Simplenote is a cloud-based application, accessible wherever the Internet is accessible. The same could be said for Google Docs, but Docs tries to be a complete Microsoft Office replacement, ending up with a powerful but complex interface. In contrast, Simplenote stays true to its name and offers a slick, minimalistic interface. It doesn't let you create spreadsheets, presentations, or any other Office-like functionality; just plain-text notes, with lots of ways to add, edit, and share them.

Using the intuitive Markdown format, Simplenote does allow for a modest amount of text formatting. This is the same easy-to-use formatting system used on Stack Overflow programming Q&A site, Tumblr and Posterous blogging platforms, and Reddit forums. You can make your text bold, italic, use headlines, and even create bulleted lists and links, all just by adding simple characters (such as **asterisks** for bold).

When you have just two or three notes to keep track of, there's no need for a filing system. But notes have a way of multiplying, and can quickly grow into a cluttered mess. Rather than use files and folders, Simplenote lets you tag notes. You can attach an unlimited number of tags to every note, but there is no hierarchy of tags--you cannot have "sub-tags" under a tag.

Much like Google Docs, Simplenote lets you collaborate on notes with other people. To share a note with someone, simply tag the note with the person's email address (this is one of the few points where the interface is less than intuitive). Simplenote then emails the person with a link to your note, letting them easily read your text and add their own input, even if they don't have a Simplenote account (unlike Google Docs, which requires all parties to have a Google account).

Collaborative editing is not exactly real-time--it takes a few seconds before you see any modifications the other person has made. Here, Google Docs definitely has the upper hand--Docs has a sophisticated real-time collaboration system which lets you see the other person's input instantly, right down to text selection.