Tag: IOS 7 »

Byword gets its iOS 7 redesign by adding a new user interface for users to browse through. The search interface, documents list, input accessory, and text editor have been redesigned to match the design style of iOS 7. It also features easier navigation with the ability to swipe left to go back or right to reveal the markdown preview.

iOS 7 is a great update to Apple’s venerable OS. Not only does the visual overhaul bring a fresh take to the experience, but there’s lots of great little tweaks that just make the experience better. Heck, the ability to add Newsstand to its own folder is worth the download and installation on its own. But iOS 7 is not perfect: here are some things that could be added to the OS to make it better.

Better game save management

If Apple wants to make sure that iOS is a great gaming platform, they need to ensure that gamers can ensure that their progress in games can be preserved and transferred across devices. iCloud is so fraught with reliability problems that developers still dread using it. Finding a way to separate out a game’s save data from it being deleted would be a killer feature for iOS 8, especially since games with large file sizes and the longest experiences are the first to go when space needs to be freed up.

The return of quick tweet and Facebook posting buttons

Conspicuously missing from iOS 7 is the ability to tweet and post to Facebook from Notification Center. They weren’t a primary way to share things, but to share while in another app or to just quickly fire off a tweet, the feature was great. Unfortunately it’s been cut down in the first release of iOS 7, when improvements like image posting would have been great.

Interactive notifications

Say what you will about Android, but the ability to immediately reply to a text message or a tweet, or archive an unwanted email without switching apps is great. iOS could really use such a feature – it’s the kind of multitasking that’s non-intrusive and incredibly useful.

The ability to set third-party apps as default

If I want to open links in a third-party browser, use the built-in email sending feature to send from my email app of choice, or even just use a third-party photo management app, why can’t I? Apple’s own apps are generally very good, but third-parties who focus on certain features can often do better. Apple should allow users to set third-party apps to achieve certain actions, instead of still having to use awkward workarounds.

Custom notification sound options for all apps

Some apps still think that it’s okay to use the default notification sound. Some apps use custom sounds, and choose poorly. Yes, that car engine revving sounds cool but it also freaks me out. iOS manages notifications centrally, so why not have the ability to set custom sounds like I can with ringtones?

These are just a few of the features that could make the iOS experience better. Considering how iOS 7 was all about doing just that, I think there's still a bit of a ways to go before it's fully there.

Pocket Casts 4.0 adds a host of features and utilizes iOS 7. Podcasts can now be downloaded in the background (it's like we're living in the future!) and the app is also Universal. Progress listening to a podcast is now synced so that listeners can pick up right where left off from one device to another.

TED, the official TED Talks app, has been presenting iOS users with snippets from some of the best talks for quite a while now. And it's not stopping; just changing it's appearance a bit. The newly updated app has had its interface revamped so that it's more akin to the general iOS 7 look, and it's looking pretty cool.

Slacker has redesigned their iOS app to better fit with iOS 7. Included is a whole new design focused on making navigation of their millions of songs faster and more intuitive. A new feature called My Vibe allows users to find songs that fit any mood or event quickly and easily from a list of playlists hand-curated by Slacker Radio music programmers.

Flipboard has been updated for iOS 7 to bring in a host of new features. Included are support for iOS 7 background loading of content and parallax image support (the way iOS 7 allows images to move with the tilt of the phone) for magazine covers.

Camera+ has been the go-to camera replacement app since its release. This new version brings it up to date with iOS 7 and also includes features like manual exposure compensation, square cropping, and AirDrop support.

Along with the interface design changes meant to mirror iOS 7's style, Twitterific's new update also adds more handy features. Now users can get new tweets and sync their position in the background (so long as the option is enabled in iOS 7), use new gestures to navigate, tweet links from directly within the app, and even finally open links in Chrome!

NEW FEATURES

• Updated user interface and visual appearance for latest OS
• Fetching of new tweets & sync position while in the background
• New bookmarking service: Safari Reading List
• New gesture: Tap & hold in-app browser's mobilizer icon to enable by default
• New gesture: swipe from the left edge of the screen to open the sidebar
• Links can now be tweeted directly from within the in-app browser
• Added support for opening links in Chrome

IMPROVEMENTS

• Drastic improvements to performance throughout the application
• User names, email, hashtags & stock symbols are now tappable in user bios
• New / Saved searches are separated into their own sidebar items
• Opening of links in an external browser from the timeline (tap & hold URL)
• Redesigned in-app browser's interface for improved user experience

Continue reading iOS 7: Twitterific Gets Even More -rific After a New iOS 7 Update »

Appigo has a long history in the App Store. This whole new version of Todo brings the design in line with iOS 7 and adds a whole new crop of features.

1. REAL PRODUCTIVITY. Unlike lightweight, freebie or cutesy list tools, Todo 7 is useful when you have a deadline, NEED to focus, prioritize and get things done quickly--from home or school projects to dozens of detailed work tasks.

Includes: Projects, Sub-tasks, Start Dates, Due Dates, Recurring Tasks (with detailed recurring options), Multiple Task Alerts, Overdue Tasks, Drag and Drop, Search, Print Lists, Folders, and much more.

2. PROVEN GTD METHODOLOGY. Todo uses the popular Getting Things Done approach with Focus To-do Lists, Starred Tasks, Multi-level Priorities, Quick Entry, Context, and Projects with Layered and Prioritized Sub-Tasks—all recommended GTD approaches.

3. BUILT-IN SYNCING. Sync automatically in the background with Microsoft Outlook, Dropbox, iCloud, Toodledo, Todo Cloud 7 and to-do apps installed on your other devices. Keep everything in sync and never be locked into a specific service—your data remains yours.

4. COOLNESS

-Geotagging. Reminds you of tasks when close to task location. This way you will remember the milk when you get near a grocery store.

-Contacts Integration. Link your task to a contact and call, text, or email "John" with one tap.

-Context. Organizes your task by activity or location (i.e. home, work, errands...) so you won’t be distracted with your “home” tasks while you are at work.

-Email Task Sharing. Share your tasks via email with your contacts. Keep everyone updated.

Addappt is described as "a living address book," and that's pretty accurate. It's a great way to keep all of your contacts up to date and always in sync. This update brings the UI in line with the iOS 7 style and adds a few new features mentioned below.

+ Compatible and more beautiful with iOS 7
+ New app icon for iOS 7
+ Edge to Edge beautiful contact pages
+ Better introductory screens for new users
+ Better UI for creating, editing and deleting groups

One of the biggest and yet least talked about features of iOS 7 is the changes to the UIKit that allows developers to create interactions and animations for their apps. The New York Times has taken full advantage of that in this update to the iPhone and iPad versions of it's app. A full list of the updates are listed below:

• Cleaner, more modern visuals, smoother transitions, easier navigation throughout the app and faster swiping between articles
• NEW: Swiping between sections allows for effortless browsing of the breadth of New York Times content. Re-order your section swiping at any time by tapping Edit from the Sections list.
• NEW: Share articles via AirDrop
• NEW: Refreshed article design, redesigned Photos and Videos sections and improved slide show viewing with faster swiping and larger viewing area
• NEW: Support for iOS 7's universal text size setting -- you can set your device's text size once in the Settings app, and the NYTimes app's text size will change accordingly
• Search bar is now conveniently placed at the top of the sections list
• Prominent display of large photography and images at the top of sections
• Sharing by email now includes subject line
• Save and share articles at any time by tapping the action button at the top right of articles

Pocket has been revamped for, surprise surprise, iOS 7. It's looking sleeker, performing faster, and can instantly sync backgrounds even when the app is closed (so long as the option is enabled in iOS 7)! Plus it just looks pretty and is quite handy for storing articles, videos, and web pages you'll want to view later.

Evernote released an update today to enhance the app and move to the iOS 7 user interface style. The update includes a new home screen as well as the ability to share items via AirDrop. The biggest feature is the use of background sync to keep your notes up to date and ready for you whenever you need them.

• New home screen – everything on one screen: personal and business notes, notebooks, tags, plus shortcuts and announcements
• In notes section the app displays your two most recent notes for quick reference
• Quicknote features – start a new note, snap a photo, create a reminder, and make a task list
• As soon as the note editor opens, the cursor moves into the note body with the keyboard in view
• Image and PDF markup – premium feature, EN premium users can mark up any attached PDFs
• Notebooks and Tags
• Share notes with AirDrop
• Keep everything in sync – EN is able to keep your acct updated when the app isn't active

When Carter Dotson reviewed Mailbox a little while back, he loved it. And rightly so; it's an app that makes email a cinch to deal with.

The new and improved Mailbox 1.6.0 is even better, having been redesigned for iOS 7. It's faster, smoother, and generally a better experience overall. The interface has been redesigned and a lot of the visual clutter has been axed. This resulted in a cleaner-looking UI, but also one that's a bit more functional thanks to the developers taking the time to revamp it a bit more thoroughly.

So now it's easier than ever to get that coveted Inbox Zero!

The feature-laden personal organizer that is Pocket Informant Pro has received even more features by way of a new update just in time for iOS 7.

The most immediately noticeable change will be the new look. Now it's all flat and design-y! It also saves filters now, for some much easier finding/assigning. The "Today View" will also display estimated travel time to your destination complete with searchable location, although this particular option is iOS 7 only.

You can check out the list below for the full rundown, but it's looking mighty nice!

NEW - Fully updated for iOS 7! Built to take advantage of the new look & feel of iOS 7. Additionally, PI also supports iOS 7's new background fetching to keep your data more up-to-date.
NEW - The Today View now shows an estimated travel time to the next appointment with a searchable location (iOS 7 only). With 1 tap, you can be taken to the map with driving directions.
NEW - Intelligent Location Autocomplete: As you type in the location of a task or event, PI now offers suggestions based on map searches, addresses in your contacts and locations you've bookmarked in PI.
NEW - Saved Filters: If you frequently toggle between different "sets" of calendars (like a work set and a personal set), then this is for you. You can now save different calendar filters, then simply tap-and-hold the "hamburger button" to quickly switch between your saved filters
NEW - When you're using a physical keyboard, our rich text editor now supports standard keyboard shortcuts for bold (cmd-b), italics (cmd-i), underline (cmd-u), numbered list (cmd-1), unordered list (cmd-2), pick font (cmd-t), center (cmd--), indent (cmd-right), outdent (cmd-left)
NEW - New inline icon picker in task and event editors

-PI now requires iOS 6.1 or better
-Several performance improvements throughout the app
-Tab Bar Mode Switching is now in settings instead of swiping from the edge of the tab bar (this is to play nicely with iOS 7's new control center)
-Backup Manager now automatically removes older backups (it only preserves the last 7 backups)
-Improvements to PI Online sync
-Checklist items now use the color of their main parent checklist task
-Starred tasks now show star even if you aren't showing the entire icon view
-Improvements to the Notes editor, voice notes and notes syncing