A few new things for biz

Welcome back. Over the break, we were introduced to a few things that may make life a little easier for the small business. I'll spend at least the next couple of days writing about them here. (My CNET colleagues are gorging themselves silly at the Consumer Electronics Show. And they're helping you share in the fun.)

One of the things I saw is a new version of a project management tool from Mindjet. We've talked before about the difficulties of managing multiple small projects, especially since it often seems project management software is made to help tackle one big project, such as a major public works initiative.

The latest version of Mindjet's software, MindManager 6, is flexible enough to let you map things out visually, kind of like a free-floating organizational chart that also lets you expand or contract each node or tree. It also lets you access a calendar or attach documents.

I'm not saying it's better than Visio or Microsoft Project--or a spreadsheet, or Post-it Notes, or even a bulletin board, for that matter. But it's a tool that may be worth checking out if you've been struggling with collaboration and keeping it all organized. Unfortunately, it doesn't currently allow different levels of access--anyone who's in can see it all. There's not a Web-based version. Nor is it cheap, at a price of at least $229 per user, though a free trial is available. But it's different enough from other things we've seen that I thought it worth a mention.