Posts in Linked

Directional: Mics And Old Games→

Myke and Federico follow up on last week’s special episode with some unique feedback before discussing integrated accessories and store curation.

In last week’s episode of Directional, we discussed the idea of integrating mobile devices as core aspects of console gaming experiences, and we also considered Sony’s latest approach to digital storefront curation.

This week, we’re taking questions for a Q&A episode we’re recording tonight. Have questions? Let us know on Twitter or through the Directional Contact link.

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Vesper 2.0 with Sync→

Vesper, Q Branch’s note-taking app for iPhone that I reviewed last year, added sync support with version 2.0, available today on the App Store. Q Branch is calling the (optional) service “Vesper Sync”, but right now it’s primarily intended to serve as a backup for your notes because Vesper is still iPhone-only (of course, there are also people who use two iPhones).

I’ve been following the development of Vesper Sync through the excellent Vesper Sync Diary series on Brent Simmons’ blog. It sounded like Q Branch wanted to ship fast, reliable, and invisible sync with the app and that’s exactly what they did. I like how Vesper Sync updates in (almost) real-time and how it doesn’t feel like something that you have to manage inside the app – you only see a network spinner for a second in the status bar and then sync disappears in the background. It’s a pretty sweet and elegant implementation, and it bodes well for Vesper’s likely future availability on more platforms.

Vesper 2.0 is available on the App Store as a free update.

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Reeder 2.2→

Reeder 2.2 for iOS, out today on the App Store, fixes one of the major annoyances that I mentioned in my original review: lack of background app refresh on iOS 7. I find having content from feed readers or podcast clients ready when you launch an app is a great experience, and now Reeder can download articles in the background on a per-account basis (smart choice).

In the update, Silvio Rizzi also switched to new authentication methods for Pocket and Pinboard (nice), updated Messages sharing (much better now), and increased gesture support for navigation inside the app.

Reeder 2.2 is available on the App Store.

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The State of the Apple Developer Ecosystem→

There’s no denying that WWDC 2013 was one of the most exciting in recent years - however, for all the new technologies Apple announced the thing that struck me most - the thing that excited me most as someone building things for the Apple ecosystem - was a single phrase in many of the sessions: “Also available on the Mac”.

A thoughtful article by Nik Fletcher, who takes a look at the state of developer technologies for iOS and OS X. Better developer tools typically equal less time spent working around OS limitations or outdated web interfaces, resulting in leaner development workflows, more apps, and faster updates – which is what everybody wants. Nik offers some great suggestions.

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Igloo Introduces Social Task Management→

Igloo, the intranet you’ll actually like, is about to get better.

Igloo’s next release, Unicorn, is coming this summer. With it comes social task management, a brand new feature fully integrated throughout the Igloo platform, providing the perfect balance between project management and getting your day-to-day work done.

You can manage projects with task lists, optimized for large groups of people; assign tasks from any piece of content, like requesting changes be made on a document; and you can create personal tasks that are assigned to you or another person. And you can see all your tasks in one unified view.

Learn more at Igloo’s Unicorn landing page. Or come see Unicorn in person – Igloo is hosting an event in Toronto on June 12, with customer presentations by Hulu and Nextel International. Register today as seating is limited.

Our thanks to Igloo for sponsoring MacStories this week.

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Facebook Adding Audio Recognition Feature→

Ellis Hamburger, writing for The Verge about Facebook’s “audio recognition”, an upcoming feature to tag music and TV shows when posting to the service with the Facebook app:

Facebook’s implementation, in fact, only works in the US for now, can recognize only 160 TV channels, struggles to recognize music in commercials (which are a big part of Shazam’s business), and only recognizes a few million songs so far. In most cases Shazam works seamlessly, an important part of the company’s secret sauce, but Facebook isn’t exactly competing with Shazam here. Facebook’s audio recognition is designed not to help you figure out what’s playing, but to make it as easy as possible to update your friends about what you’re listening to or watching.

An interesting experiment to drive traffic to Facebook pages for artists and TV shows, but far from a Shazam or SoundHound competitor. Much of the appeal of those apps is that you don’t need to post your discoveries anywhere, whereas Facebook is simply building a feature for the Post interface.

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