I, like many, have spent several years trying to find a good way to create and access notes no matter where I am. In fact having notes and my calendar on my at all times is a driving factor in getting an iPhone. A couple of years ago Thrillist did a piece on an application called Evernote which I’ve been using ever since. It’s available on Mac, PC, iPhone, and now Blackberry.
It auto-magically sync’s your notes through a free account you can setup through their website. The free account allows you to store several image formats and files in your notes (including JPG, GIF, and PDF’s). They also have premium paid account that allows you sync anything and any format, large data storage cap, as well as SSL encryption, no ads in the desktop client, and more.
I’ve never needed to upgrade from the free account and I use it quite a bit. I find it extremely useful for packing lists, home improvement project diagrams, cellphone pics of something to match at the hardware store with notes, etc.
While so many are complaining about the lack of notes sync on the iPhone, I find it a moot point, since I’ve been using Evernote to do that since they released the iPhone App.