fred avolio's musings

Previously, in one of the comments in this post about Evernote, I describe how I capture web pages to read later. This is especially important, because I do not always have access to the Internet. I want to download the webpage or document onto my iPod touch (in this case) and read it later, even without an Internet connection.

These are the steps I go through using Evernote.

1. See something, in Twitter, for example; click on the URL.
2. Click on “Email it”
3. Make the “To:” address be to “My Evernote” (whatever my address is to send it my Evernote account).
4. Open Evernote
5. In the new Note, click on the URL. (You still need a network connection for this, so far).
6. When the web page opens, click on the action button on the bottom right, and select “Clip to Evernote.”
7. When it is done, under Notes in Evernote you will the page clipped as “Clip:” followed by the URL. You may rename this and delete the original Note that only had the URL.
8. “Star” the note as a “Favorite,” and sync.
   

I stumbled upon Instapaper, “A simple tool to save web pages for reading later.” Like Evernote, it works on PCs, Macs, iPod touches, and iPhones. It really is simple. You use a “Read Later” Bookmark and it uploads the page you are viewing to your account on the web, to access later. Let’s do the same thing I suggested earlier, but this time with Instapaper.

1. See something, in Twitter, for example; click on the URL.
2. In Twitter, select “Open in Safari”
3. Click the bookmark “Instapaper: Read Later”
4. Open Instapaper app
   
5. When it syncs, you have it.
   

Obviously, fewer steps. The Instapaper interface is not as “pretty,” but it does format the web page for easier readability. You can chose to download images, or not, in the Instapaper “Settings.” (I am using the free—so, with advertisements—version.)