I’ve used Billings for invoicing and time tracking since shortly after I first started freelancing years ago. I recently (finally) upgraded to Billings Pro, and I’ve been testing out the most recent update to the apps for Mac and iOS. The latest version brings Apple Watch support, mobile estimates, and seamless integration of all of the Billings Pro features across all my devices.
Billings Pro Adds Mobile Estimates and Apple Watch Features
A Visual History of the iTunes Icon→
Reda Lemeden’s collection of every iTunes icon ever made brings back memories. I clearly remember so many Apple fans being upset for the big redesign of 2010.
Unlocking Doors with Apple Watch→
Here’s another example of how watchOS 2 will, potentially, improve the experience of using apps on Apple Watch. August announced an Apple Watch version of their app to unlock smart locks with a tap. Because of WatchKit 1.0, it wouldn’t be uncommon for the August app to take several seconds to launch, be slow, or occasionally crash. Exactly not the kind of experience you’d want when standing in front of a locked door that you want to open with the convenience of a smart device (just use your keys at that point).
The couple of watchOS 2 apps I’m using so far are already considerably faster and more reliable than their WatchKit 1.0 counterparts. While not completely native to the Watch, watchOS 2 apps will benefit from speed improvements besides access to sensors, and that should help companies such as August when it comes to everyday performance and enjoyment.
Keeping Tabs on Twitter’s Experimental Tabs→
Alex Kantrowitz, writing for BuzzFeed:
Starting today, some U.S. Twitter users will see a News tab appear in their Twitter apps.
The experimental feature, part of Twitter’s effort to make its best content easy to find, inhabits the middle tab of the app’s navigation bar and brings up a list of headlines that are trending on the platform. When you click a headline, you’re taken to a story screen with an image, headline, block of text from the story, and the top tweets discussing it.
I feel like I can no longer make the joke that Twitter keeps experimenting without supporting basic iOS features. This looks like a good summary of trending news on Twitter, but it’s also no Nuzzel, and I wonder how quickly it’ll be supplanted by Project Lightning (“Moments?”) when it launches.
Maybe I should start coming up with punchlines about their iPad app in the meantime.
Run 5k for watchOS 2→
Aleksandar Vacić of Radiant Tap has written about the process behind the iOS 9/watchOS 2 update for his app, Run 5k:
Run 5k for watchOS 2 will tap your arm when you need to change pace during the training run thus not interrupting your music, ever. And at the end, you will see your results right on the watch app.
When you get home, you take the Watch off, place it anywhere close to your iPhone and while you shower all the data will be synced over. You can check your results in either Run 5k or in Apple’s own Activity app. Or in any other 3rd party app that’s leveraging Apple Health platform.
It’s not just that they’ll be faster. watchOS 2 apps will have a deeper access to Apple Watch hardware that will start making them more independent from the iPhone and personal – truly, as this is the kind of data that not even an iPhone can simulate on its own. I have a feeling this will be a massive change for fitness and health apps on the Watch this Fall.
Status Board Goes 2.0 with New Panels, Multiple Boards, and More
I first reviewed Panic’s Status Board two years ago, noting how it was an “elegant, fun, and powerful dashboard for the iPad”. Today, Panic has released version 2.0 of the app, which features a redesigned UI to be in line with the latest iOS trends and conventions, a new font, more board features and types, and a new freemium model.
The Ad Blocker Debate→
Jean-Louis Gassée, on ad-blocking tools coming with iOS 9 thanks to Safari Content Blockers:
Publishers who rise to condemn new (and still unproven) ad-blocking features on iOS and OS X ought to ask themselves one question: Who needs whom the most?
Apple’s move answers the question. No need to think it’s building ad-blocking technology to monopolize the field to the benefit of its iAd platform whose revenue can’t “move the needle” for a company where revenue and profits mostly come from hardware (see the last 10-Q report page 25). Apple’s “ulterior” motive is making everyday use of its products more pleasant, resulting in more sales: the usual ecosystem play.
With MacStories, we’re pretty fortunate to be in the position of running a publication that doesn’t depend on heavy user tracking and programmatic ads (we do native advertising with sponsors, affiliate links, and, soon, something else). The few JavaScript code that is left on our pages (Google Analytics) could go away if I find something that works better and is lighter than Google’s solution. As publishers, we won’t be particularly affected by Content Blockers. I relate to those who run sites based on a different model, but I’m not so shortsighted to blame Safari for the slow nature of a mobile web infested with ads and creepy trackers.
I also believe that a lot of this comes down to how much you respect your readers. This was our single most important goal with MacStories 4.0 last year. It won’t change anytime soon. It’s important for us that anyone – no matter their browser or Internet speed or data cap – can read our website comfortably and quickly.
As a user, I’m ecstatic about Content Blockers. Some might say it’s not morally acceptable to block ads, but when publishers reach the point where a single 80 KB article weighs 6 MB, maybe it is time for a wake up call.
My Favorite Mac: The New 12” Retina MacBook
After three weeks with the new MacBook, I can easily declare it as my favorite Mac, and none of the details that left some of the tech press wailing and gnashing their teeth have actually been a problem. Only one port? A minor annoyance at worst. Performance? It works great for everything that I need to do. Keyboard? I absolutely love it and can’t imagine switching back. In hindsight, the only regret I have is spending all that money on an iPad Air 2.
A Weekend at KansasFest→
Good story by Jason Koebler on KansasFest:
Every summer, about 70 people descend on Kansas City’s Rockhurst University for KansasFest, a conference that can best be described as a 5-day sleepaway camp exclusively for fans of the Apple II, one of the first commercially successful personal computers. KansasFest started in 1989 as an Apple II developer’s conference—26 years later, it’s still entirely dedicated to the Apple II.