UPDATED 14:13 EDT / APRIL 19 2011

Evernote, Dropbox Updating the Personal Cloud

Evernote’s pretty excited about its latest Android update, calling it the biggest to date.  The personal cloud management tool has assimilated  functionalities such as sharing, organizational features, improved text editing, security options, new views, a revamped widget, and more.

Users are given the ability to link accounts, and the ability to go through any of these notebooks that were shared. If a premium subscriber, you are eligible to edit the content, turning Evernote into a collaboration tool for Android phones. Tap the new Shared icon on the Evernote home screen, and you’ll see a list of all the notebooks you have linked to that account.  It’s an update that brings several of its major site updates toAndroid’s OS, and playing a bit of catch-up with the iOS version.

Some other important features are the auto-sync, and an option to share notes to Facebook and Twitter just in case you’ll have something in mind that you don’t want to forget, or want to share to your friends, family and other people that matters to you.  If you want to share a note to Facebook, you can tap the menu button and choose Post.  You’ll be asked for you Facebook account though. To share it via other media such as Twitter and Gmail, tap Menu button, then More, and then Share.

For easier in-notebook search, tap a notebook then the search magnifying glass for a shorter list of possible matches. You can also have the Search bar below as your second option. Evernote extends the reach of notebooks beyond desktop-only processes. Tapping Evernote with a portable device makes notebook creation faster and more mobile. If your device is GPS-enabled, Evernote can capture the location where you create your notes, letting you add location data to your notes.  You can also note places you’d like to go–a handy planning tool.

For security reasons, Evernote now offers PIN Lock. You won’t be able to open your notebooks unless you enter your pin but you also have the option to disable it. It also boosts new widgets that lets users jump into app creation of text, audio and snapshot notes. We’re seeing a number of personal cloud services incorporating new privacy tools–in part due to the pressure regulatory organizations putting the pressure on the entire sector.

Tackling other personal cloud developments, Dropbox added a new feature on their personal cloud service as well.  The feature allow users to email attachment to their Dropbox account by forwarding the file to an assigned unique email address that which is formatted something like  yourname_somerandomnumbers@sendtodropbox.com. This makes uploading file to Dropbox from email a lot more comfortable, integrating at a point of electronic communication that’s basic and universal.  Dropbox also allows users to do bulk uploads now, as well as assign stuff to folders.
But it’s not all roses for Dropbox. The company has gotten caught in the throes of current day privacy concerns, making an additional condition to its terms of service where they emphasized that a user’s files will be turned over to the government if the government asks for it. This is not new actually — for Gmail, Amazon and Hotmail are under the same terms. However, Dropbox’s previous statement regarding a user’s files being inaccessible even by Dropbox employees contradicts this recently added term of service.

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