A new outline view, which creates a visual hierarchy of topics and sub-topics, similar to a text outline (see screen shot at right). This outline can be expanded or collapsed one level at a time or on a case by case basis, which gives you a lot of control over how much or how little information you display in the workspace. Considering the sometimes-confusing nomenclature of PersonalBrain (gates, relationships, pins, etc.), this is a welcome addition to the program.

Tags are now centrally managed, making them easier to use and easier to apply consistently to your maps. In addition, you can easily switch to a map view that displays only tagged topics in both the workspace and any reports you generate from PersonalBrain.

A new Presentation Mode displays your map full screen, without any toolbars or dialog boxes.

New import options: PersonalBrain 5 can now import MindManager and Freemind maps, as well as Word outlines, Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML) files, Web Ontology Language (OWL) files (used in semantic web applications) and Internet Explorer and Firefox bookmarks. The ability to pull data from other programs into PersonalBrain maps should definitely be attractive to many users.

User interface enhancements: The menus have been reorganized in PersonalBrain 5 to make key commands more convenient. Also, the “plex” (the program’s map workspace) can now be panned using a keyboard command, rather than just the mouse. In addition, the mouse wheel can be used for both scaling and scrolling of thoughts.

Spotlight integration: The OS X version of PersonalBrain 5 supports Spotlight integration, which means you can now search inside file attachments contained inside your Brain or externally linked.

Outlook support: You can now drag content from Microsoft Outlook into your maps. Considering the amount of ideas and knowledge that get passed around most organizations in the form of e-mail, this is a much-needed addition to PersonalBrain 5!

You can download PersonalBrain 5 beta here, or purchase version 4.5 now and receive a free upgrade to version 5 when it is released.

Enhancements in version 4.5 of PersonalBrain include:

• Advanced search and indexing: PersonalBrain features a powerful search that lets users shift focus to anything that comes to mind in seconds. Live search results appear as users type, prioritized based on usage data. As users’ Brain files become larger and more complex, I’m sure that this enhancement will be appreciated by many people.
• Improved distant thought view: PersonalBrain’s display engine has been enhanced to enable users to view second generation thoughts, which helps to provide them with greater context of their current location and where they can go when navigating large Brain files.
• Merging Brains and copying thoughts: In version 4.5, users can merge the contents of one Brain into another and use sophisticated copying functions to leverage a set of thoughts and relationships in new contexts.
• Excel and Word import and export: Information contained within Word, Excel and other applications can now be imported into PersonalBrain. Exporting your Brain’s contents into Microsoft Word only takes a few steps, and should be a boon to people who need to create complex, multi-faceted documents, such as book writers and executives preparing detailed business plans.
• Multiple levels of undo and re-do editing: Users can now re-consider their actions when adding items to their Brains, even undoing multiple steps in one mouse click.

This program just keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to play around with version 4.5. I hope to get my hands on a copy soon, and will let you know what I think!