It was only a matter of time: A developer recently launched the first mind mapping application for the popular Blackberry line of mobile devices, called (naturally enough) MindBerry. It appears to make the most of the diminutive PDA’s screen, and leverages the handheld’s keyboard extensively to speed the completion of common tasks.
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!
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