Evernote gets a whiff of wikis

Evernote, a great note-taking and productivity app and a 2009 Webware 100 editor's choice winner, is getting just a hint of multi-user capability. It has new, basic sharing features that tease at a new direction for the app/online service.

Evernote users can now share collections of pages or photos ("notebooks") with other people from the Evernote Web app. Notebooks can be shared with individuals or, as they could be before, published to their own URLs and shared with everybody on the Web.

For users of the free Evernote product, that's pretty much it. Premium (paid) users get the capability to make the notebook sharing two-way, so people shared with can write changes back to the originating notebook.

Other big limitations: The sharing features only work from the Web version of Evernote. You cannot share a notebook from the PC, Mac, or iPhone version of the app, nor can you see notebooks shared with you from those apps -- only from the Web. You can only share entire notebooks, not single pages. And there's no revision tracking.

Evernote gets a new menu option that opens up sharing to individuals or the world.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

There's certainly the possiblity that Evernote (or Microsoft compeitor OneNote) could become a kind of blended personal/group note-taking app, like a wiki. This update to the Web service isn't that, but I do like where the product seems to be going. It also appears Evernote is finally beginning to provide some features that make the paid version of the app worth it, which I am glad to see. I want this product to make it.

[cvaldes1831]

Unless these guys ensure that robust functionality is available from handheld devices, their future is questionable at best.

The world has already moved far beyond web browsers on desktop computers.

Interesting. Do you know much about Evernote? They are one of the quickest to respond to new platforms. They already have an Android and a Palm pre version and the pre is a month old! I am a BIG fan of Evernote

Do you know much about Evernote? They have always been one of the first to respond to new browsers, platforms, updates, etc. No matter what you have to work with you will find an Evernote app perfect for you. I am a BIG fan!

[kelleydr]

You're darn right we want this product to make it. I have found no other apps out that that let me sync data across multiple PC's and platforms the way that Evernote does, AND provides web access to my data when I'm away from my own system. And it does it for free!

Yes, Evernote may have some limitations, but its a valuable tool for my work. I like OneNote, but it certainly is limited in its data-everywhere access in comparison to Evernote. Evernote is one of the first apps I install on any new system I run.

[ctoddy1]

Want this to make it. Try NEED this to make it. I've got to much that matters to me in Evernote to not have it make it. I'm into a long term relationship here. My only complaint, give the paid users more something. The wiki is nice, but I'm not looking to collaborate. Sure having the ability to put any file type up there is nice, but I've already got that in mobileme, which I'm pretty sure is not going anywhere.