Update #2 by Dan: We reached out to Evernote CEO Phil Libin to bring this to his attention. He let us know that the feature is supposed to be off by default when you add a person manually AND, if you change the settings the app is supposed to remember the settings. Currently it is on by default aND it doesn’t remember changed settings but that is a bug that will be addressed ASAP.

That’s great news. I also hope Evernote will highlight this functionality in the future so people know it is there in the first place.

Update #1 by Judie: Dan just called to tell me that it turns out that there is a “Send my contact info when I meet someone” option that is checked by default, meaning that the app is installed to send the offending introduction email. You must uncheck the box, and thereby OPT OUT, or this app will send an automatic email to the contact. My advice would be “make sure that you check that box!”

I just downloaded it (on my iPad) to see for myself, and I didn’t find any opt-out check box during the set up process, much less any notice anywhere that the app would send an email to anyone. It was only when I went searching after the fact that I found the option inside my personal info in settings.

I can tell you right now that if I met some guy at an event and then got an email from him moments later saying he was pleased to meet me, I would think it was more than a little bit weird. To top matters off, there is the “If you’d like to remember the people you meet, get Evernote Hello” tag at the bottom of the email, which makes the sender look like they wouldn’t be able to keep people straight if it weren’t for the app.

My opinion is that it would be best to collect a business card upon introduction and scan it later, rather than fool with this app.

I ripped on Evernote ‘Hello’ when it was first released over a month ago. The “meet people and get in contact” app from Evernote seemed to me to be completely unnecessary. And when they suggested you give it to a stranger and allow them to take their own picture with your smartphone … umm no!

Well Evernote Hello got updated, and the update post on the Evernote Blogcast even includes CEO Phil Libin discussing the improvements. Quite frankly when Phil goes into explaining why giving the other person your iPhone in order to take a picture “You almost get a photo booth type experience with them smiling”, I had to wonder if some of the explanations were direct responses to our criticisms. Of course they are not, but each (and every) hole we punched in the app WAS addressed.

The good news is that the update actually makes a crApp potentially useful. So I went to use it and guess what? This is still NOT an app I want on my iPhone, and you probably don’t either. Why? Because it does something I didn’t know about, I don’t want, and something they don’t mention!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I was pretty critical of Evernote back in December when they released some iOS apps that just fell flat. I mean, a special app for food logs or exchanging personal information? They called it Evernote Hello, I called it Evernote NO! and I was pretty clear that Evernote needed to put their energies into their core business: the various Evernote apps and they way in which they can make note-taking easier. Well, thankfully, they have done just that and have released a new version of Evernote for Mac that offers some great improvements. What are they?… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The other day one of my Rabbinic colleagues asked what “system” I use in the synagogue to keep track of all of the various lifecycle “events” that take place in the community as well as make sure that all of my colleagues have as accurate and up-to-date information as possible. I wrote up my answers and then, after sending them to him, realized that while our uses for the services I mention are rather specific, the way in which we use them can easily be adapted to a host of different work-settings.

Here’s what I told him.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

As has been the case for the past couple of years at least, the Next Big Thing in the computing world is “the cloud”.  (I guess it’s taking a little time to implement.)  Amazon, Apple, Juniper, Cisco, and tons of other companies are trying to jump onto this new concept of keeping data stored in “the cloud”.  One of the questions is, what’s the best way to implement it?  How do you make it easier to store things on (or is it “in”?) the cloud for ordinary schmoes like you and me?  Apple has made a good stab with the iCloud, and I think Amazon’s doing pretty good work on the business end.

Now The Neat… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

“The Cloud” is a big deal nowadays.  If you use iTunes, a lot of your stuff is backed up “in the cloud”, though you may be unaware of that.  My last two jobs have been specifically targeted for the “cloud” market–both hardware and software.  Amazon rakes in quite a bit of money each year with their cloud services.

So products that give you easier access to the cloud, well, they’re probably a good idea, don’t you think?  Well, Sanho Corporation thinks so, and they are offering a new device that allows you to wirelessly transfer your cloud-stored stuff back down into the real world.  Here’s what they have to say about it:

Sanho Corporation 

So you got a new phone, tablet or computer and you are ready to get to work. You will want to check out Evernote. Evernote will let you save pictures, documents and other forms of information in a single place and then access them from virtually any and all devices. And if you are going to use Evernote you are going to want to check out Brett Kelly’s Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote. Evernote Essentials is a PDF book with some great tips that will get you up and running with Evernote in no time. As Brett explains:

The amount of information we want and need to

If you got a new phone, tablet or computer and you plan on doing anything more than play games on it you are going to want to check out Evernote. Evernote will let you save pictures, documents and other forms of information in a single place and then access them for virtually any and all devices.

And if you check out Evernote you are going to want to check out Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly. Evernote Essentials is a PDF book with some great tips that will get you up and running with Evernote in no time. As Brett explains:

The amount of information we want and

Yesterday I got a message from SugarSync, one of my favorite Cloud Storage companies. They were announcing, amongst other things, that:

Kindle Fire – SugarSync is now available for the Kindle Fire, so you can access all your files from the SugarSync Cloud.

That was great – I clicked on the link in the email, checked out the blog post, then clicked the link in the article to grab the new version and … landed at the Android Market as shown in the image below.

Now don’t get me wrong – this is an excellent update… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Many of the people I’ve turned onto Evernote find it invaluable. Others, however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don’t see what the big deal is. That’s where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains:

The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with piles of financial statements, medical records, automotive service receipts — and that didn’t even include everything dealing with my job. We all struggle to keep our information organized and accessible, but without the right tool for the job, it can seem impossible. Thankfully, a tool

For most people, when they hear ‘box’ related to cloud storage they might think of ‘another’ company, but Box.net has been a very popular service and has recently been giving away ’50GB for Life’ to mobile users. Now they are changing things again, starting with their name – they are now just BOX.

Here are some details from their blog:

We Dropped the .net
Bet you didn’t even notice! Don’t worry: everything has transitioned seamlessly, including all your shared links, widgets, integrations and content. Thanks for being the most important part of … not Box.net … nor Box.com … just Box.
Learn More
Get More Out of Box for Mobile

If you don’t know what Dropbox is by now, you probably don’t need any free cloud storage space. Just in case, it’s a great free service that lets you store files, music, pictures, or whatever you want up to the “cloud” with the ability to view, download, share, retrieve from almost any computer or mobile device. Today some of us in the beta test program got an email with a link to the new beta. The current stable app is available on the market but since it has been officially release, little has been done to improve the UI or overall user experience. I promptly downloaded the new app to my Android phone and was… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

As much as I “harshed” on Evernote last week after they released two ridiculous iPhone apps the service remains a key part of every aspect of my life. I’ve also turned countless people onto Evernote, and many find it invaluable as well. Others however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don’t see what the big deal is. That’s where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains:

The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with piles of financial statements, medical records, automotive service receipts — and that didn’t even

This post had a different working title of “‘Evernote Food’ Not So Tasty but We Can Spice it Up” but I settled on the more descriptive “Evernote, There is a Better Way to Add Functionality than Releasing crApps”. Regardless, here’s what led to the post and what I want to suggest to remedy the company’s current trend of releasing all-but-useless-apps.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

One of my “must-have” pieces of productivity technology is my Livescribe Echo Smartpen. The Echo Smartpen let’s me take notes and then know exactly where they are later when I need to review them. It is a huge help to me and, when I lost mine a few months ago, I bought a new one the very same day. That’s how much I rely on it! Here’s what the company has to say and then we will get into the amazing deal they have going.

Take the stress out of tests and meetings with an Echo™ smartpen from Livescribe. Record everything you hear, say and write, while linking your audio recordings to your notes. Quickly replay audio from your

From the Editorial Staff of Gear Diary: If you don’t want to give your loved one something tangible this year, why not give them a subscription to a service that will enhance their life? Here are a few suggestions for subscriptions services we love and use on a regular basis …

Tripit: Judie loves it and uses it all the time. Judie turned Dan on to it, and he’s now an evangelist for it as well. Tripit is a great way to monitor your travels, keep all in your information in one place, and, with a pro subscription, get real-time updates when your travel plans change. In fact, you may even know about a gate change before it’s announced at the airport! We find the service invaluable and especially love the new Pro feature that constantly scans your email for reservations and trip updates so you don’t even have to send the documents to the service.

TripIt Pro is just $49 a year.

 … Continue reading on Gear Diary ...