As first noted by MacRumors, Apple has added a new section with yesterday’s refresh of the App Store highlighting the “best new game updates” for iPhone and iPad.
Directional: Early Access→
This week Federico and Myke talk about how they track their upcoming games list, ads on the Wii U, and talk about the merits and disadvantages of Early Access games.
What’s with the trend of selling early access to PC and console games? We explore the topic in this week’s Directional, which you can get here.
The Prompt: Asking for a Jetpack Too Soon→
Federico, Myke and Stephen (Yo!) learn about unlocking British (Yo!) iPhones, visit LinkedIn, try to (Yo!) understand Slingshot and walk through (Yo!) Google I/O.
Yo jokes aside, we had a good discussion about the role of wearables and what Google announced with Android Wear. This episode is a nice addendum to The Prompt #33, and you can get it here.
Sponsored by Smile.
Launch Center Pro 2.3.1 for Power Users
Earlier this month, I wrote that Launch Center Pro 2.3 extended iOS automation by integrating with IFTTT and bridging the gap between iOS apps and web services. Launch Center Pro 2.3.1, released today and seemingly a minor update, is packed with major changes for advanced users who want to build complex URL actions in the app.
If you’ve struggled to build actions that connect multiple apps in Launch Center Pro before, you’ll want to check out the new version and read through the full documentation on Contrast’s website. We’re still working on a big update to our Launch Center Pro guide, but, in the meantime, I’m going to give you an overview of what’s possible to achieve with Launch Center Pro 2.3.1.
xScope 4.0→
Version 4.0 of The Iconfactory’s tool for measuring, inspecting, and testing layouts and graphics on OS X has been released today, adding powerful new features for designers and developers.
We’ve covered xScope on MacStories before, and the new release adds an Overlay feature to check alignments and mockups over a browser (useful when working on responsive designs) and a Text palette to “search, decipher, and reformat text and character glyphs”. xScope works with Retina displays and many of the app’s existing functionalities have been redesigned and updated to have faster performance, more flexibility (just take a look here), and Yosemite support.
I’m no designer, but I’ve used xScope before and I know it’s a solid app; I’ve downloaded the trial from The Iconfactory’s website, and the changes in this version look fantastic. For a limited time, you can get xScope 4.0 at $24.99 (50% off) on the Mac App Store.
The Apple QuickTake 100 Turns 20→
Stewart Wolpin, writing at Mashable:
Back in Apple’s dark ages — during Steve Jobs’ interregnum in the mid-1990s — the company experimented with some strange products. Everyone remembers the ill-fated Newton PDA, for instance, which was considered ahead of its time. Less memorable was the QuickTake 100, the first mass market color consumer digital camera.
First unveiled at the Tokyo MacWorld Expo on February 17, 1994, the QuickTake 100 went on sale 20 years ago from yesterday — June 20, 1994. It was priced at $749 and initiated the age of consumer digital photography.
The Apple QuickTake 100 was one of the first digital cameras, a market that, in a curious turn of events, has shrunk because of smartphones.
See also: Shrine of Apple’s QuickTake 100 page (and video embedded below).
Starting Anew→
Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s SVP of Retail, in a post published on LinkedIn:
Also, trust your instincts and emotions. Let them guide you in every situation; they will not fail you. Never will your objectivity be as clear or your instincts sharper than in the first 30-90 days. Cherish this time and fight the urge to overthink. Real human dialogue and interaction where you can feel and be felt will be invaluable as your vision, enabled by your instincts, becomes clearer. In honor of the great American poet Maya Angelou, always remember, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I would argue this is even more important in the early days.
It’s strange (and great) to see an Apple executive sharing this kind of thoughts publicly. The post is beautifully written, especially the last few paragraphs.
Dropbox for iOS Updated with Recent Save Locations, Camera Setup for Desktop App
In an update released earlier today on the App Store, Dropbox enhanced its official iOS client with tweaks to the Favorites view, a new menu to save files in recently used locations, and a camera-based system to easily setup Dropbox on a desktop computer using an iOS device.
Essential
The iPhone is good at many trivial tasks such as playing games and watching videos, but this week I experienced firsthand how much its portability and apps matter when dealing with an emergency situation.