Speaking of great Mac apps for designers, Blocs debuted earlier this year. It’s the latest entry into the “design a website without writing code” genre of software. I’ve been using it here and there. I’ve found that it does a nice job for rapid prototyping of simple websites that are heavy on photography. It’s a good tool to have in the toolbox.
Blocs – Build beautiful websites without touching a line of code »
Serenity Caldwell, writing for iMore:
I’ve had so much fun testing Hype Pro over the last few months: It’s an excellent upgrade for longtime Hype users, and I suspect it may draw in quite a few new pro users, as well.
I’ve been toying with the idea of adding subtle animations to new sites, but I’ve always found the CSS/Javascript required to be confusing and complicated. After reading this review, I downloaded the trial of Hype 3 in an attempt to give it a shot. So far, I’m loving it. Hype is one of those apps that only a Mac developer could make. It’s obvious that the people who made it are hardcore Mac users and designers. It’s an ecosystem that never seems to disappoint.
From Craig Clavin via Jason Snell at Six Colors:
So, full credit to Craig for finding something I didn’t know existed, namely a beta version of MLB.TV for Mac that doesn’t require Flash and runs as its own app rather than in a browser window.
It’s important to note this app is in beta. It’s very basic and obviously needs some work. Still, it’s nice to have a standalone app for listening to game audio during the day without having to worry about your browser being open. This does require an MLB.tv membership which, depending on your needs, could cost over $100. I pay the $20 yearly to always have a high quality stream of the legendary Tom Hamilton in my ears.
Matthew Panzarino, writing for TechCrunch:
If you argue the Watch isn’t going to sell or do well, it’s worth pointing out that there are very, very, very few products that allow you to hand someone cash and be given back TIME.
I made the opposite assumption about Watch. I figured it would cause more of a time-suck. Glad to hear that I’m probably wrong.
The Apple Watch is Time, Saved »
Side Note: Do Apple Stores even accept cash?
Anything Khoi puts out gets an automatic link.
Fourteen amazing interviews with designers of all stripes, each one full of brilliant insights into how great careers are made in digital media.
Phil Edwards, writing for Vox:
Cables lying on the seafloor bring the internet to the world. They transmit 99 percent of international data, make transoceanic communication possible in an instant, and serve as a loose proxy for the international trade that connects advanced economies.
A map of all the underwater cables that connect the internet »
Rex Sorgatz:
In attempting to fix something, technology actually broke something. Netflix broke the unbreakable social rules for how we talk about television in the age of social media.
This is a fun video put out by CreativeLive. When these users discover the lack of a few obvious Photoshop features, it’s pretty hilarious.
A great profile of Jonathan Ive and his design team. This entire piece is really well done. It’s well worth a read for anyone with even a passing interest in Apple.
Ian Parker, writing for The New Yorker:
Jobs visited the design studio and, as Ive recalled it, said, “Fuck, you’ve not been very effective, have you?” This was a partial compliment. Jobs could see that the studio’s work had value, even if Ive could be faulted for not communicating its worth to the company. During the visit, Ive said, Jobs “became more and more confident, and got really excited about our ability to work together.” That day, according to Ive, they started collaborating on what became the iMac.
Flipboard on how and why they launched their service on the web:
Most modern mobile devices have hardware-accelerated canvas, so why couldn’t we take advantage of this?
HTML5 games certainly do. But could we really develop an application user interface in canvas?
Yes, they could. And they did. And it’s a bit controversial. There has been some discussion about why they chose flashiness over accessibility. I’m sure the debate on this one is just getting started. I’ll put a pin in this one for sure.