Brain Training vs Thoughtstream

Ideation is brain training for creativity and critical thinking. Instead of a finished answer, it gives your topic a short nudge: a question, a fresh angle, a weak spot. You think it through. YOU DO THE THINKING, NOT THE AI When an AI chat hands you the whole answer, your brain reads instead of thinking. Nobody gets stronger watching someone else lift. The AI in Ideation tosses in a few thoughts to chew on, and you build the reasoning. Call it an idea generator in reverse: the ideas are yours, the nudge only points the way. That's brain training: the AI nudges, you do the lifting. A nudge can be: • a question you hadn't asked yourself • an angle that makes the topic look different • a weak spot, better found now than later BRAINSTORM FROM EVERY ANGLE Up to three characters weigh in on a topic, each in their own way: • the critic looks for where an idea will crack • the motivator, for the first step • the psychologist, for what's behind the question • the marketer thinks about people and value • the minimalist keeps what matters • the optimist sees what could work out Then the troublemakers: the politician answers a different question, the toxic one needles you, and the crush cares more about you than your ideas. Arguing back is a critical thinking workout of its own. Stuck? Bring in other characters. DEPTH OVER BREADTH A hundred shallow ideas aren't worth much. A thought that grabs you grows a branch one level down, and that branch grows another, as deep as you like. Ideas get worked out instead of dropped halfway. The thought map shows where everything came from. Sorting is thinking too: • keep the thoughts that click • clear out the rest • gather the key ones in favorites Telling strong from empty is critical thinking at work. NOTES THAT GROW Write your own thoughts next to the nudges. They're notes, only alive: each can grow a branch too. Once a thought is written down, your brain can let go of it, and your attention is free for the next one. Export makes an indented text list: • every thought • one branch or level • favorites only Paste it into any notes app. FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION When thoughts scatter, it's hard to concentrate. Here the focus stays on one topic, with short thoughts instead of a wall of text. Got distracted? Pick up your train of thought where you left off. For nudges that land closer, add context: • the goal: what you're after • constraints: time, money, energy • what you've tried and what didn't work WHAT TO THINK ABOUT This brain training fits any goal, question, or doubt: • find a gift for a friend who has everything • figure out why I keep putting things off • come up with ideas for a blog, podcast, or newsletter • decide whether to change careers • plan a move or a road trip • write a toast, a speech, or a cover letter • start running and still be at it in February • pick a hobby or what to learn next • make sense of an argument and see the other side • get out of a creative rut HOW THE BRAIN TRAINING WORKS 1. You write a topic: a goal, a question, or a doubt. 2. You pick up to three characters. 3. You get a few short thoughts and keep the ones that click. 4. The thought that hooks you grows into a branch one level deeper. 5. You add your own thoughts, and the topic becomes a tree of your ideas. SUBSCRIPTION Free: • 250 thoughts a week • 3 roles: Universal, Critic, and Motivator • up to 3 saved boards with up to 100 thoughts each • every role is open on the first of them PRO: • all roles • unlimited thoughts and boards Up to three roles at once on any plan. PRO is an auto-renewing subscription. The period, price, and trial terms are on the purchase screen. It renews unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the period ends. You can cancel it in your Apple ID settings. Ideation is brain training for creativity and critical thinking on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later. Terms of Use: https://tryideation.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://tryideation.app/privacy/

Give your thoughts somewhere to grow. Thoughtstream is a private notebook for ideas you want to capture, review, connect and develop. Speak, write, import audio or text/Markdown, or attach an image. No title or category is required. CAPTURE AND REVIEW See recognized words during recording and after saving. Supported devices use modern Apple live transcription; others try on-device dictation when available. Finish partial text from saved audio. Original and latest recognized words stay separate from edited writing, and recordings remain available when recognition fails. Open Review recording to compare words with audio. Play matched passages and mark words you have checked; missing or mismatched timing uses whole-recording playback. Processing details show the recorded engine, language, source and available revision. Older unknown history stays unknown. Review marks are not accuracy scores. Check names, amounts and decisions. CORRECT WITH CONTROL Select a sentence and record or type its replacement. Listen, preview, then Apply. Before/after history and replacement audio stay available; Undo while the correction remains current. Resume unfinished replacement text as a local draft. Unapplied recordings can be kept as dated additions. Re-transcribing additions preserves edited writing. ORGANIZE YOUR WORDS Points previews numbered or bulleted lists from clear spoken cues such as First, Second, Third. Unclear sequences stay unformatted. For Goal, Plan or Script, place exact passages under headings; unassigned words remain in Notes. Preview and save a separate organized version with its source. No goals or lines are invented. Formatting does not fix misheard words. No AI download required. OPTIONAL OFFLINE SPEECH Choose US, UK or India English for System recognition. Modern Apple recognition needs supported hardware and installed assets. Or download the compact English pack for saved/imported and replacement recordings: about 79 MB plus preparation space. Live capture stays Apple. Personal vocabulary helps Apple recognition. Accuracy varies; this is recognition, not language translation. FIND, RETURN AND CONNECT Search words, word beginnings, additions, collections and recognized image text. Optional meaning search uses supported Apple on-device embeddings. Save searches with filters. Continue recent projects with their visible collection, filters and search; forget history at any time. Explore accepted links in a focused Mind map or complete list. Named trails support Back, earlier steps and optional resume. Links outside the selected view remain available. Collections, favorites, tags, Archive and restorable Trash are optional. SOURCE-LINKED BRIEFS Choose up to eight thoughts and exact excerpts for Evidence, Decisions, Open questions or Next steps. Preview and save in the selected collection. Check next steps; originals show briefs citing them. Source status distinguishes present quotes, removed passages, archived sources, Trash and missing originals. Saved quotes survive source deletion. Excerpts are limited to 1,200 characters per source. Eligible Apple Intelligence devices can suggest sections from exact quotes; review before saving. LISTEN AND KEEP Read aloud with installed Apple voices, speed and passage controls. Add dated writing or recordings. Protect access with Face ID, Touch ID or passcode. Export Markdown/PDF or complete media backups. Local automatic backups stay on this device; export elsewhere for device-loss protection. Exports are readable, not encrypted archives. No account, subscription, tracking, app cloud sync or developer transcription server. Optional downloads contact their host; audio and writing are processed locally. Device backups and chosen destinations follow your settings. Previously Ideationplay. Existing records, original details and valid relationships are retained.