Evernote: The Next Level Notepad

Evernote is what I consider a Next Level Notepad. It has all of the basic functionality of a virtual notepad with several cool features such as the ability to use file attachments, organize efficiently, and allow access to cloud storage, so you or whoever you wish can access your notes anywhere in the world. It's available on a variety of platforms and allows you to safely access cloud content. You can make, view, and edit notes offline. And best of all, you can get all of this for free.

Let's start off with the all important note editor. It's simple to use and powerful. It has many features commonly found on word processing programs such as Microsoft Word. You can lay out the text, font size, make lists and checklists for those groceries and attach images and files. It even auto-saves everything so you don't have to worry about pressing the save button every now and then. Everything is synced online on cloud storage where you can access it securely from any location. as everything is encrypted. You can also share individual notes to other people or even your entire notebook.

The editor for your smartphone is very useful. While it doesn't have all of the features you'll get on your computer, it still does a good job for quick notes like the website of a friend's private game server and a reminder to message others to join. Many of us always have our smartphones on us so it's the one-stop app for all of your note taking needs. These notes can be organized by using notebooks and tags. You can also import other people's notebooks into your own account.

The offline access is just amazing. It blows Google Drive out of the water. Every note can be accessed offline where you can view and edit them on your smartphone, tablet or computer assuming you opened the note when you had Internet access. This feature is very useful for tablets and laptops where Wi-fi or stable cellular Internet access is available. It is also very useful when you want to lower your usage on that capped data plan. Of course, you can also save more battery since you're not using your data or Wi-fi to access your stuff.

Evernote is a great free service but it gets better with their Premium package. You don't have to buy into this since many probably won't use up the 60MB monthly upload quota for cloud syncing, but if you're always taking photos of cats or writing up long essays or articles, you should consider checking out the Premium variant. Instead of just 60MB of monthly uploads, you get a massive 1GB upload cap. Instead of 25MB per note, you'll get 100MB. You can download entire notebooks for offline access anytime. Although you can do that on a free account by opening every note, this feature allows for a quick and easy way to download entire notebooks of whatever you want. You also get access to previous note history and the ability to allow others to edit your notes. For additional security you can add a PIN lock onto specific notebooks.

Evernote has provided an enjoyable experience which has given me great features since I first purchased my smartphone. Evernote has made my smartphone more practical and has proven how good software can make your life so much better. I use it on a daily basis, often on my smartphone where I use it to take notes in class and write down those short film ideas I visualize everyday. I also use the Web browser version to type stuff up faster and do lots of editing. I have made many checklists for anything, from buying computer parts to groceries and snacks. In class, I can write and share notes to others, who use it to study. I've gotta say, Evernote has made by life so much easier and it'll do the same to yours.