As the number of mind mapping applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch have continued to grow, one of the continuing challenges has been how to get your mind maps off of your portable device and into a desktop mind mapping software package for further development. Several of these programs offer support for OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) and FreeMind, an open-source mind mapping program. But NovaMind Development Pty. has taken the lead by partnering with the developers of iBlueSky to offer integration between this leading portable mind mapping application and NovaMind.
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!
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