We have dozens of ways to take notes on our iPhones, and while some have exquisite, minimal interfaces, others are feature-rich powerhouses that try to mimic desktop functionality on a mobile device. Write for Dropbox wants to be everything at once, and it comes as close to succeeding as any app we've ever used. By utilizing a nifty three-panel interface – with a tool bar, document list, and main writing window – Write deftly uses every inch of real estate at its disposal, with oodles of sharing options and one of the most powerful virtual keyboards we've ever used.

After linking your Dropbox account, Write instantly opens to a clean, time-stamped note, and only starts to sync once when something is jotted down. Saved notes initially open in a read-only landing screen with its own search field and word count; you need to tap the "Edit" button to bring up the keyboard, which adds a slew of extra functionality, including a well-placed row of punctuation, markdown tools, and a cursor for quickly selecting text. When in full-screen mode, the clean interface melts away completely, freeing up precious pixels for your words. Everything is customizable, even its lengthy list of sharing options, and it all feels like a tiny desktop text editor, right down to the brilliant pull-to-save/delete gestures, Quick Look-style previews, and companion OS X applet.

While everything about Write is impeccably designed – from the foldout sharing pane to the subtle animations – the sliding panels and larger keyboard (which can be turned off) feel cramped at times. We also had a bit of trouble figuring out the cursor, and we forgot to hit the editing button more times than we care to remember.

The bottom line. Write sets a new standard for iPhone text editors, and blurs the line between Mac OS X and iOS.