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Natara Bonsai 3.03
More than an outliner… much more.
Reviewed by Marc Orchant
David Eaton has
already provided a brilliant review of an earlier version of Bonsai so,
rather than reinventing the wheel, it seemed to me that it would be far
more helpful to concentrate on the wealth of new features and improvements Natara has added in version 3. Go ahead and take the
time to read David's review first -- I'll be happy to wait. http://www.clieuk.co.uk/bon.shtml
You're back? Good.
Wasn't that a terrific review? Don't you want to go right out and download
a copy of Bonsai and give it a try? Well, even if you do, please indulge me
and let me tell you about the new things Natara
has added to the latest version of this already fine program. These guys
obviously do not believe in the old "if it ain't
broke, don't fix it" school of thought. In fact, since I began working
with the new version to prepare this review, Natara
released another update to the program!
Because Bonsai, more
than any of the other outliner tools I've used (disclosure: I am a
registered user of both ThoughtManager from Handshigh and Shadow Plan from Code Jedi), is a symbiotic
pairing of a Palm application and a fully developed desktop application
(Windows only), I thought I'd address the changes and enhancements that
have been made to both components, then discuss some of the desktop
application’s enhancements which are profound.
Contact names can
now be associated with items in the outline. This is a great enhancement,
especially for project management (PM) outlines. I can assign a contact
link to each task in the outline and use that as a reminder to stay in
touch with tram members to check on their progress. This has been
particularly useful for those critical tasks that have dependent activities
that cannot be started until this task is complete. Bu this feature is not
just for project management. I've created a Bonsai outline of my family and
friend's birthdays and other important dates. The entries are the dates
themselves and I've linked their contact records to the date. This is
especially helpful for me as I have a few times of the year when a number
of birthdays or anniversaries come in rapid succession.
Keywords can be
added to items in the outline. Another big win. When I'm working in Bonsai, I can
construct a filter that looks for one or more of these keywords to show
only relevant items. By way of example, I have a PM outline for a current
web project that impacts a number of different sections of my company's web
site. I've added a keyword for each item that identifies the section(s)
that item impacts. By invoking filters constructed with each keyword, I can
view only those items I need to review for the section I'm currently
focusing on. I’ve discovered a bonus use. I've been testing a desktop
search tool called Scopeware Vision which indexes
the contents of all my files. By embedding keywords (also known as
metadata) in my outlines, I can search on that text as well as the visible
outline text, even when Bonsai isn't running.
General UI
improvements.
There are new icons on the toolbars in the "XP" style that are a
lot nicer to look at and, in some cases, easier to recognize than their
flat, old-style ancestors. On the handheld, you can toggle between two
toolbars by clicking on the switch at the left edge of the toolbar. If
you're a fan of the new Office 2003 look, you can now skin the desktop
application in that style, in addition to the Windows XP style that is the
default. I appreciate applications that offer these options. The Office
2003 look has really grown on me and I like the continuity when I'm switching
between Outlook, OneNote (my two always open applications these days), and
Bonsai. Take a look at the differences in David's screenshots of 2.x and
these of 3.x:
Items in the
outline can be linked to a calendar item in the Date Book (native Palm app
only). Like
the links to contact names, Bonsai 3.x adds another dimension to project
management by allowing you to associate each item in an outline with a
calendar item. There are two wrinkles with this feature though. You can
only create this link on the handheld (it's viewable on the desktop) and
only from the native Palm Calendar dB. So, if you're using KeySuite or Beyond Contacts to sync with Outlook on the
desktop, you're out of luck unless you're a conduit wizard and can make
double syncing happen. (Note to Natara: it would
be great if you could work with Chapura and Dataviz to provide the ability to read these
applications calendar dB files).
Desktop
application enhancements
Outline Manager: This dockable
window displays all desktop-only and synced outlines and provides folders
(associated with outline categories) to make organization a snap. You can
view the Outline Manager window Flat (simple alphabetical list of all
outlines), by Category (pictured), Status (desktop only, synced, and
missing), or by Desktop Folder (where the outline files are stored). The
Outline Manager context menu (right click on its title bar) also allows you
to move and delete outlines.
Zoom Support: With the new version, you can
zoom in on a parent item and see only it and its children, just like on the
handheld version.
Other
enhancements:
You can now assign dates and keywords to multiple items at once. New
keyboards commands have been added to set priorities on items and display
or hide outline levels.
Bonsai is a powerful and
versatile application that is equally adept a managing simple lists and
textual outlines and complex projects. The new version enhances almost
every aspect of operation on both the handheld and the desktop with well
thought out enhancements and the highest quality user interface in an
application of this kind. It would be easy to dismiss that last comment as
being about “eye candy” but to me, it’s about usability.
I can immediately understand the action for every icon and found that
adapting to Bonsai’s interface on both platforms was a quick and
enjoyable experience.
Natara
has a web page that offers a great selection of screen shots that show off
the rich user interface and extensive tools. You’ll see that the
handheld takes full advantage of the extended Tungsten display (and my
screen shots show similar support for the Clie
UX50). http://www.natara.com/bonsai/ScreenShots.cfm
Having used Bonsai’s
two main competitors extensively, I can say without qualification that Natara’s latest effort is the perfect fit for my
needs. It far exceeds the capabilities of Handshigh Software’s ThoughtManager
(a fine product I’ve used for some time) yet avoids the complexity of
Shadow Plan (an incredibly powerful but, for me, difficult to use program
with an inferior desktop solution). But don’t take my word for it.
Give Bonsai a try for yourself and see if you don’t agree that this
is one of those applications that just feels right
when you use it.
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