While Evernote offers a one-interface-fits-all user interface, Springpad's is more specialized, especially when it comes to data about movies, products and other consumer interests.

Evernote's desktop client has gone through some fairly radical makeovers since its beginning in June, 2008. The current version offers an interface divided into three parts: a left-hand column that lists your notebooks (the main way to organize your entries) and tags, a center column that lists the entries within the selected notebook, and a right-hand column that shows the contents of the highlighted entry.

You can, if you wish, tweak the interface somewhat. For example, you can choose to hide any of the three columns, you can view your entries either as a list or as a set of thumbnails, and so on. Double-click an entry, and it will break out into a separate window (handy if you want to type a longer note).

If you're using a device that doesn't have the Evernote client installed (say, a netbook), you can use the Web version instead. It looks very much like the computer client: lists of notebooks and tags on the left, your list of notes in the middle, and the content of the currently highlighted note on the right. It works like the client as well; for example, you can break out a note in its own window. However, you don't have as many options for tweaking the interface.