The App Store currently has over 200,000 apps. But not all of these apps are great apps. Below are my top 20 apps. These are the apps I use all the time. I use them for productivity, entertainment and education. And a few of them I use for inspiration.
Instead of just listing them, I put them all in a mindmap with a bit of commentary on why I like each app. I hope you see something you like.
(Click on mindmap to enlarge)
With the introduction of the iPad and iPhone 4, Apple, Inc. is also ushering in a new set of website standards that challenges the Flash-based Internet most of us are used to.
As Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc., put it in his open letter to Adobe entitled Thoughts on Flash:
“Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. Apple’s mobile devices all ship with high performance, low power implementations of these open standards. HTML5, the new web standard that has been adopted by Apple, Google and many others, lets web developers create advanced graphics, typography, animations and transitions without relying on third party browser plug-ins (like Flash). HTML5 is completely open and controlled by a standards committee, of which Apple is a member.”
And many companies are optimizing their websites to take full advantage of these new standards.
The mindmap below highlights some well-known brands that have optimized their websites for the new iPad and iPhone 4.
Click on mindmap to enlarge:
Today Apple, Inc. launched the iPad, the revolutionary tablet computer. Walt Mossberg, author and creator of the weekly Personal Technology column in The Wall Street Journal, had this to say about the iPad:
“After spending hours and hours with it, I believe this beautiful new touch-screen device from Apple has the potential to change portable computing profoundly, and to challenge the primacy of the laptop. It could even help, eventually, to propel the finger-driven, multitouch user interface ahead of the mouse-driven interface that has prevailed for decades.”
I strongly encourage you to read his full review of the iPad. He provides a thorough review of both the benefits and shortcomings.
The iPad could truly be a “game changer” in how we use the internet, enjoy our movies and music, and how we collaborate with one another. For a device to able to do so much – have a battery life of 10 hours on a single charge, a 9.7 inch touch screen, and weigh only 1.5 pounds – is pretty impressive!
To highlight the key features of the new iPad, I’ve created a mindmap.
Just click on the mindmap to enlarge:
Over the past several months I’ve been a part of a small beta testing group for MindManager 8 for Mac, the new mindmapping program from Mindjet made especially for the Mac. MindManager 8 for Mac was made available to the public today.
Because I signed a Non Disclosure Agreement, I could not blog about the program until today.
As someone who has been using the beta version for months now, let me simply say it’s an excellent mindmapping program for the Mac!
Though I use MindManager 8 for Windows at work, I’ve been using MindManager 8 for Mac at home – as I’m an avid Mac user. I work on PCs, but I love Macs!
Below are some of the MindManager 8 for Mac features:
MindManager 8 for Mac is available in four languages: English, German, French and Japanese and can be purchased through Mindjet.com for the upgrade price of $129 or as a new license for $249. Customers who currently own MindManager 6 or 7 for Mac who purchase an upgrade before February 28, 2010 can do so for the special price of $99.
To purchase MindManager 8 for Mac or download trial, click here.
Click on Mindmap image to enlarge:
I was one of the early adopters of the iPhone. I purchased the phone on June 29, 2007, the day it launched in the United States. At the time, I was adamant about getting the phone because I knew it would have a version of Mac OS X operating system on it (Mac OS X is a computer operating system – not a phone operating system). So I thought, “Mac OS X on a phone? That’s going to be one incredible phone!”
I didn’t know exactly what the phone would do, but with Mac OS X I knew pretty much anything was possible. Since my purchase almost two years ago, the phone has just gotten better and better with each update.
In July 2008, The App Store was launched. This gave Apple, Inc. the opportunity to create a Software Development Kit (SDK) off of that Mac OS X operating system to show the world what the iPhone could really do. I think the world got the message because to date there have been over a billion downloads from the App Store.
With the coming release of iPhone OS 3.0 this summer, the iPhone will have 100 new features for users (including cut, copy, paste; landscape keyboard in all applications; and search for the entire phone – I can’t wait!) and 1,000 completely new APIs for developers to create more amazing applications for the App Store.
So this revolution is far from over. On the contrary, it has just begun.
Below is a mindmap I created to highlight the categories of the App Store and the #1 free application in each category. If you have an iPhone, you can get these applications for free today.
(Click mindmap to enlarge – be sure to expand to regular size to see clear image)
In a previous post I wrote about the iPhone being a game-changer. I also created an iPhone mindmap to illustrate the new features of the iPhone.
Well, I’m glad to announce that mindmapping has come to the iPhone! A new application called MindMaker can be downloaded directly to your iPhone from the App Store at a price of $4.99.
As an avid iPhone user and mindmapper, I think this application is pretty good. It is simple and efficient and allows you to mindmap on your iPhone.
Here’s how it works:
Launching MindMaker on the iPhone
Moving around a Mindmap on the iPhone
Creating, Editing, and Deleting Topics within a Mindmap on the iPhone
As with other applications for the iPhone it will only get better with future updates (which are free).
There are a few areas where this application could use some improvements, however:
1) The arrow navigation does not navigate through the entire mindmap. Only down one path at a time and then back to the main topic.
2) You can only view the mindmaps in portrait mode. It does not take advantage of the acceleromator and allow you to move through the mindmap in landscape mode. This isn’t a showstopper, as you can move very quickly around the mindmap with your finger in portrait mode. But it would be nice to have landscape.
3) It would also be nice to be able to e-mail mindmaps from the iPhone and import mindmaps into industry standard mindmapping software like MindManager and NovaMind.
Even with these suggested updates, if you are a mindmapper and you have an iPhone, I’d recommend purchasing it. It’s pretty incredible to be able to mindmap on my iPhone. I’m already getting some good use from the application.
(Click image to enlarge)
As you probably know Apple, Inc. released its latest version of the iPhone on July 11, 2008 in the US.
As an iPhone user I am just amazed at all the things this phone can do. I thought a mindmap would be a great way to show all the features of the iPhone.
If you have an iPhone, this mindmap let’s you see just how amazing your new phone really is.
If you don’t have an iPhone (and you don’t have a problem with AT&T as they are the exclusive provider in the US), you REALLY need to consider getting one.
Whether people like it or not, this phone completely changes the game!
(Click on mindmap to enlarge)
To see the detailed descriptions for each feature under the Notes icon
you will have to download the mindmap.
The MindManager file (.mmap) for this mindmap is available for download at biggerplate.com. You will need MindManager Pro 7, MindManager 7 for Mac or the free MindManager Viewer 7 to download the file.
Click here to download mindmap.
