Reeder 2 Review

Reeder 2

Reeder 2

Reeder had a rough transition to the post-Google Reader world. Following the shutdown of Google’s RSS reading service on July 1 (something that Google had announced in March), Reeder – one of the most popular, if not the most popular Google Reader client for iOS – received an update to add support for Feedly and Feed Wrangler on July 2, but developer Silvio Rizzi couldn’t ship updates to the iPad and Mac counterparts in time. For this reason, after making Reeder for iPad and Mac free downloads, Rizzi was forced to remove them from the App Store, promising that they would come back, eventually, with support for new RSS reading services.

A household name of the iOS third-party scene, I first reviewed Reeder 1.0 back in 2009 and followed the app’s evolution as Rizzi found himself developing a client used by hundreds of thousands of Google Reader users. Rizzi, an indepedent developer from Chur, Switzerland, has always maintained a fairly slow pace of updates and releases, taking his time to bring Reeder to the iPad (the app wasn’t ready on April 3, 2010) and to the Mac. After a lack of updates that endured seven months, Reeder for iPhone made a comeback last year with Reeder 3.0, which started moving away from Google Reader – possibly prescient of disruptive changes coming to the service – with support for Shaun Inman’s Fever. And yet, after version 3.0 hit the App Store, Reeder went silent again, leaving many wondering as to whether it would ever see substantial updates again.

Reeder 2, released today at $4.99 on the App Store, is a new app that aims at making Reeder ready for the new era of RSS readers but that, at the same time, keeps one foot in the past with familiar interface choices and functionalities. Read more

Apple Discontinues Cards App for iOS→

Apple:

As of September 10, 2013, the Cards iOS app service is no longer available.

Cards ordered before 1 PM Pacific time on September 10, 2013, will be delivered, and push notifications will continue to work.

I’ve always seen Cards as something that Scott Forstall personally wanted (he announced it in October 2011) and that eventually got into the App Store. I guess that, in spite of iWork apps not getting a visual update for iOS 7’s launch, Cards really had to go.

It was a cool service. I’m glad iPhoto for Mac still has it.

Permalink

The Invisible Interplay

Traditionally, Apple likes to pride itself upon the tight integration of hardware and software they achieve in their products. As a company that builds devices and creates the software that runs on them, Apple can control fundamental aspects of the user experience such as Siri being based on a dedicated noise-reduction technology and iOS not recognizing accidental touches on the iPad mini’s smaller bezels, as well as subtle details such as OS X stopping a Mac’s fans when Dictation is active or quickly muting an iPad’s volume if you hold the volume button down for a few seconds.

The “interplay” of Apple’s hardware and software is nothing new, but I believe it was more apparent than ever today with the iPhone 5s, iOS 7, the A7 and M7 chips, and Touch ID. Read more

Rich Mogull’s Fingerprint Scanning Q&A→

Rich Mogull has a solid Q&A over at TidBITS about today’s iPhone 5s and Touch ID announcements. Rich does a good job at explaining what fingerprint scanning is, its limitations, and why it won’t be available in third-party apps right away.

But the real reason is that using fingerprints creates better security through improved usability. Most people, if they use a passcode at all, stick with a simple four-digit passcode, which is easy for an attacker to circumvent with physical possession of your iPhone. Longer passphrases, like the obscure 16-character one I use, are far more secure, but a real pain to enter repeatedly. A fingerprint reader, if properly implemented, provides the security of a long passphrase, with more convenience than even a short passcode.

Touch ID isn’t a panacea for the modern world’s security problems, but it’s an important addition to the system that combines advanced technology with good usability.

Permalink

Infinity Blade III Preview→

Modojo’s John Gaudiosi has posted a preview of Infinity Blade III, which was announced at Apple’s iPhone event earlier today. Infinity Blade III is a major new entry in Chair’s popular game franchise that takes advantage of Apple’s new hardware and that will be released alongside iOS 7 on the App Store on September 18th at $6.99.

Modojo’s preview includes a description of the new game modes and characters:

According to Donald Mustard, creative director at Chair Entertainment, the studio’s goal heading into this third game was to create the ultimate Infinity Blade experience. Infinity Blade 3 provides a universe that’s over eight times larger than that of the first game, thanks to eight huge castles spread throughout the world map. In addition, there’s a huge allotment of side quests, new multiplayer Clash Mobs and different events that players can participate in that make the world even bigger.

Modojo was also able to produce a series of interviews with the Chair development team. The interviews, linked below, include exclusive footage of Infinity Blade III’s gameplay and menus and reveal more details on the game’s creation process. They’re absolutely worth a look if you want to know more about Infinity Blade III.

Permalink

September 10th iPhone Event: All the Other Stuff

Today’s iPhone event was short and to the point. Instead of introducing handfuls of new products and apps, we were presented with a quick iOS 7 overview of what was already announced at WWDC, some iWork and app updates (more on that in a second), and then the iPhones themselves alongside accompanying cases. Honestly, this made for one of the most satisfying iPhone events in ages.

Read more

Apple Posts September 10 Keynote Video→

Apple has now posted the video of its keynote held earlier today in Cupertino. The video can be streamed here, and a higher quality version should be made available in a few hours through iTunes (on the Apple Keynotes podcast). To avoid streaming errors, Safari is recommended for the best viewing experience.

Our iPhone 5s and 5c overviews are available here and here, respectively.

Update 10:50 PM EDT: Today’s keynote video can now be downloaded in standard definition through the Apple Keynotes podcast on iTunes. 720p and 1080p versions will likely be released tomorrow.

For more coverage, check out our September 10 news hub and follow @macstoriesnet on Twitter.

Permalink

iPhone 5s: Our Complete Overview

At a keynote held today in Cupertino, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller officially introduced the iPhone 5s, the successor to last year’s iPhone 5 and the major new entry in the iPhone line-up. Schiller referred to it as the “most forward-thinking phone anyone has ever made”.

As widely expected, the iPhone 5s has the same industrial design of the iPhone 5, with an anodized aluminum back and diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays, 4-inch Retina display, and Lightning connector. However, the iPhone 5s comes with a visible change in the Home button: through a brand new system called Touch ID, a sensor available under the Home button will allow iOS to recognize a user’s fingerprint for authorization and security purposes. Read more

iPhone 5c: Everything You Need to Know

During today’s media event at the Apple Campus in Cupertino, California, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, took the stage to announce the iPhone 5c. The iPhone 5c is Apple’s first plastic-bodied phone with a 4-inch screen, is shaped like the iPod touch, and is also Apple’s first iPhone that’s available in an array of bright colors. The 16 GB iPhone 5c starts at $99 on contract.

Read more