Play Date is a Handheld Game Console With a Hand Crank
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Play Date is a Handheld Game Console With a Hand Crank

Andrew Orr ·

Panic has made iOS and Mac software for over 20 years, like Coda, Transmit, and Prompt. They’re also the creators of the popular Firewatch game. Now they’ve decided to get into hardware with Play Date. To summarize it, Play Date is a black and white Gameboy with a hand crank and a game subscription. There aren’t a lot of details yet, but it sounds like the hand crank acts as a controller, rather than as a way to power the device. The console will cost US$149, ship in early 2020, and come with 12 games as part of “Season One” that will be included.

The games will be delivered over-the-air, once a week for 12 weeks, and they’ll be a surprise: when the new game light flashes, you’ll never know what you’re about to play. Panic recruited some of the world’s best game designers — some well known; others under the radar — to make games exclusively for our system.”

Fly Your Name on the Mars 2020 Rover
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Fly Your Name on the Mars 2020 Rover

John Martellaro ·

NASA explains:

Although it will be years before the first humans set foot on Mars, NASA is giving the public an opportunity to send their names — stenciled on chips — to the Red Planet with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, which represents the initial leg of humanity’s first round trip to another planet.

“From now until Sept. 30, you can add your name to the list and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars here:”

https://go.nasa.gov/Mars2020Pass

Vignette App Lets You Update Your Contact Photos Privately
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Vignette App Lets You Update Your Contact Photos Privately

Andrew Orr ·

Vignette app allows you to change all those ugly grey circles with initials into actual photographs. By searching Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Gravatar—no login required—Vignette will attempt to pair your contacts with their profile pictures on social media. After amassing all these images, using Vignette’s easy to use interface, you can select which avatar you’d like to use, or none at all. Once you’re all set, Vignette will write those updates to your contacts database on your phone. That means in Messages, Phone, and all of your other apps, you see beautiful images instead of ugly initials. Vignette is free to try, but in order to save the updates to your contact list, you will need to buy the one-time in-app purchase. Vignette app runs entirely on your phone; your contacts stay on your device and are never transmitted *anywhere*. Privacy is a critical factor to Vignette; your trust is important and will not be squandered. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)

Valve’s Steam Link app is Available on iOS
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Valve’s Steam Link app is Available on iOS

Andrew Orr ·

Valve’s Steam Link is back on the App Store, this time maybe for good. The Android app launched in May 2018, but when Valve submitted it to the App Store, Apple rejected it, citing business conflicts. The Steam Link app brings desktop gaming to your iPhone or iPad. Just pair an MFI or Steam controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and start playing your existing Steam games. Requirements: iPhone or iPad using iOS 10 or higher Computer running Steam – Windows, Mac, or Linux. * iOS device must be on the same local network as the computer running Steam. For best performance: Connect your computer using Ethernet to your 5Ghz WiFi router Connect your iOS device to the 5GHz band of your WiFi network. * Keep your iOS device within a reasonable range of your router. App Store: Free

Nike Training Club Gets a Premium Subscription With Master Training
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Nike Training Club Gets a Premium Subscription With Master Training

Andrew Orr ·

I’ve been using Nike Training Club for a year now, and it’s a great fitness app. Version 6.0.0 brings a premium training subscription. You’ll get workouts hosted by Nike Master Trainers in 4-6 week programs, with expert nutrition advice, wellness guidance including mindset, recovery, and sleep. The app brings new workout formats like on-demand classes and whiteboard workouts for gym-style training. Apple Watch support for the premium program is coming in the future. Finally, workout reminders help you says motivated to continue your routine. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases).

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Apple Park Now Has a Rainbow Stage In The Middle

Charlotte Henry ·

Drone videographer Duncan Sinfield uploaded his latest footage of Apple Park Wednesday. Most noticeable is a new rainbow stage right in the heart of the company headquarters. I wonder if Apple plans to host gigs or events there? The stunning 4K video also gives you a sense of the sheer scale of the location. Mr. Sinfield started filming Apple Campus 2 in August 2015, when construction was still ongoing.

In Semiosis, You Have to Watch out for Alien Plants
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In Semiosis, You Have to Watch out for Alien Plants

Andrew Orr ·

Semiosis by Sue Burke has an interesting premise: When you land on another planet, what if instead of worrying about alien life forms or animals, you had to keep an eye on the plants? It’s a wholly unique book that I had fun reading. Instead of following the same characters, we’re presented with a new cast in every chapter. We start with the original colonists as they land on Pax, then follow each subsequent generation as they have to deal with the land, the flora, and the actions of the previous generation. Will the children of the Parents adhere to the rules, or will they rebel? I thought the book was great, and look forward to the second book coming later this year. Apple Books: US$9.99 | Kindle: US$9.99

Urban Armor Gear Apple Watch Straps are Here
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Urban Armor Gear Apple Watch Straps are Here

Andrew Orr ·

Urban Armor Gear Apple Watch straps are here. Known for rugged device cases, this is the first line of Apple Watch accessories from UAG. There are two straps: Active, Nato, and Leather. Sporting stainless steel custom hardware and a hook & loop fastener security, the Active Strap allows for you to dive deeper, surf longer, and play harder with your Apple Watch. The Leather Strap, the most premium of the straps, is built exclusively for the modern wanderer. Designed with soft leather, stainless steel custom hardware, and a unique snapping collar, the strap offers refined protection that can keep up with your daily grind. Active Strap: US$59.95; Leather Strap: US$69.95.

Scriptable Can Make Shortcuts and Siri More Powerful
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Scriptable Can Make Shortcuts and Siri More Powerful

Andrew Orr ·

Scriptable is an automation tool that enables you to write scripts that integrates with native features of iOS such as files, calendars, reminders, documents and much more. An extensive support for Siri Shortcuts enables you to present images, tables and more in Siri as well as making Siri read out loud a text when you run a script from a Siri Shortcut. Your scripts can be run from the Scriptable app, from a Siri Shortcut or from other apps using the share sheet extensive or Scriptable’s URL schemes. Features include writing and running JavaScript; auto complete of variable names, functions, keywords and properties as you type; access lots of native iOS features from your JavaScript code, including managing files, calendars, reminders, contacts, photos, location, pasteboard, web views and more. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)

Clicker for Netflix Puts Netflix Controls on the Touch Bar
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Clicker for Netflix Puts Netflix Controls on the Touch Bar

Andrew Orr ·

Clicker for Netflix is a cool Mac app that lets you control Netflix right from your Touch Bar. Launch Netflix right from the Dock, control it with the Touch Bar, use Picture-in-Picture to watch while multitasking, prevent trailers from auto-playing, auto-resume your last played video, automatically skip the video intro, automatically advance to the next episode, hide the “Who’s Watching?” popup, and remove the Netflix Originals row. The Touch Bar controls include play/pause, jump back 10 seconds, jump forward 10 seconds, go to the next episode, enable/disable closed captions, and launch Picture-in-Picture. It requires macOS 10.10 Yosemite or higher. Get the app for US$5.

Know Your Carbon Footprint With Carbon
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Know Your Carbon Footprint With Carbon

Andrew Orr ·

Everything we do has an effect on the planet. Research shows that we’re causing devastating damage to the planet by releasing extravagant amounts of CO2 gas into the atmosphere. The only way to jump-start the solution is to take matters into your own hands. The aim is to inform and inspire people to minimize the carbon emissions caused by their energy use. You might not see it, but thousands of pounds of CO2 are being released into the air when you use energy in your home, or drive your car to work every day. The algorithm asks you some questions about your energy lifestyle and gives you a unique carbon footprint score. It determines which power plants your energy comes from and identifies how much CO2 they produce. It also knows how much CO2 your car produces, so it tallies those up to give you a good idea of how much CO2 your energy use produces. App Store: Free

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New Leica Ad Celebrates Photojournalism

Andrew Orr ·

Leica is a well-known camera brand, and today it released a five minute ad that celebrates photojournalism. Called ‘The Hunt’ it shows all of the stress, fear, drive, and life-threatening situations photojournalists face as they tell their stories. It was created by Brazilian agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. We see scenes of an oppressive regime in China, an African warlord, conflict in the Middle East, and more. Although the photographers in the ad aren’t real, they do represent conditions that can happen in the real world.

Leander Kahney’s Tim Cook Biography Out Today
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Leander Kahney’s Tim Cook Biography Out Today

Andrew Orr ·

Leander Kahney’s (Cult of Mac editor) Tim Cook biography is out today. Subtitled “The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level” it tells the story of Mr. Cook’s role as Apple CEO and how he has handled the company after the death of Steve Jobs. It also looks at Mr. Cook’s life before Apple, like when he worked at IBM for 12 years. After that he briefly worked at Compaq, and helped transition the company from in-house manufacturing to creating products overseas with China and Taiwan. He used that expertise when he joined Apple in 1998, where he became a leader at operations and supply chains. I haven’t read the book yet but I look forward to sitting down with it. Mr. Kahney says he didn’t dive into Mr. Cook’s personal life, so it sounds like the book is more about his role at Apple. Apple Books: US$13.99

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Star Wars: Episode IX Teaser Released

Kelly Guimont ·

Now that I’ve updated my Facebook cover image, computer desktop, and phone lock screen, I can tell you: There’s a teaser trailer out for the final movie in the new Star Wars trilogy, released today at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. Aside from the teaser, we also got the title: The Rise Of Skywalker. It’s a teaser as opposed to a “full” trailer, so there isn’t a lot to it plotwise. We get some shots of characters, some shots of locations, and not a lick of context. I’ve only watched it about 20 times though, maybe in another viewing or two I’ll pick up something I wasn’t seeing before.

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This Concept Video Reimagines the macOS Desktop

Andrew Orr ·

German video editor Thomas Weinreich created a concept video that gets rid of the desktop metaphor on macOS. Replacing it is a user interface similar to what we get with the iPad. Windowed apps are replaced by full screen apps that can be displayed into multi-window Split Views. Like Ben Lovejoy said,  it seems like maybe it could be similar to what Apple is thinking of. However, I personally don’t believe the rumors of a macOS/iOS hybrid. Additionally, this concept paradigm doesn’t make sense on Macs that don’t have touchscreens. The macOS desktop metaphor might be aged, but I think it makes sense for devices that use a mouse or trackpad. What do you think?

Camera+ 2 Gets a 2.0 Update With a New Design
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Camera+ 2 Gets a 2.0 Update With a New Design

Andrew Orr ·

Camera+ 2 has been recently updated to 2.0. The main focus is the camera itself. In the new design, the app is divided into three categories: Presets, Shutter modes, and Settings. Presets give you instant access to specific shooting modes, like Action Mode, Slow Shutter, and Macro. Shutter modes define how you want to shoot, with a timer, stabilizer, and Smile. Settings give you preferences like showing the grid and horizon level. Besides the new updates, Camera+ 2 offers RAW capture and editing, manual controls, depth capture and editing, and integration with your photo library. You can read more about it on the company’s blog. App Store: US$2.99

Urban Armor Gear Launches a 2018 MacBook Air Case
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Urban Armor Gear Launches a 2018 MacBook Air Case

Andrew Orr ·

I’ve long been a fan of Urban Armor Gear (UAG). They have great cases and it’s the company I recommend for rugged cases. They’re launching a slim, rugged case for the 2018 13-inch MacBook Air. It has an armor shell and impact resistant soft core, dual lock secure screen closure, cooling vents for air flow, tactile grip, easy to access ports, and it meets military drop standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6). It’s compatible with only the MacBook Air 13-inch (2018) Model Number: A1932, and not with the MacBook Air 13-inch (2010-2017) Model Numbers: A1369 & A1466. You can pick one up for US$79.95, with free shipping and a one year warranty.

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Baseball Training and Lifestyle Network Comes to Apple TV

Andrew Orr ·

Stick & Ball TV announced today the launch of a baseball training and lifestyle network that will be coming to the Apple TV through its iOS app. It will have live and on-demand instructional videos and original content designed for players of all ages, as well as coaches. Stick & Ball TV’s CEO Jeremy Harrell said: “The response from coaches, players and industry partners has been overwhelming. Our coaches and partners recognize the passion we possess and see the potential of our streaming platform. They want to join forces to do something that has a long-term, positive impact on the game we love.” The app is free to download and you can get a free 30-day free trial. After that, premium subscriptions will start at US$9.99/month or US$99/year. You can use the code LAUNCH20 to save 20% on an annual subscription, which is valid until April 25.

Jumbo Privacy Assistant Can Manage Your Social Media
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Jumbo Privacy Assistant Can Manage Your Social Media

Andrew Orr ·

Jumbo is a privacy assistant that can manage your social media. It can delete your old tweets, manage your Facebook privacy settings, delete your Google search history, and delete your Alexa voice recordings. Jumbo has no servers, so your data doesn’t leave your iPhone. When it comes to deleting tweets, there are several options to choose from, like tweets from the past day, week, month, and year. Due to Twitter’s API limitations, Jumbo can only clean 3,200 tweets at a time. Instagram and Tinder are coming soon to the app, so you can clean your Instagram photos and videos, and delete Tinder matches and messages. Personally, I also hope support for deleting Reddit posts and comments will come in the future. App Store: Free

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Opera Launches Reborn 3 With VPN and Crypto Wallet

Andrew Orr ·

Today Opera is launching its Reborn 3 browser. It comes with a VPN and cryptocurrency wallet built in, and it’s also ready for Web 3.0, which is defined as a more intelligent web with machine learning, natural language search, data-mining, and more. You could make a strong argument that we’re already in Web 3.0, although Opera defines “Web 3” as a blockchain-based internet. In any case, the Reobrn 3 browser is ready for it. The crypto wallet syncs between the desktop browser and the Android app, and will be added to the iOS in the future. The update also brings a new, borderless design with light and dark modes. Opera created a short sci-fi film “in which a woman travels through a futuristic world in search of regaining control of her digital life.” You can watch that film here, and download Opera here.

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New Shot on iPhone XS Film Explores Cuban Surfing

Andrew Orr ·

Apple released a new ‘Shot on iPhone XS’ film to share experiences from the Cuban surfing community. Called “Ola Cubana” it was shot by professional surf photographer Zak Noyle using the iPhone XS Max with a Freefly Novi Cinema Robot stabilizer, FILMic Pro app, AxisGO waterproof container, and BeastGrip universal lens adapter and rigging system. The video was directed by Nick Woytuk, and there is also a shorter behind the scenes video. Surfing in Cuba can be a challenge, because the materials to make the surfboards are hard to find.

BBEdit Returns to Mac App Store after Four Years
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BBEdit Returns to Mac App Store after Four Years

Andrew Orr ·

Popular productivity app BBEdit left the Mac App Store in October 2014. Today it’s back. As the “go to” tool for web site designers, web application developers, writers, and software developers, this award-winning product provides an abundance of high-performance features for editing, searching, and manipulation of text, code, and HTML/XML markup. An intelligent interface provides easy access to BBEdit’s best-of-class features, including: grep pattern matching; search and replace across multiple files; project definition tools; function navigation and syntax coloring for numerous source code languages; code folding; FTP and SFTP open and save; AppleScript and Automator support; Unix scripting support; text and code completion; a complete set of robust HTML tools; and more. Mac App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)