Software / Apps | Infinite Diaries - Part 6Infinite Diaries

NepTunes 1.2 With Album Artwork on Desktop

March 11, 2016 · 17:49

I wrote about NepTunes two days ago — a simple Mac app which scrobbles Last.fm. Well, it was updated to version 1.2 and adds something that I was missing.

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NepTunes — a Simple Last.fm Scrobbler for OS X

March 9, 2016 · 19:00

I used to have an app named CoverSutra running on my desktop. Not only did it display iTunes artwork in a visually pleasing way, but it also updated my Last.fm account with what I was listening to in iTunes. Unfortunately, Sophie Teutschler stopped development, and found a job at Apple. CoverSutra no longer works properly under OS X El Capitan, and while it ‘kinda works’ with iTunes, it doesn’t support Apple Music at all.

Polish developer Adam Różyński has the answer to my problems. His NepTunes is a simple app¹ which lives in the OS X menu bar. All it does is report back to our Last.fm account², correctly scrobbling the music we are listening to. Although it is not as nice graphically³ as CoverSutra, it gets the job done. The preferences panel also allows the app to integrate with iTunes. This allows to ‘star’ songs with ‘hearts’ on both Apple Music and Last.fm with one keyboard shortcut (which can be customised).

Simple, but it gets the job done. That’s usually enough for me.

★ NepTunes – OS X – Social Networking – €3.99 →

Technically I believe this is called a ‘menulet’. ↩
Obviously one is needed for this to function. ↩
I do however fancy the trident icon in the menu bar. ↩

Ulysses 2.5 for iOS Adds iPhone Support

March 9, 2016 · 13:24

Ulysses 2.5 for iOS is out. My go-to writing software is now a universal app, supporting both the iPhone and iPad, and it naturally syncs with the Mac version, should you work cross-platform. At this point in time, I favour it over both iA Writer [iOS / Mac] and Byword [iOS / Mac]. The main features that got me to start using it are:

easy to divide documents into separate sheets and combine them if necessary;
lots of customisation options, including fonts (I currently use Menlo Regular) and themes (my favourites are Solarised, Yosemite, and Cursor Console);
a good selection of customisable export options, including Markdown, DOCX, and various others such as PDF, etc.

★ Ulysses – iOS – €19.99 →
★ Ulysses – Mac – €44.99 →

Unfortunately, it’s pretty expensive compared to the other apps, but in my opinion it is worth the money — I use it every single day.

iOS 8.4.1 for Apple TV 3 — IPSW Direct Download Links

February 26, 2016 · 00:42

Apple released iOS 8.4.1 for both 3rd generation Apple TV models today — there are no new features, just bugfixes. You can find the direct download links to the IPSW files below.

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App Store Deals — 25/02/2016 — Lots of Free Games

February 26, 2016 · 00:32

I have played none of the games and use none of the apps listed below, but I am getting the new Assassin’s Creed Identity as soon as I get back home — it’s not a deal, but it’s one of my favourite series of games.

iOS 9.3 beta 4 — What’s New?

February 23, 2016 · 02:22

It appears that iOS is the one which is evolving most of the bunch, not that that’s a bad thing — there’s still a lot of work to do, especially after introducing the new iPad Pro, multitasking features, and external keyboard support. I just hope that Apple doesn’t continue down the path of crippling the Pencil in iOS 9.3…

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OS X 10.11.4 beta 4 — What’s New?

February 23, 2016 · 02:11

In addition to the new watchOS and tvOS betas, Apple also released the fourth beta of OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan. Again, this particular beta has no new user-facing features, apart from the ones from the previous betas.

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watchOS 2.2 beta 4 — What’s New?

February 23, 2016 · 02:02

Almost two weeks after the third beta of watchOS 2.2, the fourth beta is now available for developers to download. It adds no known user-facing features.

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tvOS 9.2 beta 4 — What’s New?

February 23, 2016 · 01:56

This is the fourth beta of tvOS — I like watching how the Apple TV OS is progressing, even if it is a bit slow for my taste. I’m also painfully aware how lacking it is in terms of features for users in countries such as mine¹ — still no Siri, no TV Shows, etc.

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Poland, for the record. ↩

Dear Adobe, Please Fix Lightroom and Its Import Function

February 22, 2016 · 23:12

I have been using Lightroom since version 1.0. It has been my favourite app to manage my RAW files, and I can’t imagine switching to anything else at the moment. However, there are parts of Lightroom that are so broken, that I cannot begin to imagine how anyone would put this out in the wild.

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iOS 9.2.1 (Build 13D20) — What’s New & IPSW Direct Download Links

February 19, 2016 · 02:00

Apple posted a newer build of iOS 9.2.1 today — it’s an important one, especially for those who have had their phones bricked because of the ‘Error 53’ issue. This is not an OTA update if you’re already running iOS 9.2.1 (build 13D15) — you will need to connect to iTunes for the update.
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Sale on Best Daily Journaling App — Day One 2 — Ending Soon

February 10, 2016 · 21:05

I have used Day One for over four years now, and I truly believe it’s the best ‘dear diary / journal’ app out there. I recently wrote a few words about the new additions and my first impressions of Day One 2¹ — it’s second iteration in which is was rewritten from the ground up. It’s still on sale — it will be ending sometime tomorrow — and you can get it for 50% of the price.

★ Day One 2 Journal + Notes – Mac – Lifestyle – €19.99 →
★ Day One 2 Journal + Notes – iOS – Lifestyle – €4.99 →

The new version has had a huge impact on my personal writing — I now input a few entries per day, instead of a few per week, and I use the Mac version much more now; it’s greatly improved.

Day Two? ↩

tvOS 9.2 beta 3 — What’s New?

February 9, 2016 · 13:27

If the OS X, iOS and watchOS betas weren’t enough, Apple also released a third beta of tvOS 9.2 yesterday. Since I’m using my Apple TV 4 in Poland, it’s much more limited in its functions that the units being used in USA. This is slightly frustrating, especially since Siri just started working a few weeks ago for the first time, but is still extremely limited in what she can do. Despite this, I love watching tvOS evolve, and since I use my Apple TV every day, I hope it gets better quickly.

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OS X 10.11.4 beta 3 — What’s New?

February 9, 2016 · 13:13

I’ve been much more enthusiastic in the new OS X betas than the iOS ones, to be honest. I’m really glad Apple is working on both systems, not only focusing on new features, but also stabilising both platforms. The third beta for OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 was released yesterday and unfortunately has no new goodies that I know of.

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iOS 9.3 beta 3 — What’s New?

February 9, 2016 · 13:01

There wouldn’t be a watchOS beta without an iOS counterpart — the third beta for iOS 9.3 dropped yesterday as well. There aren’t many new features, but there are some nice tweaks and additions added onto those in beta 2.

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watchOS 2.2 beta 3 — What’s New?

February 9, 2016 · 12:53

Apple released a new beta — the third one — of watchOS 2.2 yesterday, two weeks after beta 2. As it has always been required before, you will be able to update to the new watchOS beta through the Watch.app on your iPhone. Just go into General → Software Update. Your Apple Watch needs to be connected to a charger and has to have at least 50% battery life left.

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Day One 2 for iOS and Mac — First Impressions

February 6, 2016 · 14:32

I first started using Day One Classic¹ in 2011. At least that’s what my first entry shows — I have a “Hello World” post on 29 December 2011. I have never used it on a daily basis, preferring to post most of my thoughts on Twitter instead, but I do try to write down all of my personal stuff in there — mostly all the bad stuff as far I can see. It has become my own way of dealing with all the negativity in the world and in my life. I admit that I have been writing less recently, mostly due to lack of time, but every since Day One 2.0 debuted on Mac and iOS, I have been using it every single day. Obviously part of that is due to the novelty of having and using new software, but I honestly hope I’ll be able to keep it up.

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That’s that the 1.x version is now called. ↩

Safari for iOS Basics — Open Links in the Background

February 4, 2016 · 22:14

Opening links in the background is something which I do all the time on a Mac, using either the contextual menu under a two-finger tap or simply holding down the ⌘ key while clicking on a link. This means I am free to continue reading or doing whatever it is that I am doing and going back to that link later. This option is also available under iOS in Mobile Safari, but it needs to be turned on first.

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Day One 2 for iOS and Mac, Rewritten From the Ground Up, Launching on 4/02/2016 →

February 1, 2016 · 11:13

Paul Mayne on the Day One blog:

Over the past two years we’ve been working towards a major new version of Day One, using the somewhat awkward-sounding “Day One 2” as its name.

To support Day One 2’s new features, we ultimately rebuilt the app from the ground up, all the while staying true to Day One’s original simplicity. Rebuilding an app as seasoned as Day One is no small task. What I’d hoped would be a year-long effort has taken twice that… but we feel it’s been worth the wait.

Day One 2 will be a new app on Mac and iOS with two headlining features: multiple journals and multiple photos per entry. It will remain a paid app and be priced at $9.99 for iOS and $39.99 for Mac. We will provide a 50% discount to both apps during the first week of its debut. Day One Classic (v1) will continue to be maintained as needed and is compatible with Day One 2 when using Day One Sync.

I have been a Day One user since 2012, if I recall correctly, and continue to love what the team has built. I’m glad they’re coming out with a paid update, which is technically a completely new app, and that they’ll continue to support the older version. I’ll be purchasing the new one as soon as it comes out, although I sort of wish I could pay full price for it straight away, as I know I won’t be able to hold off for a full week. I also like their bold decision to keep the price pretty high, going against the tide.

watchOS 2.2 beta 2 — What’s New?

January 27, 2016 · 15:58

Since a new iOS 9.3 beta 2 dropped, Apple also shipped the second beta of watchOS 2.2 on Monday. The Apple Watch needs to have at least a 50% charge remaining and be connected to the charger.

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iOS 9.3 beta 2 — What’s New?

January 27, 2016 · 15:47

In addition to the second OS X 10.11.4 beta, Apple also released iOS 9.3 beta 2 on Monday (25/01/2016), with a few new interesting features.

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OS X 10.11.4 beta 2 — What’s New?

January 27, 2016 · 15:00

Apple released the second beta of OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 to developers on Monday (25/01/2016) — two weeks after the first one.

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App Store Deals — 26/01/2016 — Last Day of ‘Get Productive’

January 26, 2016 · 11:29

If my calculations are correct¹, today is the last day that you can get the apps from Apple’s ‘Get Productive’ offer for 50% off. I also added a few more recent discounts to the list below.

I use many of the apps listed personally. I cannot imagine life without 1Password for example. I recently purchased Affinity Designer and actually found it to be better for my needs than Adobe Illustrator. Copied is a wonderful Mac and iOS combo to keep your clipboard organised. I’ll soon be incorporating Drafts into one of my workflows — it’s a great app on its own too. PCalc… well, there are calculator’s, and there’s PCalc — I interviewed James Thomson, the person behind it, a while back. Anyway… you should find something great below — most of it is really high quality work.

They aren’t — you have two full days and a bit to make your purchase. ↩

iOS 9.2.1 — What’s New and IPSW Direct Download Links

January 20, 2016 · 21:00

iOS 9.2.1 was released yesterday, soon after the developer and public betas of iOS 9.3, which will introduce a few new features.

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App Store Deals — 20/01/2016 — Lots of Amazing Apps

January 20, 2016 · 08:51

Today’s App Store Deals is amazing — many of my favourite tools are discounted. I usually suggest paying the full price for software, especially if it’s from small software houses or indie devs, since this will help them update the apps in the future and release new versions. But if money is an issue then this is your chance to get some great software for half the price.

Cheers!

Probably the best password manager; can’t live without it. ↩
A nice alternative to Adobe’s offerings. Bought it recently and I don’t regret it one bit. ↩
Use your iPad as a tablet for your Mac. Supports iPad Pro and Pencil. ↩
Started using Copied recently, since my other manager stopped working. Great app, worth every cent. Syncs over iCloud. Not on sale — included in the list because it’s a great companion to the Mac version. ↩
A great add-on to the iOS version. Syncs over iCloud. ↩
Love it. ↩
I use this for all my tracking needs. ↩
One of the great ones. ↩
A great alternative to Ulysses. ↩
A great alternative to Ulysses. Didn’t I say that already? ↩
James isn’t bragging — it really is a great calculator. ↩
Still great. ↩
I use this to connect to my Mac from my iOS devices. Works perfectly. ↩

PointOut 1.4 Is Out With a Few New Features!

January 13, 2016 · 00:26

Marek Moi created PointOut [App Store] last year and I had the privilege to be one of the first people to see and write about it. I rarely fall in love with something, but Marek has hit the nail on the head with PointOut — I don’t use it everyday, but when I do, it does almost everything that I want it to. I wrote more extensively about the app last year in May…

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Tweetbot for Mac — Open URLs Directly, Skipping t.co Links

January 5, 2016 · 18:40

Tweetbot for Mac has a ‘super secret’ setting which allows the skipping of the t.co link redirects, making for a much better and faster UX. The t.co links have been barely working for me lately, which is frustrating, so I decided to try it. You should enable this too — it really makes things faster.

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OS X – Choose Between the Character Accents Popup
and Key Repeat When Holding Down a Key

January 4, 2016 · 22:18

Apple introduced an iOS feature to OS X some years back changing the behaviour of the keyboard. Traditionally, if a key was held down, the letter would start repeating itself on screeeeeeeeeen. This was changed to a popup which displayed various non-standard characters. I was never a fan of this, even though it does indeed simplify finding accented letters. This cannot be changed through System Preferences, but a quick visit to the Terminal can sort things out.

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Comic Books on the iPad Pro with Chunky Comic Reader

December 29, 2015 · 12:15

About a month ago, I asked Jason Snell about an app for the iPad Pro to read comic books on. And that's how I started my process of rediscovering all the favourites from my childhood.

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App Store Deals — Christmas / Holiday Edition 2015

December 22, 2015 · 11:23

The holidays are upon us and in the App Store world that usually means a slew of price drops. The list below has many, many truly amazing apps and games, a few of which are true gems.

If you’re looking for some good software, I can heartily recommend both Tweetbots for Twitter, 1Password to stay safe, Affinity’s apps for graphics design, Astropad if you’d like to use your iPad as a tablet, Clear for tasks, Day One to keep a journal… You know what — just take a peek below, since most of them are really excellent. And don’t forget to pick up PCalc.

Added – 19:46

★ iStudiez Pro – Mac – Productivity – €9.99 > €4.99 →
★ TextExpander 3 + custom keyboard – iOS – Utilities – €4.99 > €2.99 →

★ Power Hover – iOS – Games – €3.99 > €1.99 →
★ Xenowerk – iOS – Games – €1.99 > €0.99 →

Apps

Games