Cody Fink

1547 posts on MacStories since January 2010

Former MacStories contributor.

[email protected]

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Evernote’s New Web Clipper for Safari

Bake in Clearly, integrate Skitch, toss in the clipper from Evernote’s helper, then add sharing, and you end up with Evernote’s new Web Clipper for Safari. Once a pop-up that simply copied the full page or URL, the new Web Clipper condenses page grabs and annotation tools into a simple sidebar, adding almost all of the base features you’d find in Skitch, a standalone screenshot, image, and PDF markup and sharing application for desktops and mobile devices.

The new Web Clipper is activated by clicking on the toolbar button, which slides out a sidebar that’s reminiscent of the formatting bar found in iWork’s updated apps for OS X Mavericks. All of the actions are organized neatly into various sections for cropping the web page, drawing shapes, and sharing the results. Arrows, squares, and text can be dragged around, rotated, and resized using onscreen handles for annotating webpages. Clip tools give you a wide variety of options, including the ability to format the page into a readable article view as Clearly would before taking the final screen grab. Sharing gives you a URL that you can paste into a chat app or your favorite website, while also presenting options to share via Facebook, Twitter, or publicly via Evernote itself. There’s a couple kinks with the extension, mainly that it doesn’t like to be used with swipe back gestures or the back button while the sidebar is open, but otherwise the tools work just as Skitch lets you on a Mac.

Saving web pages into Evernote is a great way to remember a cool design, highlight an important note, or refer back to a piece of content for later reading, homework, and marketing research in an instantly searchable database. The extension is a complete revamp over the previous one, putting all of the tools that used to require two or three apps into a streamlined list of actions that doesn’t get in the way. Chrome received the new look a while ago, and hopefully the Firefox extension is next.

Learn more and grab the Safari extension here from Evernote.

 

Google Play Music Now Available on the App Store

Joining the wealth of music streaming services such as Rdio and Spotify, Google Play Music is now available to download on the App Store. Formally announced in March, Google Play Music All Access originally let subscribers stream a collection of two million songs from the web and to Android devices for $9.99 a month. Similar to iTunes Match, Google also lets users match up to 20,000 songs from local music libraries for free, but like Spotify lets users listen to local music alongside streaming content.

Google Play Music for iOS brings all of All Access’ features to the iPhone, including unlimited streaming, ad-free custom radio stations with unlimited skips based on songs or artists, recommendations, and curated playlists. For streaming to speakers, the iOS app will stream over AirPlay and Chromecast.

Download Google Play Music from the App Store for free. A $9.99 monthly subscription is required to enjoy the service, but you can stream the first month for free.

[via 9to5Mac, The Verge]

iBooks 3.2 Flattens the Pages With New iOS 7 Design

iBooks was one of the most obvious examples of an app that made sense in Apple’s pre-iOS 7 world, when metaphors for describing real world objects were king. You had a shelf full of books, highlighting that looked like it was drawn by hand, and page curl animations that mimicked the feeling of flipping through a real book. The app was warm and inviting, providing a sense that you were browsing the modern equivalent of an actual book.

Apple has been staggering a lot of updates post-iOS 7, focusing on core product suites like iWork and iLife, coming back to apps like Remote at later time. I figured an app like iBooks would need some preferential treatment, given its importance to Apple’s ecosystem, their focus on education, and the relevance of the iBooks Store in the digital age. It would have been perfect to have on hand during this September’s Keynote, but maybe it would have been too much to announce on stage at once.

iBooks 3.2 features a brand new design that follows in the footsteps of Newsstand, with gradient rows replacing wooden shelves, leaving covers to stand out on their own. While some might have deemed all of the previous textures distracting, it’s almost a shame to see all of the rich design in the app stripped away. It’s still largely the same app as before, but it’s just been reduced to generic iOS 7-isms we’re all familiar with by now: textual buttons, straightened lines, and outline icons.

What’s gone is the charm — the new iBooks is strictly all business. Highlighting no longer has that ink-on-paper look to it, nor does inserting a note resemble a sticky or Post-it note. The app has received an iOS 7 inspired reskin, but what’s Apple doing to really show off this design’s potential? Developers such as Tapbots are taking iOS 7 design much further with apps like Tweetbot 3.

There’s also an update for iTunes U which is similar in design, using the same design language to describe courses and content.

iBooks and iTunes U are free updates from the App Store. Download them directly via the links below:

 

Thoughts on Nike+ Move for the iPhone

The waveform as shown in motion. It’s mesmerizing.

While not their own, it seems strange that an app Apple showcased on stage in September wouldn’t be available until early November, especially since it’s a major bullet point for one of the iPhone 5s’ key features. Designed exclusively[1] for use with the M7 coprocessor, Nike+ Move is one of the iPhone 5s’ most anticipated apps, expected to set the bar for fitness apps and demonstrate how useful Apple’s new motion technology actually is.

While Nike has stated the app provides an introductory experience into the Nike+ ecosystem, I’m not sure if I’m left wanting more. The app is pretty good, despite being an obvious gateway to other Nike products such as the FuelBand[2].

There’s two things I’ve learned about NikeFuel, the universal system used to measure your activity throughout the day: it’s a much better way to measure activity than step count, and it’s much more adaptable to a wider variety of exercises. NikeFuel doesn’t discriminate against how you move, so long as you get off your butt and get active.

Ultimately, the Nike+ Move app on the iPhone 5s, provided you have one, makes me question wether you need a separate wearable device. My opinion boils down to the M7 coprocessor and how it’s able to determine what you’re doing at any given time.

The problem with wearable fitness devices is that they’re geared towards urbanites, with companies suggesting potential buyers to get fit by stepping out of the office and taking a stroll around the block. They record steps counted, calories burned, and distance climbed, but that’s a rather narrow view into the world of activity and personal fitness[3]. And they’re step counters tied to your wrist, which don’t yet have robust algorithms to differentiate between walking and other activity to be considered reliable pedometers.

Apple’s M7 coprocessor is baked into a device you already have with you. It knows when you’re driving, and it knows when you’re walking vs. running[4]. Being in a phone, it’s also not locked to your body, and it doesn’t (hopefully) end up in the wash. Combined with NikeFuel, you end up with a surprisingly honest fitness device.

Adding to that potency is Game Center support. I don’t have to sign into a separate social network, join a new community, or find my friends. They automatically show up in the Nike+ Move app, and suddenly the idea of gaming my fitness vs. my friends actually works. Not only do I want to get active, I’m motivated to stay active.

Nike+ Move adds a ton of value to the iPhone 5s. It’s free, and for most people, it obviates the need to purchase a separate fitness device[5].

There’s six sections in the Nike+ Move app that break down your activity into various charts and info graphs. At its worst, Nike+ Move is a marketing tool disguised as a fitness app. At its most, it’s the iPhone’s best fitness app solely because the concept is simple: beat your score.

Apple keeps a log of your movement data on the iPhone so that other apps can tap into it at a moment’s notice. This means that you’ll effectively have a good baseline of fitness data to start with when you open a fitness app on the iPhone, and Nike+ Move is certainly no different, which averages the prior week’s total from the get-go.

The app encourages you to get moving, not only to match the prior day’s score, but to go above and beyond. It’ll tell you when you’re behind your average, remind you to “win the hour” by staying continually active for a 5 minute workout, and pit your score against people nearby in addition to Game Center friends to up the ante.

Nike+ Move provides a very similar experience to the Nike+ FuelBand App, lacking only a few features such as move reminders, session recordings (useful for tracking specific workout activity), and sharing successes with the Nike+ community. I’m impressed that the Nike+ Move app offers so much.

The downside is that the app is borderline an advertisement for other Nike+ products. Nike really wants to get people who download in the app to further invest themselves in their community and products, but I really need a solid reason to own a FuelBand considering this app has all the key features in place. I feel a bigger opportunity would be having a shop link in the app menu for directing people to Nike’s store for shoes and apparel[6] so people can gear up in ways that are more beneficial. With the phone having access to location data, there’s a lot you can do there with local and seasonal apparel suggestions.

Fortunately the ads are tucked into menus or hidden in stat info that you don’t have to tap on. In fact, the app is pretty good about just relaying your activity info. There’s no pressure to buy, and I’m sort of interested to see if Nike begins to add advanced features via in-app purchases for people like me who don’t see a need for the hardware component.

The app does require you to sign in via a Nike+ or Facebook login, and I chose the former rather than the latter. The login process feels like an unnecessary step for an otherwise good app, but on the bright side all of your activity data can then be taken to another device if you upgrade to a FuelBand or switch phones down the road.

Once you log in, Nike+ Move requires you to get moving before you can poke around and view your baseline data. A set of jumping jacks with the phone in hand will do the trick.

I don’t know if I need to go through all of the charts and graphs the app offers since they’re all self explanatory. There’s a few different ways Nike+ Move relays your activity, including a central NikeFuel counter, a daily line graph, and a weekly bar graph, but the one that people might raise questions is the location graph.

Nike+ Move asks to keep tabs on your location throughout the day, effectively keeping the location indicator in your status bar on all the time. While the app keeps tabs of your location in the background, I haven’t noticed any real noticeable battery drain (and I’m already running apps like Automatic in the background in addition to other apps that take advantage of geofencing).

These circles get bigger depending on how much you got active, not necessarily outlining the entirety of where you got active.

You can opt out of Nike+ Move’s location features, but they’re perhaps Nike+ Move’s coolest. Basically, the location graph puts big activity bubbles over (very general) areas that you’ve got active in. If you choose to compete with people nearby, you’ll likely end up competing regionally rather than hyper locally. It’s less like a FourSquare check-in and more like a neighborhood scoreboard. Just keep in mind your Game Center name and photo will be public.

I’ve talked a lot about an app that’s free, so at this point you should just download it if you haven’t already. I’m surprised that the app isn’t featured in this week’s Featured top banners on the App Store, but at least it’s found a spot in the enhanced collection.

Nike’s polish on Nike+ Move is remarkable, especially for the price of free. Lots of graphs and activity info is in motion, and Nike’s color palette is bright and captivating. Complaints about the app boil down to login issues, and I have to admit I’ve been logged out of the app at least once (but with no loss in recorded data).

The bigger story here is that the iPhone 5s is now officially a serious fitness device to be contended with. I’ve said before that the M7 in the iPhone 5s is Apple’s testbed for a potential wearable, but now I’m asking if they even need one.

Nike+ Move doesn’t break down nuanced data, calories burned, or supplement data with lifestyle information with nutritional plans. What it does do is encourage people to be just a little bit more active each day, and I think that’s absolutely enough for most people. Athletes who want more can have more, and that’s where the FuelBand, GPS running watches, and other fitness devices like heart rate monitors become compelling. For the rest of us? I’d say we’re set.

Download Nike+ Move from the App Store.

  1. While the App Store’s compatibility information states the app is ready for iPod touches and iPads running iOS 7 as well, Nike’s app description states: “iPhone 5S is required to get motivated with Nike+ Move.” ↩︎
  2. Can we talk about something Nike? On the product page it’s spelled Fuelband. On the press release and store page it’s spelled FuelBand. Standardize the CamelCase yo. ↩︎
  3. Personally, I find fitness programs like Wii Fit and Nike+ Kinect Training much more interesting than wearable technologies. Wearable devices don’t account for where people are, how people are moving, or reliably count steps. For suburbanites, wearables (aka pedometers) are a hard sell because the time to conveniently get active is going to be at a shopping center or around the neighborhood before or after work (large chunks of time are spent commuting). I don’t know about you, but it’s also not so easy to get outside in the cold of Winter. ↩︎
  4. I had to stop using the Jawbone UP because I got frustrated with the fact that it counted steps when I was driving. Plus the band ultimately gets in the way when you want to type at a keyboard, and while its sleeping data was useful, the textured band snags too much on bedding to be comfortable. If you sleep on your side on a box spring mattress, the UP’s morning alarm will loudly vibrate the bed, potentially waking your significant other. ↩︎
  5. I talked about this a little bit when I was invited onto The Menu Bar, but to me, the M7 coprocessor is the iPhone 5s’ most interesting feature. Yes: more so than Touch ID. ↩︎
  6. One of the views reveals how you moved, breaking down running, walking, and other movement statistics. Depending on what stat you tap on, you’ll get a pop-up telling you which product would better track that stat. ↩︎

Banca: A Simple Currency Converter Reimagined for iOS 7

 

You need no introduction to Banca, a beautiful converter that lets you quickly get the exchange rate between any currency currently in use. Redesigned from the ground up, Banca repurposes the best parts from apps like Convert and marries them with the functionality of a basic calculator for quick conversions. Fluid animations, a stowaway units pad, and thoughtful touches such as the option to flip conversions with a tap of the arrow reveals an app made with care. The app refreshes the world’s exchange rates automatically, providing up to date information in a simple, customizable interface. A free update on the App Store for previous customers, Banca can currently be downloaded for $1.99.

Nintendo Doesn’t Need to Make Games for Mobile→

Kris Naudus of GDGT writes about Nintendo, how it won’t cede control, and backs up Nintendo’s motivations with some history, including a brief deal with Philips of all companies.

Nintendo won’t make the switch to iOS because it means ceding control to a company that doesn’t make gaming its #1 priority. And that’s important to the people there – Nintendo is a culture. And they will go to great lengths to preserve that culture; for example, where most companies flush with cash would go on a spending and acquisition spree, Nintendo doesn’t.

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A Brief Review of the Nintendo 2DS

Sunday afternoon was the first time I had stepped into a GameStop in years. The store was surprisingly packed, with people trading in old iPod nanos and an iPhone 4S, while others were purchasing 3DS games. Pokémon X and Y were the hot items, with kids and parents (who could probably think of more productive things to do) waiting their turn in line. On a whim I asked about trade-in values, went home, erased the data off my Xbox 360, and returned to GameStop to trade it in for around forty bucks, with an extra thirty percent earned on top since I turned around and bought a game off of GameStop’s “trade offers” list. I hadn’t touched my 360 since my early college days, and I determined I wasn’t going to get a better deal on eBay or Craigslist, nor was it worth the hassle. Might as well get rid of it now before it’s worth next to nothing once the next generation of consoles arrive.

I walked out with one of three 2DS systems that were left and a couple of games. Considering that I was trading in other items, I really didn’t have to spend a whole lot of money to gain access to a large library of fun titles. As an adult, I purchased a system that the press has written off as “cheap” and “just for kids.”

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The Menu Bar Ep. 27: There Is No Show→

I had the pleasure of being on this week’s episode of The Menu Bar with Andrew Clark and Zac Cichy, who are some of the most laid back guys I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to in recent memory. I haven’t been on a podcast in a long time, and I’m glad they put up with my scatterbrain and ramblings. The show is 2 hours long… I’m sorry Andrew (who had to edit it all) and Harry. My fault.

Some of the things we chatted about:

  • All the Mac blogs have grown up, everyone’s cool, and we all found our own niche
  • iPhone 5c recommendation over iPhone 5s, and the A7 processor
  • Everything’s going free and what it means for Apple
  • The iPad lineup and potential pro offerings
  • The Nintendo 2DS, the 3DS ecosystem, and the magic of Nintendo
  • …and more!

I had a good time and needed to get some things off my chest, and I’m glad they gave me the opportunity to talk about some of the topics I’m interested in as of late. I do feel bad for talking over them sometimes: group chats are hard and I’ll get better with experience. I’m looking for feedback regarding things I could work on as far as speaking on a podcast, so shoot me a Twitter message or use our email and it’ll get to the right place. (Subject: Menu Bar if you go the email route.) Be nice tho!

Spoilers: Andrew bought a 2DS.

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