Includes side-by-side screenshots comparing the changes between version 1.x and version 2.0.
Linked
Link Posts
Tweetbot 2.0 →
Tweetbot, the best Twitter app for the iPhone got a major update today.
The first thing you’ll notice in Tweetbot 2.0 is that the list scrolling is different and improved. At first scrolling feels slower, but it’s not. It just scrolls differently. I can’t explain it really, but I just know that it took me about 2 minutes to get used to it and it’s much more smooth and improved compared to version 1.x.
Also new in the timeline view are: (a) embedded images — you can see a tiny square thumbnail of a linked-to Instagram or twitter pic, etc; and (b) better tapability when tapping on a link or username.
To me, the best feature in Tweetbot 2.0 is the browser integration with Readability and Instapaper. The tap of that little dial allows you to toggle between a text-friendly mode and the regular view of the webpage you’re on:
Finally, is an improved view for direct messages. It’s more like the SMS view now.
In short, Tweetbot 2.0 is a fantastic update. Here’s the iTunes App Store link.
Tech Companies’ Biggest Revenue Source by Percentage →
A.K.A. The “Eggs in One Basket” Index.
A.K.A. Facebook and Pandora rely a lot on their ad business.
A.K.A. Google really, really relies on its ad business.
Sponsor: kooaba Shortcut →
My thanks to kooaba for sponsoring the RSS feed this week.
kooaba Shortcut is a shortcut between real life and the Internet. Take a picture of what you are reading in a newspaper or magazine and instantly get connected to the digital version.
Using image-recognition technology, Shortcut recognizes what you’re reading. Once recognized, you can share the digital version of the pages via Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and email, or store them in Evernote. This works with over 1,000 newspapers and magazines worldwide. (See http://www.kooaba.com/products/shortcut for a list of publications.)
Shortcut also works with advertisements in newspapers and magazines, and billboards with the Shortcut icon. After taking a picture of such an ad, you gain access to extras such as coupons, sweepstakes, or store locators.
With Shortcut you no longer need to type links into your phone, google for information, or cut out articles — just take a picture instead!
Shortcut is available for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone 7. 
Viticci’s Post-PC Retrospective →
Today’s piece by Federico Viticci is one of the best articles I’ve ever read on MacStories. Viticci pulled together a virtual cornucopia of quotes, articles, and data spanning the past two years in order to give a high-level perspective on the iPad-slash-PC conversation and to help define what exactly a post-PC device looks like. Great work.
Why Do We Care What a ‘Pc’ Is? →
Chuck Skoda:
The iPad threw a wrench into the gears of the computer industry. […] We need to frame the conversation if we want to have meaningful discussions about our industry, and having meaningful discussions about the PC industry can no longer exclude mention of the iPad.
Siri Accounts for One Quarter of Wolfram Alpha Queries →
Katie Marsal:
About one quarter of the queries to the “computational knowledge engine” Wolfram Alpha now come from the Siri voice assistant found in Apple’s iPhone 4S.
It may sound dorky, but I’ve found the Siri-Wolfram combo to make for a great, on-the-fly tip calculator.
An in-Depth Look at Wolfram Alpha Pro →
The Verge’s Dieter Bohn sat down with Stephen Wolfram in order to write up a nice review of the new Wolfram Alpha Pro that launches tomorrow as well as insight into how the Wolfram Alpha results differ from a Wikipedia article or a Google search.
How to Fold a Dress Shirt →
Will:
The secret is to fold the shirt in half rather than in thirds. In other words, when the shirt is on its front laid out for folding, turn the sleeve sides over only a quarter of the way, leaving a space between them. Then fold the bottom up so the shirt is roughly halved into a square.
This way any creases that the shirt may acquire while packed will not be visible when you have your jacket on.
A Slightly Better Pedigree of Americanos →
Ben and I had to record last week’s episode of The B&B Podcast today. We talk coffee (and discover that Ben likes Americanos), we talk Samsung’s Galaxy Note ad and their revolutionary new S Pen, and we talk Google and Facebook and tracking internet usage.
Samsung Shoots At Apple, Hits The Customer →
Trevor Gilber:
Samsung is […] taking jabs at not only the products, but the customers of the products. Yes, Samsung is running attack ads against the people they are trying to convince to buy their products. Brilliant!
It was an odd commercial.
- If Samsung was targeting Apple customers then why did they make fun of us by insulting the fact that we’re willing to stand in line for an iPhone?
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If Samsung is targeting people who look at “Apple fanboys” as being silly for their willingness to stand in line for an iPhone, they why did Samsung depict all those Apple customers as jumping the line to get the Galaxy Note? You know those Apple nerds you tease? Look! They’re buying our product.
Whomever it was that Samsung was trying to advertise to, they managed to insult instead.
Yes, No, Maybe So →
Eric Grevstad’s article for PCMag.com from last November is the best piece I’ve read yet in terms of consolidating the different points of view for and against if the iPad should be considered a PC or not.
The 4 points of view Eric Grevstad lists are:
- Yes, the iPad is a PC
- No it’s not because it lacks a keyboard
- No it’s not because it lacks expandability ports
- Yes it is, but if you say iPads and tablets are PCs then you have to say the same of smartphones
Nearly everything I’ve read regarding this discussion lands in one of the above four camps. I’m in camp number 1 — yes, the iPad is a PC.
Grevstad’s conclusion is nearly (but not fully) identical to what I’ve been thinking regarding this discussion. That is: iPads will be considered PCs when consumers begin to use them as such en masse.
It’s only a matter of time until consumers begin buying and using iPads (and other tablets) as their primary computers. Why wait until then to call the iPad a PC? The iPad is a PC today.
What Happens to the Losing Team’s Championship Shirts →
The non-winning team’s merch gets donated to World Vision and is shipped overseas to disaster areas and impoverished nations.
OmniFocus Forecast and Start Dates →
I learned a few tips during my trip to Macworld and this one from David Sparks during his presentation at the Omni Group’s booth was one of them. Not only did I learn that: (a) you can show tasks based on their start date (not just due date) in the Forecast view on the iPad; but (b) I also learned that it’s wise to only use due dates for items that are truly due that day.
I virtually never use start dates, and so my daily to-do list is usually filled with a dozen items which I want to do that day, but perhaps only one or two of them need to be done.
David Sparks recommends using Start Dates to populate your future-to-do list, and use Due Dates only for those items which have consequence if they are not done by the day they’re due.