Knovel ToGo

For years I’ve used Knovel for access to engineering knowledge that would otherwise have been difficult or very time-consuming to find. Knovel has truly been of tremendous value to me.

It is great to have access to books on mobile device, but without adding notes capability it is very challenging if not impossible to read technical material.

The syncing between web browser and app is poor. Yes, I can see the same books, but the app and browser don’t save the page I’m currently on. The chapter does show a bookmark icon, but I can’t seem to find how to return to the last page read. Also, have to manually return to my place every time I reopen the app. There doesn’t seem to be a way to lookup word definitions either. Would also be nice to be able to see that a section is highlighted without the notes tabs open. I agree with the other commenter that claims the app adds little value over reading the hard copy or the .pdf download of the chapter.

I appreciate the ability to access my materials on the go. App lacks the ability to highlight, bookmark, or write comments. Makes it hard to go back to relevant information later. For an app aimed at the education and research market this is a serious flaw.

This App doesn’t give users any more functionality than a printed text book. Besides residing on a mobile electronic device, it’s as functional as leafing back and forth through a printed book. I’m not even factoring in the constant graying out of saved document links necessitating non-stop re-downloading. Fail fail fail.

I use this app occasionally at work (I’m an engineer). It offers great content, and the app used to be at least usable. Apparently they’ve updated the app and now it won’t even load past the login screen. I’ve tried my username/password, and I’ve also tried using a mobile authentication code. What was supposed to be a 5 minute task to look up a reference has now resulted in 30 minutes of troubleshooting without a solution. Frustrating user experience to say the least.

The Knovel service is amazing. It's great with the subscription my institution has, I can find books in almost any topic I need to learn. However, the app is less than usable. I don't know how a reputable publisher like Elsevier would accept to publish it! I save titles form the website but nothing shows up here -yes i am logged in. Every time I go to another page from the left pane, all my titles disappear and I have to relaunch the app.... Just a horrible experience! For the amount of money my institution pays, you guys should be ashamed!