Mind Mapping + OneNote

Yes, Microsoft, you MUST add mindmapping functionality to OneNote.

+1 for Mindmapping in Onenote.  I use FreeMind regularly and Onenote, but for such a great tools it's such a shame that I can't do my maps in Onenote.

Dear Microsoft,

Pls take note of my rant and show some basic common sense. You are trying to get into the tablet market with Windows 8. It's a really big deal that you get it right this time, n'est pas? OK then process this:

The competitive edge of Windows 8 is in the business market, right? Business people don't need 500,000 apps or 5 million. They want 50 apps that function, don't overwhelm them, and work well with the software they use in the office. Keep it simple, there is enough distraction.

Apart from offering the usual office suit that people are familiar with, you have two hidden assets for your tablets: inking and MS OneNote. Inking is the one thing that Windows 8 does much better than IOS or android. And while many people don't have the imagination to grasp it: it will be one of the key input modes for business use in the future. In many contexts it is culturally much more appropriate to take handwritten notes in a meeting, as opposed to being perceived as an autistic geek who hacks away on a laptop. And handwriting is more creative as a process than typing. Stimulates different parts of the brains. http://lifehacker.com/5738093/why-you-learn-more-effectively-by-writing-than-typing.

Then, OneNote is about the only nifty / life-enhancing software that you guys have come up with in recent years. Yet, few people seem even aware it exists. Seriously, it is really cool in the way it helps users to structure their outputs and notes. And it appeals to people who think visually and like to use graphics.

The same clientele that tends to like mindmapping. It allows to structure thoughts and organize them by connectivity rather than chronological order. Which is great for capturing communication with people, and communication is what it is all about in the workplace.

So, if you are looking for a comparative advantage for your Windows 8 business tablets: try a mindmapping plugin for OneNote that allows inking. Scores of people would buy windows 8 tablets as BYO devices just for that. It would allow them to stay on top of their paperwork and thoughts, while still integrating with the software environment they are already using in their offices. Rather than having 2 systems (MS in the office, IOS or android on the BYO device), with all the compromises this entails.

So if you want to turn the table on the whole pretentious apple cult, get working on that plugin and promote a new cool of the mainstream. The hipsters will fall for it.

In the meantime, I am waiting. And will buy the Windows 8 tablet anyway.

Yours truly,

Jensness

Look at Compendium. It is an open source mindmap software and it's free! If you click print it will allow you to "send to one note".