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11 'reader' stories July 2012 - May 2015
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eBook app for Apple Watch shows what not to do with watch apps

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 27 2015 - 8:23 am PT
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Want to read ebooks on your Apple Watch one word at a time? Of course you don’t.

There are apps that make a lot of sense for the smaller display and the quick access that Apple Watch provides, but this ebook reader certainly doesn’t hit that sweet spot. Perhaps some people are interested in reading books on their wrist one word at a time, but for others (most?), this new Wear Reader app is a great example of what not to do with Apple Watch apps:
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Google’s Currents iOS app redesigned & renamed ‘Google Play Newsstand’

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 23 2014 - 12:09 pm PT
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Following the renaming of its Google Currents news reader app to “Google Play Newsstand” on Android back in February, Google has now given a similar treatment to the iOS app. The app, like the Android version earlier this year, also receives a makeover in the process with a streamlined design and new features:

What’s new
• New navigation helping you easily access the articles and editions you love including:
– Read Now – Easily access articles you subscribe to and discover new articles and editions all in one place
– Topics – Subscribe and get news from topics you are most interested in
– My Library – All of your subscriptions will be found here
• A brand new design giving you a streamlined news reading experience

The Google Play Newsstand app is available for free for iPhone and iPad on the App Store now.

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Apple releases Safari 7.1 for Mavericks w/ DuckDuckGo search engine, encryption for Yahoo searches

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2014 - 9:05 am PT
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Apple has just released Safari 7.1 to all users of OS X Mavericks following several beta releases in recent weeks. The update adds DuckDuckGo as a default search engine option, which was also just added to Apple’s mobile version of Safari alongside iOS 8. The update also includes a security improvement for Yahoo search engine users: Apple says Yahoo searches from the search field are now encrypted. 

In addition, Apple notes the release improves Reader and AutoFill compatibility with websites.

The release follows OS X 10.9.5 becoming available to all users yesterday with Safari 7.0.6. The Safari 7.1 update is available to users on OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 now through Updates in the Mac App Store. 

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Square and (RED) team up for special edition card reader to fight AIDS

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Feb 19 2014 - 9:36 am PT
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Mobile payments company Square is teaming up with Bono’s Product RED organization for a special edition credit card reader that benefits charity. Square has become one of the leaders in processing credit card payments on mobile devices with a small credit card reader available for iPhone and iPad as well as point-of-sale software and hardware kits for merchants. The special SQUA(RED) Reader will be available for a $10 donation with 97.25% of the amount going directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Customers swiping their cards will also get the opportunity to donate through a link on their emailed receipts:

The impact doesn’t end there. When you swipe (RED), your customers can donate right from their emailed receipts to help deliver an AIDS FREE GENERATION. Every swipe can make a difference.

Last year the official (Product) RED Twitter account revealed that Apple’s contributions to the charity had reached $65 million, making it the largest contributor out of all participating companies. Apple currently sells red versions of the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPad Smart Cover, and iPhone 4S bumper under the (PRODUCT)RED branding and donates a portion of profits to the charity. Most recently, Apple design guru Jony Ive and designer friend Marc Newson teamed up to assemble a one-of-a-kind collection to auction off for the charity.

iOS 7 How-to: Have your iOS device read text for you

Avatar for Sarah Guarino Sep 21 2013 - 8:27 am PT
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Previously, I discussed how to have your iOS device read text for you in iOS 6, and in iOS 7 it works pretty much the same way – but with some little differences.

As in iOS 6, there are two different ways to make text speakable on an iOS device. But before we do that and discuss how to do it, let’s first set up our iOS device so we can do it:


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How-to: Have your iOS device read text for you

Avatar for Sarah Guarino Aug 17 2013 - 9:00 am PT
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iOS devices are built with all users in mind: they come with several accessibility features for low-vision or legally blind users, settings for hard-of-hearing or deaf users, settings for individuals who have physical and motor difficulties, and settings for individuals with learning difficulties.

In this accessibility segment, I will be discussing how to make text speakable on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch:


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Digg’s Google Reader replacement now rolling out to all on web & iOS

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 7:04 am PT
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From 9to5Google:

After launching a private beta of its new Google Reader replacement, Digg announced today that it is now rolling out the beta to all users signed up to test the new app. Digg just sent out the first batch of invites to the new web app, but promises it will be “adding users in increasingly larger batches.”

The app is still a work in progress and won’t get you every feature you might have had with Google Reader, but for now you can easily import your Google Reader content, use Google Reader-like shortcuts, and save and share to all the usual third-party services.

iOS versions of Digg Reader land for iPhone and iPad in the App Store sometime today, and Digg says an Android app will be available before the end of July.

Update: The iOS version is now available. 

Digg warns that the app is still very much in beta, but reminds us of a few features it plans to add in the coming months:
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Review: Feed Wrangler for iOS, RSS for the modern world

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 30 2013 - 6:31 am PT
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Google Reader is dead. We know this for certain as Google announced earlier in March that it plans to pull the plug on its RSS service on July 1, 2013.

Google’s announcement caught the good people of the Internet by surprise and left us wondering, “What next?”

David Smith, developer of Check the Weather and My Recipe Book, believes his new app Feed Wrangler for iOS has answered that question in a way that fixes the problem that led to Reader’s demise.


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Vu news app for iPhone has unique interface, recommends content

Avatar for Mark Gurman Apr 18 2013 - 2:52 pm PT
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We’ve been testing a new, free iPhone news app called Vu that presents content based on what you have previously read/viewed within the app via an easy to use, fast interface. The app recently gained article saving and improved article sharing features, and we think it is worth taking a look at. Like other news apps, you can sync content between your iPhone, iPad, and your computer. You can access content you have saved for later via a web browser on non-iPhone devices.

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Add RSS button to Safari 6 with Subscribe To Feed extension

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 26 2012 - 7:19 am PT
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While Safari 6 brought a number of great new features, including unified search and offline Reading List for Lion, many were disappointed that Apple dropped the RSS button next to the URL bar. Luckily, developer Daniel Jalkut at Red Sweater Software wrote an extension to add the functionality:

My beta-quality, more-or-less unsupported Subscribe to Feed extension adds a handy button to the toolbar that, when a page offers RSS or Atom feeds, can be clicked to easily open the feed:// link, which should automatically open your favorite news reader… I hope this extension fills a void for those of you missing the beloved RSS button.

It is not perfect… it currently defaults to 9to5mac’s comments feed. It is better than nothing, though, especially if you are missing the feature from Safari 5.

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