a half-baked solution, it's not ready for prime time, and yet you release it. What a terrible way to manage. Come out with what the customer wants and not what marketing dept want. There is a world of difference between the two. Listen to whom thrusted you to the TOP: users!!! You guys are not looking too good now, and are loosing precious and loyal users. This could be the end of Penultimate. It's your to lose :-(

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...