iProject Coming Soon. (aka DevonThink Pro)

[bellis1]

I was hoping to start this thread to start generating some ideas about what the Apple version of DevonThink Pro will look like. I'll start:

Main purpose: To serve as a virtual repository to collect links to files which should be grouped according to a particular project. (Including but not limited to Apple files from Mail, iCal, Pages, Keynote, TextEdit, Safari, Preview, iTunes, or other links to files/folders/applications).

Design: Similar format as Apple Mail or DevonThink Pro design except that it would only make links to any file and only limited editing from within iProject for Apple related or fairly standard files. Virtual folders/groups within iProject could be created for organization but would not be created Finder. You could group links and preview the following:

Apple mail: Can drag in links to individual emails or links to entire Mail folders (Smart or Otherwise).

iCal: Can drag in Calendars or Calendar groups except it would divide them into Events and ToDos which you could edit from within iProject and would automatically sync.

Safari: You could drag live pages or hardcopies of relevant html pages and perhaps RSS feeds.

Preview: Any file that can be seen in Preview could be linked and previewed from within iProject and perhaps edited with increased annotation. And could also enlarge full screen. Mostly for PDF's.

Pages: Same as preview

Keynote: Same as preview

iTunes: Attach podcast links, voice annotations, quicktime, etc.

Spotlight: Spotlight would link everything through comments automatically and would serve the search function from within iProject

Others: Could link any file, application, or folder on hard-drive.

To keep things simple the only things that would be editable are the exceptions above. Otherwise you can only creat virtual folders/groups from within iProject and the files would all remain where they are on your hard-drive. Perhaps companies could make add ons eventually so you could preview word, excel, etc.

Any other ideas? Apple could easily just steal most of this from DevonThink Pro and it could become a vital part of the OS which we couldn't believe we lived without before this.

 

[bellis1]

Export

And of course you could export the whole thing as a stand alone that you could share with others. Like a scrapbook.

Or you could make an enterprise version, throw the project on a server, mess around with user privileges, mail threads, and turn it into a group project.

 

[Project]

Sorry to up this from the dead, but this kind of idea is what I see the future of the Finder being (in an ideal world).

DEVONthinks features are superb, but it could definitely do with the Apple touch in its usability and interface. Plus, making it tie into the OS and other iApps seamlessly (as opposed to the use of Applescript) would be amazing.