Mozilla Previews New Firefox Design

Something I’ve been following very closely is the development of Firefox, which has become my browser of choice, replacing Safari on OS X and Chrome on Windows. What it lacks in the latest and greatest features it makes up for with privacy controls and a robust library of add-ons. Opera’s interesting since it dropped the Presto rendering engine in favor of WebKit, but despite being a near carbon copy of Chrome it’s currently without expected features such as tearaway tabs. Chrome is a privacy concern, and Apple dropped Safari on Windows. Firefox it is.

There’s a lot to talk about with Firefox, namely Mozilla’s proactive efforts in the mobile space. Firefox has seen rapid development for Android phones and tablets, and Mozilla has made Firefox OS for use in developing countries. In a very Apple “back to the Mac” sorta way, Mozilla is taking what they’ve learned and bringing it back to the desktop.

The result is Australis (not to be confused with Aurora).

It’s been a long time coming. Firefox’s latest design beginnings stem all the way back to 2011, when Mozilla’s Product Visual Designer showed off early designs in a detailed blog post. You might also recognize Australis from the Mozilla Wiki; last year potential mockups were published that demonstrated new Firefox features such as a new options panel and customization mode. TechCrunch highlighted the latest design earlier this year, and Mozilla even hinted at the updated interface in their celebratory ninth birthday post.

Mozilla is talking about the surface changes in their UX blog update, focusing on the organic design of their tabs, how customizable Firefox is, and how streamlined the interface has become. Having used Firefox throughout the years, it’s refreshing but I’m interested to see where it ends up. I’m currently using the Nightly build for my day to day browsing to get an idea of where the browser is headed, and for the most part they’re all good changes. The entire interface has been simplified, right down to the menus. There’s little things, however, that I’m concerned about for the time being.

All the major browsers have combined address and search bars, but Firefox remains in the past unless you install an extension such as Omnibar. Maybe it’s in the works since it’s not omitted from the mobile designs, but I’d really like to hear Mozilla’s reasoning if they decide to keep the search bar separate for Australis’ stable build.

The same goes for the currently missing-in-action Add-on Bar. There are certain add-ons (like the EFF’s HTTPS Everywhere) that don’t need to be in the same space as add-ons like Evernote’s Clearly, and could be kept neatly out of the way at the bottom of the browser window. With the Add-on Bar gone, however, status indicators like HTTPS Everywhere are left heaped in with actionable tools or are hidden in the menu panel.

Firefox was known for being a memory hog in the past, but this has gotten much better in recent versions. While not design related, Mozilla’s main goal for Firefox should be focusing on things like sandboxed tabs for safer browsing. If a Flash plug-in chugs or halts, it affects the entire browser, which usually isn’t the case in multi-process browsers like Chrome that simply stop offending tab. Projects like Electrolysis aimed to solve this, which was put on hold for a while, but has since been put back on the table and is currently in continued development.

As for Australis, I think the new visual theme is largely beneficial for garnering interest from new users or recapturing those who left for Chrome after sensing stagnation. I don’t know if this alone will be enough to keep them if Mozilla doesn’t have key performance improvements under the hood, but I personally welcome the changes (especially on OS X where a visual refresh was much needed).

Read more about the changes on Mozilla’s UX Blog, and download the Nightly here if you’d like to help contribute feedback and bug fixes.

Find My Friends Updated for iOS 7

There’s not much to say about Find My Friends for iOS 7. I don’t know why the previous version of the app used leather detailing in such excess (see our original article), but it’s done away with now, leaving behind just the bare essentials. It’s a convenient app to use with friends and family when meeting up or bouncing around town before reconvening, and it’s free on the App Store.

Apple Adds Yahoo Screen and PBS to Apple TV→

Apple’s small set-top box has received two new apps this morning according to Peter Kafka of All Things Digital. Yahoo Screen delivers programs such as The Daily Show and channels from partners such as ABC News, while PBS’ app will have a back catalog of shows that can be watched after they air on television.

The PBS app offers popular programs like “Frontline”, but it only appears to offer old episodes, and not live streams. […]

Yahoo’s screen app offers a mix of clips, ranging from a recent Saturday Night Live performance by Lady gaga to movie trailers to game reviews; it also offers channels from Yahoo partners including Conde Nast magazines, ABC News and The Onion.

When it debuted, the Apple TV was really only appealing to iTunes customers who primarily wanted to stream downloaded TV Shows or Movies to their televisions over AirPlay, but this is becoming a legitimate competitive alternative to things like Roku’s streaming players. Between Hulu, Netflix, sports broadcasting, recently added apps like the Weather Channel and the Disney Channel, Crunchyroll, and now these extras, it’s a competitively priced product that’s starting to become an actual alternative for cable cutters and anyone who subscribes to digital programming. There are some apps like HBO GO that require a cable subscription, but we’re getting there.

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FiftyThree Announces Pencil, a Sustainable Smart Stylus Made for Paper

Fair warning: the product video made us a little motion sick.

FiftyThree’s Pencil brings smart technologies like palm rejection, smart sensors, low power Bluetooth Smart wireless, and long lasting battery life to a stylus made specifically for Paper on the iPad. Shaped like a carpenter pencil to prevent rolling, Pencil pairs with the iPad by simply pressing the tip to the screen. Two gold plated sensors, one for the tip and one for the eraser, detect how you’re using the stylus so you can sketch and erase by simply flipping the pencil over. When paired, your finger becomes an extra tool that lets you smooth rough edges and blend colors. Pencil lasts up to a month on battery with regular use, and can be charged in 90 minutes by simply connecting it to a common USB port.

FiftyThree is well known for Paper, which was awarded Apple’s ‘App of the Year’ in 2012 for the iPad. For Paper, FiftyThree carefully crafted an app that makes people feel unashamed about their lack of artistry, developing a core set of tools that encourage people to draw and note take freely while producing beautiful results. Also known for its in-app purchase model, FiftyThree asks customers to buy only the tools they need, providing the essentials for free.

In addition to Pencil, FiftyThree also recently launched Book, which turns drawings from Paper into a printed foldout notebook.

Pencil comes in two sustainably manufactured flavors: Walnut (which includes a magnetic strip for adhering to Smart Covers and iPads) for $59.99, and a Graphite brushed aluminum model for $49.99. You can pre-order Pencil from http://shop.fiftythree.com/. You can download Paper from the App Store for free.

Learn more about Pencil from FiftyThree on their news page.

The Sweet Setup→

When my friend Shawn told me about the project he was working on a few months ago, I was immediately excited by its potential and premise. The Sweet Setup, launched today, wants to recommend the best apps for iOS and OS X. Not the newest ones – the best ones.

Here’s how Shawn describes The Sweet Setup:

The Sweet Setup exists because I wanted a site that highlights the software that has proven to be the best, not necessarily the newest.

Here we will be recommending only the apps which are proven to be the best rather than new (I already write plenty about what’s new and cool over at shawnblanc.net and Tools & Toys). Additionally, by focusing on only the best, it means all the content on our site is relevant all the time. I didn’t want to post our articles in a reverse-chronological order that, by nature, would cause still-helpful reviews to be pushed out of view once new reviews get published.

I think that Shawn had the perfect idea at the right time. With over a million apps now available on the App Store, people need a “Wirecutter for apps” with recommendations thoroughly researched and written by people who test and use apps every day.

The Sweet Setup looks great, the initial line-up of recommendations is solid, and more will come in the next few weeks.

I’m honored to be part of Shawn’s new project from the start, too: what’s the best Markdown writing app for the iPhone? Here’s my answer.

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Convertrain: Model Railroad Converter→

Before I started MacStories, I used to work at an eBay drop-off store where people could come to sell and buy things on eBay if they didn’t have the time or knowledge to do it on their own. There was this guy who came to visit twice a week to buy and sell railroad and train models – they were rare and expensive, and they required a lot of talking to potential bidders and sellers to ensure the quality of the model. I had heard of that hobby (known as model railroading), but the firsthand experience of selling and buying models allowed me to know more about the fervent community of rail transport modellers (and railfans in general, which include Pixar’s John Lasseter).

All of this to say that when I got an email from the developer of Convertrain, I knew what he was talking about. I remembered the days when I used to look up prices and photographs for my old customer and the time spent tracking down rarities on eBay. Convertrain is a handy converter for scale models that lets you set up notebooks for your models, add your own scale units, and export items to a variety of apps and services. It’s designed for iOS 7 and it integrates with the iPhone’s camera to add photos of your model railroads.

$1.99 on the App Store.

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Quick Math+→

Last year, I reviewed Quick Math, a game that let you solve quick arithmetic tests using your handwriting on the iPhone’s screen. This year, developers Shiny Things have released Quick Math+, an expansion of the original concept that includes new game modes and avatars to unlock as you play the game.

The Quick Math series is a great example of education and fun combined on iOS, and the new game is every bit as challenging as the old one (the Memorize mode is especially tricky at Advanced, but you should try Extreme). Quick Math+ is a new (Universal) app available at $1.99 on the App Store.

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Anand Lal Shimpi On The iPad Air vs. iPad mini→

The biggest in my eyes is the iPad Air’s wider gamut display with full sRGB coverage. The mini’s Retina Display is good, the Air’s is just better. There’s also more thermal headroom on the iPad Air, which can come in handy if you’re doing compute intensive work on it. If neither of those things matters to you, then the decision becomes one of usage model and portability. I believe the iPad Air does a better job of approximating a primary computing device, particularly in its ability to give you a reasonable sized virtual keyboard to work on. The iPad mini on the other hand is substantially more portable. Although the iPad Air is light enough to come along with me more than any prior iPad, the mini’s form factor makes it even more likely that’ll I’ll bring it with me (the best tablet is the one you have with you?).

In spite of my snark, I do agree with readers who pointed out that, for professionals who rely on the iPad and demand color accuracy, having the best display is important. I don’t think that average users will notice any issues with the mini’s (amazing) Retina display, but if you’re looking for hard facts and numbers, AnandTech’s review is the one to read.

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