MindMapper Collaboration Released

I have worked with MindMapper 2009 for some time now and did a review of the product in an earlier post. Today I had a chance to catch up with Patrick Koh from SimTech and had the opportunity to try out their new product called MindMapper Collaboration. With MindMapper Collaboration it is now possible to host a live session over the web and host your mind maps that can be simultaneously worked on during the session.

During this morning's session Patrick hosted the session and sent me an invitation via an email. Once I clicked on the Join Session button, my instance of MindMapper 2009 opened and I was able to work on the mind map with Patrick as if it was on my computer. MindMapper Collaboration was very fast when I was entering information into the map and it was hard for me to believe that I wasn't working on the map from my standalone application. All of the features that I have in the desktop version are there and now when I am collaborating, within MindMapper Collaboration, I have access to a Chat and Polling feature. Unlike some other collaborative tools you can invite MindMapper 2009 users and non-users to your session which is a big plus. There is no need for your client to have access to MindMapper 2009 in order to participate in the session. At this time users will need to use Internet Explorer to access the session. Using MindMapper Collaboration, hosts can schedule and set up meetings ahead of time that are sent to the collaborators via an email. For individuals who participate in the meeting who don't have access to MindMapper 2009 there is a small application that will need to be downloaded in order to participate. Once the application is downloaded, guests will have all of the functionality as that of an individual who has a standalone version of MindMapper 2009. During the next couple of weeks I will have some time to test MindMapper 2009 on my own and will give you my impressions. The trend is clear- more users want to be able to use their mind mapping tools to collaborate and all of the publishers are listening and chart a course to make this happen. For more information about MindMapper Collaboration click here.

SimTech Releases MindMapper Viewer 2009

SimTech recently released MindMapper 2009 Viewer which makes it easier for you to share your MindMapper files with those that don't have a version of the program on their computer. You can download the MindMapper 2009 Viewer by clicking this link. Once you have downloaded the MindMapper 2009 Viewer simply unzip it and double click it to open the application. You will see from the screenshot that you can view your mind maps as well as your Gantt charts with the view. You can also view the Outline and Notes with the MindMapper 2009 Viewer and Print the maps for your use. This is a handy utility for those clients that you may be working with that don't have a full working version of MindMapper 2009. Give it a try a let me know what you think.

MindMapper 2009 USB Edition Shipping

When I went to pick up my mail this week I was surprised and delighted to to see a package from Simtech Systems, Inc. in my mailbox. When I opened the Priority Mailbox, inside was a beautiful purple jewelry box with the word MindMapper emblazoned on it. I opened the box an inside was a shinning gold USB MindMapper 2009 USB Edition of their mind mapping application. The 4GB MindMapper 2009 USB Edition is a portable version of their standalone application MindMapper 2009 Professional that can run on any PC by plugging into the USB Port and requires no activation to run. MindMapper 2009 USB Edition ships on a swivel USB drive which makes it really small and can easily fit on your key ring. Once you plug MindMapper 2009 USB Edition into your USB port MindMapper 2009 Professional automatically brings up a dialog box allowing you to jump right into the program. MindMapper 2009 USB Edition is an ideal tool for those individuals that need another license to run the program for home use or for those business people who travel and may not bring their computer with them but may access to a computer in an internet cafe or at another office location. It is an ideal way to store and save your mind maps that can then be used in a business presentation by simply plugging in MindMapper 2009 USB Edition and opening the map up from the drive. The MindMapper 2009 USB Edition allows the user to store and save your mind maps on the USB drive giving you access to your stored information.

For those of you who have not taken a look at MindMapper 2009 in awhile now is the time to do so. MindMapper 2009 Professional is a significant upgrade from MindMapper 2008 and now includes the familiar Fluid Ribbon Interface along with a number of powerful new features that can easily turn this mind mapping application into a presentation and project management tool. In the project management arena MindMapper 2009 Professional includes: task scheduling, Gantt charts, Resource Allocation, and integration with Microsoft Project. It is easy to assign Resources to tasks as well as dependencies and view them in a Gantt Chart. By default MindMapper 2009 sets up Finish to Start dependencies which can not be changed. You will find it easy to change the percentage of the task completed which can be easily visualized in the Gantt Chart. In the Gantt Chart View you can also have MindMapper 2009 USB Edition to track Actual versus Projected Costs. MindMapper 2009 offers a Scenario Mode which lets you use MindMapper 2009 in a Presentation Mode by isolating each of your branches. Once in the Presentation mode you can view your mind map in a presentation manner, in Full screen mode and moving through the slides by clicking or setting up a time delay before advancing to the next slide.

MindMapper 2009 USB Edition is a powerful mind mapping application with a built in Gantt Chart and Presentation Mode. It is easy to use and having access to MindMapper 2009 USB Edition makes it easy to work with the application- wherever you are as long as you have access to a Windows based computer and a USB port. So give it a try and let me know what you think.

Interview with Patrick Koh of SimTech

Wallace Tait and I had the privilege of being able to interview Patrick Koh, the Managing Director of SimTechUSA Office located just outside of Dallas, Texas. Patrick is involved with developing business with customers and reseller partners worldwide for MindMapper 2009. SimTech recently released MindMapper 2009 with a host of new features which now includes use of the Ribbon Interface as well as built in project management features. MindMapper 2009 is a very formidable visual mapping tool which is both powerful and easy to use. During the interview we were able to ask Patrick to share with us his views on the visual mapping field. We hope you enjoy the interview, and look for Wallace and I to do more thought provoking interviews with thought leaders and developers in the visual mapping field. Enjoy.