viticci

Ars Technica 7.0

Speaking of websites that provide a valuable product, Ars Technica launched version 7.0 today, and it looks fantastic.

Not The Reader’s Problem

I was going to write up some thoughts about this piece by Ben Brooks (and Stephen Hackett's response), but Macdrifter did an excellent job:

But here’s the thing, it’s not the reader’s problem. It’s capitalism. Provide a valuable product that is unavailable somewhere else and people will pay for it. If they don’t, then I guess it wasn’t valuable enough. Maybe all they think a site is worth is a split second of looking at an ad. Maybe they can find that same link or analysis on a dozen other WordPress sites.

I couldn't agree more. Read the whole post here.

WebArchive Folderizer

Nice utility to extract graphics (and other resources) from .webarchive files with a folder structure. Works great with Apple.com webpages. [via Klein Maetschke]

Apple By The Numbers

I don't usually link to infographics, but this one by Sortable is very nice, and it reports up-to-date numbers and other cool tidbits.

2048pixels

Nice new site featuring Retina-ready iPad wallpapers. They accept original submissions here.

Where’s Evernote Going?

Macdrifter:

I’d prefer if Evernote went Full Monty with these acquisitions. Integrate Sktich image editing into Evernote. Provide direct support for Penultimate sketching in Evernote. Both of these apps have overlap with the reasons I want to use the Evernote app. I’d like Evernote to stop buying sharing buttons and start buying Evernote enhancements.

Following yesterday's news of Evernote acquiring Penultimate, I wrote:

With the acquisition of Penultimate, it’ll be interesting to see whether Evernote will also make changes to its own iPad app to include deeper integration with the standalone handwriting software, and if the main Evernote interface will gain new filtering tools to better organize text notes and handwritten ones (which already support optical character recognition for search when saved to Evernote).

I am a big fan of Evernote – I use the service every day – and I was hoping the Skitch acquisition would bring deeper integration with Evernote notebooks and desktop app, too. Like Don, I wasn't impressed with Skitch for iPad either.

If Evernote really wants to stay around for the next 100 years, they have to build a solid foundation of connected apps now.

As Evernote moves beyond just “notes” and embraces a wider approach with apps that leverage your account's data in different ways, the company will need to figure out a way to let users effortlessly manage and export these bits of data no matter the Evernote app they are using. As Macdrifter notes, it doesn't make sense that all Skitch has got is an Evernote sharing button. Standalone Evernote apps shouldn't be second class citizens. Here's to hoping the same won't happen with Penultimate, and that Evernote is considering major improvements to Skitch.

To understand Evernote's renewed direction, the company's homepage comes in handy:

Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see.

Evernote believes such functions need separate apps; I hope these dedicated tools will soon turn into a mature, integrated ecosystem that can stand the test of time.

iPhone Accessories in Tokyo

Reminds me of the “iDish” article from July 2010 for some reason, which, to date, is the weirdest thing we've published on MacStories.

iPad Text Editing Concept Already A Jailbreak Tweak

The demo video posted by iDownloadBlog looks already very solid and well-implemented.

Remember how Apple hired MobileNotifier's Peter Hajas right ahead of WWDC last year?

Poor For Editing

John neatly summarizes the issue with the iPad's software keyboard in response to a concept video that's been making the rounds this week:

Once you get used to it, the iPad keyboard isn’t bad for typing, but no matter how acclimated you are it’s poor for editing. It’s fiddly, slow, and (because you have to take a hand off the keyboard) disruptive to select text.

Like I said, I think Hooper's proposed solution makes a lot of sense:

By allowing users to tap and swipe on the keyboard, this system could, in theory, allow for faster selection, also in combination with keys like Shift. Almost every area of iOS now supports taps and swipes: why not the keyboard?

A popular argument I've heard from those who don't think Apple should ever consider an implementation similar to this is that it would break the metaphor of directly manipulating text on screen. Which is true, and which is also perfectly fine as iOS already breaks several of its own metaphors by offering multiple ways to perform tasks:

• You can scroll a webpage to the top by pulling the content down, or tapping the iOS status bar.

• You can move between apps using the Home button, or multitasking gestures.

• You can close a photo by pinching out or tapping the Back button:

• You can split the keyboard itself.

I don't think it's about differentiating between the iOS “for power users” (i.e. the people who, supposedly, are the only ones who know about multitasking gestures) and the iOS “for everyone else”. It's about offering better options, and text selection on the iPad desperately needs one as the device is being used for real-life editing.

EA, Masters Of In-App Messages

Can anyone find a position for in-app message designer here?