NovaMind Development Pty. has just announced that it will release NovaMind version 5 in September/October 2009, and it appears to be one of the biggest updates in the program’s history. According company founder Gideon King, NovaMind 5 has been completely rewritten to take advantage of the latest Windows and Mac technology, including multi-core processors and hardware accelerated animation. It also promises many new and enhanced features, including:
Floating topics, attached shapes and callouts that provide a more visually rich mind mapping experience
More flexible topic lines, plus a new Bezier path editing mode that will give you precise control over their shape.
A redesigned themes and styles system that includes coordinated color palettes, making it easy for even color challenged users to create stunning mind maps.
A new layout engine that will give you more flexibility in placing map elements wherever you want them, as well as a full complement of automatic map layout settings. The developer says this will give you an experience much more akin to hand drawn mind maps, where you have complete freedom to draw anything anywhere on the page.
A new user interface with an improved Ribbon UI in the Windows version of NovaMind 5, and a redesigned Mac interface that is based upon the “inspector” paradigm.
A new plug-in architecture, which will make it possible for third-party developers to create new add-ins for NovaMind to extend its capabilities.
Gideon King, the founder and chief evangelist behind this innovative mind mapping program, promises to reveal much more in the weeks and months ahead. On the NovaMind 5 announcement page, he includes links to his Facebook page and Twitter account, so you can follow the latest announcements about this exciting new product there.
In the 3+ years I have been reporting on the world of mind mapping tools and software, NovaMind have consistently been the innovators – the ones to watch who tend to come up with the cool yet practical capabilities that no one has thought of yet. NovaMind 5 promises to deliver yet another leap in what’s possible. My only question is: Why do we have to wait so long for it?
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