I’ve got a new video review up. This one is of the Elevation Labs Draft Table iPad Stand. If you are looking for something sturdy to hold your iPad while you work on it, look no further.
Want to get things like this automatically? You should try subscribing to my YouTube Channel or the Bonus Sparky course in learn.macsparky.
I love it when a sponsor is a product I use every day. That’s true with this week’s sponsor, Timing.
Timing is a Mac App that quietly, and privately, keeps track of where you spend your time while you are on your Mac. Rather than timing how you think you spent your time after the last time you forgot to turn your timer on or off, Timing has precise data about what you were doing an sd when you were doing it. You can assign that time to projects and Timing will give you useful charts and data to help you figure out where you could do better.
Today Timing is releasing version 2018.3. The new version features full support for macOS Mojave’s Dark Mode, as well as a minor design overhaul in Light Mode with an emphasis on using macOS’ “Vibrant” appearance.
Also, the new version features:
Detailed tracking support for Mailplane (and thus Gmail), Bear, Dash, and Opera.
Integration with GrandTotal 5: tasks created in Timing will automatically show up in GrandTotal and can be inserted into invoices.
A full Chinese translation.
Full support for macOS Mojave.
This is a nice update. I like the dark mode design (above). Figuring out how you are spending your time is the first step toward spending your time on the right things, and in my opinion, if you drive a Mac, there is no better tool.
It’s a great app and using this link, you can get it at a discount. If you’re a SetApp subscriber, you can also get Timing as part of your subscription.
Sean McCabe started his free agent journey as a designer doing hand lettering and has built a successful online business through teaching what he knows. On this week’s episode of Free Agents, Sean talks about the lessons he has learned along the way, including the power of rest and why he takes a sabbatical every seven weeks.
This episode of Free Agents is sponsored by:
FreshBooks: Online invoicing made easy.
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FREEAGENTS at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
It’s easy to be cynical these days. So at WWDC when Apple announced app autofill, an API that will fill in usernames and passwords in applications the same way it does in websites, I naturally assumed this would be a feature for Apple’s own password service only and this would be a not-so-subtle nudge to third-party password managers. Then, just minutes later, Apple explained they are making this also available to third-party password managers. My heart grew two sizes larger.
Fast forward to the iOS 12 release and now we’re getting this feature in 1Password 7.2 for iOS 12. I’ve long been a 1Password subscriber (Disclosure: they sometimes sponsor my podcast.) because 1Password brings so much to the table. I love that I can now use my chosen password manager for applications as well.
To turn it on, go to iOS 12 Settings > Passwords and Accounts > Autofill Passwords. You can leave the iCloud Keychain passwords at the same time. It’s a nice update and I already can’t believe I ever lived without application-based password autofill.
On this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, Katie and I run through our favorite new features for iOS 12 and watchOS 5, and we’ve got thoughts on the September 12th announcements.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
Timing: The automatic time-tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase.
PDFpen from Smile: With powerful PDF editing tools, available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, PDFpen from Smile makes you a Mac Power User.
Gazelle: Sell your iPhone for cash at Gazelle!
Today I am happy to announce the release of the new Siri Shortcuts Field Guide. This is an all video field guide with over 3 hours of screencasts and 40 videos. It starts out basic and gets progressively advanced. You can stream the videos or download them, and there is downloadable content with links to all of the Siri Shortcuts that get built throughout the Field Guide.
With Siri Shortcuts, Apple has gone all in with automation on your iPad and iPhone. This Siri Shortcuts Field Guide helps you become the boss of your iPhone and iPad like never before. Using Siri Shortcuts, you can do things like:
Assign voice commands to your most common tasks, so there is not more hunting and pecking on the screen.
Develop more complex automations to run multiple tasks, or even drive numerous applications all at once.
Make your iPhone and iPad do more, so you don’t have to.
In addition to some mighty-fine screencast tutorials, each section includes downloadable content so you can add the covered Siri Shortcuts to your iPhone or iPad directly from the course.
Major topics include:
1. Introduction, the history of automation on iOS, and Field Guide overview.
2. System level Siri Shortcuts that you can take advantage of without ever opening the Siri Shortcuts App.
3. Siri Shortcuts Application Primer
This covers the most common topics of automation from how the application interface works to the best automation tools for calendars to how to play some sweet tunes automatically.
4. Advanced Siri Shortcuts Techniques
This section explains some of the more program-related tools Siri Shortcuts offers. Don’t Panic! Each step is explained carefully, and you’ll be able to pick this up in no time.
5. Useful Automations
This includes a collection of useful Siri Shortcuts ranging from simple to devilishly complex. Each step gets explained, and everything is downloadable. This section is the master class.
6. Conclusion
Find out where all this iOS automation is heading and find additional resources to go even farther down the automation road.
Here’s the Course, by the numbers:
3 hours and 15 minutes of streaming or downloadable video
40 separate videos
Many downloadable shortcuts
So much powerful iPhone and iPad automation
Two separate appearances of a shark wearing a laser
How could you go wrong?
This Siri Shortcuts Field Guide is offered at an introductory price of $24 but will be going up to $29 shortly after launch. I am releasing the course so you can get a jump start on Siri Shortcuts before it arrives on Monday. Go nuts.
Here’s the Trailer …
Stephen Hackett is celebrating ten years of 512 Pixels this week, and I wanted to take a moment to thank him for all his hard work in our nerdy community. I’ve dealt with Stephen as a colleague and friend for years, and he is one class act.
You should check out 512 Pixels and while you’re there, take a look at his growing Aqua Screenshot Gallery. It’s a trip.
Finally, Stephen’s young song, Josiah, has been fighting back against childhood cancer his whole life. Every September, Stephen does a fundraiser for St. Jude’s. This year he’s trying to raise $20,000, and I’d like to see him succeed. I’ve made a donation on behalf of Josiah. If you can help, I encourage you to do so.
Tomorrow is Apple’s annual new iPhone event, this year dubbed “Gather round.” While the rumor sites are now getting a steady stream of spoiler-heavy information out, I am always curious to see exactly what story Apple tells around the new products. (Usually, they also still have a few surprises.)
Either way, you can watch it live tomorrow in Apple’s Special Events app on the Apple TV or at Apple’s Special Event site from your Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
I’ll be sitting in front of my Mac with my popcorn and my keyboard. I’ll be tweeting from @macsparky and also contributing to this thread on the MPU forums where listeners will be weighing in. Enjoy the show.
For a lot of power users, project planning remains the undiscovered country. The trouble is that project planning software has this terrible (and well-earned) reputation for being difficult to use. This week’s sponsor, OmniPlan is the exception. The fact that it’s easy to pick up OmniPlan shouldn’t surprise you. The Omni Group group has been making difficult software easy since they first started. OmniPlan has a clean, simple interface giving you everything you need with just a few clicks.
At the same time, OmniPlan also delivers power. OmniPlan includes powerful project planning tools like filtering, violation resolution, leveling, earned value analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations allowing it to match even its most difficult-to-use competitors.
I use OmniPlan for project planning on the legal side. Clients love the nice, clean reports generated by OmniPlan showing my plans for their legal problems. I’ve grown to like the tool so much that now I’m also using it to plan out future Field Guides. My use is actually pretty small but some OmniPlan users manage giant projects in fields like construction, software, and mergers and acquisitions just to name a few.
If you’ve got a use for project planning, OmniPlan is the place to go. It’s powerful and easy. Download the free trial. You’ll be surprised at how powerful and easy to use OmniPlan is.
Zac Hall joins us on this week’s episode of Mac Power Users to talk about how he stays on top of Apple news at 9to5Mac and his work as an online publisher. We also talk about 9to5’s recent discovery of the new iPhone and Apple Watch prior to Apple’s September 12th event.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
