On Google Keep

Note: this post addresses the web version of Google Keep. Some of the points made below may not apply to the Android Version.

Google announced Keep on it's official blog. This after a teensy snafu picked up by Android Police last week. The web app is functional, but not yet fully featured. It works quite nicely as a replacement to Google's tasks feature in Gmail, and Google promises full Drive integration in the coming weeks. That update should take it from a useful note taker and list maker to a powerful productivity tool, especially if integrated into Google Now.

As mentioned above, there are some quirks that prevent it from being a true "Evernote replacement". Issues include everything from simple user interface issues (links posted in Keep are not clickable) to rather glaring integration issues (photos can only be uploaded from the local machine, not added from Google+ or Picasa). As a result, Google Keep is oddly isolated from the rest of Google's services.

The app version is Android-only for now, which is unfortunate. Google's iOS apps are stellar and can turn an iPhone into an excellent Google phone. Keep would appeal to users of Apple's Notes app and, with some updates, could the Reminders app as well. Updates integrating Keep into both Google Now (as well as bringing Google Now to iOS) and Google Drive will be crucial in expanding Keep's user base.

The Android app is more well-rounded, but lacks some useful features like the ability to share lists (Google Play Store review). Until Google Keep is more fully integrated with the rest of Google's services like Drive, and perhaps Google Now, it will be a helpful cloud based task and list tool, but will not replace the heavy weights of the notes and lists world such as Evernote and Any.DO. When it is able to replicate those features, Keep will be a tempting offer for those who live in Google's cloud.