Federico Viticci of Macstories is compiling a list of new external keyboard shortcuts that work with iOS 7. As someone who primarily works with an iPad and a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, I can attest that some of these shortcuts are daily lifesavers for me.
Some others that have already been supported for a while and that I use all the time are these basic text-selection shortcuts:
If someone had told me a month ago that Pocket Casts was about to usurp Instacast's spot on my iOS dock, I would have looked at them like they were crazy.
For as long as I could remember, Instacast was the podcast app that I felt provided the best overall experience on the App Store, and the one I recommended to everyone else who asked. But as it turns out, Instacast's recent 4.0 update sadly resulted in a step backwards in usability. I talked about this a bit in my recent article about the state of podcast apps on iOS 7:
“The playback controls cover up some of the podcast artwork, the advanced toolbar […] can no longer be hidden, and the cloud sync service no longer seems to work properly.”
Replacing an app on my dock is a pretty rare occurrence since I'm picky about what gets put there in the first place, but Instacast just hasn't been cutting it for me anymore. And so, I found myself doing something I never expected: I decided to give Pocket Casts another shot.
This won't be a comprehensive list, because there are other people who have already done that sort of thing. As someone who wasn't in on the beta and therefore wasn't early enough to the game to write such a post, I just wanted to give a little rundown of some of the little details in iOS 7 that I've been enjoying since updating:
There was a period of time – between early 2011 and about two weeks ago – when I would tell anyone within hearing distance that Instacast was easily the best podcast app for iOS. No doubt about it.
Oh, I'd tried all the big names at some time or another, of course — Pocket Casts,Downcast, Stitcher Radio, and even Apple's own Podcasts. Though each was great in its own way, something kept me coming back to Instacast time and time again.
It was super easy to use, my subscriptions were synced between my iPhone and iPad with almost no issues1, and of course, it was easy on the eyes. In my mind, the other competitors had lost this battle a long time ago. I was an Instacast guy through-and-through.
And then iOS 7 happened.
Ever since sometime in 2008, I've been a user and ardent fan of Evernote. Over the years, it's been the place where I've dumped just about everything I possibly can — interesting articles from the web, recipes, tutorials, project ideas, blog drafts, purchase receipts, shopping lists, inventories, gift ideas, bits of inspiration…the list goes on and on.
It was my Everything Bucket — my external brain. And for a while, it was a pretty good one.
Shawn, Stephen, and I are putting together a running list of what we think are the best iOS 7-compatible apps and updates. The list will be updated continually over the next few days, so keep checking back for more awesome stuff.
The wait is ~*finally*~ over. You can now pick up Reeder 2 from the iOS App Store for only $5, and it works on both iPhone and iPad. The previous iPhone version of Reeder already supported Feed Wrangler – my RSS service of choice – but this update also brings Feed Wrangler support to the iPad.
I've sorely missed being able to use Reeder on my iPad, and it feels good to have it back. My initial impression (after only 10 minutes of playing with it) is very positive, other than that it took a long time to sync my Feed Wrangler Smart Streams.
And as always, Federico Viticci published his review of Reeder 2 immediately after the app was available for purchase. Go check it out.
I've been anxiously awaiting the release of Editorial after Federico Viticci mentioned it a while back, and now it's finally here. Speaking of Viticci, you should go read his epic review of the thing.
If you'd like a more summarized description of Editorial, go check out my post about the app on Tools & Toys.
Over at Tools & Toys, Shawn Blanc and I put together a list of some awesome iOS apps and games that have gone free this week to celebrate the App Store's 5th anniversary.
Seriously, this list is full of great stuff, so go check it out.
Google Reader is dead, long live Google Reader.
Sorry, I had to.
Now that Reader has truly been put out to pasture, I suppose it's time to share what my new RSS setup looks like. I really liked the format of David Sparks' setup post, so I hope he doesn't mind if I copy it.
Marco Arment on what the iOS redesign means for app developers, whether they're established or relatively unknown:
“This big of an opportunity doesn’t come often — we’re lucky to see one every 3–5 years. Anyone can march right into an established category with a huge advantage if they have the audacity to be exclusively modern.”
This is something I hadn't thought of during my post-WWDC analysis (but then again, I'm not a developer). I mean, I knew that devs would probably be forced to update their visual design to better blend in with Apple's own apps, but Marco's right that this gives many non-established players more of a fighting chance than before.
Now I'm even more excited to see what happens next.
Matt Gemmell's astute take on the design of iOS 7:
“iOS 7 is much, much lighter – in the colour sense, and consequently also in visual weight. Breathable whitespace is everywhere, and is used to unify and homogenise previously disparate interface styles.
The overall impression is of brightness and openness. The extent of the change (and its consistency of application) only becomes obvious when considered in aggregate.”
This is true, there is a certain lightness to iOS 7 that seems refreshing. Call me crazy, but I expect that in the coming years we'll all be describing Apple software this way, using terms like: refreshing, room to breathe, airy, clarity, calmness, fluid, and so on.
Seems pretty Zen, doesn't it?
Yesterday was a big, big day for Apple. Not only did they announce a new version of OS X and preview a crazy new Mac Pro design, both of which look amazing, but they completely overhauled iOS for the upcoming 7.0 release.
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
– Carl Sagan
Sometimes when I’m browsing the web, or reading a book or article somewhere, I happen across a quote that strikes me in some way, and I feel compelled to save it somewhere for later. The reasons vary of course, but the most common one is simple: inspiration.
I’m not talking about the fluff you’d find on cheesy motivational posters, but rather genuine insight given to us by the great minds of the world. The kinds of teachings that show us how to be more than we are; that inspire us to achieve greatness.
Neven Mrgan looks at the photo-upload dialogs found within many iOS apps, and calls for a little uniformity between them:
“Does it matter if apps are consistent on matters of this sort? Decades of UI theory seems to indicate so. Having the same button say the same thing in all situations means the user has to do less parsing of the text, and can simply rely on quick-glance recognition.”
Like Neven, I've been bothered by these kinds of dialogs for a long time.
The problem is that so many apps use different wordings for these options, and in different orders from one another, that I can't always parse them immediately the way I should be able to. If I don't double-check the list, it sometimes ends with me accidentally tapping the wrong option.
Obviously the problem is avoided if I take an extra second or two to verify which option I'm selecting, but when you're having to do this all the time between all the various apps that allow photo uploads, those seconds really start to add up. It would benefit everyone if there were a standard button layout apps would adhere to.
Go read the rest of Neven's post to see his suggestions for other developers on this matter. I agree with every one.
This is a pretty big update, if you're an iPad owner. Now you can generate passwords right from within the browser (they're calling it "1Browser" now), just as if you were using the desktop app.
They've also added 'Go & Fill' bookmarks to the iPad version, which really streamlines the process of logging into websites, saving you from having to go back-and-forth between 1Browser and the Vault.
The iPhone will be receiving both of these awesome features in a later update, but for now you can still use the other new goodies: the ability to share encrypted logins (be very careful with this) and advanced search functionality.
If you want to get the update now, click here.
Federico Viticci lists many of the things I'd like to see in upcoming versions of iOS, and also several I hadn't even thought of. I'm especially on board with the idea of having more inter-app connectivity.
Frasier Spiers looks at the history of iOS:
“Three times in my career, Apple has shipped software that conventional wisdom said basically couldn't be done. The first was the Carbon layer of Mac OS X: most of the Mac toolbox running on a preemptively multitasking, protected memory Unix kernel. The second was Rosetta: PowerPC apps running unmodified and, for the most part, perfectly well on Intel processors.
iOS was the third. Conventional wisdom said that you couldn't possibly get a desktop OS running on a phone. Conventional wisdom said that you couldn't get rid of a user-visible filesystem. Conventional wisdom said you couldn't require all software on the platform to come through a first-party app store.
Right now, just before WWDC 2013, I think it's important to take time to appreciate exactly what iOS has achieved.”
He presents some fantastic data points, then delves into items he believes iOS should improve on for power users. Highly recommended reading, so grab a cup of coffee and go check it out.
Chris Bowler:
“My confidence and trust in free services is at an all time low. [...] So in the arena of read-it-later services, I've been thinking about options where I would be considered the customer.
I realized that one company that I do trust, for whom I am the customer, offers such a service. But it's one I never gave any consideration since it launched, I suppose because I was already enjoying some other service at the time. This company is Apple and the tool is Reading List.”
Chris makes some excellent points in this piece. I will remain an avid Instapaper user for the foreseeable future, but if the service were to ever shut down, I would probably give Reading List a shot over something like Pocket.
I don't typically dabble in Apple rumors around here, but this one makes me very excited, with only a slight tinge of worry:
“According to multiple people who have either seen or have been briefed on the upcoming iOS 7, the operating system sports a redesigned user-interface that will be attractive to new iOS users, but potentially unsettling for those who are long-accustomed to the platform...”
