News Round-up for September #1

Here’s the first part of this month’s Software September news round-up.

KeyedIn Solutions Expands to Africa

KeyedIn Solutions, the company that recently acquired UK software developer Atlantic Global plc, has opened a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Atlantic Global, which makes project management software, will continue to be based in the UK in Yorkshire. As far as I can work out, Atlantic Global Solutions software is now called KeyedInProjects. The company has a global reach with offices in Mexico, the UK, Australia, Latin America and the US.

Projectplace launches new iPad, iPhone and Android apps

Mattias Hällström, from Projectplace

I’m off to Sweden later this year, home of Projectplace, the Stockholm-based company that provides web-based collaboration technology. The company has launched new and improved iPad and iPhone apps are now available on the App Store, and is a step in the right direction to support project managers on the go and those companies implementing BYOD policies.

Here is a summary of some of the new features in the updated apps:

• Easy to navigate: Allows users to get a quick information overview and exchange/discuss ideas
• New “Conversations” social tool: Provides an aggregated view of all projects and enables users to post comments and images – just like they do on their laptops
• Actions board functionality: Enables users to prioritise new actions and assign actions to different project members

Have you used any smartphone apps to run your projects? Let me know your favourites in the comments.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP now compatible with Microsoft Word

ConceptDraw MINDMAP, a mind-mapping software I last looked at in 2009, has now got compatibility with Microsoft Word.

The theory is that you can create all your notes in mindmap form, and then output them as a properly formatted document in Word. You can also do the reverse: importing Word documents and turning them into mindmaps, which could be a useful tool if some of your project team think in lists and the rest think in pictures.

AceProject working on a new release

The AceProject blog includes a monthly summary of all changes and updates, which is useful.

The Beta phase for “Ace 6.0” is about to be launched, so if you are one of the lucky ones who has received an email inviting you to take part, we are all waiting to hear your feedback. After not releasing any new improvements during July due to staff holidays and a focus on fixing bugs, the team at AceProject is now counting down until the new version is ready to ship. Should be good!

RationalPlan 4.0 – New Design

RationalPlan developers have launched a new look to their software this summer. Version 4.0 has been revamped to be more modern. Their website doesn’t include screenshots as part of their media kit, which I think is an oversight, but you can see some pictures of the product on their Quick Tour page, so you can see if you think it is “a more pleasant colour scheme for the eye” as their blog reports.

The product is now split into three: Single Project, Multi-Project, and Server, where you can manage everything in one place.

The new version is also available in Portuguese.

Read more project management software reviews here.