March 17, 2013

Google Keep, a New Service for Taking Notes

Carlos Jeurissen found some interesting hints about a new Google Drive app called Keep. There are multiple references to Google Keep in the GDrive code, including some URLs like: https://drive.google.com/keep/?note. In fact, the codename for Google Keep is "memento" and the MIME type for Google Keep files is "application/vnd.google-apps.note". Obviously, Google Keep is a replacement for Google Notebook, a service that has been discontinued back in 2009.


Carlos also found the service's icon and a short URL that redirects to the Play Store page for a non-existent Google Keep app.


Google has a cool Chrome extension called Scratchpad. It's great for taking notes and it syncs with Google Docs. Let's hope that Keep is better than both Scratchpad and Google Notebook.

Update: Android Police has some screenshots of the new service.

{ Thanks, Carlos. }
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31 comments:

  1. kmfMarch 17, 2013 at 10:22 AM

    please let this be true.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TomMarch 17, 2013 at 10:28 AM

    I think I'll stick with Evernote, given that it works well - and isn't likely to be suddenly discontinued!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dan JonesMarch 17, 2013 at 6:28 PM

      My thoughts exactly. Why would I need this when I've already got Evernote. This'll just disappear when Google gets bored with it like all their other cool projects.

      Delete
    2. @kstaxmanMarch 17, 2013 at 9:06 PM

      I feel the same way Google will have to show me a very good reason to use it and that it's not going to go the way of notebook, newreader, and so many other services they've came out with. Evernote has been here and shown that they have no intention of folding, selling out, or failing to keep innovating.

      Delete
  3. BenMarch 17, 2013 at 10:30 AM

    Yea, who cares. They'll just discontinue it after everyone has invested their time into it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RodneylivesMarch 17, 2013 at 10:34 AM

    Not only is it likely they'll wait until everyone relies on it to kill it, buy they've ALREADY killed one product that did roughly the same thing! No thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. IsaacMarch 17, 2013 at 10:34 AM

    Yep, they discontinued Google Health, Google Reader, ... This is yet another to be discontinued.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thor Dekov BuurMarch 17, 2013 at 10:34 AM

    as far as I remember Scratchpad has been closed down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. geeMarch 17, 2013 at 11:27 AM

      Nope. It was updated last month.

      Version: 3.1.0
      Updated: February 21, 2013

      Delete
  7. UnknownMarch 17, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    Previous rumors hinted at a Pocket type service: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100132233764003563318/posts/T4JF76TAXHf

    ReplyDelete
  8. geeMarch 17, 2013 at 11:22 AM

    Never going to try any new shit from Google again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. CurlyMarch 17, 2013 at 11:34 AM

    Bring back Google Notepad!

    ReplyDelete
  10. MattBlufMarch 17, 2013 at 12:14 PM

    NO thanks, lost all trust
    - anybody but Google experimenting on us.

    ReplyDelete
  11. MaBiMarch 17, 2013 at 12:38 PM

    Thanks but no thanks, after they killed Reader I'm not trusting Google anymore. And this reminds me that I can now unsubscribe this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  12. JamesMarch 17, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    And in future news, it was announced during Spring Cleaning 2015 that Google Keep was being discontinued due to the fact that you could just as easily post notes into G+ and remove all circles and accomplish the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  13. GertMarch 17, 2013 at 2:46 PM

    I don't think it's that strange to close down some of the services they have. Google Reader is a nice product, but quite easy to replace, since it relies on content of others. And they also created Google Takeout to export all your subscriptions.

    People overhere act like Google closed down GMail, YouTube or Google Docs.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Alex ChituMarch 17, 2013 at 4:15 PM

    Well, Keep will be a Google Drive app like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Fusion Table. It won't be an independent project like Reader or Notebook. If I remember correctly, no Google Docs/Drive app has been discontinued until now.

    Notebook was integrated with Google Search and Google Bookmarks. When the integration with Google Search was removed and Bookmarks became a low-priority project just like Google Toolbar, Notebook stopped being interesting for Google.

    I've always find it weird that the stock Android doesn't include a note app. Even if it may seem boring and simple, I think a note app is fundamental for a mobile device. It's always there for you to write to-do lists, ideas, quotes, gather data, test keyboard features etc.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousMarch 17, 2013 at 6:02 PM

    Cheers to that!

    Maybe I'm old and curmudgeonly but I always seem to compare every new PDA and now smartphone with my first Palm Pilot. Contacts and Calendars are always there and getting better and better. But Tasks and Notes seem to come and go.

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousMarch 17, 2013 at 6:38 PM

    No thanks.
    Totally fed up with the constant churn of Google products & services.
    I'm preparing for life after Google.
    I need professionalism & reliability.

    ReplyDelete
  17. CleberMarch 17, 2013 at 7:30 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousMarch 17, 2013 at 9:04 PM

    Alex Chitu
    >>If I remember correctly, no Google Docs/Drive app has been discontinued until now.<<
    I'm fairly certain that GDocs Drawing is unofficially deprecated.

    ReplyDelete
  19. @kstaxmanMarch 17, 2013 at 9:08 PM

    Sounds like a good idea but for me I'll stay with Evernote. I know it will be there and they have a record of innovation and growth that show they are going to be around for a long time. But for those not using Evernote I can see how "keep" might sound attractive.

    ReplyDelete
  20. EgidiusMarch 18, 2013 at 1:39 AM

    Wouldn't it be an idea to fix the Google Drive OSX app first before launching another product? It doesn't sync at all.

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousMarch 18, 2013 at 6:00 AM

    ^^ what everyone else said. Google Notebook closed, Google Reader closing. Forget it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Ruth O'LearyMarch 18, 2013 at 7:35 AM

    I don't care if it's amazing, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole: they'll just kill it whenever it suits them and leave users high and dry. I'll stick to Evernote, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  23. UnknownMarch 18, 2013 at 8:23 AM

    RIP google...

    ReplyDelete
  24. UnknMarch 18, 2013 at 9:49 AM

    Hope it comes out soon. Evernote membership is coming up for renewal, and I don't exactly want to renew it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. BobMarch 18, 2013 at 10:25 AM

    I had a lot of notes in "notebook". Had they put that project into a caretaker status, they could have moved my notebooks over. Since they simply dropped the offering, I'm so over it now.
    Now they dash reader, and I must move to feedly. They pushed me to evernote, pushed me to feedly, and I'm looking for a IG replacement.
    Used to be All Google, now the number of different services is growing.
    Sounds to me like the smart marketing is a lot like the promised smart government....

    ReplyDelete
  26. UnknownMarch 18, 2013 at 11:21 AM

    Same here I will stick with Evernote. I can save search results direct to it with Enginuity search engine.

    http://theenginuity.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. dah_sabMarch 19, 2013 at 1:08 PM

    As many of us learned with Notebook & Evernote, if there's a service you really need & rely on, best to pay for it. At least Google offers Takeout so, if we want to leave a free service, we don't lose everything.

    ReplyDelete
  28. andrius.zilenasMarch 23, 2013 at 2:52 PM

    it's useless without keywords and categories!!!

    ReplyDelete

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