Google and Evernote have announced that Google Drive will integrate with the popular note-taking app. It is currently released for Android and the web app running on Chrome.
This integration allows Evernote users to add any file from Google Drive into notes to create rich content. Unlike the original link integration with Google Drive, this new integration will show previews of the linked content to create "a rich viewing experience."
Google Drive search is also integrated directly within the Evernote applications. Any changes to embedded files are synchronized automatically to the notes. This allows Evernote users to create modular notes and content that remain fully up to date through multiple versions.
The Google Drive integration with Evernote also opens up new collaboration features. Users will be able to add other authors to their notes and collaboratively generate linked rich content across multiple file types including pictures, documents, sounds and videos. This new feature can enable multiple users to work on different documents embedded in the same master Evernote file simultaneously, which updates as each of the components is saved.
Evernote says its users "create millions of notes that contain links pasted from Google Drive" every day and that "more than half of all Evernote users also have a Google Account." This integration between Google and Evernote breathes new life into Evernote, which is seeing some pressure from competitors including Microsoft's OneNote.
This direct integration means that Evernote users will now have access to a significant free update to their storage space. Evernote gives each user 60 MB of free cloud storage to store notes. Through Google, they get access to 15 GB of free storage, with inexpensive monthly premium accounts providing even more. Users can upgrade their storage up to 1 TB for less than $10 per month.
"We want anyone using Drive to have access to their content whenever and wherever they're trying to get stuff done. That's the cloud at its best," Alex Vogenthaler, product manager for Google Drive said. This partnership and deep integration may drive more users to the Evernote/Google partnership instead of using services like Dropbox or OneDrive, which do not have Evernote integration.
Evernote also promised that "this is just the beginning" and "even tighter integration" will happen soon. The new integration beta is now available for Google Chrome and Android on the Google Play store.
