Are you overwhelmed with paper bills, downloaded PDFs, email receipts, Web bookmarks, RSS feeds, text files, and useful snippets from who knows where? Our own Joe Kissell once was as well, but thanks to the information management application DEVONthink 2, he has not only beaten back information overload, but also eliminated much of the paper from his small home office (this last bit with the help of a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner).

If you're interested in using DEVONthink to take control of your digital life too, we have a treat for you: Joe's latest ebook, "Take Control of Getting Started with DEVONthink 2 [1]." In it, Joe explains DEVONthink's core concepts and guides you through many aspects of putting DEVONthink to work. The 151-page ebook, created in collaboration with DEVONtechnologies, is available for $10. And if you don't yet have a copy, you can learn more about DEVONthink 2 [2] and download a free trial version [3].

Joe covers oodles of features in DEVONthink, and - more importantly - he helps you match DEVONthink's many options to your personality and requirements. You'll learn how to import your data from numerous sources, organize it using hierarchical groups and free-form tags, find it by browsing or searching, and much more.

You'll learn how to:

• Get around in DEVONthink's interface
• Decide how many databases you need and set them up
• Determine whether to import or index data
• Configure where incoming data will go
• Import data from many different applications
• Input data from a scanner, including OCR options
• Use grouping and tagging to organize data
• Use simple (and sophisticated) techniques for searching
• Create smart groups that automatically gather newly imported data
• Edit data in DEVONthink or using external applications
• Export data out of DEVONthink
• Back up and maintain healthy databases

Questions answered in the book include:

• What is DEVONthink especially good for, and what should be left to other programs?
• What kinds of data can I import? (Short answer: Nearly everything!)
• Which of DEVONthink's many views should I use?
• When I import data from different sources, where does it end up, and why?
• Is it better to sort imported data right away, or leave it for later?
• Should I group my data, tag it, or both?
• What are duplicates and replicants, and how can I tell them apart?
• Which types of data can be created or edited within DEVONthink?
• How do I make my DEVONthink database accessible via the Web?
• Are there any Automator or AppleScript options for DEVONthink? (Hint: Yes!)

The ebook covers all three editions of DEVONthink 2: DEVONthink Pro Office, DEVONthink Professional, and DEVONthink Personal, and it is completely up-to-date with the recent release of DEVONthink 2.0.2.

[1]: http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/devonthink-2?pt=TB1020
[2]: http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/
[3]: http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/

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