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With Springpad 3.0, My Notebook is Smarter Than I Am. And Prettier Too.

My first reaction to Pinterest was that it felt like the internet with all the words sucked out of it, and that’s basically how I still feel. But you can’t deny that the visual organization has some real appeal, and that’s part of why I’m excited about the latest from Charlestown-based Springpad, which launched its updated cloud-based smart note product, Springpad 3.0, complete with Android and iPhone apps today.

While the defining metaphor for Pinterest is the pinboard — visual, eye-catching, but cluttered — for Springpad, it’s the notebook. But Springpad 3.0 marries the intelligence of its smart note product with an eye-catching layout. “Pinterest meets Evernote,” if that helps you.

But it’s the “smart” part of the equation that really adds the value both for the user and for Springpad as a business. Say you have a notebook on movies you’d like to see and type in “Hunger Games.” Springpad doesn’t just capture that little note of text; it knows what you’re talking about so what goes into the notebook isn’t just the name, but all the information about the movie.

That’s also where Springpad hopes it can eventually generate revenue. If you’ve expressed an interest in watching The Hunger Games, that’s valuable information to Moviefone or Fandango, and therefore a potential revenue model for the company. But for now, Springpad is solely focused on perfecting the product and attracting users.

“As the world of infinite options creates more clutter and noise on the web, people are looking for new options to organize the stuff they care about,” said Jeff Chow, Springpad co-founder and CEO in a release. “The new Springpad takes valued information to a new level by offering a completely re-designed experience that couples the intuitive intelligence of our platform with the knowledge of our community.”

I was lucky enough to spend some time with the beta product, and created a mix of public and private boards. I put some work tasks in a private one, and in a public one I shared the next few books on my reading list. Sure enough, Springpad was smart enough to match them to Amazon data, even for some relatively obscure titles. I also created a notebook with some Boston companies I’ve written about. Many of them weren’t already in any of the databases that Springpad accesses, but you can search the web and then pull in relevant information, like location or an image from a website and then add tags.

I haven’t yet downloaded the mobile app, which will be a big determining factor for whether I make Springpad a part of my daily routine. But I’m encouraged that I can import my Delicious bookmarks, as I’m a social bookmarking addict who’d happily move to another platform. And I should mention that Springpad also lets you invite users to edit your notebooks, so groups can edit lists, curate content or even manage projects?

Springpad has over three million users, the company says, and has raised $7 million from Fairhaven Capital. It plans to raise a B round later this year. There’s a whole other article to be written about how Springpad allows you to curate memory, but for now I’ll just point to a previous post on that subject.

Depending on how users respond to the release of 3.0, Springpad could have the potential to be that consumer web company that Boston claims it desperately needs. So go give it a try, and if you do you’ll see I (wfrick) added a notebook on Boston startups, so if you know of any you think I should be writing about, or if you just want to contribute, go add them there!

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2012/04/11/with-springpad-3-0-my-notebook-is-smarter-than...