Mindjet, the folks behind the slick productivity tool MindManager, announced today that MindManager 7 hits the shelves on May 30. Whether you're planning your ten-year old's birthday party or your next corporate takeover, there are always a zillion details to attend to. Some folks find it easier to organize and visualize things by getting them down on paper (or pixels, as it were), and opt for mind mapping tools to help. Others find productivity software indispensable when it comes to Getting Things Done.

Mindjet knows their product is used in hundreds of different ways by people with different needs. That's why there are three versions of Mind Manager to choose from: the full-featured Pro 7; MindManager 7 Lite for home users; and MindManager 7 Mac for (you guessed it) the Mac.

A bevy of new and updated features will be available in all versions. MindManager Pro 7 has a spiffy new user interface with a look and feel similar to the "ribbons" sported by Microsoft Office 2007. In fact, it's so tightly integrated that users can even launch Word, Power Point, Outlook and Excel right from MindManager itself. It will retail for $349 but upgrades will only set you back $119 during the promotional period before going up to $174.

MindManager for Mac 7's price has been lowered to $129 and upgrades are only $69. The company says prices were reduced "to compete with similar mapping products on the market." Mac 7 has several new features including a timer, the ability to position notes, and a new method to select topics by rules. They've also enhanced the import/export feature and made substantial improvements in printing.

MindManager Lite (formerly Basic) runs $99 and, while it's not as robust as it's Pro sibling, it's intended for home and personal use. Mindjet also plans to position MindManager Lite as a useful tool for students that will "make homework fun."

When back-of-the-envelope planning just won't cut it, maybe it's time to give MindManager a whirl.