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)
Emily Johnston over at the The Learning Master Blog has put together a great list of 25 free iPhone Apps. She also provides a brief description of each app along with a link to download.
I liked the list so much I decided to create a mindmap of her 25 Essential Free iPhone Apps for E-Learners:
(Click mindmap to enlarge)
Thanks Emily!
iMindMap Mobile was released today on Apple’s App Store. From the makers of iMindMap software, a premier mindmapping desktop application, comes iMindMap Mobile for the iPod touch, iPhone, and soon iPad.
After downloading the app and spending some time with it, I can say it probably allows more creativity than any other mindmapping app on the App Store.
It is very intuitive and allows you to use your finger to easily create topics and sub-topics. I have a feeling this mindmapping app will be a big hit with the new iPad. You move from one branch to the next with fluid strokes. It’s pretty impressive. And it’s free! That’s right free. Unlike many of the other mindmapping apps on the App Store, iMindMap Mobile is free of charge.
Here are some key features of iMindMap Mobile:
Here are some screen captures of iMindMap Mobile:
(Click picture to enlarge)
The Mindmap Blog is now an application available for download on Apple’s App Store.
My new app let’s you read my blog on an iPod touch or iPhone (and soon iPad). Additionally, you can read my “tweets” on Twitter directly from the app.
See below for a first hand look at my new app:
(Click Images to Enlarge)
So now when it comes to learning how to leverage mindmapping for education, business and your personal life: “There’s an App for that.”
You can search for my app on iTunes (search “The Mindmap Blog”) and download it to your iPod touch or iPhone. If you don’t have iTunes, click here for a free download.
Mindjet, the maker of MindManager 8, has recently launched a mindmapping application for the iPhone.
I’ve recently purchased it and I can tell you from first hand experience it’s wonderful. Here are some of the key features:
There has been a lot of talk on blogs about the program being identical to iThoughts (another iPhone mindmapping program). Yes, it is true, as I have iThoughts as well.
But there are some differences. For example, the icons in the Mindjet program are identical to the icons found in the desktop version of MindManager 8. So, your iPhone mindmaps have the same look and feel as your desktop mindmaps.
As for overall functionality, following iThoughts wasn’t such a bad idea. They clearly had the best mindmapping interface for the iPhone (or one of the best, depending own your preference). Now, you can have that same functionality, but with MindManager icons. Fantastic!
For more information on Mindjet’s iPhone application, click here.
MindMeister, a collaborative web-based mindmapping service, has recently launched a new mindmapping application for the iPhone.
Regarding the launch, they recently stated on their blog:
“It is done – the new MindMeister application for iPhone and iPod touch has finally arrived in the App Store! Those who’ve followed its progress know that it has been a rather slow birth, but nonetheless we’ve made it there in the end. The new MindMeister iPhone application allows you to take your online mind maps with you wherever you go. Just sign in to your MindMeister account when you first start the app, browse and download your mind maps for local editing and let the application take care of synchronising them with the cloud.”
Here are the key features of their new app:
Back in July 2008, I wrote a post highlighting the features of the iPhone. I also created a mindmap to illustrate those features.
Recently, Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D, of the Assistive Technology blog created an iPhone mindmap (below) for a guest post on The Mindjet Blog. His mindmap provides a pretty good overview of the new iPhone features:
Click mindmap to enlarge:
As an iPhone 3GS owner, I can say from personal experience that this is one special phone. The features are simply incredible! You will have a hard time believing that the phone can do all that it does. Go to an Apple Retail Store and see for yourself.
Click here for great videos on the Apple Retail Store – and for finding an Apple Retail Store near you.
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)
There is a new mindmapping program for the iPhone called iThoughts. It is truly full-featured.
Here are 20 features built into iThoughts now available for the iPhone:
Folding (collapsible) nodes
Configurable node shapes (rectangle, ellipse etc.)
Auto re-align and space control
Note attachments (with embedded hyperlinks)
Link from one map to another.
Coloured nodes.
Very large maps.
Multi-line nodes.
Multiple Icon Support.
Export your sensitive data (in a secure way.)
Import your existing maps securely.
Cut, copy, paste and merge.
Rename your maps.
Pull maps directly from the Internet via iPhone Safari web browser.
Support Freemind (a well supported mindmap format.)
Support OPML file format (an import/export format supported by most mind mapping and outlining applications.)
E-mail your information (securely.)
Non ASCII character support.
Copy data between your maps.
I purchased iThoughts on Apple’s App Store for $6.99. It is worth every penny! I am very impressed with what the developers were able to do with the iPhone platform.
If you like to mindmap and you want to do it on your iPhone or iPod Touch, I highly recommend iThoughts.
Here’s a video to show you how to use it:
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)
