Apple Mac HQ

Mind mapping is a great way to organize ideas, create outlines, brainstorm, make to-do lists, and much more.  MindNode is a program I use on my Mac to mind map because of its simplicity and ease of use.  Thankfully, there is a version for the iPhone/iPod touch called MindNode (touch) which has these same qualities.

When first using this app, I was expecting it to be clunky and unintuitive.  This is not the case though.  It is quite easy to make new nodes.  Since this app is not bloated, making alterations to nodes is painless.  Nodes can be changed to any color you want and can be added or detached from other nodes.

A list view is available as an alternative way to display mind maps, which is a great view on the small iPhone/iPod touch screen when mind maps get large and have tons of nodes.

Importing and exporting can be done between MindNode Pro for Mac when both apps are open and on the same Wi-Fi network.  This occurs very fast.  The mind maps from the regular version of MindNode work in MindNode (touch), but the process of importing and exporting takes a step or two more compared to MindNode Pro.  A browser interface can be used as well for importing and exporting.  MindNode (touch) can e-mail mind maps in multiple formats including MindNode document, FreeMind document, PNG image, text outline, and OPML outline.

The biggest downside, according to the app’s page in iTunes, is that “due to the low memory of mobile device, working with mind maps with more than 150 nodes may appear slow and unstable in the current version.”  Hopefully this will be fixed in a future version as mind maps can get large quickly.

MindNode (touch) is a joy to use.  If you purchase the app, you get a coupon to get 20% off of MindNode Pro.  MindNode (touch) 1.1 is now available for $7.99 in the
App Store (iTunes link).