Yeah I know – reviewing the “free teaser” version of a Mac shareware application isn’t really the point of having a “lite” version. But everyone needs a little organisation in their lives, right? VoodooPad Lite is a great & free way to start your off in the right direction…
What’s it for?
Everything! If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a hundred little bits of information, clipboard contents, urls, email addresses and short-term todos to keep track of on any given day.
That’s where VoodooPad comes in useful: it’s flexible enough to be your “dumping ground” for short term notes, files, images etc, but can also be used to structure your information via wiki-style links and pages.
How does it work?
Drag in images, text clippings and links to add them to your wiki. Drag in files will create a file-system link to the original files that allows you to launch it with a single click – great for referencing a single file from multiple VoodooPad sub-pages (the full version even lets you embed the entire file).
VoodooPad uses the handy “WikiWords” style to create links automatically: Type any word with two capital letters and a link will automatically be created (e.g. “FollowUp”). Alternatively you can also manually select words to create links to new pages. (Names of existing pages are automatically turned into a link, so typing “FollowUp” anywhere else within my Wiki will link back to the page I previously created).
What’s the catch?
No catch! VoodooPad Lite is a great way to test the waters of this sort of “life management” tool to see if it suits your way of working. There’s no time limit or nag screen, but some of the more advanced features such as “Export as HTML” or embedding files directly within your wiki are disabled.
Once you’re hooked, a full VoodooPad license is available for just $29.95 (€19), whilst VoodooPad Pro (with encryption, group editing and custom trigger support) will run you $49.95 (€32).
(Disclaimer: I have no involvement with Flying Meat Software or Gus (VoodooPad’s author) in any way. I just discovered it for my personal use recently and think not nearly enough people know about VoodooPad).
What now? Once you’re a VoodooPad expert, be sure to check out these articles on using VoodooPad as a GTD tool:
Update: iPhone users who own a full VoodooPad license should be sure to check VoodooPhone – a free plugin that allows you to export your notes to your iPhone. (via Gus Mueller’s blog)
If you like VoodooPad, be sure to check out my review of VoodooPad Reader for iPhone as well.
Tags: organisation, review, voodoopad