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Apple releases iBooks version of its ‘iOS Human Interface Guidelines’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Last night, Apple published an iBooks version of its 'iOS Human Interface Guidelines.' The move is notable because until now you could only access the user interface guidelines for iOS 7 via the developer portal, which required a $99-per-year membership.

For those unfamiliar with the document, the guidelines are essentially Apple's suggestions to developers for designing their iOS applications. The goal is to ensure that all 3rd party apps share similar UI principles, so that they're both cohesive and intuitive...

You can now open local Mac files with supporting Chrome apps, right in Finder

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2014

Fans of Google Chrome who run the browser's Canary edition can now associate local files with Chrome apps, right in their Mac's Finder. What this does is it lets you open local documents using Chrome apps that run in the browser. This is quite handy if you've long gone Google and depend on various web apps. Chrome's Canary build is aimed at early adopters who are willing to experiment with upcoming new features. But don't worry, Canary won't mess up your existing Chrome settings...

Mavericks 10.9.3 release imminent

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 7, 2014

After seeding eight major builds of the upcoming third Mavericks software update to its developers, Apple appears to be on the verge of releasing the software for public consumption. According to web reports, the iPhone maker has now distributed a new OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D62 to AppleCare employees, a tell-tale sign of an imminent arrival as Apple's support army familiarize themselves with the new software...

Apogee MiC review: the mic for people serious about audio on the go

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Have you ever tried to record audio from your MacBook on your iPhone or iPad's built-in microphone? The result is audio that's serviceable—you can hear it—but the sound is pitiful. Built-in microphones on pretty much every hardware device, whether it be computers, tablets, or even cameras, are sorely lacking from a sound quality perspective. With a minimal investment, you can significantly upgrade the quality of your sound with a decent external microphone.

There are some awesome external microphones for a variety of applications out there, but if you're primarily concerned with recording on your Mac or iOS device while on the go, there is one mic that should be squarely at the top of your consideration list.

The Apogee MiC is an extremely minuscule external microphone that can make your recordings sound great while traveling. Have a look at our Apogee MiC review and video walkthrough + sound test.

1Password for Mac updated with Watchtower support

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Following the update to the iOS app this week, AgileBits has posted a new version of 1Password for Mac, bringing the password manager to version 4.4. The update includes just a handful of improvements, but is notable because it adds Watchtower integration.

For those unfamiliar with it, 1Password Watchtower is a service that identifies websites that are vulnerable to known security risks, and suggest that you change your passwords. It's fairly new, emerging after last-month's 'Heartbleed' bug infected several websites...

Microsoft updates OneNote for iPhone/Mac with new look, Office Lens and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2014

After updating Office for iPad apps with a new printing capability and a few other useful features that boost your mobile productivity, software maker Microsoft today issued a refresh for its note-taking app, OneNote, that contains some much appreciated enhancements on both the iPhone and Mac systems.

The new versions of OneNote, available free in the App Store and Mac App Store, have gained a dozen new features.

Most notably, OneNote for the iPhone now lets you create new notebooks and sections, includes a new design and comes with an optical character recognition feature called Office Lens. The Mac edition has received even more goodies...

Apple seeds OS X 10.9.3 build 13D55 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple has seeded another beta for OS X 10.9.3 to registered Mac developers this afternoon. The update comes just one week after the seventh beta was released, which brought about few notable changes.

The new build is available to developers via an update in the Mac App Store or as a download on Apple’s online developer center. It does not, however, appear to be out in Apple's new Beta Seed program yet…

Reeder 2 beta for Mac updated with new features and fixes

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 29, 2014

The Reeder 2 beta for Mac, which was just recently released after an extended wait, has received its first update. Reader 2.0 b2 includes new features like OPML import and export ability, new article viewer style options, and the ability to open links in the default Mac browser.

There's also a couple of fixes included with beta 2, including the ability to utilize the integrated GPU on the MacBookPro, and support for fullscreen HTML 5 video content. Check inside for the full change log.

Refurbished MacBook Airs now start at just $599

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 29, 2014

Apple this morning quietly updated its ultra-portable MacBook Air family around Intel's latest Haswell chips, switching from the i5-4250U to the i5-4260U CPU on the base model. Apart from this minor change - the new chips are slightly faster and more power efficient versus the previous generation - the biggest new "feature", however, is a change in Apple's pricing scheme - the new Airs now start at just $899, a hundred bucks less than before.

But if the though of burning $900 on a notebook is still unsettling, Apple's online refurbished store is now offering little-used 2012 Airs for as low as $599, or just a $100 more than the entry-level $499 iPad Air...

Clear to-do app gains Reminders and sound packs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Keeping true to its promise, the popular Clear to-do app for iOS and OS X by Realmac Software has received a nice little update today, bringing out a pair of new features you're going to love.

The first is the anticipated Reminders capability which lets you set up alerts that go off across all your Mac and iOS devices, similar to Apple's stock Reminders app in iOS and OS X.

And to go with Reminders, the team has added another much-requested feature: custom sound packs. Both the iOS and OS X edition have been updated with these features and are now live in the App Store, available free to existing users...

Refreshed MacBook Airs said to launch as early as next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

Apple last refreshed its ultra-thin MacBook Air family at the annual developers conference last June, adding Intel’s power efficient Haswell processors for all-day battery life, the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi networking, faster graphics and SSD, lower prices and more.

Now, we recently heard rumblings that Apple is going to refresh Airs soon with a small speed bump and now a French blog is citing reliable sources as claiming that updated ultra-portables are just around the corner, allegedly launching as early as next week...

Apple opens Mac OS X betas to the public

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

Big news this afternoon as Apple has opened up its OS X beta program to the public. Before today, you needed a $99/year developer account to help test the company's upcoming Mac software updates before they were widely released, but starting this afternoon, anyone can sign up for the 'OS X Beta Seed Program.'

You can sign up here, and all you need is an Apple ID. Once enlisted, users can test out pre-release builds of Mavericks before they're launched to the public and even submit feedback to Apple to help iron out the kinks. It's not for everyone, but it's great news for early adopters and those who enjoy sneak previews...