Tag: iOS

Apple’s mobile OS. I find that I use iOS (on the iPad and iPhone) for a lot of things these days, mainly because it’s just so useful.

Some things I’d like to see happen, some time soon …

Posted by on in Stuff

Here’s my little app wishlist so far …

  1. I’d like to see the IFTTT (iTunes link) app go universal and work properly on the iPad as it just doesn’t cut it running it in 2x mode.
  2. I’d also like to see IFTTT come to Android as well, as I think it’d be an interesting way to cross platforms and automate from iOS to Android and into the real world etc.
  3. I can’t wait for the next version of the Editorial app for iPad. I mentioned this only a few days ago as an app that I’m already very impressed with. I’m looking forward to seeing the workflow directory directly in the app itself, that’s going to be so useful.
  4. Whilst on the subject of the Editoral app, I’d like to see it go universal and come to the iPhone as I think it would be amazingly useful.
  5. Continuing with apps, one of the best email apps for iOS (iPhone, not universal) is Dispatch (iTunes link) in my opinion, and I’d love to see it go universal as I think it would work brilliantly on the iPad, especially the iPad mini.
  6. Finally, I’d like to see Zapier bring their service to iOS as well. Even though it’s more business focused than IFTTT I think it would be useful.

So that’s my little list for now. I wonder what I’ll get from that list?

Editorial for iPad, powerful automation, workflow and scripting for iOS

Posted by on in Mobile Applications, Tech

I bought this app a while ago and have only just really started getting to grips with it, but I’ve started to see just how powerful it is. The real power in this app is in the workflow features. Think Automator for mac, but inside an iPad app that’s built for writing and with added power besides.

Editorial is a nice writing app and has a lot of features for writing and publishing, but its real power comes with a series of built in workflows that are pre-configured to do some straightforward things you might need for writing. These built in workflows are great as a place to start from with automation in Editorial, but making simple workflows is also a very easy process. Workflows are assembled by connecting simple building blocks, almost the same as automator for mac. Building blocks like ‘if … then’ statements, copy, select, etc. Combining these together is easy, and you can make some very powerful automated processes.

But it doesn’t stop there either. The workflow editor can also include python code which vastly expands the options available to any workflow. Obviously writing python code isn’t for everyone, it isn’t easy, but the option is there. There is also another option. There’s now an Editorial workflow directory in beta. If you access the directory from your iPad with the Editorial app installed on the device you can directly install workflows to the app without any difficulty at all. What this means in that you can add complex workflows into the app that have been designed and built by other people and use them for yourself.

Apparently in the next version of Editorial the workflow directory will be even more beefed up so you can upload and download within the app itself. That’ll be popular I’ll bet, and it’ll give everyone access to some great workflow and automation.

I’ve got a long way to go with this app and getting used to creating workflows, but I think that it’ll be worth the time investing in this app. In the end it’ll send a lot of time.

The new Jasuto is the new Jasuto

Posted by on in Creative Process, Mobile Applications
Something complicated

Of course it was wonderful to see the new version of Jasuto (v 1.5) finally arrive on the app store after such a massive gap. And it wasn’t a disappointment at all. There’s plenty of new toys in there that are all great and shiny. It’s fun to play with this after such a long time. It reminds me just how good it is to make things, to put things together and see how they work.

I remember when Jasuto first came out it was a truly amazing step forward for music making on mobile devices, but it was hard to get into and I think a lot of people found that too, not really understanding how to make things work in Jasuto. It too me a while, but it was worth the effort and when I went back to it this week it was just as I’d remembered.

So I’m looking forward to spending more time with it and making more things as a lead in to some increased creativity after a somewhat dry spell.

Jasuto Modular Synth is available on the app store:

My app of the week this week is … Tweetbot 3

Posted by on in Tech

I don’t think I could go back to using the standard twitter app anymore. Tweetbot 3 is so much easier to use, especially for multiple accounts, as it actually treats each account differently, or rather, it allows you to treat each account differently. In what way? Well, I use two ‘read it later’ services. One with each of my twitter accounts. Twitter’s own iOS app only allows you to use a single service across multiple accounts, but this doesn’t work for me. Tweetbot 3 allows me the flexibility I need here, and that’s not all.

In tweetbot 3 you can fine tune the interface, with the two buttons at the end of the bar being configurable. Again, this works on a per account basis, which is completely sensible in my view and is exactly what I need.

So overall tweetbot 3 is a massive step in the right direction and unless things with the main twitter app change significantly I won’t be going back.

My app of the week is Launch Center Pro

Posted by on in Mobile Applications, Tech

The new version of Launch Center Pro looks like it’s a big improvement on the previous version. Having said that it is an iOS7 only update so I’m having to move up before seeing what it can really do. Not that I’m upgrading just for Launch Center Pro, there’s quite a few other reasons too, but I think that Launch Center is a handy way of automating stuff in iOS and that’s something I increasingly need.