This Week's Sponsor:

Notify

Monitor Websites & RSS Feeds. Private. Simple. No Servers Required.

Connected: The Color of Myke’s Eyes→

This week, the boys discuss the iOS setup process and the possibly-confusing nature of the Apple Watch’s multiple variations before Stephen and Federico share their thoughts on the iPhone 6 Plus.

This week’s Connected has some of my early thoughts about the iPhone 6 Plus I’m trying (plus the usual follow-up and news commentary goodness). You can listen to the episode here.

Sponsored by:

  • Warby Parker: Glasses should not cost as much as an iPhone.
  • Sanebox: Clean up your inbox and spend less time on email.
  • Harry’s: An exceptional shave at a fraction of the price. Use code CONNECTED for $5 off your first purchase
Permalink

Virtual: Alto’s Adventure, with Ryan Cash→

This week Federico and Myke get excited for some upcoming game releases, and speak with Ryan Cash, from Snowman, about their game ‘Alto’s Adventure’.

On this week’s episode of Virtual, we interview Ryan Cash of Snowman about the excellent Alto’s Adventure (my review) – the making of the game from concept to early demos, pricing, player feedback, and more. You can listen to the episode here.

Sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Build it Beautiful. Use code INSERTCOIN for 10% off
Permalink

Tapbots Relaunches Website, Working on Tweetbot 4.0 for iOS→

The fine folks at Tapbots have relaunched their website today, focusing on the apps they’re currently selling on the App Store as well as details on upcoming updates. From their blog post:

Welcome to the new tapbots.com! We hope this long overdue refresh is a better place to stay up to date with our apps. Our goal this year is to not only ship updates on a more regular basis, but also provide more insight into what we are currently working on. So lets get on to the important bits of information.

With the refresh, Tapbots has pulled Convertbot from the App Store (its core functionality is built into the newly released Calcbot 2), removed Pastebot, and set Weightbot free.

On the homepage, Tapbots confirms that a major update to Tweetbot for iOS (version 4.0) is in the works with iPad and landscape support, a redesigned profile view, and more. Tweetbot 3.0 was a fantastic take on Tapbots’ Twitter client (and it stacks up well to other Twitter apps on iOS) and, between this and Tweetbot for Yosemite, I’m excited to see more Tapbots software in 2015.

Permalink

Apple to Live Stream March 9 Event

With an update on their website, Apple has confirmed that they will offer a live stream of the March 9 event, rumored to focus on Apple Watch.

Join us on March 9 at 10 a.m. PDT for our special event. Watch the live video and follow every moment on apple.com/live.

In November, Apple released WatchKit, a set of developer tools to allow developers to make apps for the Watch, which will be bundled inside iOS software on the App Store. Apple is expected to show off Watch apps from launch partners at the March 9 event. This wouldn’t be the first time Apple has live streamed an Apple Watch presentation – the company prominently featured a live video event for the original Watch introduction in September 2014, alongside a live blog of the media event with photos and text updates on Apple.com.

The March 9 event will be streamed live at apple.com/live, with an Apple TV channel likely to be added a few hours ahead of the event.

Apple Announces Media Event for March 9

As first reported by Jim Dalrymple at The Loop, Apple will hold a special media event on March 9 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.

Apple on Thursday sent out invites for a special event to be held on March 9, 2015. The event will be held in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a venue that Apple has used many times before for special events.

According to recent speculation, Apple will set the stage for a second presentation of the Apple Watch, first unveiled alongside the iPhone 6 and Apple Pay in September 2014. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook previously announced that Apple Watch will be released in April in the United States, although it’s not clear when the device will be released in the rest of the world. It’s possible that the event will see the company announcing official release dates for more markets this year.

In November, Apple released WatchKit, a set of developer tools to enable app makers to develop apps for the Watch. WatchKit apps will depend on iPhone counterparts – initially, Watch apps will be included inside the same bundle of iPhone apps – and Apple will likely use the event for formal app announcements from major partners as well as independent developers on March 9.

Apple Highlights Final Cut X Usage in Hollywood Film ‘Focus’→

Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY:

Apple’s Final Cut Pro X is finally ready for its big close-up.

The software, derided by many professional video editors when it launched in 2011, was just used for the first time in a big Hollywood production: Focus, starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie.

This is an important showcase for Apple’s FCPX (which had a problematic debut in 2011) and the company has launched a dedicated mini-site with a lot of photos and details on the production.

Apple writes:

Using Light Iron’s Live Play app, the production team could view same-day H.264 versions of the dailies on iPad from anywhere on set. And editing began just hours after the camera rolled. Metadata markers allowed the edit crew to quickly find and use the best shots. “When you’re cutting a movie, it’s a struggle for clarity,” says Requa. “You get fatigued and you get really tired of your footage, and you need access to a new point of view. A lot of times, the metadata provided an insight into what we were thinking when we shot it.”

Between Focus and Modern Family, Apple seems to be getting momentum back among professionals in the entertainment industry (at least in terms of public acknowledgment). Check out Apple’s website for links to the gear and plugins used in Focus, and watch the trailer with footage from the movie below.

Permalink

How Modern Family Filmed an Episode Entirely with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks→

Last week, ABC announced that today’s episode of Modern Family has been entirely recorded using iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. BuzzFeed has the details on how it was done, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and an interview with show co-creator and executive producer Steve Levitan. I won’t spoil it, so go watch the video here.

This bit was interesting:

And while the episode many seem to stray from the show’s traditional format, Levitan explains that over the ABC comedy’s six seasons, certain scenes have been shot on iPhones for a variety of reasons, but viewers most likely didn’t notice the difference between something shot with a sophisticated digital camera and an iPhone camera. For example, “there was a scene where Manny (Rico Rodriguez) was dressed as a mascot at a basketball game, so rather than recreating a whole basketball game, I quickly shot my son’s basketball game on my iPhone,” Levitan told BuzzFeed News in an email. “Then we filmed Rico against a green screen, and inserted the shot into the episode.”

Pretty incredible that TV shows can be shot using a phone and you won’t even notice.

Permalink

Origami 2.0 and Origami Live→

Facebook’s mobile prototyping tool, Origami, has been updated to version 2.0 with plenty of new features that include code export, Sketch integration, and an iOS app. Called Origami Live and available for free on the App Store, Origami Live lets designers try prototypes in real time on iOS devices with interactions and animations.

Facebook’s Brandon Walkin writes on Medium:

Origami Live has changed how we design products at Facebook. It lets us interact with our prototypes on an iPhone or iPad while we edit them live. We can quickly try new ideas — using multitouch, device sensors, etc. — and fine-tune them with ease, without writing any code. Then we hand over our device to team members or users and have them try out a high-fidelity prototype that looks and feels like a final product.

And about the new presentation mode in Origami 2.0:

You’re able to go into full screen, show off your prototype in a phone with a hand and a touch point in front of beautiful backgrounds — like a mountain top, subway station, or even a Beyoncé concert. Personally, I’m fond of the one where you’re using your phone on a canoe (but somehow also paddling?). This gets presented all while you’re controlling the prototype with an iPhone or iPad running Origami Live or with your trackpad. If you want to show someone a multitouch or phone rotation interaction, they can use it on the device and the screen will be mirrored live on the TV to the rest of the room so others can see what’s going on.

You can check out Origami here and browse the new examples here.

Permalink