I’m a big fan of Kirby Ferguson’s old Everything Is A Remix series and I can’t wait to see what he’s been working on. This case study on the iPhone does a good job at pointing out how the iPhone was really a revolution and what happened after it.
Everything Is A Remix Case Study: The iPhone→
Skitch Update Gives Retina Mac Owners Option to Export Lower Quality Images→
The second update for Evernote’s line of products makes life easier for Mac owners who are working on Retina displays. Skitch has been updated with an option that can turn off hi-res images, which halves the DPI and makes the image easier to send over mediums like email. Cleverly, Skitch will still retain the original image size client-side, syncing the full version with your Evernote account.
Grab the Skitch update from the Mac App Store.
Evernote for iOS Adds Business Card Scanning, Presentation Mode for Premium Members→
In the first of two updates, Evernote for iPhone and iPad got a nice update yesterday that mainly benefits premium members. Premium members can now scan in an unlimited number of business cards that are converted into editable contact notes, which can be further updated with info from your LinkedIn account or address book contacts. Presentation Mode lets you present your notes as full screen presentations over AirPlay. Non-paying members can add 5 business cards and try Presentation Mode for 14-day days. Lastly, they’ve made a change to the quick note function, letting you choose whether ideas get siphoned into your business notes instead of a personal notebook.
Check out the App Store listing for all the relevant update info, and check out premium plans here.
Party DJ Brings iTunes DJ Feature Back to iOS 7 With App for iPhone and iPad
Developed by Alex Price, Party DJ is an iOS 7 app that brings back one of the old features of iTunes DJ and Apple’s Remote app: the possibility to collaborate with friends on what music to play through a voting system. The app, available today on the App Store, comes in two versions: a paid, $1.99 “host + remote” app to handle playback and queue management, and a free Remote companion to install on iPhones or iPads that can vote songs. Price is the developer behind CameraSync, a longtime favorite of mine, and I was immediately intrigued when he showed me Party DJ a few weeks back. Read more
Twitter 3.0 Lands on the Mac App Store
Twitter 3.0 for the Mac sort of brings the Mac app up to date with its iOS counterpart, adding inline images, inline tweet convos and stats in the details view, profile photos, and a refreshed look and feel all around. The app lacks sending and viewing photos in direct messages (which was just announced), but I’m guessing that will come in a future update. I was hoping the Mac app would get a complete redesign since the current design is past its prime, but all things considered it’s the iOS for iPad equivalent of Twitter’s experience on the desktop. … Also, is it just me, or does scrolling the timeline feel off?
Download Twitter 3.0 on the Mac App Store.
[Twitter via @sandofsky]
DaisyDisk 3
I’ve been using DaisyDisk for years now. Developed by a small team, DaisyDisk is a disk analyzer tool that manages to make the boring process of understanding what’s wasting space on your hard drive pretty and almost fun. We’ve covered the app quite a few times on MacStories over the years, and the basic functionality hasn’t changed, but we missed the 3.0 update released in September and I wanted to fix that. Read more
IFTTT And The New Location Trigger→
If you’ve ever wanted to automate an action based on your location, now’s your chance to improve your quality of life through IFTTT on the iPhone. Android devices have had the ability to trigger various functions thanks to apps like Tasker and Microsoft’s own on{x} (if that’s still a thing), but IFTTT’s bringing location-based automation to the iPhone. Chris, our deals guy, found this particularly great recipe if you’ve ever wanted your iPhone to play superhero theme music as you arrived at a location. Combine that with flashy lights and… well you get the idea.
We’ve written about IFTTT before, and you can download it on the App Store for free if you want to try it yourself.
FitStar 2.0→
Maybe it’s too early to start thinking of New Year’s resolutions, but Kevin Rose (an investor) tweeted that FitStar now has an iPhone app. As far as fitness apps go, this looks nice. FitStar 2.0 is redesigned for iOS 7, has programs that don’t require any workout equipment, and has courses tailored to getting you to your desired level of fit, whether it’s losing weight, adding tone, or building muscle. A one-year premium membership is also only $29.99 for a limited time, making it much more affordable than a gym membership. Check out FitStar, their programs, and pricing here.
Also worth mentioning: Fitocracy. Fitocracy has some neat ideas around community, gamifying workouts, and also offers various programs from fitness trainers.
Square Opens Up Connect API For Transaction Reports→
Ken Yeung on The Next Web provides the rundown on Square’s new Connect API for merchants.
With the new API, merchants are able to retrieve activity reports for their processed payments, refunds and deposits. Square says that what it will not provide is the ability to accept payments — it’s only for reporting purposes. It’s also limited to pulling data from a single account, so no market research capabilities are available.
The Connect API is strictly for merchants who want to keep tabs on their sales, but it’s nice to have nonetheless if you’re selling products using Square readers or online via the Square Market.