Read It Later 2.3: New Article Parser, Better Attribution

Before falling in love with Instapaper, I was a loyal Read It Later user. I used the service for months and couldn’t be happier with it. So what made me switch to Instapaper? The fact that Marco Arment’s software had a better text parser – that little magic that takes content from the cluttered web and presents it in a beautiful, readable and uncluttered fashion.

Read It Later introduced a few minutes ago a new “insane” article parser, which doesn’t stop at text but extends the service’s capabilities to images and embedded videos. Plus, developer Nate Weiner has refined the whole text parsing process to make RIL smarter and faster at fetching articles.

Am I going to ditch Instapaper and jump on the Read It Later bandwagon all over again? No, but I’m going to give this a deep week-long second try. Read more

Mac Of The Future→

Mac Of The Future

From its experience with iOS, Apple believes it has discovered—or perhaps rediscovered—the secret to selling consumer technology products: simplicity. This doesn’t mean that the Mac we know and love will disappear. Rather, by stealing the most successful ideas from iOS, the Mac OS of tomorrow could slowly shed its legacy constraints while still remaining true to the power, utility, and spirit that has always defined the Mac.

And we haven’t seen anything about Lion yet – Mac App Store and Launchpad aside. Exciting times ahead for Mac users.

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“There’s A Nap For That”

Some people have just the right idea at the right time. We have seen iPhone-based weddings, cakes, pillows, pins, iPad cakes and Steve Jobs actions figures. Could one be more creative? Meet the iPhone quilt, knitted by Grandma Harriet for her grandson Gabriel Augusto Stein, a six day old baby. It’s even got an Evernote icon.

Isn’t this insanely awesome? We think it is. The father even says “there’s a nap for that”. I want one. [TUAW via The Daily What via Benjamin Stein]

Apple Updates Game Center Terms To Show Full Names In Friend Requests

A few minutes ago Apple sent out an email notification to inform users that they have updated Game Center terms & conditions to show full names associated with Apple IDs in friend requests.

We have changed the Game Center terms and conditions to provide you notice that if you send a friend invitation, the full name associated with your Apple ID will be shared with the recipient. If you accept a friend invitation, the full name associated with your Apple ID will be shared with the sender.

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iPad Free In Japan With Softbank’s New Two-Year Plan

It appears that carriers worldwide are all revising their iPad subsidy plans ahead of the holiday season that’s approaching really fast. A few minutes ago, as noted by Engadget, Softbank announced [Google Translation] that starting December 3rd you’ll be able to get an iPad for free if you subscribe to the carrier’s new two-year data plan, which will cost you ¥4,725 ($56) per month for 3G usage.

We already know that the iPhone is doing quite well in Japan. Is the iPad next?

Put Things Off 2: Fun, Beautiful Task Manager for iPhone

I wrote many times in the past that most users don’t need the complexity and feature set of GTD apps such as OmniFocus (for Mac and iOS) and online project management tools like Basecamp. Even if apps like OmniFocus and, to an extent, Things have their loyal userbase, most people just want a simple and effective app to manage their daily activities and reminders.

Put Things Off, recently updated to version 2.0, tries to merge task management with straightforward “reminder” functionalities to create a mix that’s beautiful to look at and simple enough to capture lots of App Store dwellers’ hearts. Read more

Turn Your iPhone and iPad Into Pinball Cabinets

Oh, those dear old pinball machines. I used to spend actual money on those things during summer at the beach – I remember there was a Spider Man one at the bar I somehow managed to break the record on. Anyway, the money-spending trend stopped when I found out that there were well-done pinball videogames (bear with me, I was 10) and, years later, iPhone apps for that.

For as much as they look “real”, apps and console games don’t give you that feeling of touching the whole structure, tilting and pressing buttons. No wonder building an actual pinball machine requires a lot of money: each machine is a work of art and state-of-the art engineering. If you’re feeling like you don’t want to go back to spending bucks on real machines and you want to keep playing pinball on your iOS devices, here comes a cabinet for iPhone and iPad that does just that: it turns the phone and tablet into pinball cabinets, with working flipper buttons and the possibility to tilt.

You just have to place the device inside the mini-machine and download the free app to play. That’s it. Sounds awesome! Too bad the iPad version isn’t available now and will cost you $79.95 once it’s out. The Pinball Magic for iPhone is in stock and available at $29.95. [Gizmodo via Brookstone]

$250,000 Engagement Ring Sold Through iPhone App→

$250,000 Engagement Ring Sold Through iPhone App

Forbes reports:

Blue Nile, of course, is the online website dear to the hearts of many hopeful girlfriends: on it one can design an engagement ring from a wide choice of stones, settings and prices. Its main shoppers, though, are men  - a group to whom Blue Nile has taken considerable pains to target. That list of top ten engagement rings on the homepage? It was put together with the befuddled male shopper in mind. So were the mobile tools the site launched in recent months, including a new iPad app.

Blue Nile hit pay dirt with the latter a number of days ago when it sold a $250,000 ring through the app.

This is the app. It even integrates with PayPal Mobile. [via Rosa]

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