1. Import the bookmarks of PDFs. If you drag and drop a PDF file into a mind map, all bookmarks of the PDF are imported. That’s extremely useful for collegiate research, where all of the sources you use in a paper need to be cited. It’s cool that this application automates that process.

2. You can add reference keys to reference sources manually.

3. Reference keys can also be added automatically. If you link a PDF in your reference database (e.g. BibTeX file) and you link the same PDF in your mind map, SciPlore MindMapping extracts the BibTeX key from the reference database and adds it to the node.

SciPlore is based on FreeMind (0.9 RC4 Max) and developed in Java. It runs under Windows and also run under Linux and Mac OS. SciPlore is 100% free and published under the GNU/GPL licence.

iFreeMind offers the following features:

• Files may be imported and exported utilizing the program’s built-in web management service
• Attachment of icons to map topics
• The ability to view your maps in portrait or landscape mode.
• Maps of up to 150 topics are supported, at a maximum size of 1400 x 1400 pixels.
• Topic text can be up to 200 words long, and a single topic node may contain up to 5 icons – pretty generous!
• Triple tapping the workspace moves the map to the center of the screen, which may be very useful when working with large maps.
• Double-tapping the editing screen displays the program’s toolbar.
• Tapping a topic once to select it displays its full text in a rectangular area between the workspace and the bottom toolbar. Since topic text can be very lengthy (up to 200 words in iFreeMind), the program truncates the topic text in the map itself to save on screen real estate, but displays its entire contents in this area.
• Holding down a toolbar button for more than one second causes a tool tip pop-up that explains what it does – nice!
• Uploading and downloading of maps between the iPhone and a PC or Mac: Within iFreeMind, you tap the web file manager button, which causes a URL to be displayed at the top of the screen. Next, you open a browser on your Mac or PC, and input this URL. This takes you to a file management page, where you can upload and download FreeMind-formatted map files.

What’s missing from iFreeMind:

• Support for topic links and notes – these are critical, and are conspicuous by their absence in iFreeMind
• No ability to freely position map topics using drag and drop (iBlueSky and SimpleMind can do this)
• No ability to drag and drop topics from one location within your map to another (SimpleMind currently supports this capability). In order to move a map topic, you must cut it, select the topic to which you want it to be attached as a sub-topic, and then paste it.

Ideally, the mind mapping app should be usable as soon as it is installed on your iPhone, without having to refer to a help file or the developer’s web page. Several of the existing mind mapping apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch certainly fit this description. Unfortunately, in my opinion, iFreeMind does not. When I first open the program and tried to create a simple mind map, I couldn’t figure out several of the toolbar buttons; they just aren’t very intuitive. I struggled to figure out how to get the program to do what I wanted it to do, and finally proceeded via trial and error to create my first map.

Like other computing platforms, the iPhone and iPod touch market is becoming crowded with many “me too” mind mapping applications. If you’re a relatively late entrant to the field, which iFreeMind is, you’d better be prepared to differentiate your app. While iFreeMind’s native support for FreeMind files is an advantage, especially if you have created a lot of maps using this desktop tool, it’s not enough for me to recommend iFreeMind to you. The user interface is just too confusing and cluttered for first-time users, and the lack of support for drag and drop means rearranging your map topics will quickly become an exercise in futility. Finally, without the support for notes and links, you’re really limited in the types of maps you can produce in iFreeMind.

One of my fellow bloggers, Vic Gee, calls iFreeMind “a serious challenger to existing iPhone mind mapping apps” but I disagree. In my opinion, iFreeMind, in its current configuration, doesn’t measure up to its competition.

iFreeMind is available for download from the Apple AppStore for US $4.99. For more details about this new mind mapping app, please visit the developer’s web page.

Huge page size (nearly 1500x screen size): This makes iBlueSky ideal for handling large mind maps. I think Tenero had to move this direction; if you’re planning to import maps from desktop mapping programs, then your iPhone app must be able to support larger maps. I didn’t get a chance to test the app with a large map; if anyone has done so, please share your experiences in the comments area below.

Improved import and export capabilities: You can now import mind maps from Novamind, Freemind, OPML or iBlueSky formats. To import a map, you must visit a special web page, login and upload your file. This website then generates a separate e-mail, which you must open from within your iPhone or iPod Touch in order to import it into iBlueSky. The process sounds complicated in writing, but in actual use it’s pretty easy. I was able to set up a new account on the iBlueSky server within minutes, and the rest of the process went very smoothly.

I need to call special attention to iBlueSky’s integration with NovaMind, who is supporting it in a big way. In fact, Gideon King and his crew have devoted an entire web page to this application. You can now perform two-way exchanges of maps between iBlueSky and NovaMind (previously it was only a one-way integration). It’s good to see partnerships like these emerging. Why create your own iPhone app when there are some very good ones like iBlueSky that you can easily integrate with?

Branches can now have more than one line of text: This is ideal if you like to take notes in your maps (and many people do).

You can now attach notes to branches: A small letter “T” denotes topics that contain notes – simple, but very effective. The developers rendered this in a serifed font (topics are san-serif), so there’s no confusion between topic text and the notes icon.

Double-tap to zoom in/out: In addition to using the familiar iPhone/iPod Touch two-fingered “pinch” motion to zoom in and out of your maps, you can now double-tap to accomplish the same thing. I tried this, but zooming out made my small mind map zoom WAY out till it was almost too tiny to see. When zooming back in, you’ve got to be careful where you double-tap. If you’re even a little bit off to the side of your map, it will zoom to the center of your tap point. The first time I tried it, I watched my mind map quickly zoom toward me, and then veer off to the right, out of the field of view. But I quickly figured out what I was doing wrong and my next attempt was much more accurate. Maybe a “center mind map” toolbar button would help?

Color picker: You can change branch colors using a new color picker, which consists of a rainbow palette of colors – in other words, you’re not limited to just a handful of options here. It also gives you the option to apply the color you’ve selected to any sub-branches.

Translucent toolbars: The top and bottom toolbars are now translucent and auto-hide when no branch is selected, after about 7 seconds. This opens up more screen real estate, so you can view more of your map. Even when the toolbars are visible, you can clearly see map topics through them (see the screen shot above, which illustrates this). Nice!

Export enhancements: When you export an iBlueSky map, you attach a message and give the e-mail a subject line. The e-mail address for export can now be entered manually, or selected from the program’s new address book. iBlueSky 2.0 can also remember the last e-mail address you used when exporting a project.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that iBlueSky for the iPhone and iPod Touch just keeps getting better and better. If you’re a NovaMind user, there’s no excuse – it’s time to start mind mapping on Apple’s handheld marvels. Even if you’re not, there is much to love here. The application’s well designed user interface is a pleasure to use, and behaves just as you would expect it to.

Crash recovery: XMIND version  3.0.3 will save a back up file every a few minutes while you are editing a map. If your operating system or XMIND closes unexpectedly, this back up file will be opened again the next time you launch XMind. This backup file is be deleted if you close XMIND normally.

Topic text alignment: In previous versions of XMIND, all topics had text that was centered. In this new version, topic text can be right aligned, centered or left aligned. For certain types of maps, this may be advantageous. 

Export to FreeMind map format: Version 3.0.3 adds export to the popular FreeMind open source mind mapping format. XMIND now supports an impressive array of export formats, including image file, HTML web page, MindManager, PDF, RTF, Microsoft Word (Windows only) and PowerPoint (Windows only) and plain text.

Enhanced map zooming: You can now zoom the map view with CTRL + the mouse scroll wheel in Windows, and Command + mouse scroll wheel in Mac OS X. I like this functionality, because it’s much faster than trying to click on a zoom button within the program’s work space.

Find and replace: You can now search for and replace text in topic labels, relationships, boundaries, map summaries and topic notes.

Auto hyperlink: If you are typing a web page address in topic notes, XMIND v3.0.3 will automatically convert it to a hyperlink. Apparently this wasn’t supported in previous versions.

Spell checker in topic notes: XMIND v3.0.03 now checks your spelling as you’re typing. If you add a lot of notes to your mind maps, this feature is be essential. I’m surprised that it wasn’t offered before. 

In addition, the developers of XMIND improved its memory usage and made other bug fixes to the program.

Version 1.0 of MindBerry was released on March 24th, and includes these features:

• Map navigation using the trackball and number keys to move from node to node – the 2, 4, 6 and 8 keys are used for up/left/right/down navigation
• Scrolling of larger maps, using a combination of the ALT key and the trackball
• Utilizing the spacebar to fold and unfold map branches – clever!
• Using the Blackberry’s shortcut menu to access MindBerry’s map editing commands
• The ability to drag and drop map branches (using the M key to select a node and the M key again to “drop” it in its new location)
• Cutting and pasting of map nodes
• “Reflecting” a map node – moving it from the left side of the map to the right side, or vice versa
• The ability to customize topics with icons, colors and fonts (dialogs for each of these options are once again accessed using specific keys, such as C for the color palette and I for icons)
• Notes can be attached to maps

MindBerry can also import and export Freemind maps. It would be great to see compatibility with MindManager maps in a future version, since that is the mind mapping program that is most widely utilized in corporate environments.

Overall, it looks like the developers have done a great job of creating a highly functional mind mapping application for the Blackberry!

Software for process mapping

Doug: I was asked today to recommend a software tool to help a company map out the work processes for its advertising executives.  The reflexive response was “Visio.”  However, something gnawing away inside me suggests this might be a good mind mapping application.  Have I lost my marbles and entered the realm where everything looks like a mind mapping application?  If I haven’t lost my mind could you suggest a place where I could turn to demonstrate this makes sense?

Chuck: If you’re planning projects, then mind mapping software can be an excellent “front end” tool to help organize them. On the other hand, if what you’re doing is purely business process mapping, then I’d recommend Visio or SmartDraw, which is a great, less expensive alternative.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP

Stuart: I don’t recall seeing much about ConceptDraw MINDMAP, yet I have it on my Mac and like it better than others I have used including MindMatters. Are you familiar with it?

Chuck: Yes, I am. It’s a good program, which I last reviewed here. It is powerful enough to handle the needs of most business users, plus it enables you to do some unique things as far as adding vector-based drawings to your maps – because ConceptDraw MINDMAP is produced by the same developer as the powerful ConceptDraw vector illustration program.

Which mind mapping software is best for me?

Jawn: I’m lost in this ocean of choices. Do you have a guide on which software is best suited for me?

Chuck: Yes, there are too many mind mapping software programs on the market today, with more being introduced on a regular basis. The best software for you depends upon what you want to get done. Some programs are better suited for brainstorming, while others have some strengths in the area of project management. I would start with a clear picture of what you want to DO, then download the trial versions of the programs that are focused on those areas. You really need to do this in order to figure out which one is the best match for your workflow. If you’re completely new to the concept of mind mapping, you may want to start out with a free program like FreeMind or XMIND, or one of the new genre of web-based mind mapping tools, which are free or available at an inexpensive subscription fee. You can find reviews of many of the best mind mapping tools here and a comprehensive list of links to these tools on the resources page of this blog.

Boundaries for non-contiguous topics

Glen: Do you know of any mindmapping software that enables you to draw a “cloud” around topics in more than one parent link? (in other words, a cloud that extends across several branches that may not be adjacent to one another in your map).

Chuck: No, unfortunately, I don’t know of any mind mapping tool that is capable of doing this. As I understand it, what you want to do is show that these disparate topics are related. You can accomplish this using relationship lines.

Send me your questions

Got a question for me? You can submit it using the contact form on this blog.

Here are the factors that I believe will drive this rapid growth:

The barriers to adoption are falling: Tools have recently emerged that enable workers who do not have licensed copies of a major mind mapping software package to collaborate with those who do. I’m speaking here specifically about Mindjet’s recent announcement of the Mindjet Connect collaborative workspace and the MindManager Web client. The former is a collaborative workspace where work teams can share my maps and other files, while the latter is a new web client that replicates much of the functionality of the excellent MindManager desktop PC application. Both are available on an affordable subscription basis. When used together, this trio of tools significantly lowers the cost of deployment to corporations, while bringing workers who don’t have licensed copies of MindManager into the collaboration loop. BusinessWeek magazine recognized the significance of this new family of visual mapping and collaboration tools in a recent article.  The author states, “The company may have hit a tipping point with the new online version that came out in November… So much Web 2.0 stuff targets people with a lot of free time on their hands. It doesn’t add much value. But this Mindjet application is the kind of thing that, eventually, could give Web 2.0 a good name.” MindManager Web is also an easy way for individuals and organizations to try out mind mapping software, without making a big investment in licensed desktop software. I believe that this new business model, as pioneered by Mindjet, will help to drive much wider adoption of mind mapping tools in 2009.

It plays well with other productivity tools: The leading mind mapping software programs have evolved to the point where they integrate very tightly with other productivity software, such as the Microsoft Office suite. This makes the process of moving your information and ideas from a mind map into other formats almost seamless. As a result, mind mapping software will enjoy growing acceptance as a powerful “front end” tool for developing projects, presentations, reports and for performing other common business tasks.

The move to open source mapping software is expanding: XMIND’s recent announcement that it will offer an open source version of its well-designed mind mapping program will further help to drive increased adoption of mind mapping software by business (click here for Vic Gee’s interview with an official of XMIND, who explains the reasoning behind their open-source move). Many people are already familiar with FreeMind, an open-source mind mapping program that is now downloaded over 5,000 times a day – that’s over 1.8 million potential new users per year! It has effectively become a no-cost way for people to try out mind mapping software, to see if it fits with their work style and workflow. It remains to be seen, however, how long it will take for a community of developers to coalesce around XMIND to help drive its future development and the creation of plug-ins to enhance its utility. Still, the move by a major software developer to offer an open-source version of its application is quite significant, in my opinion.

The outlook for future growth is bright: According to the developers of desktop mind mapping software, who I surveyed during December for some business outlook research I’m conducting, say they expect the market for mind mapping software to grow more than 25% during the next three years. Despite the current economic conditions, nearly 90% of them said they are very optimistic about the worldwide outlook for mind mapping software for the next year.

Positive, growing media coverage: Mind mapping software has enjoyed increased exposure in the business and computer media during the last year or two. Many of these articles give the impression that mind mapping software is now ready for prime time, because it is well aligned with today’s business needs. In short, it’s a powerful antidote to information overload, and it can help executives to be more productive and creative – critical qualities for today’s challenging global economic conditions. Mindjet has published studies that show that its MindManager software can save businesspeople up to 2 hours a day, and my surveys have shown similar results; readers of this blog say that mind mapping software increases their productivity by an average of 20 percent. One of reasons why the acceptance of mind mapping software hasn’t grown any faster is a lack of awareness; this wave of increased media coverage should help to spread the word to more business people that mind mapping software is the “must-have” business tool that meets today’s challenges.

What do you think? Do you believe mind mapping software has reached an “inflection point” of more rapid growth? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

A new outline view, which creates a visual hierarchy of topics and sub-topics, similar to a text outline (see screen shot at right). This outline can be expanded or collapsed one level at a time or on a case by case basis, which gives you a lot of control over how much or how little information you display in the workspace. Considering the sometimes-confusing nomenclature of PersonalBrain (gates, relationships, pins, etc.), this is a welcome addition to the program.

Tags are now centrally managed, making them easier to use and easier to apply consistently to your maps. In addition, you can easily switch to a map view that displays only tagged topics in both the workspace and any reports you generate from PersonalBrain.

A new Presentation Mode displays your map full screen, without any toolbars or dialog boxes.

New import options: PersonalBrain 5 can now import MindManager and Freemind maps, as well as Word outlines, Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML) files, Web Ontology Language (OWL) files (used in semantic web applications) and Internet Explorer and Firefox bookmarks. The ability to pull data from other programs into PersonalBrain maps should definitely be attractive to many users.

User interface enhancements: The menus have been reorganized in PersonalBrain 5 to make key commands more convenient. Also, the “plex” (the program’s map workspace) can now be panned using a keyboard command, rather than just the mouse. In addition, the mouse wheel can be used for both scaling and scrolling of thoughts.

Spotlight integration: The OS X version of PersonalBrain 5 supports Spotlight integration, which means you can now search inside file attachments contained inside your Brain or externally linked.

Outlook support: You can now drag content from Microsoft Outlook into your maps. Considering the amount of ideas and knowledge that get passed around most organizations in the form of e-mail, this is a much-needed addition to PersonalBrain 5!

You can download PersonalBrain 5 beta here, or purchase version 4.5 now and receive a free upgrade to version 5 when it is released.

One of the benefits of open-source software, of course, is that it’s free. But its shortcoming is often a lack of training and support for the product. Trying to figure out how to use Freemind from the wiki site that is its “home” on the web is a bit like drinking from a fire hose. There’s a ton of information here, and it’s up to you to wade through it all to figure out this program. Even finding the right program file to download takes some close scrutiny! If you’re an experienced mind mapper, Freemind is actually fairly easy to figure out. But if you’re like most people, you may find it hard to get up to speed with this powerful software.

That’s where Bob and DiscoverFreemind.com come in to the picture. Bob’s free service provides you with a more convenient link to download the program, several free reports (including keyboard shortcuts) plus tips on how to get the most out of it via e-mail. He also offers a series of low-cost video tutorials for Freemind that provide much more information on leveraging the functionality of this program.

Bob is a former teacher, and he brings this mentality to all of the training programs he produces. I’ve been following his work for the last 6 months or so, and I can safely tell you that he is not some fast-talking swindler seeking to make a fast buck in the world of online marketing. On the contrary, he seems like someone you can trust to provide you with real knowledge and value.

So why not check out DIscoverFreemind.com today?