[tweetmeme]I consider myself a power user when it comes to notes, jotting them down on my iPhone and editing on my two desktops without having to copy any ‘files’, but when I got my iPad my entire notes workflow came to a grinding halt. On launch day there was very few notes apps available for the iPad. My favorite notes app Simplenote—brilliantly syncing from the iPhone, Web, and the Mac—was nowhere to be found. The iPhone version doesn’t count. The native notes app is, well, let’s just say lacking. , It doesn’t sync with any web service, no organisational capabilities, so they’re stuck in there until you sync your iPad, and I can’t take anything written in Marker Felt seriously. We all know what that workflow is like.

I decided to try out Synotes Slate by Syncode. Synotes is a simple web syncing notes app, that features an iPhone application, a web backend, and now, an iPad app. As a whole it is a very clean and minimal looking app. It gives the user a very large and uncluttered writing space. The developers did a good job of really making this look just like a piece of paper ready to absorb my thoughts. To the left is a subtle sidebar, which allows you to get into editing mode, as well as perform organisational functions like starring notes. Synotes also has the unique ability to assign icons to notes, denoting categories like todo lists, emails, downloads, songs, or just any generic note. There are about 20 icon categories which you can choose from, after which you can filter and search by these icons. Lastly, the sidebar also integrates Synotes’ versioning capabilities, giving you the option to go back to a previously saved version of the note you are working on.

Synotes does this with the free web service which allow you to store and backup your notes in the “cloud” via a 256 bit SSL encryption. The service integrates the iPhone and iPad, and you can even create notes by sending an email to a special email address.

If you are in need of a good notes app with an online backend right now, this might be worth checking out. At just 2 bucks [App Store], it won’t sting your wallet much either. For me however Synotes lacked a few key elements that I have become accustomed to in my daily life. There is no desktop interfacing app for this so for me to use it on my desktop means logging into a web site. This is not a universal binary app so I would have to buy yet another app for my iPhone (or this in addition to the iPhone app). Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with this and don’t mind if the developer does this (as long as apps are reasonably priced) but when I have another app—Simplenote—that will be coming out for the iPad and is a universal binary, it makes it a little hard to justify. Lastly there is not TextExpander support for the app, which I use very often in my note writing. But that’s just me. I need those things. If you don’t, or are desperately in need of a syncing solution, give Synotes a shot, and you might just end up liking it. Do let me know if you do.