Google Keep

Google presented one of its latest services a few months back. It is an application that is made to be a handy and digital version of a personal secretary. Google Keep is an application for Iphones and some Android phones that is pretty much an advanced type of a personal note-keeper and organizer. It is a higher and much improved version of the recently shut down Google Notebook program. It allows users to make reminders of future events and list of things that they need to do. It also allows them to take pictures and make notes of whatever suddenly comes along their way. All of those things made possible, alongside with the power of the advanced technology inside new phones.

What is in Google Keep and how does it work?

First things first, the user interface of the app has Google’s trademark all over it. It is designed to be simple, efficient and organized. The interface is light on the eyes and everything necessary is very visible. It is very easy to navigate and understand especially for first time users of these types of apps. No need for guides or tutorials. On the basic startup page, users will already see the features that are embedded in the application.
 

First among these is the Quick Note feature. By the name itself, it allows people to make and save quick and short notes about whatever they want. This is good for those who want to make a quick reminder for themselves about a certain thing that came to mind or something that they remember that they need to do in the future.

Then there’s the Long Note component that basically allows much longer drafts to be input. This one is useful for expressing one’s self like diaries or journals and could also be good for long and detailed reminders.

Next would be the List Note feature. It transforms notes into lists by allowing users to add checkboxes to their notes. This allows individuals to list things to accomplish or purchase and also mark them done once they are completed. This is very handy for people who need to buy things from the groceries or for those who need to do a lot of tasks in a specific amount of time.

Then there’s the Voice Note feature. This saves users’ time from typing text in their phones by just recording their voices to make notes and reminders for themselves. This feature transcribes voice recording into text notes. It’s a good way to utilize some old hand phones’ attributes in order to be able to remind oneself about something.

Last among the list among the basic elements of Google Keep is its Picture Notes feature. It basically opens up the phone’s camera program and let’s users capture images and put a note in it. This will be handy for those who want to keep their memorable and significant encounters with persons or things that pop up along their way.

Just like every other apps out in the market, Keep also allows users to personalize their settings and appearance. They allow every user to personalize their home screens according to how they want it to show up. They could also modify the colors of the notes that they put in depending on how they want them to show up which gives better order and emphasis between two or more different notes. Keep also gives users an easy way to delete completed and unnecessary notes, and archive them by easily swiping them to the sides of their screens.

The Google Keep application also has a Widget version that allows users to easily view and create new notes through an accessible piece of their home screens. Just like most online apps, it also allows sharing with Facebook, Twitter and other programs including Evernote. In some android phones and smart phones, sharing notes to a wide variety of social sites and other programs had been enabled.

Another key characteristic that Keep inherited from Google is its online availability and its database. Aside from the fact that people can access the Google Search Engine from it, they can also check their notes and archives via the Google Drive, where personal accounts can be created and accessed anytime and anywhere. Google Keep, along with other Google services syncronized with Drive, was made to be interactive and convenient with this. There is actually a desktop version for it but it has limited features and is not as useful and accessible compared to the phone version.

For the phone version, there are some features that may vary depending on the model and version of Smart phone and Android phone that an individual owns. For those, who are missing some features or having some issues, they will need to get the latest versions or wait for possible future updates to be able to enjoy all the features that Keep provides.

There is a lot of room to grow for this new Google app. It still has some flaws and it is missing some features that can be found in related apps like the Evernote and MS OneNote. Some shortcomings include the inability to put already existing photos from the gallery into notes, problems dealing with keeping links inside notes, inability to import photos from the Internet. Another issue with the current Keep is that it requires users to stay online to be able to operate. These are some of the small problems that Keep developers need to fix and for the mean time, users need to deal with them. It is worth noting that Keep is just a few months old and people can only expect it to get better with future updates and revisions. 

Although it is always being compared to the Evernote application, which is almost identical in to Google Keep in terms of services and goals, the latter is worth checking out. Despite being in the market for 5 years compared to Evernote which was released just a few months ago, Keep was able to establish its own personality and be different from the Evernote app’s dynamic and busy approach. It has the Google touch in it.  It is simple, cozy and efficient, and some people just like things that way.