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curio core versus devonthink
- Thread starter jojoba
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Curio is sort of a Swiss Army Knife knowledge management tool with many more visual tools including an integrated mind-mapping tool. DEVONthink is more of a database, repository, and text analysis tool that can house a wide variety of file types (as can Curio). Currently, I use DEVONthink much more along with separate dedicated apps such as OmniOutliner, NovaMind (awaiting Quicklook integration), KeyNote, Office, Tinderbox (Just getting my head around that one), etc. I have created templates for frequently used programs within DT, so it functions as a hub of an ecosystem of applications. DT is tough to beat for the ease in which information can be poured in and sorted from a variety of sources.
I am just getting started with Scrivener, but I can tell you that a lot of people use DT for broader notes and clippings, then move the most relevant content to Scrivener.
There is a lot of information in Literature and Latte, DEVONthink, and Zengobi forums about integration and usage scenarios.
Hope that helps get you started.
I am just getting started with Scrivener, but I can tell you that a lot of people use DT for broader notes and clippings, then move the most relevant content to Scrivener.
There is a lot of information in Literature and Latte, DEVONthink, and Zengobi forums about integration and usage scenarios.
Hope that helps get you started.
Thanks so much, that's super useful. I'm going to look up those forums you recommended and keep checking out the trial versions.
There are so many great apps for mac that support non-linear ways of working. Unfortunately I have PC at work so syncing and working across platforms is a bit of an issue. I've bought Scrivener for windows but so many of these other apps that look great simply don't come in a windows version.
There are so many great apps for mac that support non-linear ways of working. Unfortunately I have PC at work so syncing and working across platforms is a bit of an issue. I've bought Scrivener for windows but so many of these other apps that look great simply don't come in a windows version.
Well, I'm loving Curio and I'm definitely going to hold on to that. I like DevonThink, too, but I'm not sure it's really worth the money in the sense that I think I can organise myself relatively well without it and the additional expense. But I'm still undecided.
Curio is a nice all-in-one package. Things might have gone differently if I had started with it. DEVONthink's strength does not lie exclusively in organization, but in it's ability to find unexpected connections, it's artificial intelligence, ease of capturing resources (such as webpages converted to a pdf at a click on the browser bar) and sophisticated search. I like the integrated OCR as well.
You can always contact them for an extension of the trial time. Or just stick with Curio if it meets your needs. If you don't already have mind mapping and outlining apps, the case for Curio is quite compelling.
Edit: Curio can capture webpages too. Can it bookmark pages from pdf's as DT can do?
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Oh, I've just been looking more at DT and I'm kind of sold on both now
I need to check my account balance...I'm not sure if Curio can bookmark pages from pdfs, I'll check it out. These apps are pretty amazing, so many smart features.
Which version of DT do you have? I'm thinking to go with Pro so I can have more than one database.
Oh, I've just been looking more at DT and I'm kind of sold on both now
I'm not sure if Curio can bookmark pages from pdfs, I'll check it out. These apps are pretty amazing, so many smart features.
Which version of DT do you have? I'm thinking to go with Pro so I can have more than one database.
I have Pro Office (for integrated OCR). The nice thing about DT is that they have a painless upgrade path. You can start with any version and they will let you upgrade to a higher version for about the difference in price. You could start with the Personal and you can upgrade to Pro when you need it (or have more money).
I really lucked out on a 2nd license by getting DT Personal as part of a bundle, then upgrading during a big sale to Pro Office for $68.
I bought it
got an educational licence so therefore 25% discount on the Pro version. I'm excited No more app shopping for a while, though
I also use DevonThink Pro Office along with a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M. My new workflow for any paper entering the house is to scan and shred. The only new things I ever file as paper are documents with official seals and such.
/Jim
/Jim
I have both Curio Pro (a recent purchase) and DEVONthink Pro Office as well as Scrivener and Sente. FYI--This video sold me on Curio: http://vimeo.com/14901214
Each of these overlaps in functionality, but each seems to be a very useful partner to others if usage plays to their individual strengths. DT for its AI connections and being the massive data sink either imported or indexed, Sente for interrogating academic journal article databases and importing both the bibliographic record and the matching article as PDF and taking notes (and then indexing or importing into DT), Scrivener for its amazing assistance in creating long text documents, with selections in the research area imported from DT, and Curio for the visual perspective. I took an outline I developed in OmniOutliner for a particular project, imported to Curio and converted instantly to a mind map while also keeping the outline right there on the same white space. Then added in a few key PDFs and notes from DT. I loved the visual appeal of having all the items right there in front of me. Of course, it helps to have a big monitor! Curio on an 11" MBA or 13"MBP might not be so appealing.
Each of these overlaps in functionality, but each seems to be a very useful partner to others if usage plays to their individual strengths. DT for its AI connections and being the massive data sink either imported or indexed, Sente for interrogating academic journal article databases and importing both the bibliographic record and the matching article as PDF and taking notes (and then indexing or importing into DT), Scrivener for its amazing assistance in creating long text documents, with selections in the research area imported from DT, and Curio for the visual perspective. I took an outline I developed in OmniOutliner for a particular project, imported to Curio and converted instantly to a mind map while also keeping the outline right there on the same white space. Then added in a few key PDFs and notes from DT. I loved the visual appeal of having all the items right there in front of me. Of course, it helps to have a big monitor! Curio on an 11" MBA or 13"MBP might not be so appealing.
Oh, that video is great. These apps are awesome. I really feel like Scrivener, DT and Curio offer so much in terms of improving my work flow.
Like flynz, I've also gone virtually paperless (greatly helped by my iPad where I now do all my pdf reading and annotation). It's such a relief.
Unfortunately, I am using all these apps on a 13" screen (except Scrivener, I have a version of that on my office desktop where I have a really big screen). Curio is still pretty great there, but I see how a big screen would make it that much better.
Math, in your experience, is Sente superior to EndNote?
Like flynz, I've also gone virtually paperless (greatly helped by my iPad where I now do all my pdf reading and annotation). It's such a relief.
Unfortunately, I am using all these apps on a 13" screen (except Scrivener, I have a version of that on my office desktop where I have a really big screen). Curio is still pretty great there, but I see how a big screen would make it that much better.
Math, in your experience, is Sente superior to EndNote?
I purchased a copy of EndNote (Windows version) a few years back and tried to use it but never really got into it. It was not very intuitive, and it was just easier to format references (APA) myself. When I got my iMac a little over a year ago, I decided to see what else was available. I decided on Sente. It is a great product, and the developers are continually updating it. I love the reference and PDF capture ability. I have the iPad version as well.
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Best investment I have made in a long time (other than some of these apps we're discussing) is my 27" iMac. I just love the screen real estate.
I've looked at DT for a long time now, how does it compare to Circus Ponies Notebook?
Thanks
Coachingguy
Thanks
Coachingguy
CP Notebook is a fine tool. I have it and still use it some. Here is some info from Kerry Magruder (History of Science Dept at Univ of Oklahoma) on Mac apps for academic purposes regarding Notebook and DEVONthink. (I have a copy of this [in DT as it happens], but it seems to have disappeared from the web.):
"If your needs are simple, try Circus Ponies Notebook. Notebook is an excellent notetaking application that combines general notetaking, outlining, and project organization. I have used NoteBook for a variety of kinds of notes, particularly ones involving multimedia, ones that are structured enough to belong in an outliner, and ones that I capture using Mac OS X services."
"If you want something more powerful and versatile than Notebook, try DEVONthink, DEVONthink Pro, or DEVONthink Pro Office. One of the most popular academic productivity applications on the Mac, DevonThink Pro accepts most file types including video and audio, web pages, pdfs, etc.; even rss feeds. It is a digital commonplace repository for multiple file formats. If you want to juxtapose your own rich-text notes with live web pages, pdfs, images and multimedia, then DevonThink is the answer. DevonThink also offers artificial intelligence assisted classifying and searching of notes (watch the demo videos and video tutorials to see how powerful and easy-to-use the AI searching and classifying features can be). Selected text in DT can be linked to specific notes, and wiki-linking can be automated. Devonthink supports advanced Boolean and proximity searching. It's easy to import text, clips, urls or other items to Devonthink using the Sorter tray, accessible any time from any application. Exporting is rich and versatile. Multiple databases can be open at the same time. DT has great support for AppleScripts, Automator, OS X Services, and other Mac OS X technologies. The Pro Office version supports high-quality ABBYY FineReader-based OCR conversion of pdfs. In one trial of an earlier, less powerful OCR engine, I imported a pdf I obtained through inter-library loan which contained poorly photocopied pages with different fonts, and a mixture of single pages and double-page spreads. The OCR conversion was surprisingly accurate, automatically rotating pages as needed, and in a comparison it was much faster than the OCR in Acrobat Professional. I use DevonThink Pro Office as my chief research tool, for note-taking of print and pdf sources and for online searching."
FYI--This information is about 3 years old and helped me in my search for Mac apps to help in my academic workflow.
Thanks, Matt. I've used EndNote since 2002, so I'm just pretty used to it by now (and it's the only reference manager that is institutionally supported where I work). But I've had Sente on the radar for a bit so I might slowly start looking in to it just to explore the differences.
Yes, I was drooling over an iMac a couple of weeks ago
but it's not going to happen for another year at least. I will try to connect my MBA to my work screen, though, which is pretty large (can't remember the exact measurement right now). I don't have that much experience with DT yet but I've used CPN for a few months and I just perceive it as a different tool. For me, it's just an advanced note book, and it's a good one at that (although the text input occasionally annoys me). I think I will use DT much more as a database for managing information, while CPN will remain a note book tool.