MARSHALLJ  I've been using Curio for a couple of months now. Once you start using it you realize what a unique program it is. I looked at it before but the price turned me off right away. $149 seems like a lot when I was already using another note taking app that cost $35 for collecting info and managing research projects. Beyond being able to collect a lot of information and organize it, it lets you spread it out, move it around, interconnect it, etc... It's sort of like being able to spread all your bits of info out onto a big table to get a good look at everything. The mind mapping feature does everything I need and is great for organizing your information (There are other mind mapping apps that have more features than Curio. You just have to try it to see if it does everything you want. For me, there is a lot of strength in Curio's ability to do a bunch of thing within one document). Omnioutliner and Omnigraffle are fantastic programs but I can do everything I used to do in both of them in Curio. The developers are very responsive which has reassured my confidence in the app. For project organization, research, and collecting information on a given subject, it does everything I need. If you need advanced word processing tools, you can embed Word or Pages documents into your Curio project. They give you an extended 60 day trial so it gives you enough time to really try it out. If you just want to mind map, there are apps that just do that, if you just want something to dump bits of info into to collect over time, Journler is great. But, for general project and research management with a lot of flexibility that really helps you get organized, Curio really stands out.   
(Version 5.1)

TECHWRITER  I think the important thing to look at here is the magnitude of the upgrades. Version 5 is really bristling with new, compelling features. Curio is turning into a virtual 'control centre' for my day-to-day work. It's open all the time, both in the office and at home, so the value of the product for me is far, far beyond a measly $70 per year. If the next version adds as many major improvements as the last one, another $70 will be a bargain.  
(Version 5.1)

ESPIRIDION  At least they're consistent. With each version, their pricing/upgrade fees are absurd.

Nice program, but I'm not paying for another upgrade.  
(Version 5.0)

LEV  Here we go again. Eight or nine months ago I shelled out for an expensive upgrade to v4. Now a whole lot of "pro" features have been drifted down to cheaper versions but Zengobi want to take another gouge out of me to upgrade to v5. Guys: 4.2.4 to 5.0 in one jump is pretty steep. You can only skin a cat so many times...  
(Version 5.0)

BOSX  Guys, Take advantage of their spring special right now 50% off until tuesday, march 18 -- then it goes down on a scale for a few more days. Full details below:

March 17th & 18th 50% off MADNESS50

March 19th & 20th 33% off MADNESS33

March 21st 25% off MADNESS25

Put the appropriate coupon in your shopping cart:

http://www.zengobi.com/products/curio/

i.e., if ordering today put in "MADNESS50"

I'm not affiliated with the company, just thought I'd help them spread the word -- and give you macupdate readers a chance to get a great deal on a great piece of software. I got this information on their company newsletter emailed to me a few days ago. Enjoy!  
(Version 4.2.2)

LEO SPILL  .

As I said before I paid for a Pro license 9 months ago ( $149 ) now an upgrade fee of $69 ?

$70 for an upgrade ? These guys are sharks ! Last version 3.2.2 now a huge jump to 4.0. No '3.5' etc... just a massive jump and a price to match.

Why not try a PR initiative to gain a little community respect - Have a barn sale and reduce the upgrade fee for registered users by 50% for a certain period - Send out a few good-will emails to registered users. Spread a little happiness - Try loosing the 'company full of sharks' and don't listen to users reputation.  
(Version 4.0.4)

MMUECK  Like other posters here, I too own the previous pro version and balked at the upgrade price to the extent that I've gone off looking at other products. I feel like a fish that nibbled on the bait, got the hook stuck in my lip and then the developer gave the line one god almighty yank and lost his catch just like that...  
(Version 4.0.3)

BESTOFOSX.COM  I too think this is a very nice piece of software, and a very worth upgrade for all the new features. However, I must echo the previous posters comments, that the upgrade pricing seems a bit steep.

I feel $39.00 is reasonable, perhaps even $49, but $69 is not an easy sell I would imagine. I am not ready to jump on it at that price.

For $69 you can get a new full license for NoteTaker. It does a lot of what Curio does, without the drawing and mind-mapping features, and is not as fun or "creative" probably for most people. However, it is very versatile and the price is right, I think.

I would think that the creative designers of Curio would realize that the "creative people" that Curio seems to have been made for, are often the ones who need the pricing break more than anyone. They are often more concerned with following their passions than making money. A little less of an upgrade price, and you may get a lot more upgraders too.  
(Version 4.0.2)

LAWRENCE GOODMAN  The question is whether this program now does so many things, it doesn't do any them well enough.

Consider GTD. It now supports GTD tags, but labelling an item with a specific tag requires moving through a lot of menus and takes much longer than it would in igtd.

Consider document handling. Curio can import lots of different file types, but try searching for something in one of them. A program like Devonthink or Journler does a much better job.

And finally, the latest feature Mindmapping. Yes, it's cool, but if you really want to do mindmaps, Novamind is far, far better and so is the web app www.mindomo.com.

So yeah, this app is amazing and in many ways brilliant, but what happened to the old Unix philosophy: an app should do just one thing, but do it very, very well.  
(Version 4.0)

LAWRENCE GOODMAN  The question is whether this program now does so many things, it doesn't do any them well enough.

Consider GTD. It now supports GTD tags, but labelling an item with a specific tag requires moving through a lot of menus and takes much longer than it would in igtd.

Consider document handling. Curio can import lots of different file types, but try searching for something in one of them. A program like Devonthink or Journler does a much better job.

And finally, the latest feature Mindmapping. Yes, it's cool, but if you really want to do mindmaps, Novamind is far, far better and so is the web app www.mindomo.com.

So yeah, this app is amazing and in many ways brilliant, but what happened to the old Unix philosophy: an app should do just one thing, but do it very, very well.  
(Version 4.0)