Note-taking app Evernote gets an API

Evernote, the multiplatform note-taking app that I can't stop raving about, is opening up. New PC and Mac clients will get additional HTML import and export capabilities as well as accessibility from scripting tools like AppleScript. The Web service (which synchronizes data with the PC and Mac clients) will get an application programming interface.

CEO Phil Libin is of course eager to see what developers do with the all-access API to the service. He's hoping that people build new clients--he's holding out for a Wii version of Evernote--but realistically suspects that developers of vertical applications will make the most use of the API. Already, he says, Salesforce.com developer Astitch is working on an app that will merge Evernote pictures and notes with Salesforce.com client and sales records. Evernote's cloud-based OCR (optical character recognition) could be used to auto-file camera phone pictures of business cards into the appropriate records.

Libin also foresees mashups that synchronize Evernote with data on services like Remember the Milk and Google Calendar.

Evernote has under half a million users but Libin says demand for an API has been consistent from developers. He also points out that the current version 3 of Evernote has been out of closed beta for only about two months.

I can't evaluate the API's robustness or utility, but I do like the direction the company is going with it. Evernote is a strong personal productivity service, and I would like to see new ways to access and add to Evernote databases. As they did for Twitter, I believe third-party apps could improve the service's utility.