Google unveils note-taking app ‘Keep’

GOOGLE has launched Keep, an Android-based note-taking application that many believe will rival the popular Evernote and Blackberry’s Remember hub.

A video, released on YouTube by Google Mobile, displays the app’s functionality.

Designed to let the user jot down ideas and transcribe voice recordings, the major boon in the app is the ability on Android 4.2 devices to record notes through a lock-screen widget - that is, dispensing with the need to unlock the device.

Users are also able to select the colour of the note, in a nod to the paper-based equivalent.

Keep looks likely to provide an Android rival to the multi-platform Evernote, which coincidentally integrates with Blackberry’s Remember function.

Katherine Kuan, an engineer at Google in the Google blog, believes that Keep will put an end to mislaid paper notes and allow users to access their to-do lists from anywhere.

“Usually we grab a pad of sticky-notes, scribble a reminder and put it on the desk, the fridge or the relevant page of a magazine.

“Unfortunately, it’s rarely where you need it when you need it.

“With Keep you can quickly jot ideas down when you think of them and even include checklists and photos to keep track of what’s important to you. Your notes are safely stored in Google Drive and synced to all your devices so you can always have them at hand.”

The ability to sync across all devices - a feature already existing in a number of Apple-based products including Evernote - will no doubt be an attractive feature for Android users who have been deprived of an Evernote or Remember-type application to record thoughts and lists.

• Devices running Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and above can access the app from Google Play. Web users can also access the app on Google Drive.