Evernote 5 for Mac to offer revamped OS X style UI, new features

Evernote, one of the first companies to offer a comprehensive cloud-based note-taking app for iOS and OS X, on Friday teased the upcoming launch of its redesigned Mac client which will add a number of user interface and operational changes.

In a post to its What's New webpage, Evernote announced its upcoming Evernote 5 for Mac software will bring over 100 new features to the popular app, including powerful new search tools, iOS-like "Cards View," and integration with Mountain Lion's Notification Center.

The new app retains the OS X Mail-esque three-column layout and basic structure as the current version, but will add more color and functionality while reducing clutter. Key to the new streamlined interface is the use of cards that display notes with corresponding images, similar to how the iOS App Store's executes app searches. Keyboard shortcuts for frequently accessed features like "Jump to Notebook" or "Indent Text" are also supported.

Another significant change is the app's left navigation panel, which has been revamped from the current collapsable category list to a more OS X-like solution, displaying advanced functions like shortcuts, a user's last five notes, and other software features. Both personal and shared notes now appear in one pane, further cleaning up the left sidebar's layout.

Perhaps one of the most prominent new features is TypeAhead search, a powerful new tool that performs searches across all notes, breaking down results by notebooks, notes, tags and recent searches. TypeAhead also automatically suggests searches based on frequently used phrases.

Finally, a new feature called Atlas will allow users to view notes on a map according to where they were written, much like the iOS Photos app, and uses geolocation metadata to present them on "Place Cards" that are ordered by proximity.

Evernote 5 will be offered as a beta sometime next week, while a more complete feature list can be found on the Getting Started page. It is unclear if the beta will be open, but more information should be revealed in the coming days.