Google CEO, Eric Schmidt’s presentation at this week’s TechCrunch Disrupt conference really caught our attention. Talking about the growing importance of serendipity for saving people’s time, he said, “The next step in search is a move towards more personal results.” We’re on the same page, Mr. Schmidt, which is why today we’re excited to launch a new version of our Google Chrome Extension with a powerful new feature called Simultaneous Search.
Simultaneous Search
Simultaneous Search lets you search both Google and your Evernote account at the same time. All you do is type your Google search as you normally would and that same search will be performed in your Evernote account. The Google search results appear as usual, with the addition of a line displaying the number of matching Evernote notes. The same number is also displayed in a badge over the Evernote Extension icon. Clicking on the extension shows a list of all your notes that matched the search.
Searching has never been more personal.
Why this is very cool
I’ll admit to being a bit skeptical about this feature at first. But after a few minutes of having it in my browser, I saw the light. You will be shocked at how frequently you perform Google searches for things that are already saved in Evernote. There’s an amazing sense of serendipity when you realize that you can skip scouring the web because you already have what you’re looking for.
Also, seeing the results together adds a level of context and personal value that the searches may not have on their own.
The same feature also works in some other Google sites, including Google Images and Google Shopping.
How to activate Simultaneous Search
There are two ways to activate Simultaneous Search. There’s a checkbox in the Evernote extension settings and a checkbox on the login screen of the extension. The feature is OFF by default, so you’ll need to check one of those boxes. Also, you must be signed into Evernote for the feature to work. So, if you do a search for something that you know is in your Evernote account and no badge appears, it’s probably because you aren’t signed in. Just sign in by clicking on the extension.
On Chrome first
This feature is currently available only for Google searches performed in the Google Chrome Browser. We’re looking into expanding this functionality to other search engines and browsers. Let us know what you think.
Emailing your clips
We’ve added a nice social feature in this update, as well. You can now email your clips to up to ten friends right from inside the Evernote Extension popup. As with any clips, you can always add some text to give your recipients some context.
Get the Evernote Chrome Extension now »
Please note, Google Chrome extensions update automatically, but if you don’t want to wait, download it from Google now.
