penultimatelogoEvernote, the notetaking and archiving service, has acquired notebook app Penultimate for an undisclosed sum, reports The Next Web. Evernote has been on something of a buying spree -- in August of last year, Evernote bought image editing and sharing app Skitch.

More that simply bringing the app into the Evernote stable, the deal will see Penultimate (blessed with the accolade of 4th most downloaded iPad app of all time back in March this year) developed for a wider range of platforms and devices. Evernote also plans to use the acquisition of the app, developed by San Francisco-based Cocoa Box, to bring improved handwriting recognition to the Evernote service itself.

Evernote can already recognize handwritten text in scanned documents, while the company also licenses this technology to third parties via its Ritescript division. Today’s acquisition opens up the possibility of allowing you to write with your finger or a stylus directly into Evernote apps in the future. Penultimate already supports the saving of notes into your Evernote account.


Penultimate will continue on as a standalone app, with creator Ben Zotto continuing work on it at Evernote. Penultimate is the fourth most downloaded iPad app ever according to Apple. Evernote recently raised a $70 million funding round and is nearing 30 million users.

Penultimate for iPad is available on the App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Patriks7 Avatar
160 months ago
Potentially dream come true.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nuckinfutz Avatar
160 months ago
SOLID

I use both. Better integration wins the internets.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSee Avatar
159 months ago
...The iPad does not have a pen...

No. The iPad does not come with a pen.
That's not the same thing.

Personally, I bought two three-packs of styluses off Amazon for < $1/pen. Somewhat surprisingly, they work great. I use the pens for writing and tend to use my finger or pen for diagramming and drawing, depending on exactly what I'm doing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
slu Avatar
160 months ago
I want to like Evernote, but I just think it needs improved usability. For me, it just takes too long and too many "clicks" to edit an existing note. I find I barely use it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
charlieegan3 Avatar
160 months ago
although 'penultimate' is the perfect name for this app it does mean: 'all but the best'

I find I get very little out of these 'productivity tools'.
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
balconycollapse Avatar
160 months ago
I sincerely tried to use Penultimate as my notebook for school on multiple occasions with multiple styluses. It just doesn't do the trick for me -- I'm doing lots of math equations and formulas. I want it to work and hope that a future version of the iPad will better support handwriting. Evernote is so-so. I gave up on it because the interface and syncing were kind of a pain. Honestly with Evernote you might as well just create an email address and send yourself anything you want to save because it's basically the same thing. I've ended up going with Workflowy for online organization and stuck to pen and paper for real notes. iPad is still fantastic for reading but the handwriting recognition just isn't there.
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...