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But what if you took the simple but powerful platform of Notational Velocity, and started adding some amazing features like Markdown, Textile and MultiMarkdown support (with a preview window to see your formatting), a widescreen layout, the ability to hide the notes panel, and some very nice stylistic improvements? The result is a fork of Notational Velocity by Brett Terpstra called Notational Velocity ALT, and it's a thing of beauty.
At this point I have to tell you that I've been lucky enough to use Brett's software for years now. In addition to writing software, Brett's a blogger for TUAW, a sister site of Download Squad, and when I was writing for TUAW I was lucky enough to get involved with using the Mac text editor TextMate with a bundle Brett wrote. He built it to allow writers to write for Blogsmith -- the CMS that runs TUAW and Download Squad -- using Markdown, but with a bunch of added features to make the writer more efficient, and their life easier. It's brilliant software, and it's what I'm using to compose this post.
I'm sharing this because it illustrates that Brett's role of writer puts him in a position to really understand the headaches writers run into, but his role as a coder empowers him to solve those headaches.
Notational Velocity ALT is already the best note taking app I've ever used, but what excites me even more is that Brett's plan is to make it not just a fantastic note taking app, but a fantastic text editor optimized for people who write online. I'm looking forward to the day when I write everything I intend to post online in Notational Velocity ALT, and that day may not be terribly far away.
Based on what Brett has already done with Notational Velocity ALT, and what he's done writing software for writers, this software's future is very, very bright.
Notational Velocity ALT, the supremo Mac note-taking tool, goes 1.0 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Windows, Macintosh
wunderlist is a minimalistic, pretty to-do list manager. Here's a quick rundown of what it can and can't do:
Pros:
- Looks: It looks quite pretty. You can change the background, and it's generally just lovely.
- Simplicity: That can also be considered a bad thing, I guess, but wunderlist is very simple. There are no nested tasks, for example.
- Multiple lists: You can easily create extra lists for different contexts and move items between lists.
- Fast search: Search is "live" and updates as you type. It's very snappy, but I only tested it with a tiny list.
- Quick filtering: There are quick links to see tasks due today, tomorrow, within the next seven days, etc. You can also filter by "starred" tasks.
- Online sync: When you save the file, it's automatically synced to wunderlist's online server. Then you can run wunderlist on another computer and keep working on the same task list. I love this feature.
- Cross-platform: It works with OS X and Windows at this point. The Windows version doesn't feel "native" at all, though - it feels like a Mac app running in a Windows window.
Cons:
- Simplicity: There's no smart text processing. If I tell it "Buy food tomorrow," it doesn't realize "tomorrow" is a deadline. It's the same for "Talk to Josh @work" - it doesn't make a list with "@work" (or add to it if it exists).
- No documentation: I know people never read it, but come on, technical writers have to earn a living somehow! Seriously though, I would expect at least an HTML page (other than the "Features" page, which is marketing).
- No mobile app (yet): An iOS app is coming, but there's no talk of Android yet.
- No global hotkey: And that's the deal-breaker for me; as I've said elsewhere, quickly capturing ideas and to-do items is crucial for me. There is currently no way to bring up wunderlist's window with a hotkey.
Bottom line: It's nice, if you like pretty software, and it shows a great deal of promise for the future (if the "cons" above are addressed).
wunderlist is a cross-platform free to-do list manager originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh
Computer benchmarking applications abound for Windows machines, but what if you want to judge the capabilities of your current Mac against one you're considering buying? Though I'm in that situation far less often than I'd prefer, when I do need to measure the relative performance of two different Macs, I turn to Xbench.
Xbench is a free performance benchmarking utility that measures the following items: CPU, Threads, Memory, Quartz Graphics (2D), OpenGL Graphics (3D), User Interface, and Disk. For a full list, including the sub-categories of what Xbench measures, check the bottom of the Xbench homepage.
When you run the app you can run all or only some of the tests, however running the entire suite only takes a few minutes. When you're done, you're presented with a report showing how your machine performed in each area.
By itself, it isn't that interesting, but if you send your report to Xbench's website using the Submit button, you can then compare it against other machines' scores.
Xbench performance benchmarking for Macs originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fun, Games, Windows, Macintosh
The Steam version of Flight Control has its own leaderboards, so it's doubtful that your Game Center rankings will transfer over. It will also have its own achievements to unlock, too, so that adds an incentive for folks who've already played Flight Control on their iDevices to try out the desktop version.
Flight Control lands on Mac and PC via Steam originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Commercial
With Apple pulling AirPrint support just before the release of Mac OS 10.6.5, an opportunity has opened up for developers to one-up Apple with third-party tools that can share your printers over Wi-Fi for your iOS 4.2 devices. Our Apple-crazed brothers and sisters over at TUAW have put two offerings, Printopia and FingerPrint, through their paces.
They found that both products essentially allow printers that don't support AirPrint natively to be made available for any iDevice running iOS 4.2, by modifying their Bonjour service broadcast to include an "AirPrint enabled marker." iOS 4.2 devices can then detect and print to most printers, but not all, mainly based on host-driver requirements.
The ten-dollar Printopia, however, takes things a step further, by sharing non-Bonjour-enabled, local USB-connected printers in the same fashion. Support for printers that are password protected and that can duplex print is also included. But that's not all, as Printopia also provides printing to PDF files on your Mac and direct-to-Dropbox file sharing, straight from the print dialog on iOS 4.2.
Whichever program you intend to test, the $7.99 FingerPrint or the $9.95 Printopia, you now have options other than modifying system files and implementing pre-release code to get your AirPrint on.
FingerPrint - $7.99 (free trial available)
Printopia - $9.95 (free trial available)
AirPrint on Mac OS X with Printopia and FingerPrint originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Productivity, Adobe, Android
For better or worse, Adobe's latest iteration of Reader is now available for both Android and desktop OSes. From the sandboxed Reader 'protected-mode', to the new multimedia implementations, there's quite a bit in the new Acrobat X suite of software.Adobe Reader for Android brings quite a few changes with one of the highlights being text search, an invaluable tool for anyone reading any sort of journal or research documents, which are primarily distributed in PDF format. Password-protected documents have also made an appearance, as have several document handling tweaks like quick page jumping and 'fit-to-screen' wrapping or text reflow with the option for continuous scroll or pagination. New sharing options have also been implemented over Bluetooth, email and specifically Gmail.
Other changes including security and performance improvements have also been made with a complete list of new features available on the Reader Mobile blog. Have a flick through the gallery below if you want to explore the Android app.
Adobe Reader X for Android [Market] - Free
Adobe Reader for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris
Continue reading Adobe Reader X now available for Android and desktop OSes
Adobe Reader X now available for Android and desktop OSes originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 04:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Mozilla
Rainbow, Mozilla Lab's audio and video recording plug-in for Firefox 4, has just been updated to version 0.2. Recording to open formats, Rainbow now supports both audio and video recording on Windows, and audio recording on Linux, meaning it's not just Mac users that can get in on the action. The update also brings with it numerous bug fixes and the ability to specify custom recording resolutions, bit rate, encoding quality and channels through JavaScript. Mozilla has also added preliminary support for writing multiplexed media frames to a websocket. [Wesley, stop speaking gobbledegook! -Ed]If you want to record video or audio direct from your browser, Rainbow, although still a little rough around the edges, is certainly worth checking out if you're a Firefox 4 user. Download Rainbow 0.2 for Firefox 4 here.
Mozilla Labs Rainbow updated to version 0.2 -- now works with Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Utilities, Apple, iPhone, Mobile
Buried in Apple's press release regarding the availability of iOS 4.2 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch was the fact that the Find My iPhone/iPad/iPod touch service is now free and no longer requires a MobileMe subscription.To use the service, you have to have an iPhone 4, an iPad or a fourth-generation iPod touch running iOS 4.2. If you do, you'll be able to locate your device on a map, lock it, display a message of your choosing on your device's display (so presumably someone who finds it may return it), play a sound, or, if all else fails, remotely wipe your data. The service works from any browser or any other iOS device that has the Find My iPhone, iPod touch and iPadd app installed.
Head over here for the complete instructions on how to setup the service.
[via Engadget]
Find My iPhone (or iPad, or iPod touch) is now free originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: iPhone
If you're looking for the downloads, you'll find them here:
[via Redmond Pie]
Jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 with redsn0w originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: OS Updates, iPhone
The full presser from Cupertino is available after the break.
Continue reading iOS 4.2.1 out today, brings multitasking to iPad
iOS 4.2.1 out today, brings multitasking to iPad originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Utilities, Freeware, iPhone
The holiday season is almost upon us, so there's never been a better time to arm your pocket pal with price comparison tools, to prepare yourself for that moment when you must step forth into the cold night air, battle the hordes, and attempt to find presents for your nearest and dearest. In that vein, eBay has just let fly an update for its iPhone app, which now includes barcode scanning courtesy of RedLaser integration, allowing you to search eBay on-the-go with a single "blip." Version 2.0 also brings with it integrated selling tools for the US, Germany and the UK, saved searches with automated alerts, improved keyword searching, and a new "Reminders" feature to "stay on top of your eBay activity." So make sure you're armed and ready before you head out on your shopping rampage and download eBay Mobile 2.0 [iTunes], and grab the Amazon Mobile app [iTunes] and the standalone RedLaser app [iTunes] while you're at it.
eBay Mobile 2.0 [iTunes] - Free
eBay Mobile 2.0 for iPhone adds RedLaser barcode scanning originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Finance, iPhone, Mobile
Joining many other print publishers, The Economist has just launched apps for iOS, PaidContent reports. There are two separate apps available, one optimized for the iPad, and one for the iPhone. Both contain all the material from the print editions, but there are no fancy UI effects here, compared to other magazines -- it's all nice and subtle touches to make the reading experience enjoyable. Articles are also available in audio form, if you'd rather listen instead of read.Unlike other major print publications, The Economist has seen circulation grow -- so the move to digital distribution platforms is less important to its well-being in the short term. The intended target is to have reached one million digital subscribers in three years' time, and an Android app is reportedly in the making to help achieve that goal.
Reading digital copies of The Economist on the iPhone and iPad is included for print-and-website subscribers (for £102 per year) and for Web-only subscribers (who pay £99 per year for that privilege). You can also buy a single copy of the weekly for £3.49 (or $5.99 or €4.99). The initial app download is free and includes a whopping five free articles.
Download The Economist for iPhone from the iTunes App Store
Download The Economist for iPad from the iTunes App Store
The Economist comes to the iPhone and iPad, hopes to get a million readers in three years originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Developer, OS Updates, Apple, iPhone
MacStories is reporting rumors of serious issues with audio and Exchange in iOS 4.2, and that 4.2.1 was release internally earlier this week as an urgent fix for those issues. The site also says that Apple employees were instructed to get testing done by this weekend, which points to a release early next week.
Apple releases iOS 4.2.1 GM, still no public release of iOS 4.2 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The folks over at FireCore have announced that they're almost there with their second-generation Apple TV version of aTV Flash (black) -- a software suite that currently includes 'Couch Surfer,' a basic Web browser implementation, and Last.fm streaming. FireCore aim to have the first public beta out within the next two weeks, possibly even as early as next week, with the installer requiring 'no wires or USB drives,' just direct communication with the Apple TV. Once you've got aTV Flash (black) installed on your pocket media box, new apps and updates can be installed easily via a 'Maintenance' menu, making further expansion a trivial procedure.Of course, Apple could easily wipe out the need for this kind of hackery simply by enabling apps on the Apple TV, but until then, developers like FireCore will attempt to make Apple's 'hobby' ever more useful. Hit the break for some video demos of aTV Flash (black) in action.
[via 9to5Mac]
Continue reading Apple TV to get Last.fm and Web browser via jailbreak app aTV Flash (black)
Apple TV to get Last.fm and Web browser via jailbreak app aTV Flash (black) originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
