Installing MindManager Mobile
Installing MindManager Mobile is simple. Once you download the setup file from the Mindjet Web site, just double-click it. It automatically adds MindManager Mobile and a Welcome to MindManager Mobile mind map to the list of applications that will be installed on your Palm handheld the next time you perform a HotSync operation.

Using MindManager Mobile
Once MindManager Mobile is installed on your handheld, it appears on the Applications screen with all your other applications, as shown in Figure B. Tap the icon to start MindManager Mobile.

FIGURE B

Just tap the MindManager Mobile icon and start mind mapping.

The first thing you see when you start MindManager Mobile is the Map List View shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C

Use Map List View to open a particular mind map.

Use this view to select the mind map you want to work on. Welcome to MindManager Mobile is the introductory mind map that the setup program added to your handheld, while Visualize and organize is the mind map I used to design this article. You can tap the New Map button in the lower left corner of the screen to start a map from scratch.

Once you select a mind map, MindManager Mobile switches to Map View (shown in Figure D) to give you a graphic representation of the first-level branches of the map.

FIGURE D

In Map View you get an overview of your mind map.

In this view, you can edit the central theme of the map (Mindjet calls it the title of the map), or tap a branch to work on that branch.

Working on branches
The final view is Branch View. Branch View is where most of the work gets done in MindManager Mobile. In this view, you can do all these things with the branches:

• Add and remove them;
• Expand, close, and lock them;
• Edit, copy, paste, and move them;
• Drag and drop them.

Figure E shows Branch View for this article's mind map.

FIGURE E

Branch View is where the work gets done.

You can also enhance your mind maps. You can highlight branches, make text bold, or mark tasks Done or Not Done by tapping the appropriate buttons on the Branch View. Consult the MindManager Mobile Help or the Welcome to MindManager Mobile mind map (see Getting Help) for explanations of the use of each button in each view.

More advanced is the ability to prioritize branches, add text notes to them, and include special codes that cause various useful icons to appear next to branches. To use these advanced features, you tap the Branch Properties button on the Branch View. This opens the Branch Properties dialog box shown in Figure F. Using the Branch, Codes, and Notes pages is self-explanatory.

FIGURE F

The Branch Properties dialog box helps you enhance your mind maps.

Synchronizing with your desktop PC
While MindManager Mobile is a useful product on its own, if you really get into mind mapping, you should consider buying MindManager Business Edition as well. This version of the product lives on your desktop PC. It has much more power and flexibility than MindManager Mobile and can synchronize mind maps with MindManager Mobile. This means you can take advantage of the video and processing power of your desktop machine when you're working in the office, while carrying your mind maps with you when you're on the move. Any changes you make (in either place) get merged into both mind maps when you next HotSync, with you being able to specify which side "wins" if there's a conflict between desktop and handheld (like both trying to change the same branch).