Evernote as a platform.

Capture anything. Access anywhere. Find things fast. That is Evernote, a tool to remember everything. But on top of that, Evernote is rapidly building extra services on top of its basic foundation, making it more than a tool to just “remember everything”. Evernote as a platform.

Yesterday, Evernote launched three new services, Evernote Food (Preserve your food memories), Evernote Clearly (Distraction-free reading) and Evernote Hello (Remember people). And several months ago, Evernote already launched Evernote Peek (Study smarter). All building upon the Evernote platform, but adding extra (and sometimes at first sight atypical) functionalities. Smart, intuitive and beyond-awesome search. A very solid base.

So, what’s happening here?

Evolution of Evernote as a platform

Evernote started out as a simple tool: collect snippets of information in a web tool and a desktop app. And it’s still stellar there. Great interface, brilliant search, seamless sync.

Next step was adding different devices and the so-called Evernote Trunk, a collection of all third-party apps and add-ons that work with Evernote.

And now, adding new features that build upon this ecosystem. Features that are beyond simple add-ons and actually change the face and function of Evernote, while building upon the solid Evernote infrastructure.

Evernote Food

Turns Evernote into a food archive and discovery tool.

• Remember the meal. Snap photos of dishes, people you’re with and the venue, then add captions and thoughts as you go.
• Recall them all. Browse and find all your past experiences in Evernote Food and inside Evernote.
• Track your food adventures. Whether cooking at home or traveling to faraway lands, all your food memories are in one place.

Evernote Hello

Turns Evernote into a smart CRM system, creating a rich, browsable history of individuals, encounters and shared experiences. Which, instantly and for some uses, makes them a competitor of services like Cardcloud and Gist.

• Remember people. Whenever you meet someone new, hand them your phone and they can quickly make a profile.
• Build a rich history. A smart interface to create a history of every encounter that you’ve had with individuals and everyone you’ve met together.
• Get relevant information. Hello brings in related information from your calendar, Evernote account and more.

So, what if we could take this idea beyond startups?
What would a bank as a platform do?
An airline as a platform?
Car as a platform?

Written in 2011, left as it was.

Original: Evernote as a platform, 8 December 2011. Historical links may no longer work.