The Note+ app, which we previsouly described as "ideal for those looking for an ultra-simple note take experience", has been updated with a number of Windows Phone 8 optimisations. The simple note taking ethos remains, but there's now excellent support for a variety of platform specific features, all of which aim to make it as easy as possible to create and retrieve notes.

The updated version, which is for Windows Phone 8 devices only, adds support for the full range of Live Tiles size; speech recognition allows you to compose notes by voice dictations; voice commands let you open, delete, share, read, and copy notes; lock screen integration puts the last edited note on to your lock screen; and a security PIN feature gives an added level of privacy.

Note+ can be seen as an alternative to Windows Phone built in OneNote app, but while it is in the same broad app category, it's really serving a different audience. If you're the sort of person who keep numerous small text notes scattered around the place, then Note+ maybe the ideal app for you. It may not have the complexity of other note taking apps, but it does have a gentle learning curve, and is a very close digital analog to the post-it-note approach to keeping track of things.

The key benefit of the version 2.1 update is that it more deeply integrates with Windows Phone 8's platform features, making notes more accessible and "glanceable" (e.g. lockscreen and better start screen integration). The voice commands and voice dictation wont appeal to everyone, but they do make it possible to operate the app almost entirely hands free. 

Windows Phone Store description:

Note+ is a simple yet delightful note-taking companion. Fast and fluid, it allows you to efficiently take quick notes and keep them organized, share them and pin them to the Start screen without any effort. 

Beautifully Modern, from app icon to page transitions, it’s as intuitive as a native application. Optimized for Windows Phone 8, it supports Live Tiles, Speech Recognition, Voice Commands, Lock Screen Notifications and Security PIN, as well as instant launch, instant resume and fast app switching.

Note+ can be downloaded from the Windows Phone Store. A featured limited trial is available (creation of up to three notes), with the full app costing £0.79 / $0.99 / €0.99.