If you haven’t visited The Google Graveyard yet — you need to go there and leave a flower or 40 — before your read this Google Keep review.  I admit I’m wary about investing even one second in Google Keep because of the company’s rotten history of starting neat products like Google Reader and Wave and then killing them while you’re in the middle of loving them.

Google Keep is a new note taking app that feels to me a lot like Google Tasks!

Will Tasks be killed as The Keep rises?

Here’s what Google Keep looks like in my Chrome browser.  It’s clean and simple and fast.  Keep is a perfect little place to save article ideas and other on-the-run thoughts.

Here’s what happens when I squeeze my browser window to become thinner — you get the mobile Google Keep view right in your desktop browser!  I spent a fun 90 seconds going from web view to mobile view just by stretching my Chrome browser window.

As clean and neat as Keep appears to be, I’m still a little wary to put any sort of effort into Google Keep, because I can imagine it might quickly become addictive, and perhaps, even convenient; and who wants that when they’ll only take it away from you later?

I see in the desktop view screenshot that Keep is kept in my Google Drive, but I cannot yet see any evidence of a Keep being stored there.  I understand that day will come and we will be able to see and manage and even start new Keeps in our Drives — but why wait?  Why isn’t that necessary feature enabled upon release of the product?  If my current Keeps are in Drive, I want to see them now.

I also find it odd we cannot drag-and-drop an image into a Keep.  You have to add an image the old way by clicking and choosing a file and clicking again.  Again, that is un-Google Drive behavior and I hope they get the image drag-and-drop enabled for us soon.

Are you going to use Google Keep?  Or have you had enough of the Google game of birthing and killing?

36 Comments

  1. I am trying this out on my windows lap top – for me it is working as a similar ap to notes on the iPad. Like you I am a little wary of investing too much or love or dependency into it for fear it will be lost.

    1. It does feel like notes on the iPad.

      I also think is is a response to Microsoft OneNote.

      If Keep is actually a part of Drive — I know Google Drive is important to Google — and that makes me think Keep might survive awhile.

      If Keep does stay, that makes me think Tasks will not, and that will be a secondary heartbreaker because I have a lot of notes and things in Tasks. Tasks embeds well in Google Calendar, but I can see Keep becoming part of Calendar, too.

    1. I think the trend online will be to use real names — especially if being on the web is supposed to reflect our real lives. Soon, there will not be any allowable difference between who you are online and offline. Sure, there will be niche places you can go to play online as someone else, but for services like email and and social networking, and such, real identities will have to be required.

  4. I do not really have an issue with that – hopefully it will lessen cyber bullying etc , where people cannot hide . I was contemplating a cat blog and FB page – wonder how they would ID that one !

    1. Those are good questions!

      I envision the day when, in the USA, we’ll retire the Social Security number for new births, and babies will be given a “Use ID” that will serve as a required identification implement for any purchase or service.

      The Feds will use that to track purchases for taxation and to follow your behavior online and provide social services and moderate your work and education behaviors. The real you will then become the “Cyber You” where only what is trackable counts for or against you.

      We’re getting there now, but the private companies are doing it. Once the Feds get involved, the whole identity game will change.

  5. Yes I can see the – ” you have had your allotted dairy fat for this week – you cannot purchase” meaage and the “you may not buy any chocolate until you have been to the gym” as welll as you may not have your medicines because ……………etc etc ect

    1. Yes! Exactly! We’re getting there bit by bit with healthcare. Taxation will be the next big buy in — tracking everything you buy for the IRS and the States — it’ll be the easiest thing to get approved by Congress… all in the name of “lowering the deficit” and all. SMILE!

  6. so long as the politicians do not get an opt out – I could probably live with that …….. but it would be hopeless over here ……………….. now I have an idea for another post.

    1. You’re right that the powerful will find a way out the requirement — probably by saying those who don’t get any social services are exempt — even though the politicians are the number one government services recipients!

  7. Yes they are – our money pays them and pays disability and social welfare through our taxes – they should be as accountable as we are.

    1. Exactly!

      As someone said — Paul Ryan, Mitt’s VP pick and hater of all social welfare — hasn’t ever really held a job that wasn’t in the government. He’s the biggest social welfare Queen out there — yet he hates the government and wants to kill Medicare and Social Security.

    1. It makes no sense. The poorest people in the South who most need Medicare and Obamacare and other social services hate the government and want it demolished. The Republicans have somehow convinced those people to vote AGAINST their best interests and this happened long before the Obama became president. It’s a fascination.

    1. I think it all has to do with hope and faith and success. These are the popular memes that get spewed back by the toothless, Southern, poor:

      “Millionaires create jobs. Charge them more taxes and they’ll fire more people.”

      “If I become a millionaire, I want lower taxes, too.”

      “God wants me to believe in the Bible and not man’s government.”

      “Only the weak take handouts.”

  10. that is pretty damning ………………. although my parents were of the “we are to proud to accept help” variety – until I explained it was not help it was their entitlement.

    My answer to those that say God wants me to believe in the Bible is – what happened to “Thou shalt not kill” ?

    1. Yes, they’d rather stay poor and toothless than to appear vulnerable and needing outside help. It’s sad. If they took the help and got into the system, they’d be grateful Democrats — and that cannot stand, so it’s better to demonize than actually help people.

      I love that quote! I also think it’s fascinating how the conservatives embrace the unborn child — but once that baby is born into poverty and the welfare system, they become enemy number one!

  11. To have large geographical groups that hink in a similar manner is very strange indeed – no doubt it is historical.

    That particularly gets my goat – if you believe in the “sanctity” of human life it has to be across the board – you cannot cherry pick .

  12. I love keep — I hope it that Google keeps it! It being part of drive makes me hopeful for its future.

  13. Keep seems great so far, although I agree that it really should allow drag-and-drop pictures. I often come across great/useful pictures that I’d like to be able to save for quick reference. I also love that the “Google Graveyard” page exists– cool take on Google’s fickle apps!

    1. I think Google Keep has some grand promise. If you can store an image in a Keep, why not a video or a Doc file or a song? I’m sure these Keep containers will keep growing!

  14. THis is probably why I am so behind with tech knowledge. I know as soon as I figure something out it will be changed or become obsolete, so if it isn’t super easy from the get go, I don’t waste my time. Google Keep sounds a little like Pinterest. Pinterest is GREAT. A simple, easy way to save ideas to return to later, and it is also addictive. But now I am going to have to go check out Google Keep…

  15. Well, it LOOKS like a good idea. I’m not sure I understand it though – I either use my notes in my iPhone or I jot things down on a mini notebook I keep in my purse. And I mean an actual notebook – pen and paper type. SMILE.

    1. Remember, Keep is Google’s answer to a note taking App for their Android phones. They are also widening the offering of the App to more platforms like the desktop and iOS.

      I would guess Keep will become a tunnel into their other services. Write a Keep and post it on Google+. Send a Keep as an SMS via Google Voice. Embed a Keep in a Blogger post. Since Keeps are searchable, they quickly become the first place you’d go to dash off a note to yourself for safeKEEPing that you can easily find later. SMILE!

  16. UPDATE:

    Hmm. I just “archived” a Keep — and it disappeared! Where are Archived Keeps kept? I even checked Google Drive just to make sure — not there!

    (2 minutes pass…)

    Okay, just found it. There’s a new text line under all your Keeps that now shows up saying “—— Archived Notes ——–” click on that text and you’ll see your archive. I had to force a page refresh to see the new line.

  17. It’s true Google is notorious for creating something that its users like and the they toss it off to the graveyard after it gains a following. This app does have a very nice feel though. I enjoy it’s simplicity.

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