Thursday, June 21, 2012

CS Odessa Announces Update to ConceptDraw MindWave for SAP® StreamWork™




CS Odessa MindWave v4, a free web-based mind mapping tool that works in the SAP StreamWork collaboration environment.
CS Odessa has released an updated version of its popular mind mapping tool, ConceptDraw MindWave for SAP® StreamWork™. The dynamic combination of SAP StreamWork and ConceptDraw MindWave make a robust, secure and economical collaboration solution.


ConceptDraw MindWave is a cost-effective solution to assist in the decision making, planning, collaborating inside your organization. Teamwork is a critical factor for organizations of any size. ConceptDraw MindWave provides teams the opportunity to present agendas, brainstorm, take notes and sort through ideas. It doesn’t matter where your team members are based. Your entire team will benefit from the professional and highly reliable collaboration environment provided by SAP StreamWork and the collaborative mind mapping tool, ConceptDraw MindWave v4.




New functionality added to ConceptDraw MindWave:

  • User-friendly menu, that simplify gadget using both new and regular users,
  • Intuitive discovery of shortcuts,
  • Topic hyperlink capability, which links materials to mind map.

Source: PR.com

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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

People who struggle to manage their time efficiently are told to ‘take a break’




Bestselling author and inventor of Mind Mapping, Tony Buzan, launches new book 'The Most Important Graph in the World', promising to reveal the memory secrets that will transform your productivity.


It’s a sign of the times. Today we are bombarded with information and extra demands as a result of huge advances in technology and communication. People can be left feeling overwhelmed by this rapid tsunami of data and tasks, and very often struggle to get a handle on their time. Instead of turning to the latest ‘time management’ fads and systems (which can be time consuming in themselves), there is a much simpler way to cope says Tony Buzan, thinking expert, bestselling author and inventor of Mind Mapping.


In his latest book, ‘The Most Important Graph in the World’, co-written with Jennifer Goddard and Jorge Castaneda, Tony reveals ways to improve productivity through a series of revolutionary memory techniques. His ‘Most Important Graph’ provides a formula for people to improve their cognitive, behavioural and learning powers. It unleashes truths about our memories and encourages people to think intelligently about their intelligences, opening up new ways for them to manage themselves, their lives and their self-development.


One of the central points in the book is the need for people to take breaks to allow the brain to absorb information and give it time to recuperate. It is common in today’s fast-paced culture for breaks to be frowned upon, but according to the ‘Most Important Graph’ they are a vital part of learning and productivity.


This is because the brain is better at remembering things at the beginning and the end of an experience or learning period, known as the ‘primacy effect’ and the ‘recency effect’. By taking regular breaks, we allow new primacy and recency effects to form, thus raising overall performance. We also let our systems integrate the information we have acquired, while regenerating and gathering power for the next work or study session. The mind, Tony explains, needs time to recover just as the body’s digestive system needs time to recover from an eating or drinking session.


Working without breaks means most of the information in the middle of the learning or work period is lost. It can leave the worker not only exhausted, but demotivated and even depressed.


"24/7 thinking is dangerous to the individual and dangerous to society" says Tony. "The big gear thinking occurs when you are relaxed and conceptually or actually physically alone."


Tony suggests taking breaks for five to 10 minutes, including listening to music, lying down, doing exercises or even going for a short walk. People are also advised to plan their breaks intelligently so they get the most out of their working day.


On the subject of time management itself, Tony adds a significant point. He believes that time itself cannot be managed, as it has been managing itself for 15 billion years without people. He says: “We all get the same 24 hours in the day, no more, no less. Forget the idea that time management is about managing time. It’s not. It’s about managing yourself first and foremost, and how you go about doing things within the framework of time.”


An understanding of memory can dramatically change our lives and the lives of those around us. Through the ‘Most Important Graph’ people can learn to make better use of their own time and performance, and employ key principles to help them on their path to success.


Tony Buzan is a prolific author and has written over 100 books on the brain and thinking, translated into 33 languages in over 150 countries.


Check this book at Amazon



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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Boost Your Productivity with Mindmapping Tool from Mindmeister


Just about everyone wants to boost their productivity. There is no shortage of tools that promise to help you do it, too. Many business owners are visual thinkers and mind mapping is one of the methods that can help you get more done. This review of Mindmeister is for you if you like whiteboards or always have to draw things out on a piece of paper.


I’ve been an account holder at Mindmeister since 2010 and watched it evolve and improve.  You wouldn’t think that mindmapping, conceptually, would need a web-based app, but it is really, really useful. I like to draw my ideas with little circles or rectangles and organize them on a large piece of paper, but when I make a mistake (frequent) or change my mind (more frequent) I have to start all over on a clean sheet. They have won awards for their user interface and ease of use.


What I really like:

  • The have a public mindmap library that lets you get ideas from other visual thinkers. You can see in the sample below that there are + and – marks (at the intersections of major sections) that allow you to expand or contract if your ideas start to grow into Mind Trees. Build a hierarchical flow of ideas, but condense them under one heading.
  • They have mobile apps for iOS (iPad and iPhone) as well as Android. The mobile apps allow you to export/share your files as PDF, RTF, PNG or other formats.
  • You can collaborate with others and see their suggestions and changes in real time, color coded even. Plus, there is an instant messaging chat function if you want to interact beyond the document itself.
  • A strong history or track changes type function so you can go back to earlier versions.

What I’d like to see:


Offline access is available on a paid plan only. Of course, everyone wants to get more for free, but it would be nice to have some access when I’m not connected. However, to be fair, they offer a lot of features on the free plan. But, the iPad and Android apps (currently free on both platforms, but shows a price point of $7.95 for the iPad in iTunes store) allows offline access and syncs automatically once you reconnect.


There’s a simple free plan that includes up to three mindmaps. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month and include more storage, more file export options, and offline access. 30-day free trial on all accounts.


If you like to draw out your ideas for your own use or to collaborate with employees and colleagues, Mindmeister is worth a look and test drive. It is a powerful web-based app that lets you create terrific looking documents instead of using a whiteboard.


Read more: businessinsider.com
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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Mindomo Goes Mobile - Launching iPad and Android Apps




Mindomo has just announced the release of its new application for iPad and Android tablets. Keeping the same functionality, the app goes mobile on tablet, phone and PC, ensuring client satisfaction both online and offline. Zoltan Lorincz, Mindomo CEO says "It's about time we took Mindomo to the next level creating an innovative and easy to use mind mapping app for tablets"


The new app is very similar to the existing online version, therefore, Mindomo users should have no unpleasant surprises. Using the screen space efficiently, Mindomo will surely make your mobile mind mapping experience easier.


Features list:

  • Seamless synchronization - Ensures a safe and backed-up environment for your information.
  • Real time collaboration - Allows you to brainstorm with your team anytime, anywhere.
  • Similar functionality - Provides the same look and feel of Mindomo on any tablet, phone or PC.
  • Online syncing of maps - Offers you the flexibility of working on your mind maps from different locations and various devices.
  • Offline access to mind maps - Meets your need to create, edit and save your ideas on mind maps offline

The new Mindomo app is available for free on both Play Store and iTunes. You may access it directly at the following links:

  1. iTunes http://goo.gl/Zzfq4
  2. Play Store http://goo.gl/5sxkT

Pricing
Mindomo for iPad and Android tablets is free for a limited period of time. Premium subscription with only $ 6 per month, allows you to save more than 3 maps to your online account.


Source: technology-digital.com