DEVON-Technologies has recently released the 2nd public beta of DEVONthink 2.0, and I’ve taken it around the block a few times and gotten a pretty good sense of what’s new in this long-awaited update.

DEVONthink is the granddaddy of all the notebook/information manager applications that have been cropping up over the last few years. It’s a big, Swiss army knife of an application, serving a number of roles, including:

1.) a very searchable storage unit for nearly every kind of file 2.) a quick capture tool for webpages, web archives, text and images 3.) a wiki 4.) a text editor / word processor 5.) an outliner 6.) media player / PDF viewer 7.) web browser

I’ve had a DEVONthink license for going on 5 years now, and I’ve used it in quite a few different ways. In the heyday of my use of DT, I mainly used it to capture webpages as archives for reference and as a bookshelf for my giant collection of PDFs. It was a great for a knee-jerk information packrat like myself. Quick capture, easy sorting, and efficient retrieval of data. Loved it. But…

It suffered from a few major drawbacks that prevented me from using it more, the most debilitating of which was the fact that you couldn’t have more than one database open at a time (and if you only had the Personal edition, you couldn’t have more than one database PERIOD).

2.0: a long time coming

while the developers were responsive and helpful in the rare instance where I ran into trouble, they were incredibly slow to update the application to 2.0. I’m a believer in the “it’ll be done when it’s done” philosophy of making things right the first time, but I bought the application in 2004 (after a year or two of on-and-off illicit relationships) and it was at version 1.8 then. It’s February of 2009, and they’ve just released a beta version of 2.0 in the last few weeks. Resource shortage or no, that’s just a bit too long to coast in the face of rabid competition from the likes of Mori, Circus Ponies Notebook, and the biggest stealer of DT’s marketshare, EverNote.

But now that 2.0 is here, I’m seriously considering shelling out for my license upgrade and rejoining the DT camp. And I’m doing it for 4 reasons:

Reason 1: Hummingbird writer

I have been using Scrivener for my primary writing tool for a few years now. Scrivener has many of the free-form organizational features of DT and is the best app I’ve ever used for content composition. It’s got great outlining and notecard features, and it’s got a terrific fullscreen editing mode (much better than WriteRoom). But I’ve been uncomfortable with it on some level since the beginning. I actually feel anxious when working on a project that has many different text files in it. And shockingly, I’ve only recently figured out where that’s coming from:

I write like a hummingbird.

Scrivener is limited to a single window. Now, it’s true, that window is subdivided into many different panes, several with text editing capabilities. But it’s all within the same window. This matters because I’ve determined that I don’t write best in a single window, and I never use a fullscreen mode.

I write all 4 of my weekly posts at the same time, cartwheeling from mindmap to mindmap, outline to outline, and draft to draft. I write until I hit a point of friction, and then I move to the next one until I get hung up, move on, etc., etc.

MindNode allows me to have multiple maps going at the same time. OmniOutliner allows me to see all my outlines at the same time. But Scrivener only allows me to have one document visible at a time.

DT, on the other hand, allows me to have as many files open as I want. It even lets me have several instances of the same file open at once. I’m able to flit from document to document, nibbling here and there. The only headache is window management, and, admittedly, that’s a very real problem. But at least, I’m not writing anxious. That’s not fun.

It’s not going to replace Scrivener for full-on writing, but much of my planning and plotting (and blog writing) is done in multiple windows simultaneously, and thusly, DT is perfect for these tasks.

Reason 2: Multiple, simultaneously open databases! (HUGE, despite short section)

As stated previously, DT 1.x only allowed 1 database to be open at a time. This huge shortcoming has been dispelled with the addition of multiple, simultaneously open databases.

Now I can flit between projects as easily as between documents.

Reason 3: The new (Global) Inbox-centered approach

Since I collect information from the web constantly, I need a logical place for a new clip to be dropped. I added this functionality to previous versions of DT, but I’m happy to see this metaphor be officially adopted.

Additionally, they’ve introduced the global database, an always-accessible holding place for newly collected items awaiting processing and sorting. This is big, too. I don’t want to always have to verify that I have the appropriate database forward when I clip something from the web.

This hasn’t actually been activated, as of beta 2, so I haven’t been able to test it. But I do hope that I can choose where this global database is kept, for ease of syncing between my notebook and desktop Macs.

Reason 4: Dropbox can pierce the monolithic database files

I’ve already touted the glories of using Dropbox for syncing between my machines, and after a quick test, I was able to check a huge dealbreaker off of my list of non-negotiable must-haves.

Dropbox is able to read the hidden contents of a DT database file and back up just the parts that change instead of the entire package.

On the flipside, Dropbox sees the package wrapper simply as a folder. So that if you needed to restore your database due to data loss, you can just download the folder to your Mac, and it magically appears as a DT file. Handy.

Links

Faceoff: DEVONthink Pro Office vs. Evernote Premium – The Apple Blog

DEVONthink 2.0 and DEVONnote Updated

Other information managers

EverNote – free Circus Ponies – Notebook 3.0 ($49.95) Reinvented Software – Together 2.2 ($39) Bare Bones Software Yojimbo 1.5 ($39)

Last week, after seeming to see mentions of Dropbox everywhere I went on the Internet, I finally gave in and signed up for the service. I downloaded and installed the client and was ready to go. It creates a folder on your computer called “Dropbox” and anything you stick in there will be synced to the Dropbox servers. In order to sync these files to another computer, you just point Dropbox to your account, and it pulls down everything in the Dropbox folder. Setup is very simple.

And the actual syncing is done automatically as you make changes:

Dropbox keeps track of every change made to any of its contents. Any changes are instantly and automatically sent to any other computer linked to your Dropbox.

Dropbox is also smart with how it tracks changes to files. Every time you make a change, Dropbox only transfers the piece of the file that changed (also known as block-level or delta sync), making it easy to work with big files like Photoshop or Powerpoint documents.

Dropbox is also cross-platform, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, and you can get to and share files via a web interface, so you can get to your stuff whenever and wherever you have a connection.

The “I need…” section

Fiddling with my file synchronization applications has become one of the biggest wastes of my time in the last few months. I’ve tried many options for syncing files across a network over the years (Synchronize! Pro, Chronosync, rsync, File Synchronizer, and on and on). Here’s a list of what I need in a file synchronization solution:

I need the solution to be cheap. Cheap-ass cheap. My new software budget has nearly disappeared, so $20 or less is the cap. The problem is that syncing is hard. Software that solves hard problems AND is easy to use tends to be very expensive. Like a hundred dollars expensive.

I need the tool to be fast and easy to use. Since I’m most often heading out of the house at 6:30 in the morning after a night of less than the optimal amount of sleep, I need a syncing tool that is as simple as possible. This means a tool with just one button to click, and that requires little to no attention to fine details like created on and modified on dates. As bleary-eyed and stumbly as I am in this state, I can’t do detail work like that.

I need foolproof syncing. I do most of my work using applications (Scrivener, MindNode, OmniOutliner) that save files as packages, a bundles of files that look and act like a single file in most ways. In many ways, this is great. It simplifies things for the user…except where file syncing is concerned. Too many times have I arrived at the coffee shop only to discover that I don’t have the most current version of the file with me.

I need true synchronization. I don’t want to have to set one machine as the “master” and have all others sync against it. Too often this results in new files being deleted from the other machine because they don’t exist on the master, or deleted files being restored against my will.

I’ve spend too much time trying to find a new solution and fixing the messes that the old ones leave behind. I need help. Let’s see how Dropbox stacks up to my needs:

The “I get…” section

I get a solution on the cheap. Dropbox is free for 2GB of storage. Free…that’s less than $20, right? Luckily, my synced data is a paltry 600MB, so I’m good for awhile.

I get a tool that’s fast and easy to use. After I put my files in the Dropbox folder, it took about 30 minutes to upload everything to their servers. Then I pointed my laptop to my account, and in just a few minutes, I had two perfectly syncronized folders. I opened a Scrivener file on my desktop, typed a bit and saved. Immediately, the changes were uploaded to the servers. I quickly opened the file on my laptop, and the changes were already there! Fast! Easy! Awesome!

I almost get foolproof syncing. This is where the system fell down a bit. While my Scrivener file synced perfectly, I had trouble with my MindNode file. I’m not sure where the problem lies. There are some troubles with packages mentioned in the Dropbox forums, so it seems to be a common problem, but I’ve got an email in to Markus, the developer of MindNode to see if he can tell what the problem is and if it’s possible to fix it. So, I guess I’ll be using an alternative brainstorming tool in the interim, but that’s a small price to pay for the effortless syncing that Dropbox brings to the table. Also, the feature of multiple versions of files, like your own mini-Subversion, is a nice safety net, too.

I get true synchronization. Because all changes made are uploaded to the server and then pushed out to all linked computers, there’s no “master” to worry about. The server is now the master.

The biggest drawback

Aside from dealing with Mac OS X packages, a problem that they seem to be working on, the biggest problem that Dropbox has is its reliance on access to the web. You simply must be connected in order to benefit from it. It is what it is, and if you don’t have frequent access to a fast connection, then Dropbox isn’t the answer for you.

The Verdict: Dropbox is a great option for file synchronization

Dropbox meets nearly all of my file syncing needs. It has quickly become a crucial part of my workflow. While not perfect, it’s still better than any of the software that I’ve used up to this point, cheaper, easier, faster, more reliable. Dropbox is my favorite solution to file synchronization and my new best friend.

Links

Dropbox

I’m a productivity enthusiast, and I’m a practitioner (and evangelist) of the Getting Things Done method of getting things done. This way of living has made it possible for me to do more every day and with less stress. It’s changed my life for the better. And now, with the recent purchase of OmniFocus for the iPhone/iPod Touch, my life has changed again.

First, some backstory

One of the most important aspects of the GTD methodology is the set of tools you use. The inbox, the labeling and filing system, the task list, the idea capture device. I currently use a simple wire desk paper tray for an inbox, a big ol’, heavy ol’, circa 1970’s filing cabinet to hold my manilla folders, and I use OmniFocus for my task list manager.

You can accomplish a lot with a little using these tools. But you need to use them. This is where I have been running into trouble as of late. My inbox, filing cabinet, and most importantly, my Mac Pro have all resided in my office. And for the last few months here at the Q-Burger, I’ve been sharing office space with the current VP of Frequent Naps and Early Bedtimes. Which has meant that I don’t have the freedom to access my tools as frequently as I’ve needed to in order to continue to be as productive as I’d like. And as a result, there’ve been more dropped balls, forgotten stuff, and missed dates than in the past. Sucks, but, I rationalized, that’s part of parenthood.

Couple things have recently changed. One is the recent move to the basement, which should be finalized by the time you read this. The other is the acquisition of OmniFocus for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

A heavy-duty “lite” version of OmniFocus

You could call OmniFocus for the iPhone and iPod Touch a “lite” version of the desktop application, but you’d be mostly wrong. The iPhone version has nearly all the common features that one uses when at the helm of the desktop version.

The creation of new projects, project folders, contexts and actions is fast and easy. You can view your actions by project or context. Setting start and due dates is easy. You can check off completed items and projects. All the most common ways you expect to use a top-shelf task manager app are there.

But there are a few limitations that you’ll run into. Perspectives (OF’s name for custom views of your data) aren’t available. And some of the finer points of project and action set-up aren’t there, e.g., making a recurring action. So if you rely heavily on these bells and whistles, you might miss them while on the go.

Omni has successfully ported their fairly complex user-interface to the iPhone. Using this app is a natural feeling act, although navigating in and out of a series of nested projects or contexts can get a little tedious with all the tapping, but the app is responsive and quick. Viewing and reviewing your data is nearly painless.

Desktop syncing

One of the basic tenets of GTD is to have just one list that contains all of your projects and tasks. So, arguably, the most important feature of OF for iPhone is the ability to quickly and reliably sync the device with the database used by the desktop app, thereby eliminating the confusion of having 2 lists going in 2 different places.

OF offers several options for syncing iPhone/iPod Touch: Wi-fi, iDisk, or a webDAV server. Syncing is really really hard to do (it’s apparently very easy to do…poorly, if the scores of file synchro apps I’ve been burned by is any indication). And so I was ready for a bumpy experience when I first configured my Touch to pull the OF database from my Mac Pro. And there was a slight bump in the beginning.

When performing the first sync, a relatively large amount of data is being transferred, and there’s not really an indication that anything is happening during this first transfer. And this confused me a little. So I started and restarted the sync a couple of times before I just decided to let it go and see what happened. Once I did that, it took but a minute or 2 before I was up and running with a mobile, synchronized version of my task list. And I’ve synced dozens of times since then and had no problems at all.

It all happens at the touch of one button, and (over wi-fi, at least) it’s really, really fast.

Makes iPhone/iPod Touch the one true ubiquitous capture device

Another fundamental requirement of any well-implemented GTD methodology is the ability to capture ideas as they occur to you, wherever you are. This is easy to do when at a computer, thanks to OF’s Quick Entry feature. Tap a hotkey, the Quick Entry window pops up, you enter the new action, and the window goes away. But this convenience is harder to come by when you’re in the real world.

The best option, in my mind, had been to always carry a cheap little notepad and a small, but durable, pen. And for awhile, I did this. But I already had chronically overfilled pockets, what with keys, cell phone, hand-sanitizer, iPod, coughdrops, etc., etc. Adding a crumple-able notepad and a potentially leaky pen (or breakable pencil) was just too much. Plus, there was the added work of processing the ideas in the notepad and entering them manually into OF on the desktop.

Now, with the addition of OF to my iPod Touch, I no longer need that pen and paper, and I no longer have to transcribe from notepad to computer. This time-saving, super-convenient combination of iPod and OF has had a huge impact on my day-to-day life. Here’s how:

Part of my bedtime ritual is to listen to an audiobook before going to sleep, and then tuck the iPod into my pillowcase. One night, having just settled in and shutting off the light, I remembered that I needed to call and update Pearle Vision with my cell phone number. Instead of either getting up and running to get my notepad, or worse, trusting myself to remember this later, I was able to pull up OF, tap in the action, sync it to my desktop, and resume listening to “The Black Cauldron” without having to get out of my cozy, cozy bed. Awesome.

It is aware

The biggest “cool” feature is the location-aware contexts. Geared primarily toward the GPS-toting iPhone, but also useable with wi-fi triangulation with the iPod Touch, this feature allows you to link a context with a physical location.

Here’s a quick rundown of how it works:

I just set up an Errands: Target context. In the options, you can associate the context with a location. The location is found via a Google Maps search (Google Maps is tightly integrated with the iPhone OS). In this case, I connected it with a Google Maps “Business Search” for “Target”. Then, when I tap the Nearby button, it opens a page that displays all available actions, the distance to the place where you need to do them, and a button that when tapped will show you a Google map with directions from here to there. In this case, I see “Errands: Target: Go grocery shopping. 2 Miles.”

Since I’m tethered to a wi-fi spot, I don’t really feel the true power that an iPhone user might, when I’m out in the wild and looking for an increasingly rare Starbucks or something.

There are drawbacks

The application isn’t without its flaws. The lack of the finer grained settings for projects and actions is a little disappointing, but tolerable. And the lack of user feedback during the first sync up was annoying, but ultimately worked out fine. But as far as functionality and use of the app goes

I’m a mindmapper. It’s my preferred method for brainstorming and idea generation. My natural tendency is to grab a sheet of paper and a pen, lay down the main topic and start ringing that central idea with other ideas until the page is full. It’s fast, fun, and free from the constraints of a more linear method of listing things. The problem I most often encounter comes when trying to capture these brainstorming sessions and quickly reference the ideas contained therein.

I turned to a software solution to this problem. There are several options out there. I tried a few of them, and settled for NovaMind because it felt the most intuitive at the time. And I continued to use NovaMind for several years. I don’t anymore. The developers decided that they wanted to tap into the Windows market and after they made that decision, the interface changed significantly. And I didn’t like it. So I stopped using it, and went back to paper and pen.

And while there are many advantages to being able to create, save and search mindmaps using a keyboard and mouse, there’s something intangible lost when working electronically. The flow of ideas is slowed and feels less natural when compared to using a pen and paper. It’s more obvious and even painful when the interface sucks.

Out of my way

It had been over a year since I used mindmapping software when I stumbled upon MindNode. The developer of MindNode has made simplicity the name of the game when designing the interface. Everything is controllable from the keyboard which goes a long way toward removing the barrier between mind and mindmap when using a computer to brainstorm. And while this simplicity comes at the cost of some of the more esoteric features of heftier mindmapping apps out there, like NovaMind, it more than makes up for the shortcoming by getting out of the way.

Highly responsive

Not being one who’s ever completely satisfied with even great tools, I had a nitpick about MindNode that kept me from purchasing it out right. One of the features that I really liked about NovaMind was the ability to tack a text note to a node. NovaMind even went a step further and offered a screenwriting add-on that allowed you to create formatted script snippets right in the mindmap. Very handy. But I’d be happy with just text notes.

So that morning, which was a Saturday, I emailed the developer, Markus Muller, and asked him if he was planning to add this feature. Later that afternoon, I received a response letting me know that this was a planned feature, and he even offered to email me personally when it had been included.

Was this a big deal? A quick 2 minute response dashed off on a Saturday afternoon? Hell, yes. Even if I don’t end up buying this software, and I will as soon as this feature is added, I’ll recommend (am recommending) MindNode based firstly on the quality of the software, but I’ll immediately follow it by saying “and the developer is quick to respond to the user community and their needs.” After my adventures with piss-poor customer service, it’s always refreshing to give my money to someone who actually gives a crap about the people who are paying their bills.

Incredibly affordable

When the competition’s offerings are priced at well over $100 or even $250, MindNode Pro’s $15 license seems too good to be true. And if you’re not happy with paying that much, but satisfied with fewer features, you can use the freeware version and still experience the ease of use.

Final verdict: Get it. Now.

The superior interface design with its ease of use and complete keyboard control, the very responsive developer, and the terrific price, MindNode is the best mindmapping software on the market. If you mindmap, you should use MindNode.

Links

MindNode

Macworld’s MindNode review

NovaMind