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I’ve received a lot of confirmation today on App.net that my iPhone wasn’t an anomaly: deleting your Touch ID fingerprints and re-adding them in 7.0.3 dramatically speeds up the system. I had about a 50% success rate before 7.0.3 and now it is near 100% and works instantly. The difference is really dramatic.
I’ve received a lot of confirmation today on App.net that my iPhone wasn’t an anomaly: deleting your Touch ID fingerprints and re-adding them in 7.0.3 dramatically speeds up the system.
I had about a 50% success rate before 7.0.3 and now it is near 100% and works instantly. The difference is really dramatic.
This is a great article by Brian Barrett, I may have to start reading Gizmodo again (just not for the latest Apple product release reviews — BURN): > This coming Sunday’s New York Times magazine blows the lid off of an Apple conspiracy more outrageous than a dozen Foxconns. Cracking the Apple Trap, it’s called…
This is a great article by Brian Barrett, I may have to start reading Gizmodo again (just not for the latest Apple product release reviews — BURN):
> This coming Sunday’s New York Times magazine blows the lid off of an Apple conspiracy more outrageous than a dozen Foxconns. Cracking the Apple Trap, it’s called in the print edition. Why Apple Wants to Bust Your Phone, online. But in our hearts, let it be known only as Uhh… Seriously? Time to sigh together, point by point.
I’m selling some Tom Bihn gear and a laptop stand. Go check it out if you are interested.
I’m selling some Tom Bihn gear and a laptop stand. Go check it out if you are interested.
E. Jones on iPad HQ counters my argument for the iPad Air and bangs the familiar tune of “size & weight” in favor of the mini. The mini will always be better to hold, no matter your hand size, but hand size is still a factor. I discount any arguments for “one-handed this” when it…
E. Jones on iPad HQ counters my argument for the iPad Air and bangs the familiar tune of “size & weight” in favor of the mini.
The mini will always be better to hold, no matter your hand size, but hand size is still a factor. I discount any arguments for “one-handed this” when it comes to the mini because that’s not universal — and unless you are in the NBA, likely not comfortable for over 5-10 minutes.
That said, the mini is good, but I think the iPad Air is better for the majority of people. Luckily no one has to take my word for it and we can all go to the Apple store and play with (and possibly return) things.
Arsham Mirshah: >Now, after years of happily co-existing, Google is making a power play. It’s withholding key data and justifying it in the name of privacy. This really hurts businesses that were relying on that data, yet leaves Google nicely situated. It’s pretty clear who’s now getting the most out of the “free” transaction. >Admittedly,…
Arsham Mirshah:
>Now, after years of happily co-existing, Google is making a power play. It’s withholding key data and justifying it in the name of privacy. This really hurts businesses that were relying on that data, yet leaves Google nicely situated. It’s pretty clear who’s now getting the most out of the “free” transaction.
>Admittedly, there are two sides to the privacy debate, and Google is correct that withholding the keyword data does help the general population in securing their privacy. At the same time, two parties still have access to this data: Google and its paying advertisers (those using Google Adwords). Hmm… pretty interesting…
At least the Google stock he owns is doing well.
[Conor Friedersdorf](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/someone-is-lying-about-nsa-surveillance-of-angela-merkel/280907/): > If I had to bet, I’d put my money on Obama having known all along. But if he didn’t know, it’s absurd to insist that it would’ve been too impractical to tell him. Which is worse: the President not knowing what his own spy agency is doing (either because that agency is…
[Conor Friedersdorf](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/someone-is-lying-about-nsa-surveillance-of-angela-merkel/280907/):
> If I had to bet, I’d put my money on Obama having known all along. But if he didn’t know, it’s absurd to insist that it would’ve been too impractical to tell him.
Which is worse: the President not knowing what his own spy agency is doing (either because that agency is lying to him, or he doesn’t want to know), or the President knowing about it all, approving it, and then lying to the rest of the world (including those that elected him)?
[Federico Viticci on why he likes the iPad mini better,][1] includes this bit in his article: > You don’t hear people saying that, because of the size differences, the 13-inch MacBook Air is for consumption and the 15-inch MacBook Pro is for creation. Viticci’s post is really solid, but this is a really odd point.…
[Federico Viticci on why he likes the iPad mini better,][1] includes this bit in his article:
> You don’t hear people saying that, because of the size differences, the 13-inch MacBook Air is for consumption and the 15-inch MacBook Pro is for creation.
Viticci’s post is really solid, but this is a really odd point. It’s odd because the better analogy is the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air. Those two really mirror the iPad (and the coming Air) and iPad mini situation better, where the smaller is (seemingly) a lot more popular, but for many the slightly larger 13″ screen is likely the better option.
My assumption is that most people aren’t going to buy both, and are likely to use the iPad *a lot*, and given that assumption I still think he Air will be the better option (just as I would recommend the 13″ MacBook Air). If you want a smaller screen for portability, the iPhone 5S *is* the best choice.
[1]: http://www.macstories.net/stories/iPad-mini-for-content-creation/
The iPad air: is the iPad that you should get, but allow me to explain. I’ve been mulling over which iPad to get, as I suspect many are. Before the event I figured on getting the retina iPad mini, but the Air really changes that. Right now, and I suspect with the faster chip and…
The iPad air: is the iPad that you should get, but allow me to explain.
I’ve been mulling over which iPad to get, as I suspect many are. Before the event I figured on getting the retina iPad mini, but the Air really changes that. Right now, and I suspect with the faster chip and retina display, the mini is (and will be) primarily fantastic for three reasons:
1. It’s easier to stash in a bag, or on your person.
2. It’s easier to hold when reading for long periods. (Especially in bed, where I expect many mini lovers are using it.)
3. It may be the best wifi hotspot you can buy.
Ok, so number three isn’t really something I would consider when deciding which iPad to purchase, but it is still a fact. What the mini is not better than a full-sized iPad for is:
1. Actually reading. Perhaps this changes with the retina screen, but I have a hard time getting the font sizing feeling ideal in any app, and the mini sucks for reading web pages when compared to the full sized iPad.
2. Typing. I’m typing this on my iPad, and I type posts often on my iPad, but I actively try to avoid typing on the iPad mini. I even prefer to type on my iPhone over the iPad mini. The mini keyboard isn’t bad, it’s just very awkward to use because of the size of the device.
3. Games. Yes a faster mini will help with this, but it’s almost always a lot better to play games on a bigger screen. (I can’t think of a reason a smaller screen is better, but I don’t feel like fielding emails about this, so we will stick with “almost always”.)
4. Watching video. If smaller was better, we would have never moved beyond the original video iPod.
5. Sharing the screen with someone (i.e. “here, look at this”) is a joke on the mini. You may think this doesn’t happen often, but it does for me at work and I can’t imagine I am alone. I often share the screen when viewing PDFs, and pictures.
So unless you plan to only use your iPad when reading in bed, or a hotspot, and you usually need to quickly be able to stash the iPad — well unless you need it for *just* that, you will likely enjoy the full sized iPad air much more.
The iPad mini will always feel awesome when you pick it up, but that quickly fades once you start using it and realize that you just wish your large iPad was lighter.
Now it is.
Having both, I can say that I love the way the mini feels, but I almost always *want* to use the full size iPad if I can. I suspect that, with the iPad Air, I will have little need *or* want for an iPad mini.
[James Ball][1]: > The National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after being given the numbers by an official in another US government department, according to a classified document provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Sorry, where’s the problem here? Is this not the NSA’s job? I assume the story is that…
[James Ball][1]:
> The National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after being given the numbers by an official in another US government department, according to a classified document provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Sorry, where’s the problem here? Is this not the NSA’s job?
I assume the story is that President Obama agreed not to monitor a leaders phone calls? I have to assume that because this seems an awful lot like *actual* best practices for national security to me.
[1]: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/24/nsa-surveillance-world-leaders-calls
Marco Arment on Apple’s iPad event: > The lines were so tightly scripted that the presenters often stumbled off-script slightly, and rather than rolling with it naturally, they’d just jump back and awkwardly retry the line. I made that note too. Cook seemed to be struggling and it felt awkward to watch. The products Apple…
Marco Arment on Apple’s iPad event:
> The lines were so tightly scripted that the presenters often stumbled off-script slightly, and rather than rolling with it naturally, they’d just jump back and awkwardly retry the line.
I made that note too. Cook seemed to be struggling and it felt awkward to watch. The products Apple launched were great, but the problem was the shipping times. It needed to be sooner, that’s what gets nerds excited. “Oh shit, I have to clear my calendar for Friday!”
Instead we now have a lot of time to consider the purchases, to consider the changes — to realize those changes are iterative.
I personally think Apple needs to make these presentations a one man show — where that one person gets to decide how much time each product gets. Where they can cut stupid collaboration demos. And I don’t think that person should be any of the executives that were on stage presenting. It needs to be someone else.
After all, there’s probably a really good reason Ive never presents.
Cook usually does fine, but (like me) he doesn’t project a person that gets excited about things and that makes him a poor MC. Apple needs that cheerleader, that person that doesn’t just show fake excitement, but believes you are crazy if you aren’t excited with them.
Steve Jobs was always good at that. When he spoke of the iPhone and iPad you knew, inherently *knew*, that he was speaking with genuine passion and excitement. Jobs wasn’t trying to convince anyone of his excitement, or to be excited with him because he thought what he was presenting spoke for itself.
The MacBook Pros didn’t need to be presented, nor did iWork being free. Or even the new iWork — they weren’t that great. They could have been just an update on the store website and left at that.
But when you have a team of people presenting, they will all want their babies in the presentation. They worked hard on them, no doubt, but they weren’t the products the press assembled to see.
Full documentation on creating styles in Ulysses III for exporting — this is an incredibly powerful tool.
Full documentation on creating styles in Ulysses III for exporting — this is an incredibly powerful tool.
[Charles Arthur for The Guardian][1]: > Yet writing in December 2005, the then head of search and user experience Marissa Mayer insisted that following a tieup to provide search for AOL, that besides never providing “biased” results, “There will be no banner ads on the Google homepage or web search results pages. There will not be…
[Charles Arthur for The Guardian][1]:
> Yet writing in December 2005, the then head of search and user experience Marissa Mayer insisted that following a tieup to provide search for AOL, that besides never providing “biased” results, “There will be no banner ads on the Google homepage or web search results pages. There will not be crazy, flashy, graphical doodads flying and popping up all over the Google site. Ever.”
> Asked why Google had gone back on that clear promise, Google said in a statement that “We’re currently running a very limited, US-only test, in which advertisers can include an image as part of the search ads that show in response to certain branded queries.”
I love the response from Google, well the non-response. It’s the old “but *our* ads are different, and users (read: advertisers) will love them.”
[1]: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/24/google-breaks-promise-banner-ads-search-results
David Sparks on which iPad he is getting: > The only difference at this point is that one is nearly 10 inches and one is nearly 8 inches. With this as the only deciding factor, for a lot of people this will make the decision really easy. They will know immediately whether they want a…
David Sparks on which iPad he is getting:
> The only difference at this point is that one is nearly 10 inches and one is nearly 8 inches. With this as the only deciding factor, for a lot of people this will make the decision really easy. They will know immediately whether they want a large one or the small one.
That’s a great way to look at it. Personally I think I may get a 32GB iPad Air with Cell and a 16GB iPad Mini (retina) with cell — like Sparks there is a lot of value in having both.
Hopefully sanity prevails and I just get the iPad Air — I think I can make my current mini last another year.
Joe Kissell on changes to Mail that hate on Gmail: > Mail and Gmail were never a fantastic combination out of the box, because Gmail has a wacky, highly nonstandard way of using IMAP, and Mail always wanted to treat Gmail as though it were a conventional IMAP server. Pairing a Gmail email with Mail.app…
Joe Kissell on changes to Mail that hate on Gmail:
> Mail and Gmail were never a fantastic combination out of the box, because Gmail has a wacky, highly nonstandard way of using IMAP, and Mail always wanted to treat Gmail as though it were a conventional IMAP server.
Pairing a Gmail email with Mail.app is just about the worst thing you can do. I don’t say that in jest either — the two just do not play nicely with each other.
[GPGTools is now compatible with Mavericks][1]. For those of you that don’t know what GPGTools is, it is the easiest way to setup encrypted email on your Mac. It installs two things: 1. A Mail.app plugin that allows you to toggle signing and encryption on a per-email basis with a couple of nice and easy…
[GPGTools is now compatible with Mavericks][1]. For those of you that don’t know what GPGTools is, it is the easiest way to setup encrypted email on your Mac. It installs two things:
1. A Mail.app plugin that allows you to toggle signing and encryption on a per-email basis with a couple of nice and easy to use buttons.
2. It installs a GPG Key manager app that helps you create an encryption key, and optionally send it to a key server for others to search.
Once you get this installed it is pretty easy to start sending secured emails. You will be prompted to enter your password to read/send encrypted emails, but that’s just about the hardest part. (The most confusing part is that you have to do a key exchange first, before you can send and receive encrypted emails. That’s why many people, including me, post their public keys on contact pages.)
They have a [nice screencast for new users here][2], and good [instructions to get setup here][3].
[1]: https://gpgtools.org/
[2]: http://support.gpgtools.org/kb/how-to/watch-our-screencast
[3]: http://support.gpgtools.org/kb/how-to/first-steps-where-do-i-start-where-do-i-begin
I started using [Ulysses][1] back with version 2. I used it off and on, and I generally liked it, but didn’t love it. When Ulysses III came out, it was a brand new app and it only took me a day to fall in love with the app. If I am writing on my Mac,…
I started using [Ulysses][1] back with version 2. I used it off and on, and I generally liked it, but didn’t love it. When Ulysses III came out, it was a brand new app and it only took me a day to fall in love with the app. If I am writing on my Mac, then I am writing in Ulysses III. All of my old posts are stored in an Archive folder in the app and it just handles everything I throw at it.
I really love Ulysses III, but sometimes it can be cumbersome to my workflow. If I start writing correspondence in Pages, then realize it is a longer item, and now I might want to compose in Ulysses — well I have to copy paste and copy paste. This can happen when I think I am writing a short business letter, but it becomes something more. For a while now The Soulmen have been teasing about version 1.1 of Ulysses III, and some of the features they are adding to the app.
One of the most interesting to me is the idea that there will be Ulysses style sheets for exporting. Meaning you can send text from Ulysses III to a pdf, formatted just how you want it. For writers this will be awesome, but I also think it is killer for anyone who needs to have documents with a consistent look (be it letterhead or anything else) in any part of their work or personal life.
The Soulmen were kind enough to send me a beta of 1.1 to try out, and after a bit of fiddling I love this app even more now. Allow me explain in one short sentence: Ulysses has just eliminated the need for me to create any new Pages or Word documents. Yep, instead of opening a new file in Pages (on company letterhead), I can write in Ulysses and just export to company letterhead with a click.
This is going to be great.
To be fair, I have yet to find a way to embed the logo in the ULSS style sheet, but as a work around I have the document export to PDFPen Pro as I want it, with a click. From there I grab my letterhead in the Media Library in PDFPen Pro and drag it onto the document. Boom, done.
So cool.
Did I mention: no Pages or Word. NO PAGES OR WORD.
There are other things in 1.1 that people have been begging for, such as:
– Global Search.
– Export to Word (much better support)
– Typewriter scrolling — a feature I dearly missed.
– Smart lists and auto-completing tags. This is really nice to have again.
There are a ton more additions, but those are my favorites.
This is a really great writing app — the best out there and I highly recommend it.
[Go get it][2].
[1]: http://www.ulyssesapp.com
[2]: https://itunes.apple.com/app/ulysses-iii/id623795237
> In 1992, Stella Liebeck spilled scalding McDonald’s coffee in her lap and later sued the company, attracting a flood of negative attention. It turns out, there’s more to the story.
> In 1992, Stella Liebeck spilled scalding McDonald’s coffee in her lap and later sued the company, attracting a flood of negative attention. It turns out, there’s more to the story.
Trent Walton: > Sites like Milwaukee Police News and Apple’s recent string of product 1-pagers are beautiful, but hijacking a user’s scroll rate for marketing purposes has to be one of my least favorite things in web design these days. This drives me crazy too. I thought my trackpad died when I visited the iPad…
Trent Walton:
> Sites like Milwaukee Police News and Apple’s recent string of product 1-pagers are beautiful, but hijacking a user’s scroll rate for marketing purposes has to be one of my least favorite things in web design these days.
This drives me crazy too. I thought my trackpad died when I visited the iPad Air page — when I realized it was working as designed I was more than annoyed.
Richard Cohen: > I am sure that police powers granted the government will be abused over time and that Snowden is an authentic whistleblower, appalled at what he saw on his computer screen and wishing, like Longfellow’s Paul Revere, to tell “every Middlesex village and farm” what our intelligence agencies were doing. Who do they…
Richard Cohen:
> I am sure that police powers granted the government will be abused over time and that Snowden is an authentic whistleblower, appalled at what he saw on his computer screen and wishing, like Longfellow’s Paul Revere, to tell “every Middlesex village and farm” what our intelligence agencies were doing. Who do they think they are, Google?
Yesterday I was working on a side project for a buddy, and was out and about shooting some pictures with my old Canon 5D in my yard. As I was walking back inside I noticed that one leaf had fallen on our car. I thought it might make a neat shot to post on Favd,…
Yesterday I was working on a side project for a buddy, and was out and about shooting some pictures with my old Canon 5D in my yard. As I was walking back inside I noticed that one leaf had fallen on our car. I thought it might make a neat shot to post on Favd, so I snapped a picture with my 5S, posted it and forgot about it.
Today I was looking for a picture in my Photostream on my Mac and saw the photo there. I was blown away by how sharp the image was. It’s not a great photo, but the quality of the image the iPhone 5S produced — well I am not sure I could have got that with any of the other cameras I own. (I don’t have a macro lens.)
This 5S camera is going to be a lot of fun.