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How To Use Collections To Manage Your iBooks Library
Between prior purchases and poor self-restraint, I now have an e-book library in iBooks several hundred titles strong on my iPad, and it’s growing constantly. Simply sorting by Title, Author, or Genre just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Thankfully, the introduction of user-manageable Collections in iBooks adds some much needed depth to iPad e-book organization.

Collections in iBooks let you create a sort of subfolder in your library wherein you can house related books. In my case, as you can see from the screenshot below, I’ve created collections for book series, general photography resources (the manuals to my cameras are in there, along with e-books about photography I’ve purchased, since you can mix and match e-books and PDFs), gaming information, authors (books by and about) and a lot more besides. It’s all quite easy to do, as you can see from the following instructions.

Managing Your Collections

Step One: Getting Your Books In

If you use iBooks exclusively for your ebook needs, getting your books in is a piece of cake. If, like me, you’ve got a library spread across multiple vendors you’re going to need to break the DRM (which you do at your own risk, and only through means you yourself dig up) on them and then import them to iBooks via iTunes. I also had a problem managing collections with books I already had in the library before the update, so, it’s worth re-syncing all of your books before managing your collections.

Step Two: Creating a Collection

At first, iBooks has two collections: Books and PDFs. Obviously, your ePub books are in Books, and any imported PDFs are in, well, PDFs. To create a new collection, simply press New at the bottom of the Collections window. Give your new Collection a name and you’re good to go.

Step Three: Putting Stuff in the Collection

Press the Edit button on the upper right hand corner of your library. Select the books you want to move to the collection and press Move in the upper left corner of the screen. Choose your destination collection and the items will be moved there. That’s all there is to it.

Limitations

I haven’t run into too many limitations using collections. Most of them I can work around — using the search I can filter by specific authors, titles, etc. The biggest problem is that all your Collection management has to happen within the app; you can’t manage them via iTunes where using the keyboard and mouse is a tad easier. Apple should really think about adding that feature into iTunes, which really needs to do some growing up to become the multifunction hardware and media manager Apple’s positioned it as.

Got any tips about how to best use collections? Share them in the comments.
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Create Simple Diagrams with Shapes for Mac
I occasionally need to draw diagrams or flow charts in my web-development business, and something like Omnigraffle or Visio for Windows, good as they are, can really be more than I need. Even the web-based drawing tools in Google Apps or Project Draw may be too much.

So I was intrigued by Shapes, a simple diagramming app for Snow Leopard. Shapes has been created by prolific developer Todd Ditchendorf, who is perhaps best-known for Fluid, the system that lets users turn websites into desktop apps.

Shapes’ interface is pretty simple. Just drag a desired shape from the palette on the left and drop it onto the page; it can be resized and moved to suit. Colors, fonts, borders and other attributes can be controlled by changing variables in the inspection panel on the right. Shapes can be turned on and off from the outline panel, lined up vertically or horizontally, grouped, and made to move to the foreground or background.

The software includes a reasonable, if fairly small, collection of shapes. It also includes the ability to insert image files and text into the drawing, and a line tool. For those used to other drawing programs, though, the line tool may be a disappointment, as there is no way of attaching lines to other shapes. The developer says that this function is in the works.

Files are saved in the proprietary .shapes format, but can be exported as images (.jpg, .gif, .png, .tiff) and as PDFs. Shapes is available for $4.99 in the Mac App Store and from the developer’s website. A trial version is also available from the website.

Shapes doesn’t yet offer all the features of a full-blown diagramming program, but its simple interface and ease of use may be appropriate for some people’s more modest needs.
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New Kickstarter Project Redesigns the Stylus for the iPad Crowd
UPDATED. If you’re looking for the right stylus to use with your iPad, a new Kickstarter project might have the best option available — and at the best price, too, since what you end up paying is ultimately up to you thanks to an unusual funding decision. The Cosmonaut is a new project from the makers of The Glif iPhone 4 tripod mount, and takes a smart new approach to iPad stylus design.

The Cosmonaut is the first iPad stylus design I’ve seen that really takes into account the unique restrictions and concerns of using a stylus in combination with a large, capacitive touchscreen. I own a few different iPad-compatible sytli, but the Pogo Sketch from Ten One Design is my weapon of choice. Even though it’s my preferred tool, that doesn’t make it necessarily a great one. I still have plenty of issues with the screen reading my palm as confusing secondary input, and using the iPad as one would a traditional pen and pad combo just doesn’t work (though some apps provide automatic wrist detection, making it a little bit easier).

Unlike the Pogo Sketch and many other similar iPad styli, the Cosmonaut doesn’t take the pen as its design inspiration; instead, it looks to the whiteboard marker. It’s a concept that Cosmonaut co-creator Dan Provost made a reality back in November with his own DIY build, and one that he and partner Tom Gerhardt clearly saw long-term value in. Provost argues that writing on an iPad doesn’t resemble using a pen because of low-fidelity, and because wresting your palm on the device’s surface is a no-no. Instead, it pretty accurately mirrors how we use whiteboards, ie. for quick and dirty recording of ideas and info. Artists definitely are capable of creating masterpieces on the iPad, but for most users, the point is to get an idea sketched out quickly without much attention given to the finer points.

I also like the fact that the Cosmonaut seems to have a small rubber tip, as opposed to the traditional felt-style ones that are used on most current capacitive styli. And just like the Glif, this new stylus design looks like an amazing study in simple, elegant, product engineering that emphasizes extreme usability.

As a Kickstarter-backed project, the Cosmonaut will require the commitment of individual backers to reach its funding goal. This time around, Provost and Gerhardt tried a slightly different approach to the one used by most Kickstarter projects. Instead of setting thresholds with different rewards for each level ($25 secures you a pre-order, $45 scores you two, etc.), they’re asking investors to put up whatever they think the device is worth. Any amount over $1 nets a pre-order of the Cosmonaut, though the final retail price will be around $25. It’s a very interesting experiment, especially given that the reward is limited to 3,000 backers, meaning that if everyone pledges the bare minimum, the project’s $50,000 funding target definitely won’t be met.

It’s a risky strategy, but one that should prove a telling glimpse into what kind of premium people put on good design. Check out the video below of the product in action and think about what you’d pay for such a device. If you feel like sharing that figure in the comments, I’d love to hear what you think.

Update: I reached out to Dan and Tom, and they responded to my questions just after this article published. Here are the questions I sent, and their responses in full:

TAB: Why go with the pay-what-you-want model this time around? What happens if you hit your backer limit before you hit your funding goal?

Tom: Dan and I decided to try a pay-what-you-want model because we were interested in the social aspects of it, and we wanted to give back to the Kickstarter community. If we reach our backer limit, but have not met our funding goal, we think a very interesting dynamic will build from the backers of the project. Will there be advocates? Will there be big contributors who tip the balance? Will the price go above, below, above the funding goal? We’ll see, but it will be an exciting first for the web.

TAB: What did your success with the Glif teach you about Kickstarter-funded projects, and has what you learned affected what you’re doing this time around with the Cosmonaut?

Tom: The Glif taught us that you can never be too simple. Although we strove for simplicity with the Glif, we still managed to confuse some of our backers, so this time around we tried to keep it dead simple. We also leaned to never underestimate the power and generosity of the crowd, so this time around we put our full trust in them.

TAB: On the back of the Glif’s success, you probably could’ve easily secured more traditional VC funding for this project. Why go back to Kickstarter?

Tom: an and I want to maintain our direct relationship with our customers, really our collaborators. So for us, Kickstarter makes perfect sense. They let us know how they like the product, we keep them informed through the process, and they keep us honest. All of which we lose through VC.

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Will We Really See a Hardware-Free WWDC?
Multiple sources are claiming Apple won’t introduce new hardware at this year’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC). Typically, Apple at least unveils a new iPhone at the annual software development-focused event, and has done so since 2007. Might this year mark the first deviation from that schedule?

Three notable sources are saying it will. John Biggs at CrunchGear argues that since the iPhone 4 is still a big seller, Apple will skip this year’s revision (at least for WWDC). Biggs also points to the software focus of the WWDC press release, but readers should note that isn’t an indication of whether or not we’ll see Apple hardware at the event. Apple’s WWDC PR materials typically don’t allude to new iPhones, yet new iPhones arrive just the same.

The other two sources of the no-new-iPhone buzz are much more interesting. First, there’s The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, who has a long history of guessing correctly when it comes to Apple’s product releases. He argues, with the support of Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg (another respected authority in the Apple-watching community) that Apple has no reason to necessarily continue to follow a yearly update cycle, and that in this case, Apple won’t, in fact, do that.

Finally, John Paczkowski of AllThingsD chimes in with possibly the most noteworthy evidence of all. He says he’s “hearing explicitly” (though his sources remain unnamed) that this year, WWDC will be a software-only event. It’s a coincidence of opinion among top tech news outlets that suggests Apple may have a vested interest in letting it be known we won’t see new iPhone hardware at WWDC to lower customer expectations in advance.

But, as mentioned, Apple has never indicated its previous WWDC announcements that new Apple hardware was on the horizon. And there’s another major reason why Apple putting off a release this time around would be dangerous: It stands to leave a lot of potential consumers on the table who might jump to LTE Android devices, many of which are coming to market quite soon. It’s possible Apple could be waiting until later in the year to offer up an iPhone that has LTE support, but deviating from its standard release schedule without comment (and Apple has never been one to give customers ample advance notice of product releases) might still lead to an overall erosion of its user base.

That would be the case with an unusually long wait between, say, MacBook upgrades too, but it’s especially relevant when it comes to smartphones, since many users are just waiting until their contract comes up for renewal before upgrading handsets. Customers who bought AT&T 3GS devices at launch are due for renewal this year, and many won’t wait an additional six months for Apple to come up with new and improved hardware. LTE-equipped 4G Android devices might appeal to a good chunk of those buyers, especially as the coverage map for Verizon’s next-gen network continues to grow.

In the end, I’m going to go ahead and suggest we can indeed continue to expect a new iPhone iteration come June. Gartenberg may be correct in pointing out Apple isn’t technically obliged to stick to a yearly schedule, but that doesn’t mean not doing so won’t have an effect on its business. Apple has gone out of its way over the course of the past four years to establish customer expectations of a yearly hardware refresh. To frustrate those expectations now (specifically with a delay, since an early release would be a different story altogether) would be a serious mistake, and not the kind Apple’s marketing machine is likely to make.
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iPad 2 Loses the Water Damage Indicators
There is little in a gadget lover’s life more disappointing than taking a device in for warranty repairs, only to be told it isn’t eligible because of water damage. iPad 2 owners may seldom have to face that kind of disappointment, according to new details unearthed from the Apple Genius database (via 9t05Mac).

A teardown of the iPad 2 performed by iFixit revealed the liquid contact indicators (LCIs) that typically indicate exposure to water were removed from the headphone plug, where they appeared on the original iPad. In their place, Apple has used a new pin design. But according to the Apple Genius database and other info gathered from teardowns, the LCIs haven’t been relocated elsewhere after their removal, and have also been removed from the iPad 2′s 30-pin plugs as well. Old instructions for Apple Geniuses detailed how to check the two LCIs on the original iPad (LCIs turn red on contact with liquid), while new instructions advise Geniuses simply to “check SIM card tray for corrosion.”

The new method won’t be nearly as sensitive to water contact as using LCIs, but that may be precisely the point. LCIs have been accused of reporting false positives in situations where users should reasonably expect their gadgets to be able to perform, like usage in the gym during a workout, or in other high-humidity climates and environments. Apple already relaxed its policy regarding water damage and iOS devices in January, when it added an amendment to the policy that states that if a customer disputes the reliability of the LCI reading and there are no other signs of corrosion, the device may still be eligible for warranty repairs.

This is great news for iPad 2 owners, as it means there’s one less hurdle towards getting your device repaired quickly and easily should you encounter any problems. Apple also wins by improving its reputation for delivering excellent customer service, and by avoiding future litigation related to LCI readings that negate warranties. The company may end up paying out a bit more in warranty service, but if it cuts down on costly litigation, the net effect on its profit margins may be nil.

I’m not planning on using my iPad 2 as an umbrella in a pinch or anything, but I am glad I don’t have to be as hyper-vigilant about atmospheric conditions before taking it out of the house. I’ve been burned by LCIs before, and I can breathe a sigh of relief now that my favorite gadget company is moving on. Anyone else feeling the same?
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Apple Announces June 6 Start Date for WWDC 2011
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will be held beginning June 6 this year at Moscone West in San Francisco. The conference lasts five days, running until June 10, and Apple says the focus of the conference will be the future of iOS and Mac OS X. While Apple makes no mention of it in its press release, the company also typically unveils its annual iPhone hardware refresh at the keynote for WWDC.

Apple’s official announcement focuses mainly on the developer-oriented aspects of the conference, and includes a list of the event activities: technical sessions, Apple engineers on hand to provide developers with detailed assistance, and the annual Apple Design Awards which reward excellence in app design.

From a consumer perspective, there are three things that WWDC will be worth watching for: OS X Lion, iOS 5 and the iPhone 5. Lion is a lock, as Apple has already previewed the new Mac OS and announced it was aiming for a WWDC release for OS X 10.7, and it’s almost a certainty Apple will once again unveil a new iPhone at the event’s keynote (likely June 7), as it has done consistently with new iPhone iterations. iOS 5 is a bit more of an unknown, since some rumors are predicting a fall release for the new mobile operating system. I’d suggest it’s a safe bet that we’ll at least see a preview version of what’s coming in iOS 5 at WWDC.

What do you think we’ll see that’s new and exciting at this year’s event?
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Fresh Apple

Monday, March 28, 2011

GigaOMApple (6 сообщений)

Managing Your Collections

Limitations

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