Web: Evernote is a brilliant app if you use it right, but the more you put into your notebooks, the more overwhelming it can get. We've talked about the benefits of mind-mapping, so if you like that, Mohiomap takes all your Evernote data and turns it into a visual map for easy navigation. Check this great tool at Mohiomap Source: LifeHacker.com
Mind mapping - the process of visualizing ideas and information in much the same way that people think - has evolved from pencil and paper to digital methods. The new MindNode Pro app for Mac, however, makes mind maps easier to navigate with features that play into our media-rich, link-embedding, social-sharing era of computing. Mind maps don't have anything to do with identifying the contours of your brain -- although they may give you an inkling about how your mind works. At the heart of a mind map is the idea that we don't think in rigid hierarchies. The old-fashioned tree outline with heads, subheads and so forth can nicely organize a theme, document or white paper, but it isn't how people think or the way the brain works. We don't think in straight lines. Our ideas tend to radiate from each other -- more like a net than a strand of rope. That's where mind maps enter the picture. They can help you create the framework for a project in a way that's closer to the way you think. Before computers had good graphics support, people created mind maps with paper and pencils. Pencils were a key component, as lots of erasing could be involved. Even then, a mind map could be decipherable only to its creator. Enter the Computer Computers have greatly improved the task of creating mind maps. Not only have they improved our ability to create more legible maps, but they've opened up the process to collaboration, something impossible in the pencil and paper age. All the advantages computers bring to the mind mapping process can be seen in MindNode Pro (US$19.99) for the Mac. MindNode allows you to quickly and easily create new nodes -- the spokes on the hub of your idea -- as well as create cross connections between nodes. Back in the pencil-and-paper days, the nodes, siblings and children consisted of words. Everything was flat and two dimensional. With MindNode, you can embellish an element in your mind map in ways that not only enhance the look of it, but make it leap into cyberspace. Media Galore You can add media to your maps. If you created a map of your family tree, for instance, you could display a photo with each family member in the tree. For easy access to images, audio and movies, MindNode has a media button on its toolbar. Clicking it displays a window that gives you access to folders on your Mac where media reside. For example, you can access your iTunes library directly through the media window. When you see an audio file, image or even video needed to illustrate an element of your mind map, you can drag it from the window to the map. Links can also be added to elements. A reference to a court decision on a map designed to explain a public policy issue, for instance, could contain a link to a PDF file of the actual decision stored on your computer, or to a site on the Web containing the document. Size Matters While computer mind maps have a lot of advantages over paper ones, one area where digital maps fell down was size. Large sheets of paper cost a lot less than large computer screens. Also, when a map starts getting cramped on a sheet of paper, you can just tape another sheet to it. MindNode addresses the size issue by giving you an infinitely sized canvas for your maps. If your map expands past the edge of the MindNode window, the program just slides left, right, up or down to accommodate the expansion. The expanded canvas works nicely with a trackpad because you can slide around the canvas effortlessly. MindNode, which runs on OS X 10.7.3 or later, also supports Lion's full screen mode, so not only can you get the maximum area for your mind map, but you can block out all desktop distractions to your brainstorming as well. Mess Begone Those messy mind maps from the bad old pencil-and-paper days are gone with MindNode, which has a number of organizational features to create cleaner maps. If you need to remove some map clutter from sight, you can hide nodes with a single click. You can edit your map on the fly by grabbing nodes and dragging them anywhere on the screen. Grabbing and dragging nodes, however, can be inadequate if your map gets too complicated. MindNode thought of that; it has an auto-organize feature that will clean up things for you without your intervention. Your map's organization can also be aided by customizing your nodes with the many choices of colors, fonts and stroke width offered by MindNode. More Than Sharing Photocopies With paper mind maps, sharing usually meant photocopying your map and circulating it to your colleagues. That just won't do in the age of the social web. MindNode lets your share your maps on your local network with your other iOS devices. MindNode's makers, IdeasOnCanvas, also makes versions of the program for the iPhone and iPad. You can also export maps created with the software into other formats, such as PDF, FreeMind and OPML, or as a PNG or TIFF image file. You can even export it as a text outline in RTF. MindNode is a great example of how a computer has taken a productive tool for brainstorming - the mind map - and made it a robust powerhouse. Read complete at macnewsworld.com
Now "More than Just Draw," SmartDraw 2013 Creates Everyday Productivity with Smart Visuals and a New Cloud Service, SmartShare, to Help People Get Things Done
SmartDraw Software today announced the launch of its new SmartDraw 2013, which takes the power of visual communication beyond the desktop to the web and any mobile device. It combines "smart" business visuals with mobile access and universal sharing features to help business users work smarter, faster and more effectively. "We've designed SmartDraw 2013 to be the fast, productive way to keep your entire team organized, on task, and on target to complete any project or objective," said Paul Stannard, SmartDraw CEO. "Our 'smart visuals' let you capture important information and share it instantly with anyone, on any device. This allows you to put information to work wherever you are. Making it easy to connect people and information every day so that your entire organization gets things done is what SmartDraw 2013 is all about." What is a Smart Visual? SmartDraw 2013 is not your typical flowcharting or mind-mapping program. The difference is the creation of the "smart visual." It begins with SmartDraw's exclusive automated drawing tools that make it fast and easy for anyone—with or without drawing skill—to create perfectly formatted, eye-catching and intuitive visual graphics. They may be used to illustrate workflows, functions, diagrams, and many other business processes. But smart visuals aren't just pictures—they're real data. Smart visuals enhance meetings and project planning with built-in task assignment, notification and tracking. They also allow the user to add links, notes and attachments to any visual, which can then be shared with anyone—even non-SmartDraw users—on the SmartShare cloud service. Smart visuals make SmartDraw 2013 much more than just a business document drawing tool. It's a suite of business planning, communication and productivity solutions. Smart Visuals Put Vital Information Just a Click Away
Smart visuals eliminate the time often wasted in tracking down the necessary resources and documents for a project by making it easy to organize, publish and access everything you need in a single, interactive dashboard. Automated drawing tools in SmartDraw make smart visuals fast and easy to create—just click to add shapes. Drag and drop shapes and they automatically format, perfectly. Add links to websites or attachments, such as PDF or Office documents. When a user clicks on a smart visual, SmartDraw immediately launches the link or attachment, instantly accessing the desired information. As Stannard sees it, this is a potential game-changer for businesses. "Think about how much information is out there. But much of it is noise—you need to sift out what is important, without wasting time on what is not. Smart visuals are the perfect vehicle to allow you to capture, process and distribute critical information to anyone you want. I see this as one of those things that in five years, we'll look back and wonder how we got along without it." Meetings and Project Plans that Produce Results The same technology that powers smart visuals brings boring, inefficient meetings into the modern era. SmartDraw's interactive mind maps replace hand-written notes and white boards. Action items and task assignments captured during the meeting can be sent immediately in SmartShare to those responsible. This provides for efficient task tracking, accountability and follow-up. And, unlike a white board, a SmartDraw mind map can be shared with anyone using the SmartShare cloud service. Tasks and action items can be viewed and updated from a web browser or any mobile device. There's even a free SmartShare mobile app for the iPad and iPhone. Updates are automatically reflected in the meeting mind map and shared with the team. Everyone stays in the loop. "SmartDraw's meeting organization and project planning tools are perfect for keeping everyone up-to-date on team projects," Stannard said. "And with SmartShare, it's also ideal for a virtual meeting, which makes collaboration with outside contractors, service providers and remote team members a snap." A Presentation So Mobile, You Can Carry It in Your Pocket SmartDraw 2013 also gives users a choice of solutions for creating and giving presentations. There's the PowerPoint™ builder feature, which lets you build a presentation from any collection of visuals with just a click. If you're on the go, you can elect to save your presentation to SmartShare, where you can access it from the web or your mobile device. "If you want, you can just plug your iPhone into a projector, instead of lugging around a laptop," Stannard states. "You can literally carry a presentation in your pocket or purse." More than three million business users each year already install and use SmartDraw to communicate more effectively and efficiently with professional-quality visuals made easily. Three editions of SmartDraw offer the just-right feature set to meet any business need with Standard, Business and Enterprise licenses available. Source: sacbee.com
iVinnyApps is pleased to announce the release of iBrainstormer 1.1 for iOS. iBrainstormer is an app that allows people to visually gather ideas in the form of a mind map. The app allows users to build their map in a fluid predictable fashion anywhere they are. The reasons for using a mind map to organize your thoughts are endless, but the biggest one is the invaluable ability to see your train of thought in an organized manner from start to finish.
Dropbox is essentially used as cloud storage for the users maps. You can easily link your account to the app and begin uploading and downloading mind maps.
Printing is a feature that many other mind mapping apps lack. iBrainstormer is setup to fit your mind map on to a sheet of letter paper with a small buffer on the edges of the map.
If your mind map is "to big" for printing paper then you can save it as a pdf to dropbox or by emailing the pdf in the app. The emailing feature includes the ability to email as a picture, pdf, or ".bsmm" file. A ".bsmm" file is the native file format of iBrainstormer and if the email is opened on another device that has iBrainstormer installed then the recipient will be able to open and edit your mind map as well.
The Bump feature makes this app pretty unique. For those who are unfamiliar with "BUMP", it is a technology that allows two devices to literally transfer information by bumping them together. The mechanics are unimportant, suffice it to say it allows for quick on the fly collaboration between to people working next to each other.
iBrainstormer is constantly being updated. The help feature is 2nd to none. The app has a tab where users can view tutorials and submit questions and view answers. I have a release coming out with a full on color picker to allow for more node color options.
A simple feature that users find helpful is that any new node takes on the color of the parent node. In the same place that the color can be changed the user can enter a start and end date plus some notes. Notes can just be extra text that you don't want to clutter the mind map with or just details about clients, tasks, etc.
Users will find that if there are any complaints I will nearly immediately remediate it minus the review time Apple takes, which is about a week or so.
iBrainstormer 1.1 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category.
Just about everyone wants to boost their productivity. There is no shortage of tools that promise to help you do it, too. Many business owners are visual thinkers and mind mapping is one of the methods that can help you get more done. This review of Mindmeister is for you if you like whiteboards or always have to draw things out on a piece of paper.
I’ve been an account holder at Mindmeister since 2010 and watched it evolve and improve. You wouldn’t think that mindmapping, conceptually, would need a web-based app, but it is really, really useful. I like to draw my ideas with little circles or rectangles and organize them on a large piece of paper, but when I make a mistake (frequent) or change my mind (more frequent) I have to start all over on a clean sheet. They have won awards for their user interface and ease of use.
What I really like:
The have a public mindmap library that lets you get ideas from other visual thinkers. You can see in the sample below that there are + and – marks (at the intersections of major sections) that allow you to expand or contract if your ideas start to grow into Mind Trees. Build a hierarchical flow of ideas, but condense them under one heading.
They have mobile apps for iOS (iPad and iPhone) as well as Android. The mobile apps allow you to export/share your files as PDF, RTF, PNG or other formats.
You can collaborate with others and see their suggestions and changes in real time, color coded even. Plus, there is an instant messaging chat function if you want to interact beyond the document itself.
A strong history or track changes type function so you can go back to earlier versions.
What I’d like to see:
Offline access is available on a paid plan only. Of course, everyone wants to get more for free, but it would be nice to have some access when I’m not connected. However, to be fair, they offer a lot of features on the free plan. But, the iPad and Android apps (currently free on both platforms, but shows a price point of $7.95 for the iPad in iTunes store) allows offline access and syncs automatically once you reconnect.
There’s a simple free plan that includes up to three mindmaps. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month and include more storage, more file export options, and offline access. 30-day free trial on all accounts.
If you like to draw out your ideas for your own use or to collaborate with employees and colleagues, Mindmeister is worth a look and test drive. It is a powerful web-based app that lets you create terrific looking documents instead of using a whiteboard.
Having in mind the constant search for quality data, the new release of DropMind v3.3, mind mapping software focuses on facilitation of research procedures and data management.
It is evident how Internet saves time and money, but information overload makes research quality and data selection difficult. In order to simplify the process of data assortment and visualization of valuable search content, DropMind v3.3 offers Web mapping experience.
The web browser functionality offers possibility to search the web without leaving DropMind. It allows you to search data, save links, content and images directly into a mind map.
The automatic map building tracks the web search and creates maps in real time. This feature helps in saving valuable time people spend on daily searches for relevant information, without the need of extra effort. It is suitable for project initiation, market research or managing favorite web content.
Get more information on the new releases. Visit dropmind.com.
DropMind team will continue working hard to make mind mapping experience more effective and intuitive. The upcoming year will include improvements that will ease the process of organizing and planning information. The project management and mind mapping future is directly related and therefore features that will advance this relation will be added. Online collaboration and integration is another piece of the mind mapping puzzle, which will grow significantly. Driven by worldwide market trends, the road map of DropMind 2012 is certainly rich offering better business and mapping performance.
And remember, a mind map is as an opportunity to organize and picture data, as much as the Internet is an opportunity to find it.
iMindMap Mobile is a mind mapping software for both iPhone and Ipad, the two crown jewel product line of Apple. These tools are developed and designed specifically for both iPhone and iPad users only.
There is not much difference of what iMindMap Mobile can do from the other computer based version of the mind mapping software like theiMindMap Elements, iMindMap Professional and the iMindMap Ultimate except that these mind mapping software allows users to make mind maps on the fly.
iPhone and iPad are both mobile devices. These machines permits users to bring it with them anywhere. This powerful machines as well as the powerful software application which is the iMindMap Mobile allows them to perfectly come together.
iMindMap Mobile allows iPhone an iPad users to be able to capture ideas in any moment, anywhere and at anytime. This allows more users to utilize the tools and harness its huge benefits without sitting in front of their computer. This will allow individuals who are using iPhones and iPads to be able to capture ideas and be able to create mind maps anytime.
It will also allows users to be able to create, share, present mind maps anywhere, may it be for project plans, action plans, or product presentation and many more. It will permit users to be able to make decision and study ideas, concepts or thoughts conveniently using their iPads and iPhones.
With the ultimate convenience that the software enables the user due to its partner devices, lets not forget what iMindMap Mobile can do to the user.
iMindMap Mobile will allow your brain to think more freely as well as process information in less amounts of time. It will relieve your brain from mental stress most especially when doing critical thinking for business plans, projects and in making the right decisions. Best of all it will allow your brain to do visual thinking.
Visual Thinking allows your brain to see what it thinks giving you the ultimate perspective of your ideas through its mind maps.
iMindMap Mobile is the ultimate software for your brain and a lot are using it already to effective results.
iMindMap Mobile comes in 2 versions, one each for iPhone which is the
After using the application to mind map ideas – numerous design routes were submitted and refined before the final logo was chosen. The identity will be applied to splash screens, in-app graphics and website designs.
iThoughtsHD brings mind mapping to the iPad. Based on the award winning iThoughts for iPhone, iThoughtsHD has been designed specifically for the iPad.
iThoughtsHD will import and export mindmaps to and from many of the most popular desktop mindmap applications such as Freemind, Freeplane, XMind, Novamind, MindManager, MindView, ConceptDraw MINDMAP, MindGenius and iMindmap. Take a look at it in action here.
The app is proving to be really useful for keeping track of ideas and planning projects with reviews of the current version consistently keeping it in the Top 50 Productivity Apps on Apple’s App Store.
[prMac.com] Vienna, Austria - MindNode e.U. today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of MindNode touch 2.0.1, a major new update to their popular mind mapping application for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Developed specifically to leverage multi touch interaction, MindNode touch is a tool for collecting, organizing and outlining thoughts and ideas as mind maps. Mind maps can be used for many different tasks and are a perfect solution for to-do lists, brainstorming, holiday planning, research, writing, project management, or just about anything imaginable. They are commonly used in educational, work place or meeting environments.
"MindNode touch has always been about simplicity and making it easy for users to express and develop ideas," said Markus Mueller, founder and main developer of MindNode. "Now with 2.0 we have taken the application even further, we added branch folding, node styles, smart layout and a rich visual document browser, turning MindNode touch into a desktop-class application."
MindNode touch now imports and exports documents from MindNode Pro for Mac without requiring to reformat the mind map and displays cross connections and images added on the Mac. Smart Layout keeps the canvas automatically organized and clean. The app also comes with a new document browser with thumbnail images that let you find your documents quickly and a new inspector that allows easy access to node, font and branch attributes.
Pricing and Availability: MindNode touch 2.0.1 is available on the App Store for $9.99 (US) to new users and as a free update for existing MindNode touch customers. Review copies are available upon request.
Based in Vienna, Austria, MindNode e.U. is an independent software company founded by Markus Mueller in 2007. Focusing on the Mac OS X and iOS platform, MindNode's mission is to provide their customers with the best possible user experience. Copyright 2007-2011 MindNode e.U. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iOS, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.
