Evernote has announced that in the next few months it will be shifting all of its data over to the Google Cloud Platform:

https://blog.evernote.com/blog/2016/09/13/evernotes-future-cloud/

and that news is stirring up a lively discussion on the Evernote forum:

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/99561-evernote’s-future-is-in-the-cloud/?page=1

I'm not sure I understand all the implications of this decision, but my gut feeling is that Evernote may be moving toward a buyout -- possibly by Google?

WSP wrote:

I'm not sure I understand all the implications of this decision, but my
gut feeling is that Evernote may be moving toward a buyout -- possibly
by Google?

I kind of doubt that (the Google acquisition)--though if that were the case, that would make me (as a Chrome OS enthusiast) more interested in Evernote, hoping that it might lead to some interesting integration into the Google ecosystem.

I'm not sure how much I'd read into this. It's entirely possible that Google just gave them a deep discount on using their infrastructure in exchange for making a lot of noise about the move and serving as a reference client.

It could also be the beginning of a much-feared acquisition, but I'm not sure what Google would get out of Evernote.

shatteredmindofbob wrote:

It could also be the beginning of a much-feared acquisition, but I'm not
sure what Google would get out of Evernote.

Evernote would be a perfect step up from Google Keep on Android. I don't really see it happening, but if it did, I certainly would not fear that acquisition.

From the Google Cloud Platform blog:

“Evernote evaluated multiple public cloud vendors and specifically chose Google Cloud Platform for our advanced data analytics and machine learning capabilities. By taking advantage of the advancements in machine learning such as voice recognition and translation, Evernote will continue to explore innovative new features that allow users to naturally capture their ideas at ‘the speed of thought.’”

Among other things, that means Google will be able to use Evernote contents in ad targeting algorithms. That sounds scary, but it is really just a drop in the bucket of information Google collects from many sources you may be aware of (e.g., Gmail, Google Search, etc.) or not aware of, such as beacons and trackers from hundreds of independent agencies and data vendors.

Also, Google provides users with explicit options to restrict how collected data about you are used. Microsoft and Apple collect and use data in much the same way but don’t acknowledge that and don’t provide similar clear opt-out options.

If you are really concerned about privacy, consider also that Google’s cloud provides much better security than any standalone firm can provide on their own servers. Would you rather your notes be used for ad targeting or be posted on WikiLeaks by hackers?

xtabber wrote:

If you are really concerned about privacy, consider also that
Google’s cloud provides much better security than any standalone
firm can provide on their own servers. Would you rather your notes be
used for ad targeting or be posted on WikiLeaks by hackers?

Yes, those are the only two options. You absolutely have to use every Google service and allow all the trackers in the world to follow you... Am I the only one who remembers a life before Google and the WWW in general?

Yup...

... only kidding. I cut my milk teeth on one of the very first IBM PCs to emerge into the wild, back in 1984 (same date as the iconic Apple ad, amusingly enough).

@faustisch, I was going to reply Yes but couldn't get my Olympia typewriter connected to my iPad

Paul Korm wrote:

@faustisch, I was going to reply Yes but couldn't get my Olympia
typewriter connected to my iPad

I learned to type on an Olympia manual typewriter, transferring to a Smith Corona electric, and then finally a "classic" 128k Mac in 1984. Pretty amazing that you could fit an OS and an app on a 400k floppy and still have room for a few files. I wish today's Apple engineers and iOS developers practiced such efficient programming. My latest iPad apps are now over 100MB in size! I understand there are more features, but still, the inflation factor for the size of software these days is a bit head spinning.

--Ken

xtabber wrote:

Evernote would be a perfect step up from Google Keep on Android. I
don't really see it happening, but if it did, I certainly would not fear
that acquisition.

If Google acquires Evernote I would urge users to get their data out as fast as possible. Last year Google acquired an amazing and innovating task manager/ todo list (Timeful) and within a month the app and all of its features were history. What a sad waste. Not to mention Google+, GTalk, Orkut, Google Health. Oh, look: there is a whole wiki dedicated to discontinued Google apps and services -- many that it acquired and then summarily shut down, like Timeful (which strangely is not on the list): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Discontinued_Google_services

I'm not criticizing Google for this history, I'm just pointing out this is the way they work. They are not about longevity - they are about trying stuff and then moving on to the next thing. That's good for innovation; not good for users who rely on their services.

Reminds me to back up my gmail :)

dan7000 wrote:

Timeful (which strangely is not on the

list):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Discontinued_Google_services

Hey I just did my first Wikipedia edits to create the Timeful page and add it to this list, and also to Discontinued_Google_acquisitions!

dan7000 wrote:

If Google acquires Evernote I would urge users to get their data out as
fast as possible.

If you have data stored in Evernote that isn’t backed up elsewhere, you should consider it disposable, whether or not Google or anyone else buys Evernote.

dan7000 wrote:

Hey I just did my first Wikipedia edits to create the Timeful page and add it to this list, and also to Discontinued_Google_acquisitions!

Same here, for Meebo, bought in 2012 and immediately closed by Google...

xtabber wrote:

dan7000 wrote:

>If Google acquires Evernote I would urge users to get their data out as
>fast as possible.

If you have data stored in Evernote that isn’t backed up
elsewhere, you should consider it disposable, whether or not Google or
anyone else buys Evernote.

Yeah probably true. The nice thing about EN and other synced services, though, is that I always have a complete copy of my EN database synced on multiple computers. So if the cloud shuts down I have multiple local copies. Now, if the cloud shuts down *and* a fire destroys my office *and* my house on the same day, then I'm in trouble.

If you want to have copies of your Evernote notes on yet another Google server... This is kind of neat.

"How to Create Automatic Evernote Backups to Google Drive"

http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/evernote-back-up-to-google-drive