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Simplenote Updated For The iPad - Still The Best Notes App?

Like I wrote in my Evernote for iPad review some weeks ago, there aren’t good iPad apps for bloggers yet. The WordPress official client- put simply - sucks, and there are some other crappy apps that I can’t really see used in a professional context. So, I decided to stick with Evernote, and I’m still using it. This post is being written on it. I use Evernote because, together with text, I have to sync screenshots over the cloud, and many other note taking applications don’t let you attach any other kind of media to their library.

Simplenote is not any other note taking application though. Simplenote is the note taking application, the one you should use if you want something simple, reliable and fast enough to let you jot down everything and anything you want and have it backed up over the air. An iPad compatible version of Simplenote came out last night: is it still worth your attention?

If you want an answer now, yes - Simplenote is still the best note taking application out there. If you’re looking for a streamlined solution to enter text and access it no matter the device you’re using, you should look no further than Simplenote. You just have to tap a + button, enter a title and some text: done. You don’t have to focus on anything else but typing, because once you’ve signed in with the service will automatically handle the sync process in the background. Hey, it’s also free.

If you really want to enjoy the full Simplenote experience you can also buy a Premium account as in app purchase at $8.99/ year which allows you to disable ads, create notes by email and have premium support. It also unlocks unlimited API usage and automatic backup.

My main concern though is that I can’t use a simple application like this anymore. I need to import screenshots and, sometimes, voice memos and Simplenote doesn’t let me do that. I understand that its main purpose is to stay simple and focused on text, but I can’t recommend this to people who need to blog everyday and need to write posts that include images and other media. Just so you know, I would pay any kind of subscription to have even 20MB of disk space. Sadly, I can’t use Simplenote in my working environment.

So, if you’re looking for an app that lets you write down notes on your iPad and edit them later on your Mac, this is the app for you. But if you need a richer experience, you might want to stick with Evernote by now.

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