Particle Debris page 2 highlights two articles that provide a detailed review of macOS Mojave features. Afterwards, it’ll be clear that Apple has done an amazing job with this new version of macOS. I call it the “wow-factor.”
Mac App Switcher, iOS Reminders, iPad Calculator, and Feedbag? – Mac Geek Gab 714
Do you like Quick Tips? Do you think you know everything about the macOS App Switcher? If you answered “yes” to those questions we think you’ll be in for a very pleasant surprise, and that’s just the kickoff of the episode! Then it’s on to a few other tips, including a great script for unmounting drives that contain iTunes libraries. Plus, your questions answered. Download or simply press play, and enjoy!
TMO Background Mode Interview with Georgia Tech Roboticist Dr. Ayanna Howard
Dr. Ayanna Howard is a professor of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology. She’s also in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Ayanna received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. I asked Ayanna how she became inspired by robot technology. Like many of us, it was via science fiction on TV. In graduate school, robotics was still immature, so she wisely elected to pursue electrical engineering. Her first job was at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) working on vision, fuzzy logic, and neural network methodologies. Today, she leads her students in the areas of assistive robots in the home, therapy gaming apps and remote robotic exploration of extreme environments. Our discussion covered the whole field of robotics, so tune in and hear all about the state-of-the-art from an accomplished roboticist.
macOS: Use Command + Tab To Switch Mac Apps Faster
Mac Geek Gab listener David has a tip for us, and it involves using Command + Tab to switch Mac apps. But he uses it in a different way.
Pokémon GO Will Finally Let People Trade Pokémon
Do you still play Pokémon GO? Then you’ll be excited that you’ll finally be able to trade Pokémon soon with a new update to the game.
PDF Expert for Mac: $24.99
We have a deal on PDF Expert for Mac from Readdle. This PDF editor has a nice list of distinctions, including being The 2015 App of the Year in the Mac App Store, Top Paid App in the Mac App Store, Editors’ Choice by Apple, and 4.6 out of 5 stars from 1,1000 ratings on the Mac App Store. The deal is for PDF Expert 2.4.2, the version on Readdle’s website. It’s $24.99 through our deal, 58% off retail.
Want an Apple Music Web Player? Try This
Ever since Apple Music first came out, people have been clamoring for an Apple Music web player. Recently, Apple has opened an Apple Music API for developers. Although Apple hasn’t created an official Apple Music web player, Redditor u/zseguin has come to the rescue. It’s still in early development, but the code is available on GitHub. All you have to do to get started is sign in with your Apple ID, and allow the app to connect to your account. Everything is available. Not only can you find your own music, but even Apple Music recommendations in the For You section. However, note that the player is built on an API that is currently in beta. The application may stop working at any time.
Want Your Student ID on Apple Watch? The University of Alabama Enabled This
The University of Alabama recently announced that students will be able to put their student ID on Apple Watch or their iPhone.
U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Apple Appeal on App Store Monopoly Case
The appeal is on whether or not the case can proceed, and if SCOTUS allows that, it could decide if companies are allowed to maintain walled gardens for app distribution.
A Designer Shares Thoughts on How Apple Can Fix 3D Touch
An article making the rounds over the weekend is from designer Eliz Kılıç, who wrote about how Apple can fix 3D Touch. She proposes that a UI indicator should be added to each 3D Touch-able element so people know exactly which elements can be 3D Touched.
I should start with the obvious. 3D Touch is broken! The user experience is far from great. Apple introduced 3D Touch and its new related interactions Peek and Pop in 2014. It’s been almost 4 years since its first introduction, yet people don’t know/use 3D Touch. Why would they? Even tech-savvy users don’t know which buttons offer 3D touch. Let alone regular users.
My solution is adding a line on bottom-right of things that can be 3D Touched. Let’s call them Force Decorators (with reference to Force Touch).
The Apple blogosphere seems to be in love with this. However, my non-designer, hyperbolic opinion is that this looks like crap. I agree that there’s a problem here, but I don’t want every single UI element to be scarred by these Force Decorators. It makes the UI look cluttered and just plain ugly. Maybe there can be another, subtle visual distinction, such as the use of shadows.
How Many Songs Are Available on the Top Streaming Music Services?
We did some research and figured out how many songs are in each of the big music streaming service libraries such as Apple Music, Spotify, annd Amazon Prime Music.
Create a Universal Music Playlist With Soundsgood
Soundsgood is a platform that lets you create a universal music playlist. You can sync your playlists across Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Deezer, and more. You can also create an online music player and share it with people. You’ll get a Stats Dashboard so you can see how many people play songs and follow your playlists. I haven’t tried it out yet but I plan to try the service soon. The company markets it as a social player to “get more followers” but I think the cross-platform universality is far more interesting. There also appears to be an iOS app as well.
Apple Seeds tvOS 11.4.1 Developer Beta 3
There are no new known features in this release cycle, as Apple has turned to development of tvOS 12.
iOS 12 and 911 Calls, New Mac Predictions - TMO Daily Observations 2018-06-18
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s improved 911 location information for iPhones in iOS 12, plus they share their thoughts on when we may see new Macs.
Apple Seeds iOS 11.4.1 Developer Beta 3
iOS 11.4.1 is little more than a bug fix release, and no new features are known to be in this release cycle.
WhenWorks for the iPhone Makes Scheduling Appointments Easy
Scheduling time for meetings can be a pain, but WhenWorks for iOS makes the process easy by letting your colleagues and clients book times online. The book online through a web page, so no need for them to install an app first, you can block out times you don’t want any appointments, and everything that’s scheduled automatically shows up on your calendar. WhenWorks is from BusyMac founder John Chaffee and we’ve been really happy with the app in our pre-release testing. It’s easy to use and free for up to 5 appointments each month, or US$49.99 a year for unlimited appointments. You can download WhenWorks at Apple’s App Store.
Here's How to Add Precise 911 Location Data to Your iPhone in iOS 11
iOS 12 is adding precise location data for 911 calls made from iPhones and you can get that same precision in iOS 11 thanks to a free app from RapidSOS. Read on to learn how.
macOS Mojave: How to Turn on Favicons in Safari Tabs
macOS Mojave is making it easier to figure out what’s in the tabs you have open in Safari with favicons. Here’s how to enable the feature.
iOS 12 to Give First Responders Precise Location Data for 911 Calls
iOS 12 will make it easier for emergency services to find iPhone owners when they call 911 thanks to a partnership with RapidSOS.
Get Free Bitcoins from 56 Faucets That Pay
Bryan Chaffin explains how Bitcoin faucets work and which faucets you can trust to pay. [Update: More faucets to test. Moved CryptoMiningGame to the Confirmed list. – Bryan]
