Evernote Buys Handwriting App Penultimate

Evernote, the cloud syncing note service, has acquired Penultimate, the handwriting iPad app designed by Cocoa Box. The creator of Penultimate, Ben Zotto, will be joining the Evernote team in order to create tight integration between the two services. The standalone iPad app will also live on, with Evernote saying there's no immediate plans to discontinue the app.

As part of the deal, Penultimate will see the jump to other operating systems, and major handwriting recognition support will work its way into Evernote in the near future. Penultimate already has some Evernote features, but will see even more as part of the acquisition. Zen Cotto says that the partnership "makes a lot of sense," and that "Penultimate is only going to get better from here."

Evernote say that its team has been working on handwriting recognition since the Apple Newton, but has never managed to put all the necessary elements together in a satisfactory way. The company recognized that Penultimate has managed to do just that, and wanted to provide that exact experience for Evernote. The full details of the acquisition weren't disclosed.