Posts in Linked

iOS 7 For Keyboard Power Users→

Rui Carmo (via Michael Tsai) on iOS 7 and the new support for shortcuts with external keyboards:

Furthermore, to add insult to injury, the Spotlight key on my Logitech keyboard also stopped working. It takes me back to the home screen without toggling the search field, so I am now without any truly quick way to launch apps solely from the keyboard.

Finally, something happened to Bluetooth support in general — I’ve had three separate instances where my keyboard did not work at all, all solved by toggling Bluetooth off and on again, in the classic spirit of The IT Crowd.

The new Safari shortcuts that Rui mentions are welcome, and I wish that Google added that kind of keyboard support to Chrome (which is ready for iOS 7, but doesn’t have substantial new features yet). I have experienced the same issues that Rui brings up with my Logitech keyboard, and I wonder if this is a problem of iOS 7.0 that will be fixed soon or a real incompatibility of old Logitech keyboards with the new OS. I hope it’s not the latter, because I really like this keyboard.

In general, I’m not surprised that Apple hasn’t added many keyboard shortcuts to their apps yet. iOS 7 for iPad is rough in some spots, and power user stuff is the one that gets easily cut when you have to meet a deadline. The fact that third-party developers jumped on external keyboard integration gives me hope though, and I’m looking forward to seeing more shortcuts popping up in my favorite apps soon.

For iOS 7.1, it’d be awesome to see new multitasking shortcuts on the iPad.

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USA Today Interviews Jony Ive and Craig Federighi→

I found USA Today’s interview to be a much better read than Businessweek’s. Only Ive and Federighi spoke with USA Today’s Marco della Cava, but the interview is full of interesting tidbits, such as the fact that Apple’s teams “sat down” to work on iOS 7 in November 2012, or how Federighi describes the thinking behind the new OS:

“This is the first post-Retina (Display) UI (user interface), with amazing graphics processing thanks to tremendous GPU (graphics processing unit) power growth, so we had a different set of tools to bring to bear on the problem as compared to seven years ago (when the iPhone first launched),” he says. “Before, the shadowing effect we used was a great way to distract from the limitations of the display. But with a display that’s this precise, there’s nowhere to hide. So we wanted a clear typography.”

Naturally, Federighi omitted that iOS 7 was also released for the iPad 2 and iPad mini, which don’t have Retina displays.

A personal favorite of mine: what Jony Ive drinks during interviews.

Ive rocks excitedly, then leans forward. Could be the espresso he’s just set down.

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Businessweek Interviews Cook, Ive, and Federighi→

On the launch week of iOS 7, the iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c, Businessweek scored an interview with Apple’s top executives. The interview doesn’t focus on the new iPhones or thinking behind iOS 7, it’s not very long, and it dwells a bit too much on the implications behind Android’s market share and the old Apple-Microsoft war in the 90s.

But there are some good bits, such as this one:

The line against Apple is that its pace of innovation is off, but Ive and Federighi dismiss that. The two are keen to point out not just new features, but also the deep layers of integration that went into each one. Of the 5S’s fingerprint scanner, Ive says, “there are so many problems that had to be solved to enable one big idea.” Without mentioning competitors (Samsung), it’s clear the two executives think some of what passes for innovation is illusory at best. “We didn’t start opportunistically with 10 bits of technology that we could try to find a use for to add to our features list,” Ive says.

Federighi jumps in: “New? New is easy. Right is hard.”

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Feedly Opens Up API→

From the Feedly blog:

Millions of users depend on their feedly for inspiration, information, and to feed their mind. But one size does not fit all. Individuals have different workflows, different habits, and different devices. In our efforts to evolve feedly from a product to a platform, we have therefore decided to open up the feedly API. Effective immediately, developers are welcome to deliver new applications, experiences, and innovations via the feedly cloud. We feel strongly that this will help to accelerate innovation and better serve our users.

API documentation here. I’m looking forward to playing with this in the next couple of weeks.

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iOS 7 and VoiceOver→

A great overview of Apple’s improvements to VoiceOver (and Accessibility in general) in iOS 7 by Josh de Lioncourt. I am not an Accessibility expert, but I keep hearing from smart people like Josh and Steven that Apple is far ahead than its competitors in this area.

Just by reading through the overview linked above, I was impressed by this tidbit about the Handwriting feature and how it integrates with Safari:

When in web content, such as in Safari, Handwriting mode has yet another use. Write a letter corresponding to a rotor option, and VoiceOver switches to that form of navigation. For example, writing “H” switches to Headings, and two-finger swipes up and down will move you through the headings on the page. Draw an “L”, and now you are navigating links. This will be particularly nice for users who keep a lot of items in their rotor and want a faster way to move through various HTML element types.

The accuracy of the recognition of this mode is superb, and with just a little practice, many users are likely to find they enjoy this form of text entry. Hats off to Apple for incorporating this in such a fluid and intuitive way.

For more on Accessibility, check out Apple’s main webpage, VoiceOver section, and developer page.

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Fraser Speirs On iOS 7’s Web Filtering→

iOS 7 comes with solid additions for education and business users, and Fraser Speirs offers a good explanation of one of them, Web Filtering:

This feature impacts schools at a number of levels. While I don’t think it will allow schools to ditch the filtering on the school network, I think it will allow some relaxation of policy.

For schools that have disabled Safari in favour of some janky third-party filtered browser, it’s now feasible to allow Safari again. Similarly, schools which have implemented policies banning apps with embedded web views, that policy too can be relaxed since the filtering applies there too.

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Grades 3: Student Organizer and GPA Calculator→

I’m not a college student anymore, but I can vouch for Grades being an app that any smart high school or college student would have on their iPhone. It sets you up to succeed, letting you know what you have to score on your next test to maintain an A. With your syllabus in hand, you can setup each of your classes with homework, project, quiz, and test fields with respective weights. Once the teacher gives you your grade, all you have to do is add it to the app. You can read more about it in my review of Grades 2.

Grades 3 is now a full fledged day planner, replacing expensive notebooks from the campus bookstore with an all-in-one contact lists, reminders, and even a place to put important notes (useful for copying down assignment or project info scribbled on the board). Grades 3 provides the bird’s-eye view students need to stay on top of their assignments and due dates.

For a limited time, Grades 3 is just $1.99 from the App Store. Currently designed for iOS 6, an iOS 7 specific update is forthcoming.

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Apple Discontinues Cards App for iOS→

Apple:

As of September 10, 2013, the Cards iOS app service is no longer available.

Cards ordered before 1 PM Pacific time on September 10, 2013, will be delivered, and push notifications will continue to work.

I’ve always seen Cards as something that Scott Forstall personally wanted (he announced it in October 2011) and that eventually got into the App Store. I guess that, in spite of iWork apps not getting a visual update for iOS 7’s launch, Cards really had to go.

It was a cool service. I’m glad iPhoto for Mac still has it.

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