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OS X Mavericks: Tips, Tricks, and Details

Mavericks is the latest version of OS X that builds upon the foundation of Mountain Lion to offer new apps like Maps and iBooks, redesigned system apps, and new energy-saving technologies like App Nap and Safari Power Saver. For power users, Mavericks sports additions like improved multiple displays, Finder tabs, tags, and AppleScript Libraries.

At MacStories, we enjoy finding all the little tweaks and hidden features that come with a brand new OS X version each year. In this post, you’ll find over 70 tips, tricks, and details of OS X Mavericks that we’ve collected throughout the summer since the first beta release the new operating system.

Mavericks’ release was announced today at Apple’s media event in San Francisco, and it’s available for free on the Mac App Store. We will have more articles on Mavericks throughout the week in our Mavericks hub on MacStories.

In the meantime, you can enjoy our collection of tips and tricks to get the most out of Mavericks, and read my article on working with Mavericks.
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Boxie Review: An Alternative Dropbox Client for Power Users

Boxie for iPhone

Boxie for iPhone

Dropbox is my filesystem. Every file that I need to have available across devices and that doesn’t require the rich text and search capabilities of Evernote goes into my Dropbox account: screenshots that I share with coworkers; PDF copies of my receipts and invoices; articles written in Editorial are stored in Dropbox. Even my photo backup workflow relies on Dropbox as an archival system that’s always in the cloud, readily available and easily shareable. With the Packrat feature, a $39 yearly add-on, I get access to the full history of my deleted files and file revisions, which have saved me on several occasions in the past.

The official Dropbox app for iOS is good, but it’s not great for power users and it hasn’t been substantially enhanced for iOS 7 yet. That’s what Italian developers Matteo Lallone and Gianluca Divisi (together, Tapwings) want to fix with Boxie, a $1.99 third-party Dropbox client for iPhone packed with advanced features and navigation options. I’ve been testing Boxie for the past month, and I think that it’s off to a solid start. Read more

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Weather Line Review

Weather Line

Weather Line

I am not a weather nerd. I don’t commute to work[1] and I don’t need to know the percentage of precipitation and humidity for the next three weeks. I spend most of my days in Viterbo and Rome, where the weather isn’t particularly crazy; I never get to try the fancy weather apps with Dark Sky integration and “radars” because those features don’t work here. You may argue that I’m forced to be a casual user of weather apps; I honestly believe that I don’t need to know everything about the weather to have a good day. I don’t travel much, and therefore I rarely need to plan my trips according to weather conditions. I enjoy simple weather apps like Today, Yahoo Weather, and even Apple’s built-in Weather app for iOS 7 because they display all the data I need without overwhelming me with terminology I don’t understand.

This is why I was curious to try Ryan Jones’ Weather Line when he emailed me a few weeks back. His pitch was simple: “I had this idea for a weather app, and I’m great at making charts”. Sure enough, I remembered Jones’ work on the iPad mini “price umbrella” chart from last year, and he seemed confident enough in his app to convince me to try it. Weather Line is available today at $2.99 on the App Store, it’s iPhone-only, and it is one of the nicest and most unique weather apps I’ve tried lately. Read more

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Terminology 3 Review

Less popular than Drafts but equally impressive in terms of functionality and inter-app communication, Greg Pierce’s Terminology, a dictionary and thesaurus app for iOS, is relaunching today for iOS 7 with a new Universal app that adds sync, configurable actions, and a redesign that matches iOS’ new general aesthetic. I have been testing Terminology 3 for the past few months, and this new version holds up to expectations by honoring Terminology’s tradition of simplicity and bringing powerful new features.

We first reviewed Terminology in 2010, when it was an iPad-only app that already showed how developer Greg Pierce wanted to focus on words and definitions rather than heavily custom graphics and fancy effects. A few months after the iPad version, Pierce released a standalone iPhone version, called Terminology Ph, that carried all the features of the tablet counterpart onto the smaller screen; a year after version 1.0, Terminology 2.0 was released, refining the user interface and adding new app integrations. Throughout 2011, 2012, and the better part of this year, Pierce maintained Terminology with compatibilty updates but otherwise focused on Drafts, which, as MacStories readers know, has contributed to redefining iOS automation and the idea of a “quick notepad” for iOS.

The new Terminology represents a break from the past, fully embracing iOS 7’s new design philosophy and offering customers an easier purchase experience with a Universal version. As a new app, you will have to buy Terminology again – something that is perfectly acceptable after three years of usage of the same app. Read more

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Apple Confirms: Media Event On October 22

As first reported by All Things Digital, Apple has today sent invitations to selected members of the press for a media event on October 22 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The invitation, shared on Twitter by Tim Bradshaw, reads “We still have a lot to cover”.

According to rumors and speculation from recent weeks, Apple will announce updates to the iPad line at the event. In particular, it’s been reported by several rumor sites that Apple will unveil a fifth generation 9.7-inch iPad sporting a case redesign inspired by last year’s iPad mini, and a second generation iPad mini with a higher resolution Retina display. Following the release of the iPhone 5s with Touch ID, A7 processor, and gold color option, Apple has been rumored to be considering these features for the iPad as well, although it’s unclear as to whether Apple could bring them to the iPad or iPad mini. According to 9to5mac’s Mark Gurman, Apple has also been testing a new iPad mini based on the A6 CPU and without a Retina display, which the company could sell as an “entry level” iPad mini.

There are other announcements that Apple is expected to make before the end of the year: the company said earlier this year that it would release the new Mac Pro in the Fall, and announced last month their intention to bring the iPhone 5s to over 100 countries and 270 carriers in 2013. OS X Mavericks, recently released as GM to registered developers, is also expected to get an official release date in the Fall, and it’s possible that Apple will showcase updates to some of its App Store-only apps for iOS 7, such as GarageBand or iWork (the iWork suite was made free last month, but hasn’t been updated for iOS 7).

We’ll be covering Apple’s October 22 announcements with a dedicated hub on MacStories.

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Launch Center Pro 2.0 Review

Launch Center Pro, developed by Contrast (née App Cubby), can be considered the app that spearheaded a small revolution among iOS power users. Initially envisioned as a Notification Center tool, following an Apple rejection in late 2011 the app was released as Launch Center; in the summer of 2012, App Cubby completely reworked the inner workings and design of Launch Center and turned it into Launch Center Pro, allowing users to create custom actions with personalized URL schemes and therefore kicking off a series of months that saw the apperance of several other apps focused on actions, URL schemes, and automated workflows. In looking back at the past year of iOS automation, I think that Launch Center Pro 1.0 was a major turning point in that it proved that many iOS users wanted to create actions and workflows to save time and be more productive.

In March 2013, App Cubby released Launch Center Pro 1.1, which focused on TextExpander integration in URL schemes, Action Composer tweaks, and deeper system integration with clipboard actions for text and more. The app’s library of supported third-party apps kept growing as more developers took the opportunity to address the interest sparked by Launch Center Pro to add URL schemes to their apps. I remember, however, that back then App Cubby’s David Barnard – the same developer behind the recently released and successful weather app Perfect Weather – started telling me about his plans for the future of Launch Center Pro and expanding to other supported services, apps, and devices.

With today’s Launch Center Pro 2.0 for iPhone, a free update for existing customers, Contrast wants to ask: in the era of Drafts actions and Control Center, can Launch Center Pro still have a spot on a user’s Home screen, and possibly in the dock? Read more

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#MacStoriesDeals - Monday

If you’re still new to iOS 7 and want to check out or tips, previews, and news, check here. Here are some great #MacStoriesDeals today! You can find us as @MacStoriesDeals on Twitter.

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1Password 4 for Mac Review

1Password 4 for Mac

1Password 4 for Mac

I don’t think that 1Password, AgileBits’ popular password management and form-filling tool, needs any introduction for MacStories readers. I have been using 1Password since I got my first Mac in 2008, bought the iPhone and iPad versions, followed the development of the Mac client, and praised the major 4.0 update for iOS that was released in December 2012. The work I do on the web depends on 1Password’s feature set, which makes it easy to manage logins and web identities with the peace of mind that the app, and not your brain, will have to remember secure data for you.

Here’s how, last year, I explained the purpose of 1Password in my review:

Why Should You Use It?

Because you need to stop using the same password on every website you subscribe to; because you need stronger, unique passwords others can’t guess; and because in doing so you’ll probably want a single app that keeps them all together. That’s what 1Password does: it’a a single app that will let you easily create stronger passwords and store them in an encrypted database that only you can access. With version 4.0, the app syncs its database using iCloud and Dropbox, and it doesn’t come with a confusing combination of strikingly different iPhone/iPad designs anymore.

I wouldn’t say there’s a learning curve in using 1Password. You can just start using the app and begin adding new logins, changing your existing passwords with stronger ones, and perhaps taking a few notes with information you don’t want to keep elsewhere.

1Password 3 for Mac has been a trusted companion for four years now: the app was released in September 2009[1], before Apple made a Mac App Store, before the iPad, and when (I’m fairly certain) Apple was already doomed. 1Password 4 for Mac, released today on both AgileBits’ website and the Mac App Store, is a complete redesign of 1Password that, inspired by its iOS counterpart, brings a fresh interface to the desktop alongside new functionalities inspired by last year’s iOS update, while still ensuring that OS X users can get access to more advanced and keyboard-driven features. If you want to skip my thoughts on the app, go download 1Password 4 right now because, unsurprisingly, it’s great. Read more

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Logacal: A Smarter Visualization Of Calendar Events

Logacal

Logacal

In the past few months, I’ve been obsessed with finding the best Calendar and Reminders clients for my iPhone and iPad. While I wouldn’t call myself a calendar power user, I do rely on iCloud Calendar to organize my daily appointments and events that require my complete attention, and I’ve been lured by the simplicity and immediacy of Reminders. As I noted in my article on living with iOS 7, I’ve also been liking the OS’ new Today view in Notification Center, which gives me a summary of all the things – events or reminders – I have to do today.

I don’t like calendar apps that are limited by old rules defined by physical calendars. For instance, what’s the point of showing a full month with past events when our devices know what the current day is? Why showing empty days in views that should list upcoming events? Our devices have a little, powerful silicon brain inside them, and yet so many calendar apps – supposedly, digital assistants for the modern age – are still stuck with concepts and metaphors of two decades ago. This is a topic that other smart people have also touched upon in the past, and I recommend reading this piece by Jason Snell.

Earlier this week I was browsing the App Store and I came across Logacal, a $2.99 iPhone app developed by Czech developer Pavel Doležal. I was intrigued by the app’s clean iOS 7 design and description:

Unlike traditional month, week or day-based calendars, Logacal doesn’t split time equally, but instead depending on how far in the future it is.

And:

Its design is vastly inspired by logarithmic scale that enables you to see and manage your calendar in a very natural and intuitive way.

Now, I’m no expert of logarithmic scales and other high level mathematical theories, but I’m good enough at clicking the Buy button in iTunes and doing some reading on Wikipedia. Apparently, some of our senses operate in a logarithmic fashion, and Pavel’s idea was to represent future days, weeks, months, and years on a scale that gets less granular as you move further in time. Read more

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