Earlier this week, Buzan Online announced the availability of iMindMap version 3.1, which adds the ability to integrate Microsoft Outlook e-mails into your maps, the creation of child maps, the addition of project progress icons and the ability to create e-learning courses from your mind maps. Read on for all the details.

XMIND Ltd. has announced the launch of a major new release of its mind mapping program, XMIND 3. As part of its goal of making XMIND more accessible to a growing audience of visual mappers, the developer has introduced a royalty-free, open-source edition of XMIND and a subscription-based professional edition, XMIND Pro 3. A new online map sharing and collaboration site, XMIND Share, was also launched this week.

CS Odessa recently announced that they have released an update to ConceptDraw MINDMAP that provides an improved export to PowerPoint function, plus several other enhancements and improvements.

When it comes to brainstorming with mind mapping software, most of us need a catalyst - something to jump-start our thinking in fresh directions. And that’s where a tool like theRealizer, a cool brainstorming add-in for MindManager and Visual Mind, can really help. Realize AB, the developer of theRealizer, recently released version 2 of this tool, which offers the ability to configure it to meet your needs.

MindManager 8, released today, is a giant leap forward for business users of visual mapping. Its well-designed integrated workspace, database connectivity and vastly improved map sharing and collaboration capabilities will save you time and should take your productivity to a whole new level. Read on for a detailed review of MindManager 8’s groundbreaking new features.

What strategies have you used successfully to share your maps with others - especially with linear thinkers? What works? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this blog post.

According to the development team at Buzan Online, version 3.1 of iMindMap will be released this week, which will contain several project management enhancements.

Zengobi Software recently launched version 5 of its Curio visual mapping and information management program for Mac OS X, which contains improvements to its mind mapping capabilities and a wealth of new project and information management tools.

I recently learned of a new visual mapping application called VUE - which stands for Visual Understanding Environment. Developed as an open source project by Tufts University, VUE was designed to provide a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information.

The first mind mapping application for the iPhone was recently released. Dubbed MindMaker, it is availabe via the Apple iPhone AppStore.