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.

Here is a brief summary of mind mapping tools that are currently available for the iPhone and iPod Touch:

iBlueSky

Developed by Tenero Software Ltd., iBlueSky appears to be one of the most fully developed mind mapping tools for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It features organic looking, curved connector lines, the ability to drag, arrange and edit items on the page, scroll, zoom and rotate the workspace and e-mail finished maps in NovaMind, PDF, PNG, OPML, text and Freemind formats. Click here to read my blog post about the integration between iBlueSky and NovaMind. The cost of iBlueSky is $7.99

iThoughts

This mind mapping tool, developed by CMS, offers some nice functionality. In addition to enabling you to create maps with colored topics and curved connector lines in multiple colors, iThoughts also enables you to attach notes (with embedded hyperlinks to web pages, e-mail addresses and phone numbers) and icons to topics, and to merge topics together. You can also link one map to another – very useful if you’re working with a complex issue. Maps may be saved to OPML and Freemind formats, as well as imported from these format into iThoughts – nice! You can zoom and scroll maps in both landscape and portrait modes. I thought this also supports maps that are much larger than the iPhone screen, up to 100 times larger. Attached notes can contain hyperlinks to phone numbers, websites, e-mail addresses and other maps – nice! You can also wirelessly upload and download maps using a web browser. This works by selecting the program’s “transfer” option. This uploads your map to a secure website; a message in the iThoughts window tells you what URL your map has been uploaded to, so you can retrieve it with your PC. This URL displays a list of the maps stored on your iPhone. Why did CMS resort to this workaround? Because Apple will only allow users of the iPhone to attach JPG images to outgoing e-mails. The cost of iThoughts is $6.99.

Instaviz

This application offers rudimentary mind mapping and diagramming capabilities, with straight connector lines. Unique capabilities of Instaviz include the ability to undo an item by shaking the iPod (which contains an accelerometer that senses motion). To change a topic shape, simply sketch a new shape over the old one. Zooming is accomplished using the two-fingered pinch motion. Diagrams can be exported to box.net or iDisk (online file storage services) or to any WebDAV server (in DOT/GV and PDF formats). To view a video of Instaviz in action, please visit the application’s website. The cost of Instaviz is $9.99.

iDiagram

This application, developed by Nexar Software Studios, lets you draw diagrams with rectangles, ovals, lines and text, both portrait and landscape modes. While iDiagram is not strictly a mind mapping application, you can create mind map-like diagrams, with a central topic and connected subtopics. You can change the line width and color, font size and color, and object background color. Diagrams may be saved as JPG images in your iPod photo album; from there, you can e-mail them to yourself or others. The cost of iDiagram is $3.99.

Headspace

Headspace, produced by Flat Black Films, was recently reviewed in this blog. Headspace topics are arranged in vertical columns called “groups.” They can have “child” topics, which are indented from the main level of the column – a visual hierarchical outline. Items can also be grouped into “stacks,” which makes efficient use of the iPhone’s screen real estate. An Item in one group can be linked to an item in another group, which gives Headspace a vaguely mind map-like quality. To move items around the workspace, you use a single finger to drag and drop them. To pan the workspace, you drag with two fingers. Zooming is accomplished using the popular two-fingered “pinch” gesture, while dragging three fingers across the screen will rotate the view. As of this writing, Headspace doesn’t offer any options for exporting your files – they remain stuck on your iPhone. Click here for a review of Headspace by AppleTell.com.  The cost of Headspace is $0.99.

MindMaker

MindMaker, developed by Ultravague, enables you to create topics and connect them using straight lines. You can navigate your maps by dragging your finger across the iPhone’s screen. You can export your maps in OPML and Freemind formats, and can also backup your files online and share them with other MindMaker users. The cost is $4.99.

Zeptopad 2.0

The developer of Zeptopad, Ubiquitous Entertainment, characterizes this application as a mobile note taking and mind mapping tool. You can use it to draw freehand mind maps, starting by placing topics around the workspace and then drawing circles or rectangles around them and connecting them with lines. You can also draw vector images in Zeptopad, and can adjust the color and thickness of the lines. What’s more, you can take a photo using the iPhone and then import it into your Zeptopaad drawing. Pinch the screen and the workspace expands to provide more space for drawing. You can rotate an object by first selecting it and then moving two fingers in a circular motion. If you’re standing close to another iPhone user, you can use the application’s unique “shake and share” capability to transfer the drawing on the screen to him or her. In addition, you can use Zeptopad and your iPhone with a wireless projector as a mobile presentation device – very cool. You can export your maps and drawings as JPG or PDF files. The cost of Zeptopad is $9.99.

MindMeister

In early January, the developer of MindMeister announced that he plans to release an iPhone version of this popular web-based mind mapping application. It will contain most of the functionality of MindMeister, and should be released around mid-February.

Recommendations

The most attractive usage scenario for these new mapping tools would be to use the iPhone to capture your ideas in a basic mind map, and then transfer it to a desktop mapping application for further development and refinement. While most of these tools enable you to move your maps off of the iPhone, only iThought and iBlueSky enable you to export them in editable form; the rest output your maps as static JPG images or PDF files – not very useful. I give iBlueSky a slight edge because of its tight integration with NovaMind.

I can’t wait to see what developers come up with next on this exciting new mobile platform!

iBlueSky offers a rich mapping environment for the diminutive iPhone and iPod Touch that enables you to capture your ideas any time, anywhere. To move your maps from iBlueSky to NovaMind, you must e-mail them to yourself, from your iPhone to your PC. Attached to this e-mail is your map in several formats, including NovaMind’s native .nmind file format. You can then continue to expand and refine your map within NovaMind, adding links, task information and other enhancements to it. This integration works with all three versions of NovaMind – Express, Pro and Platinum – on both the Windows and Mac operating systems. No upgrade to iBlueSky is needed to support this integration.

At the present time, integration is only one way – from the iPhone to NovaMind. But the product announcement on the NovaMind website says that both programs will support two-way communication by the end of January.

I applaud NovaMind Development for jumping upon this opportunity so quickly. Clearly, the iPhone has a lot of potential as an idea capture device, which is only starting to be realized. For the casual user, who has no idea what OPML is, much less what to do with it, this seamless integration is a welcome productivity enhancer!

The developer, Tenero, plans to add export support for other popular file formats in the near future. iBlueSky is available for download from the Apple iTunes AppStore.

The latest mind mapping tool for the iPhone is iBlueSky, developed by Tenero Software Limited, and it appears to have achieved a remarkable balance between simplicity and functionality.

Although I haven’t had an opportunity to use it (I don’t own an iPhone – yet!), the developer has conveniently launched a video of iBlueSky in action on YouTube that provides a great overview of what this diminutive map app can do.

The user interface appears to be a masterpiece of simplicity, with only buttons to access your list of maps, add and delete topics, and to access cut, copy, paste, and e-mail commands. It’s designed to preserve as much of the iPhone screen to display your maps.

To add a topic to your map, you simply tap on the topic that you want to start from, and then tap on a “plus” (+) button on the lower part of the screen. A keyboard pops up on screen so you can add the text for your topic. Individual topics can be moved from one location within your map to another using the aforementioned cut/copy/paste commands.

iBlueSky also takes full advantage of the iPhone’s touch capabilities: To scroll around a map, you simply drag your finger across the screen. To zoom in, you use the “pinch” maneuver (in which you move two fingertips closer together). By rotating the iPhone or iPod Touch, you can automatically switch from portrait to landscape display modes; according to the developer, the landscape is preferred, because it makes the buttons on the virtual keyboard easier to use.

One of the biggest shortcomings of MindMaker, another iPhone mapping application that I recently featured in this blog, is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to move your maps off of the iPhone and into a desktop mapping program for further development. iBlueSky addresses this by including the ability to e-mail your maps to anyone in your iPhone contact list. Maps can be exported as PDF or PNG files. While this still doesn’t allow me to open iBlueSky maps in another mapping program, it’s definitely a step in the right direction!

Now that I’ve watched the iBlueSky video, I’m thinking even more seriously about investing in an iPhone!