As I noted yesterday with Mr. Reader’s update, the upcoming shutdown of Google Reader has resulted in a fast uptake of third-party RSS services by existing clients for iOS and OS X, leading to a more variegate, rich ecosystem of apps that sync to different web services that aim at replacing Google Reader. Among the new contenders for the RSS throne there’s David Smith’s Feed Wrangler, which has become my favorite alternative to Google Reader and that, after Mr. Reader and the upcoming Reeder for iPhone update, is now supported by Slow Feeds and ReadKit. Read more
ReadKit and Slow Feeds Updated with Feed Wrangler Support
The Prompt, Episode 2: “Explode Into a Pile of Stars”→
This week, the 5by5 delegates to the UN from England, Italy and Tennessee gather to discuss some follow up, Windows and the Apple cult.
I also got to talk about Nintendo and Steve Ballmer. You can get the episode here, or subscribe via iTunes.
Indiegogo: Kreyos Meteor - A Voice and Gesture Enabled Smartwatch
The Kreyos Meteor is the latest wearable gadget to make its appearance on a crowd-funding platform, this time on Indiegogo. Claiming to be the only smartwatch with both voice and gesture controls, the Kreyos Meteor connects over Bluetooth to your iPhone, Android, or Windows 8 phone. With an iPhone, you can engage Siri through the watch, or use motion-based gestures like a wave of the hand to skip tracks, answer calls, or to have the watch read you a text message without pressing a button. The watch will even help you locate your misplaced phone.
More impressive are the litany of features that are built in for monitoring personal health. The watch could replace devices like the Fitbit or Jawbone UP, tracking overall activity and more with built-in heart rate and cycling monitors. And the Kreyos Meteor isn’t just limited to being a watch - it can be taken out of its watchband to fit into a lanyard or belt clip. It’s also waterproof, making it a great choice for swimmers who want to analyze their performance or for trail runners exposed to the elements.
Targeted at people who want a better way to receive notifications and individuals who are looking for an all in one sensor to track their performance, the Kreyos Meteor wants to keep the phone in your pocket. Just like the Pebble, the Kreyos Meteor will also give developers an opportunity to create new apps and gestures. Already exceeding its goal of $100,000, a contribution of $119 lets you pre-order you the watch in black, expected to ship this November. For an additional $10 you can pick your own color. You can learn more fund the campaign here.
Responding To iOS 7→
Winning apps won’t merely take Apple’s default look and mimic it. Think about how boring it would be if all of our apps looked like iOS 7 Calendar or Settings. It would get old really fast. But that’s nothing new. Think about if all the apps on iOS 6 looked like iOS 6 Calendar and settings… Yep, it would be really boring.
Jeremy Olson has some great thoughts on how designers and developers should respond to iOS 7 in the coming months. From what I’ve seen so far, this summer will be an interesting one.
Apple Details iOS 7 Business and Education Improvements→
Last night, Apple updated its iOS 7 mini-site to include links to two webpages that detail improvements coming for Business and Education users.
For Business, the biggest additions are Per app VPN, more controls on “Open In”, third-party app data protection, and more options coming to MDM with streamlined enrollment. New MDM options are also coming for Education users, alongside single sign-on for an institution’s apps, App Store license management, and more.
Macworld has a good overview of the changes coming in iOS 7 for Business and Education. As noted by Bradley Chambers, the new Apple ID features for students under age 13 are a notable addition.
Dropbox for iOS Gets Easier Sharing→
The Dropbox app for iOS received a nice update last night. It’s now possible to swipe across any file to bring up a bar containing icons to share, mark as starred, move, or delete; you can also easily share any folder or multiple photos at once with other users.
I’m particularly happy about improved photo sharing, as it fits well with my photo archiving workflow.
Mr. Reader 2.0 Adds Support For Feedly, Feed Wrangler, Fever, and More
With Google Reader shutting down in less than a week, developers of RSS clients for iOS and OS X are rushing to get updates approved by Apple and let App Store customers continue using their apps with other RSS services. In the past two weeks, details have emerged on a variety of new RSS platforms that are launching on the brink of Reader’s demise, such as Feedly, Digg Reader, and AOL Reader; I’ve already covered Feed Wrangler, the service I’m currently using, and Reeder’s update with support for Feedbin. It’s not clear if one service will stand out as a “winner” in a post-Google Reader world; for now, what’s apparent is that most third-party developers are deciding to support various Google Reader alternatives rather than picking a single service (as it happened with Google Reader in the past three years). Today, my favorite Google Reader app for iPad, Mr. Reader, has been updated to support six new RSS services, with a version 2.0 that doesn’t add new sharing or reading functionalities, but that ensures the app will continue working after July 1. Read more
‘Creativity as an effortless fantasy’→
John Pavlus of Co.Design on Instagram’s Cinema mode:
Stabilization is the “filters” of mobile video: the one-touch (or in Instagram’s case, no-touch) killer feature that makes your mundane “moments”–your life, really–look and feel like art, and you the artist. Instagram’s video feature is usually compared to Vine, but it really has more in common with Paper–another fantasy-driven art-making app that transforms your homely scrawls into graceful sketches.
[via Ellis Hamburger]
Kickstarter: Capture Lyrics and Record a Demo in Hum
You’re in the shower. You’re at the mall. You’re in the parking lot. The next pop single has just popped in your head and you’ve got to get that idea down fast. But don’t fret. Just Hum it.
Hum, designed, branded, and engineered by a trio of music lovers, is pitched as an all-in-one alternatives to the apps we use daily to capture our song ideas. Instead of singing into Voice Memos or writing lyrics in Notes, Hum brings all your song writing tools into a single application. With Hum, you’ll be able to write lyrics, hum or record a riff, and then set the key. After recording, you can apply a root note and apply metadata for tuning and mood. And when you go to record that demo based on what you’ve written down, Hum will play back your tune with the correct tone, metronome optional.
Hum works however you do — it’s smart and flexible. You can write lyrics and record later, record first and loop a snippet to get down the perfect chorus, or filter your recordings based on a variety of metadata so you can knock out a recording session.
The guys behind Hum are looking to raise $20,000 by July 24th, and they’re currently well on their way with $3,407 raised. Of the pledges, you can get a discounted version of the app for $6 as a reward if the campaign is successfully funded. $10 will nab you the app and a pack of Hum branded picks and stickers, and $30 gets you a t-shirt. You can learn more and back Hum on their Kickstarter page here, and get an overview of the app’s features on their website.