Public Beta of Reeder for Mac Now Available

Reeder developer Silvio Rizzi promised a public beta of Reeder for Mac by the end of November and he didn’t break his promise: Reeder for Mac “draft 1” is now available for download here. Reeder comes to the Mac after two very successful iterations on the iPhone and iPad (our review of the iPad version here).

This is a first rough beta of the app, which has been in the works for several months now, and it’s still missing key features such as in-app feed management, search and downloads. The application is already pretty fast and stable, but it can’t be considered a final version at all. Feedback can be submitted to: [email protected].

A lot of things have changed since our exclusive first look at Reeder for Mac months ago. Rizzi has been busy polishing the overall feeling of the app and adding features (especially sharing ones); he completely redesigned the navigation of unread items in Google Reader by putting folders and subscriptions in “boxes” sitting in a left sidebar, he tried a more iPad-like approach.

Reeder for Mac is going to be huge, and this is just the beginning. I guess the app will eventually find its way to the Mac App Store after initial testing. Look for a detailed review of Reeder “Draft 1” on MacStories tomorrow.

Update: review online here.

Update #2: Reeder Vs. Fitt’s Law.

Attention, RIM: JPMorgan Deploys iPads

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said months ago they didn’t see RIM catching up with Cupertino’s extraordinary success in the “foreseeable future”, and everyone’s been talking about the fast growth of Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad in the business market (and enterprise). Businesses were already “jumping on the iPad” back in August (and July too, we recall), now the deployment of iOS devices continues with JPMorgan Chase & Co giving iPads to investment bankers.

Bankers will be able to use the iPad for both business and personal use, they’ll be able to download personal apps on the tablet while keeping tabs on their tasks using business apps sold in the App Store or developed internally. Of course the Wall Street folks will have the ability to access their emails, calendars and meeting notes on the iPad. Read more

Richard Branson Talks Project Mag for iPad, The Daily, Dinner with Jobs

So the Project for iPad came out this morning and we weren’t really impressed with it. The app surely looks good, but in my opinion it fails at delivering a more innovative experience then, for instance, the one seen in the Wired app months ago.

It is no surprise, anyway, that Project has quickly become the top free app in the iPad App Store. In the following video, you can listen to Sir Branson talking about the iPad as the platform of choice to launch Project, the plans for future versions on multiple devices, and a dinner with el Jobso. [via 9to5]

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Paperless: Customizable Checklist App for iPhone

I’m not really that kind of user who’s into checklists, but I can spot a good app when I see one. I daily depend on OmniFocus and Simplenote for my projects, tasks and notes – yet I can see why many users prefer checklists (or just “lists”) on their mobile devices: they’re simple to play around with, yet they allow for a certain level of complexity.

Paperless for iPhone is based on this very same concept: it’s a simple app everyone could use, but it also lets you customize the way it works to achieve more complex setups. Read more

When Is “Inspired By” Taken Too Far?→

When Is “Inspired By” Taken Too Far?

Tapbots is no stranger to getting their work copied, stolen, and everything else in that category, but where does one draw the line?

This is where the line needs to be drawn. Retweet the source link if you believe in the hard work of great, skilled and passionate designers and developers who see their work abruptly copied by God knows what “iOS development studio” every single day.

Shame on mRemedy, and all those who tolerate and support this kind of “works”.

[via Mark Jardine]

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Notica: A Visual Database For The Most Important Things In Your Life

We love discovering and talking about new apps for the iPhone and iPad. In fact, we love covering apps so much that sometimes we feel a little guilty when we can’t seem to find the right app to feature on MS. This week though, also thanks to a huge Black Friday sale that kind of forced us to buy new apps, we’ve got plenty of material to feature.

Notica is a new iPhone app by Cleversome which aims at enabling you to collect the most important things, people and moments of your life inside a gorgeous and intuitive interface. Notica is a little, elegant app you might just fall in love with in a couple of minutes. Read more

Dutch Newspaper Gifting iPads with New Subscriptions

The Dutch newspaper ‘nrc•next’ is giving free iPads to people who sign up to receive their printed subscription for two years and it also includes their daily digital iPad App version.

This is a great idea to grow your readership but they underestimated the response to their subscription promotion. Now they have posted a page on their blog “Zeg, waar blijft die iPad?” which translates to “Say, where is my iPad?” It’s basically a Q & A for people who signed up for their promotion and have yet to receive their new iPads.

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How The Internet Can Fix Paul Thurrott in 2010→

How The Internet Can Fix Paul Thurrott in 2010

Let’s take a look at Thurrot’s latest piece, “How Apple Can Fix the iPad in 2011”.

The one major change Apple will institute in the existing iPad models is the price, which is far too high for a device that is essentially a large-screen iPod touch.

Considering that current competitors are in the same price range of the iPad, and sometimes way above it, I don’t think pricing is a problem to fix in 2011.

Granted, not everyone is going to want a 7-inch iPad. But this model, positioned squarely between the iPod touch and currently 10-inch iPad, would provide a perfect middle ground, especially for those who will continue to use the iPad for consumption purposes only. (As is the case with virtually all iPad owners today, by the way.)

Same old story all over again. He says Apple needs a smaller iPad, but that won’t change the fact that the iPad is a consumption-only device. Either someone didn’t get the memo, or I haven’t been briefed on the incredible content creation capabilities of the Galaxy Tab.

The iPad’s currently storage allotments are simply too small. Apple should use its iPod touch as a guide and offer 32 GB, 64 GB, and even 128 GB versions of the device.

There’s no 128GB iPod touch.

While Apple clearly intended to include dual cameras in the current iPad–there is a hole designed for this purpose inside the case–it didn’t, and now there’s no way to add one.

That hole is there to make the ambient-light sensor work.

The current iPad’s screen is far too glossy and reflective to be used in many situations, making it less than ideal for eBook reading, movie watching, and other activities where you can more clearly see your own reflection than the onscreen content.

I thought glossy was meant to make movies look better?

Apple currently sells 6 different iPads, three with Wi-Fi only and three with 3G wireless networking as well. Since Apple likely pays something like $6 for a 3G radio, my advice is to simplify the lineup to 2 or 3 models only, differentiated only by storage capacities.

This is the best part. First he says Apple’s selling too many different models, then he goes on to suggest Apple should make a smaller version available as well, with different screen and storage options.

Someone’s confused here.

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