Question: I have an iMac and MacBook Pro. I mirror data using iCloud, Dropbox, and other cloud services, but I want to mirror my application environments across both Macs so my app settings and programming environments are the same on both computers. I’m afraid to try it and damage something but is there any chance...
App Debuts
Stationery Stationery is an iPad-only app that lets you design digital stationery. The app comes with three free templates, with more available via In-App Purchase. After you have a design you like, you can write a handwritten note or draw on your stationery and send it to someone as an email attachment. It’s not...
Something More than Finder for iOS
The combination of the Files app and file providers in iOS 11 has become one of my favorite features of iOS. It took a while to get used to and it’s not perfect, but it’s had one of the most meaningful impacts on how I use my iOS devices. However, I want more, of...
Retrobatch from Flying Meat Brings Nodal Batch Processing of Images to the Mac
Retrobatch is a new batch photo processing app for the Mac from Flying Meat, the maker of Acorn. Batch processing of photos isn’t new. There are plenty of apps available that let you manipulate collections of photos. What’s different about Retrobatch is how it goes about processing images.
If you’ve ever used Audio Hijack from Rogue Amoeba, you’ll understand the power of Retrobatch immediately. The app is based on the idea of linking individual nodes together to create complex workflows. Point your new workflow at a batch of images, hit go, and Retrobatch goes about its work, delivering your processed photos to wherever you specify. The power is in abstracting complex actions into simple building blocks that can be strung together and branched as though you were building a flowchart.
That last point is the essential distinction between Retrobatch and other batch processors. Most image processors are linear, moving through a series of steps that outputs modified images. Retrobatch’s nodal structure allows you to start with a folder of images, perform actions on them, and then branch off to different actions at any point in the process.
AppStories, Episode 57 – Pick 2: Spark 2 and 1Password 7 for Mac→
On this week’s episode of AppStories, we go in-depth on two recently updated apps. In this installment of Pick 2, Federico covers Spark 2, which has added app integrations into the iOS version and team collaboration to the iOS and Mac versions while John covers 1Password 7 for the Mac, a significant redesign that expands the functionality and flexibility of features like Watchtower and Vaults.
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AppStories Episode 57 - Pick 2: Spark 2 and 1Password 7 for Mac
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Agenda for iOS Review
Agenda, which launched on iOS today, is one of the most interesting note-taking apps I’ve used. The app is simultaneously structured around projects, like a task manager, and dates, like a calendar app.
Agenda immediately caught my eye with its beautiful design and unique approach to notes when it launched on the Mac in January. At the time, I was intrigued by Agenda, but the lack of an iOS version was a deal-breaker. Notes apps are one of those categories that benefit immensely from being available everywhere. When I tested Agenda in January, I found myself on my iPad wanting to refer notes that were locked inside Agenda on my Mac almost immediately, so I put Agenda away and waited for the promised iOS version.
With today’s release of Agenda for iOS, which syncs between platforms, that’s no longer an issue. The Mac and iOS versions are virtually identical in their designs, interaction models, and feature sets. I won’t repeat the details here. You can learn more about the app’s structure and design from my review of the Mac version. Instead, I want to focus on the ways I’ve begun to integrate Agenda into my work over the past week that I’ve had the beta; with an app as flexible as Agenda, concrete examples of how it can be used are more useful than a list of features.
Philips Hue App Update Enhances Light Management and Adds 30 New Designer Scenes
Philips has released an update to Hue, the companion app for its line of smart lightbulbs. The user interface will be familiar to existing users, but the update introduces a refreshed design that looks better than the prior version and surfaces features that used to be harder to find. Philips has added a bunch of new built-in lighting scenes too.
Pick 2: Spark 2 and 1Password 7 for Mac
FedericoAppStories Episode 57 - Pick 2: Spark 2 and 1Password 7 for Mac
0:00
37:06
37:06
Federico and John go in-depth on two recently-updated apps. In this installment of Pick 2, Federico covers Spark 2, which has added app integrations into the iOS version and team collaboration to the iOS and Mac versions while John covers 1Password 7 for the Mac, a significant redesign that expands the functionality and flexibility of features like Watchtower and Vaults.
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