Today is a big day for Evernote. Today is the day that Evernote becomes more useful, more powerful and more exciting for every user. Every partner. Everyone.
For the past two years, Evernote has been focused on one goal: helping the world remember everything. All of the decisions we’ve made have been in support of that vision. Along the way, we realized that to make it happen we’d need a little help from our friends, so we released the Evernote API. While we were busy expanding and improving Evernote, developers across the world were building applications that added features and functionality to our young platform, expanding into areas we never imagined. That was then.
Today, there are more than 2000 developers building hardware and software application that hook into the Evernote memory platform. Products that, thanks to Evernote, become accessible from everywhere, sync between devices and have powerful search capabilities. For developers, Evernote has become a way to gain useful functionality. For users, every integration adds layers of usefulness to their Evernote experiences.
Which brings us to the big announcement: Welcome to the Evernote Trunk.
The Evernote Trunk: Discovery and Exposure
The Trunk is a showcase of great apps and products that makes your Evernote experience more awesome.
To access it, click on the new “Trunk” icon in today’s update to Evernote for Windows and Evernote for Mac (Evernote Web later today, iPad next week). Clicking it opens a window full of amazing intergrations. Today, there are nearly 100 items listed across five categories: Mobile, Desktop & Web, Hardware, Gear, and Notebooks (this one is really cool, more on that later).
Of the nearly 100 launch items, around a third are completely new products and integrations. Importantly, new or old, every single integration is in the spotlight. Wondering which scanner works with Evernote? You should check the Trunk. Want to know which Twitter clients sends tweets into Evernote? Look in the Trunk. Which devices come pre-installed with Evernote? You know where to go. Now, every product developer gets exposed to millions of Evernote users, and millions of Evernote user see how to get more out of Evernote. Pretty great!
Fantastic new integrations
We’re excited not only by the potential of the Trunk, but also by the amazing new integrations that we’re launching today. Some represent highly-requested functionality, such as voice transcription, PDF annotation, mind mapping, sharing, contact management, and more. Here are some highlights:
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Voice transcription: Voice2Note, pliq.me, Quicktate
Today we’re launching with three great voice transcription services. Let’s focus on the Voice2Note integration by Dial2Do. Once you link your Evernote and Voice2Note accounts, Voice2Note will automatically go through your Evernote account, find any new voice notes, transcribe them, then insert the transcribed text into the note. They also have a phone number that you can call, and your voice recording will be transcribed and added to your Evernote account. Voice2Note has a free and paid version. -
PDF annotation: PDFpen (Mac), Nitro PDF Reader (Windows)
Evernote now has PDF annotation. PDFpen by SmileOnMyMac and Nitro PDF Reader allow you to annotate your PDF and then send them into Evernote for safekeeping. This is particularly great for signing and saving digital contracts. -
Mind mapping: Zeptopad Planner Note
Create mind maps on your iPad using this incredibly intuitive application, then save it all into Evernote - So much more: Read It Later, Lil’grams, ScanBizCards, Receipts, and many more.
Unexpected connections
What makes the Evernote memory platform so interesting is the way that it connects seemingly unrelated products and applications. Now, a notable Twitter message sent to Evernote from Seesmic can be pulled into SAP StreamWork to help with a group project. Or, a child’s scribble sent to Evernote from EverPaint can be instantly shared with family and friends on Lil’grams. Or, a photo of a wine label snapped by an Eye-Fi Card-equipped camera can help generate a meaningful reminder in reQall. All of these connections would have been unlikely, but now with Evernote they’re seamless. Explore the Trunk to find ways to use applications together in ways you never thought possible.
Exclusive Notebook partners
And now for something completely different…With the Trunk, Evernote becomes a powerful content distribution platform. In the run-up to the launch we worked closely with some of our favorite blogs and publications to launch the new Notebooks category. In this section, you will find exclusive content created for Evernote by Make Magazine, Cool Hunting, California Home and Design, and BlackBook. We also have a great collection of puzzles and games from Puzzazz.com and dozens of Evernote Tips.
Importing Notebooks in your account
The Trunk allows users to select the branded Notebooks that they like, and have the notebooks imported directly into their Evernote accounts. Like adding a new book to your shelf, once you choose a notebook from one of our partners, it will instantly appear in your account. But that’s only the beginning. If for example, you choose the Make:Projects Home and Garden notebook, Evernote will add a notebook full of great do-it-yourself projects into your account. In Evernote that notebook is more than a piece of static content, it’s a starting point for all of the other DIY projects you come across. The same is true for the Cool Hunting Travel Notebook. The editors of Cool Hunting have collected lots of useful travel tips into the notebook, and that same notebook is also where you can place your own travel ideas and related research. What makes these branded Notebooks so intriguing is that all of the content represents the jumping off point for your creativity and exploration.
Much more to come
You will be hearing a lot more about the Evernote Trunk in the next weeks and months. First, we’ll be adding it to more Evernote platforms. Later this year, we’ll be adding in-Trunk purchasing and other revenue opportunities for products and Notebooks. But most importantly, we will be constantly adding new integrations and new notebooks to the Trunk. Make sure to check back often. In fact, it should become the first place you look when you’re thinking about getting something new. With so many great products, why invest your time and money in something that doesn’t hook into Evernote?
Join the Trunk
If you’re interested in having your product or Notebook listed in the Trunk, then send us a request here.
156 Comments
Pia
I just don’t understand why I am supposed to care at all. why do you put so much focus on 3party apps?? we like evernote, and we want the evernote app, not to have like 20 apps more to be able to use evernote…
this was the most disappointing “update” i’ve ever seen.
but besides this, i love evernote. it really helps me alot in my everyday life!
Matthias
I really expected something cool like a next generation, never seen editor. But all you presented is a simple shop to list your API partners. A job which could also be done by a website.
You are constantly innovating your product and that is what a like. But having a shop is not innovative in the important area, note taking, clipping organisation or storage.
Michael
Hmm – the great news was that you added some advertising to Evernote ? – I had hoped you would do rich text editing natively on the iPad and iPhone – and also collapsible headers/folders, so we don’t have to scroll past large number of notes to get to what we wan’t.
The trunk looks like a reformatted version of the list of supported apps on your web site – but, I guess, after the initial disappointment, it might be useful.
Marcel
I’m a little disappointed:
Now I have not only to trust evernote but also the third party developers:
- My data is spread to many companies. I have to trust all of them but I don’t want this.
- Can you guarantee that all partners continue their service unlimited time? I think that you can’t. So what happens to my data when on of them discoutinues his program?
- This clutters the data structure. I need a consistent environment and no patchwork.
Luke
Nice work guys, downloading the update now.
John Dewar
Ummm….. Sorry guys, I know that was probably a lot of work and it sounds pretty cool, but to me, it was WAY more important for you to add database encryption and password protection on the application level. THAT would have changed the way I see Evernote. You guys have created the very best app around for collecting and backing up important documents, except it can’t be used that way safely. And this has been a top feature request for years apparently, if you google ‘encrypt Evernote database’. So congratulations on the launch of this new feature, but please hurry up and improve the core app’s security.
Sterling Zumbrunn
I could not agree with this more. I have been begging for PIN lock security on all platforms. It’s a weak argument to deflect the functionality to the OS. Having PIN lock on your phone or computer is not enough if we’re really to trust this system with all of our data.
Security and encryption is a glaring hole that needs to be filled right away, especially if anyone is to take this product seriously for business.
Nick
What a disappointment! I first thought this was a list of services that were heavily integrated into Evernote (and would store data into my evernote account for offline use), comparable to add-ons in various other products. So far this is just a list of other (commercial) products, that in some cases could export data into Evernote using email or an API.
Evernote claims that for the past two years they have been focused on one goal: helping the world remember everything. This is not Evernote helping world remember everything, but Evernote telling its users that you can remember everything in various unconnected services… So what is new about that? Is Evernote backing down from their own goal, and in fact telling us that they can’t do it?
Please don’t get me wrong. I love Evernote, but so far this announcement adds next to nothing to the functions / features of Evernote. If the Trunk does not integrate new features into the Evernote product itself, then this Trunk is an empty concept!
You only have one chance to make a first impression, and despite this very poor first impression I will watch this development closely over the coming months.
Tim
fantastic! half of the “apps” in the trunk need a subscription that costs more than evernote for itself. this is not what i expected… well, don’t expect too much and you don’t get disappointed
James
Disappointing indeed. I find that Evernote is still a difficult sell to friends when the answer to ‘Does it do X?’ is ‘No’. Perhaps the development team needs expanding in order to start delivering some of the missing functionality and therefore remove the barriers to entry.
The main questions that are asked are:-
-Can you see the shared notebooks in the client?
-Can you share notes based on tag?
-Is everything encrypted server-side?
-Is there a neat and automated way to backup notes?
The silly formatting bugs don’t help either, I noticed that in 3.5.5 it is mentioned Office copy and paste has been improved. Pasting a note containing nested bullets with a single font and size this morning resulted in two different fonts and sizes and extra bullets.. it doesn’t seem to have improved!
Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of positives and I will continue to subscribe personally, although surely it’s in everyone’s interest to maximise the user base and therefore the financial security of the company when we have the contents of our brains invested in the product.
Katelynn
Please recognise that some of us use Evernote on netbooks – it’s fine on my laptop, but on my netbook I can’t even resize the Trunk window to fit on my screen! Why leave out something as simple as window resizing capability?
Note linking for the next update, please… I think with this Trunk thing you’ve got advertising well and truly covered, now time for some new features.
Johan
Little tip… Next time you’re planning on introducing something like the Evernote Trunk, don’t get our hopes up by describing it as “Something that will change the way you interact with Evernote, and, maybe even, change how you think about Evernote”. Evernote is still my #1 app on the mac and I can’t envision myself canceling my premium account anytime soon, but this was lame.
Jennifer Palais
I am so impressed with all of the apps I saw today…so much functionality to take in … esp the voice recognition. That is a huge step forward and it is going to really help my organizing clients. Seesmic’s Twitter integration allowing me to save the tweets in the stream that I want to return to later is something I’ve really been wanting. That is a huge capture tool that’s been missing for me. And this is just the start…
Hanson Ganix 小甘
Today when I lauched my evernote as a routine as before,there was a boring updating dialog appearing again,I clicked the “update” button loathly then devoted into my work.After about ten minutes ,the suprising thing happend,the evernote began to install,and with the interface displaying Chinese.The installation finished ,a Chinese version evernote come to me.The fist Chinese version of evernote seems so beautiful. I am so excited here,just trying to seek a textarea to write my words to say “Thank you”.
谢谢你们，我是来自中国的小甘。
Nick
Doesn’t work. Clicking on the Trunk button does nothing at all on my PC.
MisterK
Well I’m pretty excited to give Trunk a go. Really enjoying the evolution of the ever note brand and product. I’ve been using Evernote a lot more recently. It sounds like the partners are doing some pretty compelling stuff and now I don’t have to search around for the right solution. I think I prefer this approach to adding a bunch of clutter to Evernote. Extensions would be nice on day, too.
Chad
I really love EN, but this “feature” is really nothing more than a link to content that already exists on your website — albeit better organized. Perhaps a bit too much pre-release hype?
Agnes Riley
I can only agree with the people saying “it’s not so exciting”. But that said this might get exciting at some point. e.g. when you could mark favorites in epicurious and your favorites get saved then you can show them in Evernote. I’d rather watch other people’s shared notebooks, annotate PDFs in Evernote, and import notes from PenUltimate or allow for handwriting recognition. I thin these would have been more beneficial to the product and the user. But I understand: the company has to make a living.
Hector
Very disappointing. I was all excited, even considering going premium again. Oh well.
jl
Hmm, the hype up to the Trunk was really a bit too much given what it is…I agree with Gregg – did I really need an upgrade so that Evernote developers could tout their wares? I was expecting a subfolders announcement…now that would really help things A LOT!
Mike
Well…that was disappointing. You have potential here, great momentum, a good product, lots of people waiting for improvements….and you give us a app store? Not what I was waiting for.
There is SO MUCH that could be done here: there are fixes crying for attention, new features that users and others have suggested, better functionality. You don’t need to sell other people’s stuff, you need to sell your own.
I love Evernote. It needs some more work, though, to make it great. Hop on that guys!
Richard
I’m actually quite underwhelmed. This is simply a consolidation of third party efforts at best, a marketing ploy at worst.
I’m still sort of disappointed that there’s no word of a Linux version. And yes, I know, the API’s out, so someone could have done this, but I just think it would have been your responsibility, not someone else’s.
Hell, you even made an iPad version, which, considering that the iPad isn’t even a real computer, seems just so superfluous.
As to the third party apps, most of these are either iPhone, iPad or Windows/Mac apps. Virtually useless to me.
And since I’m depending on your Android and Webversion, I’d have loved it if your announcement had included any improvements in that direction. Which, well, didn’t happen.
For some reason, I guess because I initally liked the pace at which you were innovating, I bought Evernote premium for a whole year a couple of months back. Which, in hindsight, was probably a stupid move.
I’m obviously not a member of your target audience, so I shouldn’t have had expected for you to treat me as one.
Sarah
I can definitely see where this is a big step for Evernote, but right now, there is no new functionality for me. However, Trunk is brand new and this set up has so much potential – especially as more free integrations and notebooks get added. Maybe a rating/comment system would help the users as well?
LR
Really disappointed as well. Seems that the real work that is needed for the EverNote app itself has been ignored. And now I can get even more notebooks that I can’t arrange or organize (subfolders or bookshelves or something would be nice) or better text formatting like OneNote has would be awesome. Oh well, keeping my fingers crossed for the next release…
Jamie
Seems like the general consensus is :yawn:
When is the next huge super dooper life changing awesome workflow adjusting announcement?
Mike
Oh…and besides that…it does not work! I’m guessing that the Trunk looks great on a Mac. My all my PC versions pop up a blank window. An empty trunk!
Smorris
I have to agree tha the hype was way more than the resultant update. Big disappointment. Go back and look through the guesses we made in the teaser announcement. There were many excellent and really needed ideas in there. I don’t recall one poster asking to have the “works with Evernote” adds from the webpage added to the application itself. Absolutely nothing offered with this is useful to me. I want several of these features built into Evernote, not the need to buy or add another application that might work with my mobile but not sync with my desktop.
Evernote has been growing and improving so much this past year, and I took advantage of the rebate deal with the ScanSnap to upgrade to Premium. I’m glad it was basically a free upgrade, because I keep seeing the same requests over and over on the blogs and forums, only to have them ignored, deleted, or put down as not needed because partners have them. ( I personally have had posts deleted from this blog when requesting password security on the iPad/iPod version of Evernote.)
Please go back and read the teaser blog post replies. That’s what we want in Evernote. Seems security, Dropbox integration, rich text editing, and subfolders top the list, not more advertising in Evernote.
Eric
So basically, you’ve added a modal, non-resizable web browser so that I can view some third-party add-ons (and requires me to log in again to install anything). A huge letdown after the amount of press you’ve put into it over the last two weeks.
The marketing department shouldn’t drive development.
Vance
I think this will be useful, but one suggestion would be to indicate front and center whether the app is freeware or not. That will be a decision factor for many people, I think. I downloaded Screenpresso, which would be a nice little tool, but not one I would pay for, so a mention that it was a paid app would have saved me the trouble. This will be a useful way to find apps, though!
Andrew Sinkov
Vance, great suggestion.
Tony
to add to Vance’s suggestion, something to indicate iPhone or Android would also be useful. I got tired of clicking away only to see ‘available in iTunes App store’ and very little for Android.
Andrew Sinkov
Great suggestion. Thanks.
Peter
While it’s cool that you can snap new things onto evernote, I’m frustrated that I keep hitting my head on the ceiling of what the product can do. I’ve been ready to convert my entire staff and their knowledge base into Evernote for months, except for *two big problems*: sub folders, and shared notebooks on the desktop app. I know you prefer tags instead of folders, but the business and computing world thrives on folders and subfolders ad-nauseum. Please solve these, so I can buy another 12 premium annual subscriptions for my staff. I want evernote to be my everything forever solution.
Scott
I’ve been using some of these 3rd party apps for a long time, and I can see the Trunk as a necessary way of informing a greater number of users of some awesome added benefits they can get. Most of these I knew about, but since it seems like EN could be in a place to start lots of new partnerships, it’s a good way to stay informed. As a power user, I wasn’t super impressed, but good for Evernote for continuing to move ahead strongly.
Alexander Deliyannis
I’m actually quite impressed by the cross-marketing concept, which goes a long way towards ensuring Evernote’s longevity, popularity and continuous development. In the words of Michael Dell: “I think the idea of one company trying to do it all is really not necessarily the answer. Our business is about partnerships –with suppliers, with customers and with other companies- and that’s how we’ve grown to $32 billion in 18 years. Not by trying to do it all ourselves.”
However, I can also understand why many users –especially premium ones like myself- are underwhelmed. As new functionalities and partnerhips are introduced, long time requests from the userbase are ignored. One could also seriously question the flexibility of the platform itself: can you imagine an operating system where it is not possible to copy a file so as to work on the copy? Well, Evernote simply cannot make a copy of an existing note; why, I cannot fathom. I also cannot imagine how versioning can take precedence as a feature over it.
I believe that this is the right time to address such issues mentioned persistently (copies of notes, encryption, Linux version, work in small screens etc), before they end up limiting the product’s potential –especially in light of the ecosystem growing around it.
charles
It seems that EN thrives on over promising under delivering. I love EN but have really lowered my expectations for improvements. They trickle them out so slowly if at all that it only frusterates they did not do it sooner.
Adam
I think this is a very progressive move on your part. The innovations will eventually come to you first. Who would have thought you can have voice transcriptions handled so efficiently.
Vance
Isn’t it about time for a podcast?
Todd
The move makes sense but it’s way too early. The Windows desktop version as well as the iPad version are sluggish in terms of performance and need plenty of additional attention. This should be the focus right now. Eliminate the distractions and concentrate on the product right now.
Vince
I was full of expectations of this new update……..
Maybe integrating subfolders (what would really be an improvement to organize your files),
dropbox integration etc.
I don’t want more programs added to evernote,
I prefer one simple good working program, not an overkill of applications.
I am really disappointed, I love evernote, it’s such a good strong simple functional program, but it can still
be improved,
with this update they certainly don’t reach this
please evernote, listen to these things
npb
Trunk looks cool, but can you please bring back these features of 3.1: (1) CONT+SHIT+T tag assignment functionality, (2) the desktop clipper widget, (3) the pop-up window that would give you the option to tag, trash, and email, and (4) the slow scroll interface? Or just bring back the CONT+T tag assignment functionality so I don’t have to use the mouse. The current CONT+ALT+T function totally misses the boat. If you can do that, I’ll leave 3.1 behind and maybe even buy some stuff on Trunk.
chaz
hmmm… how about bullets and tables that aren’t a pain to deal with? those wouldn’t be very hard to fix, and would be a huge improvement. or maybe a trunk “app that can handle tables in a sane and reasonable way.
Lindsey C. Holmes
This will be one of many improvements, so I am not worried… Yes, there are additional improvements to be made, but Evernote has saved/ changed my business/ life and whatever they need to do to enhance their bottom line, I’m all for. I hope that those complaining ALL have premium accounts because that is the only way they will be able to approach our MANY requests. I have been a premium user since day one, and will support any and every enhancement, no matter how big or small. Yea, because I am an Evernote Addict I was hoping for larger memory options, but the trunk is cool. I also appreciate how the trunk notebooks don’t take from our memory. This was thoughtful. Anyway, say what you want, Evernote is revolutionary, has changed organization/ productivity/ GTD and business forever, and I love it!!! Thanks for your hard work guys!
Steve
Whenever I click on ‘done’ button after viewing the Trunk in the iPad app, the app immediately crashes.
Andrew Sinkov
Steve, thanks for pointing that out. We’re submitting an update that fixes that shortly.
Adam
The trunk has completely changed the way I interact with evernote…I don’t, it just keeps crashing on ipad, my mac and my PC.
Not a happy (premium) user.
Carlos Caballero
And the people have spoken… IMHO, the balance (and the cost/ben equation pushing it in all directions) are clear:
- Improve what’s already a nice application – Not fabulous, not breath-taking, but a nice application, with great adoption patterns, and a unique value proposition. The benefit are a happy user base, a zillion evangelists, the viral “What do you mean you don’t use EN?”, and such. The cost is that EN needs to learn to be humble, keep at the grind, take care of the non-jet-set-bugs and moles, do the work.. Happy users are happy because somebody else does the dirty work for them, and that’s you, guys at EN.
- Go for the Apple thing – Mmmm… Looks like everyone has an App store of some sort or another these days, and if Apple could do it, why not? Why not put a high bar for consumers and extort them in the way in? Imagine a 20%, 30%, whatever, of a zillion-mega-tillion apps sold, making money out of others’ work! Let’s be a platform! (BTW, isn’t it also everyone else who is trying to have another platform of their own?). Ah, the benefits, imagined if not so much real… Our VC’s are happy again in Board meetings, we feel like we are building railroads again… But there is a cost: what is the 20% or zillion% of nothing? With millions of apps that are starting to do most of what EN does, how long will we hold on? Do those users still have a reason to pay for premium? Really?
The decision seems to be taken already, but move carefully. The cost of entry to an App Store is quite low, but the cost of exit may be that of losing your shirt: perhaps is better to have the partnering working really well, MUCH before you start milking it? How about improving the core platform AND the partnering, and THEN milking the mix? Even if you have to tell the VC’s to wait?
steve
In theory this should be useful but many of these apps are pretty useless.
For example Evernote is excellent but I can’t figure out Egretlist … maybe it’s useful but after 2 hrs I can’t get it to work …. and I don’t have any more time time to give it … life is too short …. goodbye Egretlist
Chris Johnston
I would still like to know why I can’t get Evernote on a Blackberry on Sprint. Left AT&T and the iPhone and I’m pretty pissed now.
Roger Carl
This is pretty weak guys. I was hoping for more creativity and usefulness. A couple of API’s and most of the apps in the trunk ask for a subscription that jacks the costs up more than Evernote itself.
Craig
I love your vision for evernote as sync support for third party developers. I am giddy with excitement for the potential of this partnership arrangement. As an iPad user I’m frustrated by the lack of syncing options that most apps have and your proposal that evernote be used to support third party app development in this way is inspired. My personal hope is to see a lot of writing oriented apps be offered as my main use for the iPad is to collect writing ideas on the go and expand on them later.
Vladimir
What a joke! I was expecting some basic features like real sharing of notepads between PRO user or a rich text etc!!!
skan101
I love it but should it be more creativity ad usefulness would be better.
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mbartner
I gave this a week to see if I felt any better about it, but still have to agree with almost every other post here – this was an absolute non-event in this user’s eyes, and did nothing to enhance my use or enjoyment of Evernote as a product. The build-up actually made it that much worse, expecting something and getting, essentially, nothing.
Dirk
I am really excited about Evernotes, and every day I find another way to make us of EN. The more I look into this, the more security becomes a concern. If I upload a copy of my passport or bank card or birth certificate or insurance document, will it be safe?
I am not requesting a specific functionality at this point, but I would hope that security in general will play a much greater role in your future plans.