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The Latest from NPC: Next Portable Console and AppStories

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and I are joined by Jonathan Reed to check in on the parts of watchOS 11 that he’s still using, talk about browsing the web from an Apple Watch, and dig into the apps he uses day-to-day.

NPC: Next Portable Console

On NPC’s latest episode, we have lots of smartphone gaming news, console mods, a first peek at the future of Windows handheld gaming, and more. Plus, I share my first impressions of the Ayaneo Pocket Micro, and Brendon digs into OG hardware with the Nintendo DSi and Sony PSP.

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Dave Lee Reveals the Old-School Technology and Flaws Behind the tinyPod→

Announced back in May, the tinyPod is a plastic case that turns your strapless Apple Watch into an iPod-like phone. The company claims the case can make a cellular Apple Watch your “phone away from phone” with core apps like Messages, Phone, Music, Maps, and more. You can even use an app like μBrowser – which I talked about on this week’s AppStories – to stay connected to the web as well.

When the tinyPod was announced, I wasn’t sure whether this was incredibly silly or genius, but I was certainly intrigued to hear how it worked out. Units have now started appearing in the wild, and YouTuber Dave Lee (aka Dave2D) got ahold of one to test out.

Unfortunately, it seems like the quality of the case is poor, and the button in the middle of the scroll wheel is non-functional. Going back and looking at the promotional videos, I can now see that this was a deliberate choice.

What’s most intriguing about this accessory, however, is the mechanism the folks at tinyPod constructed to allow the scroll wheel to turn the Digital Crown. I’ll let Dave show you in detail, but suffice it to say it’s weird, old-school, and flawed – but I kind of love it. Crucially, though, it’s not enough to make me want one.

While the tinyPod seems like a no-go, I do admire people trying crazy ideas like this because every now and then, one of them sticks the landing.

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Michael MJD Revisits the Short-Lived HP TouchPad and Its Precursor Multitasking UI→

On YouTube, the fantastic Michael MJD—known for exploring the history of tech devices and software—recently revisited the 2011 HP TouchPad.

This short-lived tablet is quite fascinating. It originally shipped with webOS, an operating system which was ahead of its time, featuring a gesture- and card-based multitasking interface. In many ways, it resembled the iOS and iPadOS interfaces we’re all familiar with today.

Much like today’s iOS and iPadOS, webOS on the HP TouchPad allowed users to navigate the interface and switch between apps through swipes on the Home Screen, which hosted an overview of all your open apps.

I remember reading about the excitement surrounding the HP TouchPad when it launched—only to be discontinued a mere 49 days later. Watching Michael MJD explore its OS and unique UI truly felt like time travel to a time when the iPad was just beginning to take off as a computer for power users. I highly recommend checking out his walkthrough.

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Mac Hacks: Everyday Tailscale Uses for People Who Aren’t Network Administrators→

During our Club MacStories Fall Membership Drive, I published my Mac Hacks column, an exclusive perk of Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Mac Hacks is about exploring new ways of using the Mac and integrating it with other devices and novel workflows.

My latest column is all about Tailscale. As I explain in the story:

I’m a big fan of Tailscale, but it has two big problems that can make it confusing. The first issue is also one of Tailscale’s greatest strengths: its flexibility. The service has several built-in features that are useful as standalone tools, which is a good place to start. However, the ability to connect a disparate collection of devices without regard for their operating systems opens up a vastly larger universe of possibilities that’s only limited by your imagination. That makes it incredibly powerful – but a lot to wrap your head around, too.

So, to make Tailscale a little more accessible, I walked readers through how I’m using it to:

  • Share large files across my home network
  • Provide an added layer of security when using an unfamiliar Wi-Fi network
  • Move files from the Mac, iPhone, and iPad to Windows and Android devices
  • Remotely log into Macs
  • Directly access files on multiple Macs from my iPhone and iPad

Plus I cover using Tailscale to manage an over-the-air TV DVR, Plex server, and more.

Mac Hacks is just one of the many perks of Club MacStories.

Mac Hacks is just one of the many perks of Club MacStories.

Automation Academy is just one of many perks that Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members enjoy including:

  • Weekly and monthly newsletters 
  • A sophisticated web app with search and filtering tools to navigate eight years of content
  • Customizable RSS feeds
  • Bonus columns
  • An early and ad-free version of our Internet culture and media podcast, MacStories Unwind
  • A vibrant Discord community of smart app and automation fans who trade a wealth of tips and discoveries every day
  • Live Discord audio events after Apple events and at other times of the year

On top of that, Club Premier members get AppStories+, an extended, ad-free version of our flagship podcast that we deliver early every week in high-bitrate audio.

Use the buttons below to learn more and sign up for Club MacStories+ or Club Premier.

Join Club MacStories+:

Join Club Premier:

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iPod Fans Are Trying to Preserve Lost Click Wheel Games→

I last wrote about iPod click wheel games here on MacStories in…2011, when Apple officially delisted them from the iTunes Store. Thirteen years later, some enterprising iPod fans are trying to preserve those games and find a way to let other old-school iPod fans play them today.

Here’s Kyle Orland, writing at Ars Technica:

In recent years, a Reddit user going by the handle Quix used this workaround to amass a local library of 19 clickwheel iPod games and publicly offered to share “copies of these games onto as many iPods as I can.” But Quix’s effort ran into a significant bottleneck of physical access—syncing his game library to a new iPod meant going through the costly and time-consuming process of shipping the device so it could be plugged into Quix’s actual computer and then sending it back to its original owner.

Enter Reddit user Olsro, who earlier this month started the appropriately named iPod Clickwheel Games Preservation Project. Rather than creating his master library of authorized iTunes games on a local computer in his native France, Olsro sought to “build a communitarian virtual machine that anyone can use to sync auth[orized] clickwheel games into their iPod.” While the process doesn’t require shipping, it does necessitate jumping through a few hoops to get the Qemu Virtual Machine running on your local computer.

Olsro’s project is available here, and it includes instructions on how to set up the virtual machine so you can install the games yourself. Did you know that, for example, Square Enix made two iPod games, Crystal Defenders and Song Summoner? Without these fan-made projects, all of these games would be lost to time and link rot – and we unfortunately know why.

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CoverSutra Adds a Standalone Apple Music Client to Your Mac’s Menu Bar

CoverSutra by Sophiestication is a name that may sound familiar if you’re as ancient as Federico, who last reviewed the app on MacStories in January 2010. At the time, the app was a fully-featured iTunes controller. It could display your music in the menu bar as well on the Desktop. It also used to act as a Last.fm client and ship with a bunch of customization features.

This month, CoverSutra is back with version 4.0. This new version was rewritten from the ground up with a different approach: instead of being a controller for Apple’s native Music app, CoverSutra is now a standalone client for Apple Music on the Mac. In practice, this means that you can search your Apple Music library, pick any album or playlist, and start listening without ever having to launch the Music app.

Search is CoverSutra’s highlight feature. Using CoverSutra for the past week on my Mac has made me realize how much more time I usually spend in the Music app just searching through my library. Searching with CoverSutra, on the other hand, is fast and persistent. You can start typing part of an artist’s name, album, or song title, and search results will instantly appear in the menu bar popover window. And as long as you don’t start a new search, your search results will not disappear, even if you click away from the menu bar.

CoverSutra's layout for search results puts the emphasis on album and playlist covers.

CoverSutra’s layout for search results puts the emphasis on album and playlist covers.

I’ve also found that CoverSutra suits my listening habits pretty well. As the kind of person who likes to play albums from front to back and rarely relies on curated playlists, I’ve enjoyed how CoverSutra allows me to quickly bring up an album and play it from the beginning. The layout emphasizes album and playlist covers and makes it easy to instantly spot the album you are looking for.

In its current shape, CoverSutra 4.0 is pretty basic. Apart from search, playback controls, and the ability to set your own global keyboard shortcuts, there are no additional features or settings. However, I’m hopeful that the app can start fresh from this new foundation. Unlike similar alternatives on the Mac like Neptunes or Sleeve, CoverSutra’s potential as a standalone player in the menu bar may enable a range of more advanced features.

CoverSutra supports custom global keyboard shortcuts.

CoverSutra supports custom global keyboard shortcuts.

CoverSutra 4.0 is available on the Mac App Store. For a limited time, the app is available at an introductory price of $4.99. If you’ve purchased CoverSutra on the Mac App Store in the past, the upgrade to version 4.0 is free.

Pixelmator Pro: Professional Image Editing Tools Anyone Can Use [Sponsor]

Pixelmator Pro proves that powerful Mac image editors don’t need to be complex. The app is designed for ultimate ease of use. It’s the ‘image editor for the rest of us’ who want a native Mac app that’s instantly familiar.

The app includes a refined, single-window design that puts the focus on your work instead of your tools. Pixelmator Pro features a completely nondestructive editing workflow that allows you to experiment, unleashing your creativity with the confidence that you can always revert any changes you make.

Pixelmator Pro has full RAW image support, layers, and advanced photo editing for fine tuning. The app also includes extensive machine learning-based tools that can automatically enhance your photos.

Pixelmator Pro isn’t just for photographers though. Illustrators will love the app for its vector tools and SVG file support, digital painters will appreciate the app’s powerful painting engine and extensive set of dual-texture brushes, and anyone who works with video will enjoy its video templates designed with YouTube and social media in mind.

Best of all, Pixelmator Pro’s features are lightning fast because they’ve been built from the ground up using Apple’s latest technologies like Metal 2, which powers the app’s editing engine. Pixelmator Pro is ready for the upcoming Mac Pro too with full support for multiple GPUs.

To learn more, visit Pixelmator Pro’s website where you’ll find even more details along with terrific tutorials. Then, download the app and start editing your images like a pro.

Our thanks to Pixelmator Pro for sponsoring MacStories this week.

The Latest from Comfort Zone, Magic Rays of Light, and MacStories Unwind

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Matt buys his first ereader, Niléane has moved to a new calendar app, and for the challenge everyone did something with Stage Manager.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon discuss the first five years of Apple TV+ and where the service stands today. Plus, they highlight new Apple Original series You Would Do It Too and Before.

MacStories Unwind

This week, the differences between U.S. and Italian Halloween, plus game, app, and TV recommendations. We also share a spooky season movie bundle deal.

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Pixelmator Team to Join Apple→

Today, the Pixelmator team (this and next week’s MacStories sponsor) announced on their company blog that they plan to join Apple after regulatory approvals are obtained. The Pixelmator team had this to say about the news:

We’ve been inspired by Apple since day one, crafting our products with the same razor-sharp focus on design, ease of use, and performance. And looking back, it’s crazy what a small group of dedicated people have been able to achieve over the years from all the way in Vilnius, Lithuania. Now, we’ll have the ability to reach an even wider audience and make an even bigger impact on the lives of creative people around the world.

Pixelmator also says:

There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time.

The Pixelmator Team’s apps have always been among our favorites at MacStories. In 2022 we awarded Pixelmator Photo (now, Photomator), the MacStories Selects Best Design Award, and in 2023, Pixelmator received our MacStories Selects Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations to everyone at Pixelmator. We can’t wait to see what this exciting new chapter means for them and their fantastic suite of apps.

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