After watching this GeekBeat.TV episode, it occurs to me that the best way to take “notes” on my gen2 iPod touch is to just snap a screen shot. Which, if you watch the video, or just google around, you will find that this function is natively supported and activated by pressing the power and home button at the same time.
The iPod touch then makes a shutter sound, and it saves to a folder in your Photo app. I believe this works in all iOS devices – though I can only say for certain that it works on a gen2 iPod touch.
I have been copying and pasting notes into Simplenote app, but it is a slow process given how under power the processor is in those gen2 devices and I would need to switch between the apps. The way I need to select text – say from a webpage in Mobile Safari – is also very cumbersome in iOS. The benefit of using Simplenote is that it can sync to your other devices, and access your notes in any browser. I.e., I often copy and paste information back and forth between my laptop and the iPod touch.
Reference: How to Capture Any Screen [GeekBeat.TV]