Evernote

Evernote is THE best app I have found in the last year. I was given the task of looking into it for 23 things city and to be honest wasn’t sure what use it would really be but now I have no idea what I did without it.

Evernote is a web application which is also available to download on to mobile devices, desktop PCs, lap tops and just about every computer. This means that you can literally use it anywhere and it will sync with on all your devices and the website.

 I was always starting a notebook then forgetting it and starting another then never looking at the notes anyway because I couldn’t read my writing or had to scan through so much that I couldn’t find what I was looking for but with evernote I am finally becoming a notetaker!

Image via Wikipedia

I use Evernote to plan blogposts, take notes in meetings or lectures and save pictures or links. I use it both personally and professionally. I can start something on my laptop at home, work on it on my iPad on the train, edit it on my work PC, log on to any computer to check it via the web and share it via my phone if I want. At the Business Librarians Association Conference I was able to make notes, download all the pre-conference information and agenda and keep it all in one “notebook” on Evernote. When I came back to the office I could view these notes online and add links to them where needed. I can then share the notes with colleagues. For example these notes on a talk about doing a library video from the conference.

Why use it?

Even if you don’t have a mobile device to use it on or a lap top to download it to it can still transform your work.

* You can log on to the web version (http://www.evernote.com/) anywhere with an internet connection and you can share your notes so it is a great way of quickly creating a simple web page or putting a plan together.
* You can clip all or part of a webpage into a note by using the web clipping tool (this is easier to install at work on Firefox than on Internet Explorer).
* This is a note I created linking to a clipping of this page.
* You can create checklists so you can tick the boxes to keep track of what you have done.
* You can tag notes so notes in different notebooks can all use the same tage and be found on a search.
* If you are using it on a mobile device you can add a location so you can see all notes made at that location by you.

Evernote is particularly useful for projects as this video shows:

How do I start?

Evernote have some getting started pages which take you through everything step by step.

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Flipboard

On Saturday while I was showing my sister my iPad she mentioned she’d heard of a great app called flip something that allowed an iPad user to view Facebook, twitter and other feeds together. So far this sounds just like various other feed readers but … This is different. It is called Flipboard and was designed specifically for the iPad. It turns your feeds into a magazine. I had wondered if this would be style over substance but I love it! I have even ended up using my google reader more because it is in it.

The front page has your feeds laid out with images from (usually) the latest post:

When you click into a feed it displays part of the content of a link under the tweet or post:

If you then click into the content it displays within the same flipboard format and is really easy to read:

Or view:

If you want to see the Rick Astley video click here.

The pages turn like a magazine.

Maybe the novelty will wear off (like my tweet deck, igoogle etc) but at the moment it is my new favourite thing! If you have an iPad download it free from the App store.

This video shows it better than me (from Flipboard.com)