Blogsy 3.4 Released
The iPad blogging app Blogsy has just released a new version which includes the ability to set/edit custom fields for WordPress blogs. For those of you like me who like to blog from the iPad this could be just up your street. I’ll be checking it out this evening.
(Via Jim Dalrymple.)
Retina Web Clip Icons and Reeder for iPad by Shawn Blanc
I’ve been meaning to link to this for a while. Since the iPad 3 arrived it’s time to update the images for your Apple touch icons and Reeder.app
Troubleshooting Messages Beta
Important for making the new Messages app on the Mac sync with all your iOS devices.
(Via Jim Dalrymple.)
If Apple were trying to make Mountain Lion more like iOS we would be touching the screen of our computers to interact with out apps instead of using the keyboard and mouse.Mountain Lion is about familiarity and integration. The new features and apps in Mountain Lion make sense for a desktop operating system.
(Via Jim Dalrymple.)
Misconceptions About iOS Multitasking
A great article from Fraser debunking all the myths behind multi-tasking on iOS. I’ve heard many people, people who should know better, making similar statements to the ones which prompted this article.
(Via Twitter)
Inside iOS 5: AirPlay Mirroring Will Be Its “Most Exciting Feature”
This makes me really want to get an AppleTV, Real Racing looks awesome.
One Month With Android
Ryan Heise has been using Android over his iPhone for the last month or so. His conclusion:
Google wants to reinvent the wheel that Apple created with iOS, but it’s a wheel that they’re better off to copy all the way, rather than make a facsimile and take out a few big chunks.
There’s a few interesting points in this article that seem to confirm one thing. Apple thinks about how to make something and polish the crap out of it. Google thinks about how to make something quickly and then move on to the next thing.
(Via Shawn Blanc.)
Interview With Marco Arment
This is a great insight into the creator of Instapaper one of my favourite apps on the iPad and the reason it does what it does so elegantly. Marco created it for a need he had and it’s an app he uses everyday, it’s not been made for the users, it’s been made for himself. If Marco is anything like me, his worst and most important ciritic is himself. Satisfying that critic is the only way to create something truly great, which is just what he’s doing.
Daring Fireball: The iPad 2
If you didn’t like the original iPad, you’re not going to like the iPad 2. If you liked the original iPad, you’re going to like the iPad 2 even better.
John Gruber in his review of the iPad 2.
This seems to be the general consensus I’m reading at the moment. I can’t wait to get one and experience iPad over a prolonged period.
Hands-on Details About the iPad 2 and iOS 4.3 by Jeff Carlson
Jeff Carlson on Tibits indicates I may have been wrong in my assumptions of how home sharing on iOS works in his Hands-On Details about the iPad 2 and iOS 4.3.
A part of the iOS 4.3 update, iTunes Home Sharing lets you stream media from a copy of iTunes on your network to your iPad, rather than having to first transfer it during a sync operation. In addition, Home Sharing helps keep your library up to date. When you purchase a song on an iOS device and then connect to your iTunes library wirelessly, the song is automatically transferred to your library. It’s like turning your iOS device into an Apple TV.
(Via Shawn Blanc.)
iOS 4.3 Software Update
Along with iPad 2, Apple announced iOS 4.3 with be coming to an iDevice near you on Friday March 11th.
More free cool software is always a bonus and so I thought the biggest feature in iOS 4.3 for me would be iTunes home sharing. I got extremely excited on hearing it would be arriving on my iPhone 4. Why? Well this is how the iTunes page describes home sharing.
Browse iTunes libraries on up to five authorised computers on your home network and import whatever you like. You can also automatically import new purchases made on any of the computers.
I make use of this feature a lot with my iMac and MacBook Pro. Any purchases I make on my MacBook Pro are instantly copied over to my iMac and consequently backed up. It’s an excellent feature and brings a lot of peace of mind that my iTunes purchases are backed up. In typical Apple fashion I don’t have to think about it.
So when Engadget informed me that iOS 4.3 was to bring home sharing to my iPhone I jumped for joy((Well lifted my arm up and said yes!)). The prospect of being able to wirelessly transfer my iTunes purchases from my iPhone to my other Macs without having to remember to plug it in is just what the doctor ordered. I envisaged a moment where I wouldn’t be caught out by forgetting to sync to get my latest Podcasts. That is, until the iOS 4.3 page shattered my dreams.
Now you can play your entire iTunes library from anywhere in the house. If it’s on your Mac or PC, you can play it on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch over a shared Wi-Fi network.3 And not just music. Watch a film or TV programme. Play a podcast. Or listen to an audiobook. On whichever device you want — without having to download or sync.
It seems I’ll only be able to stream from my Macs and not have my Podcasts automatically transfer to my iPhone once downloaded. This makes me sad.
Aside from my disappointment in home sharing, I’m still looking forward to AirPlay becoming what I always hoped it would be and Personal Hotspot arriving for everyone.