Easy Timeline from BeeDocs

(Disclosure: BeeDocs, maker of Easy Timeline is a sponsor of MacSparky.com. I’ve used (and paid for) BeeDocs’ products long before they started sponsoring the website.)

I’ve always been a fan of BeeDocs Timeline 3D. As a lawyer, I find its powerful timeline tools useful and often take advantage of Timeline 3D to quickly create professional looking timelines for use in the “day job.”

Put simply, I’m a believer in BeeDocs and their products. I’ve even switched some lawyer friends to Macs solely based on my Timeline 3D timelines. One legitimate problem for potential Timeline 3D users is, however, its price, $65. I think the price is right, especially considering how often I use the software. However, if you are just making a few timelines, $65 can be steep. Users spoke and the gang at BeeDocs listened.

BeeDocs now publishes, through the Mac App store, Easy Timeline, $20. Easy Timeline is a simple to use timeline application.

In addition to offering a lower cost alternative, Easy Timeline also gets a BeeDocs timeline product in the Mac App store and all the user convenience that comes with that: easy installation, no license key, multiple installations.

Creating timelines with Easy Timeline is a snap. The app ships with several color schemes and layouts you can choose among when creating a new timeline. (You can also change the look after you start building your timeline)

Creating new timeline entries is intuitive. Click the New Entry button and start filling in data. You can drag and drop multimedia on timeline entries, including images, movies, and audio. The date formatting is flexible from within the timeline.

As you add additional entries the page automatically adjusts itself to fit your data. I used to spend hours building timelines in complicated excel and graphics apps before discovering BeeDocs products. When the timeline is complete you can share it as a PDF file or display the timeline from inside the app. Easy Timeline includes Timeline 3D’s three dimensional display mode. This lets you use the arrow keys to move forward and backward on a timeline in three dimensions. It looks fantastic for audiences (and juries).

Differences with Timeline 3d

The more expensive Timeline 3D, $65, includes a lot more import and export options. Timeline 3D, imports events from many other applications, including iCal, Aperture, iPhoto, OmniFocus, Basecamp, and Skitch. Timeline 3D also publishes timelines to websites, YouTube, Keynote, and HD video with advanced rendering features such as motion blur and audio soundtracks.

Both Timeline 3D and Easy Timeline have the same data format so you can move timelines between both products.

Summary

Put simply, Easy Timeline takes a lot of hard work out of making timelines and creates a final product simply not possible without many hours of time with more complicated software. If you’ve been holding off on BeeDocs timeline products, now is the time to get in.

Home Screens – Michael Lopp

I have this distinct memory of being in a dark place about two-thirds of the way through Mac at Work and discoverying this article by Michael Lopp (Twitter). Michael’s tips for finishing a book were critical and came at exactly the right time in my life. In addition to saving my bacon, Michael publishes Rands in Repose and has already authored two of his own books, Being Geek and Managing Humans. So Michael, what is on your home screen?

What are your most interesting home screen apps?

I’ve currently got the photography bug, so the most interesting apps to me are Instagram, Camera+, and TiltShiftGen. The combination of the three make me feel like I’m a photographer although I’m taking pictures with, ya’know, my phone.

If you asked me this question in another month, my answer would  be different.

What is your favorite app?

I’m late to the game on Camera+, but I’m loving it. It’s well thought out, it provides unexpected value, and it’s easy to use. Unfortunately, they fully missed the boat on social, so I’m constantly using Camera+ to post to Instagram since that is where my people are which seems like a massive missed opportunity. It’s douchey to say, but I’ll say it “Social matters more than you think”.

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

Guilty pleasure. I’m going to interpret that as “app that provides provides disproportionate vice-like pleasure”.  I’m going to go with Boxcar because I’ve set it up to provide me various ego-based alerts whether it’s retweets in Twitter, mails from important people, or other douchey “Hey, you’re important!” events that happen on the Internet.

My hope is the new notifications in iOS 5 provide me even further opportunities for ego surfing.

What is the app you are still missing?

I think iOS 5 notifications (and perhaps iMessage) will help, but there is a constant stream of interesting notifications and alerts that are happening on the Internet and keeping track of them is a nightmare for me. I don’t want to spend my time changing between different apps, I want to know what has changed.

How many times a day do you use your iPhone?

Whatever the maximum amount is.. I’m +1 on that.

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone?

Two features that are very related: the iPhone fits in my back pocket and conscientiously stays out of my way when I’m urgently trying to get something done.

If you were in charge at Apple, what would you add or change?

I’d develop the elixir that would allow Steve Jobs to live forever.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I took the picture of my iPhone the moment I received this request which I think makes it more authentic. Things you can learn about me from this:

  • It really bugs me that I’ve got one unheard voice mail, three app updates, and 47 unread mails.
  • Camera+ should be on the main screen, but I haven’t figured out what to nuke, yet. Either Mint or Simplenote.
  • The location of the apps on my screen is a a function of usage — outside corners = higher usage.
  • Good Messaging blows, but I use it for work.
  • My main screen is for the apps I use 95% of the time, the next screen is full of unreadable groups that I access via search.

Thanks Michael, for everything.

Multi-Platform is a Feature

Maybe this is obvious but as iCloud rolls out, users are going to add a new criteria to their app buying calculus. “Is it multi-platform?”

Just like the way even us ‘power users’ are getting hooked on Lion’s versioning and auto-saves, even the most die-hard Dropbox supporters are going to find themselves expecting data to migrate between their Macs, iPads, iPhones, and even Windows PCs.

With iCloud, there is no secret incantation, retina scan, or hacking involved. Your data just is. No longer will you have to consider whether the right folder is synced to the right app. Work on one device. Turn it off. Work on another device and pick up where you left off.

There is a price to brain dead syncing. From everything I’ve seen, in order to work, you’ve got to be working on the same app on every platform.

For the first time since the iOS arrived in our lives, using the same app on multiple platforms comes with an added benefit, data bliss. When users look at apps for their Mac or iOS devices, they are going to actively seek those with support on other platforms. Automatic data-syncing is a huge benefit and multi-platform is going to be a big deal for enlightened Mac and iOS developers.

Already there are some text editors supporting both iOS and Mac OS X. I think this will spill over into most productivity apps: PDF apps, outliners, mind mappers, graphics apps, and any app with a user generated data file. Expect to see a lot of familiar apps on unfamiliar platforms soon.

Byword Daily File

With Lion’s new document versioning framework, I’ve been running a single Byword document called “Daily” for two months. I use it every day to write text for any of a number of uses ranging from contract language to blog posts. All of this text ends up somewhere else. The advantage of this daily file, however, is that Lion Byword now has an archive of most everything I write and I’ve got one more place to look for old text. (I really like text, remember?)

Bonus Points Tip: If you are working on something that you want to save as a different name for saving elsewhere as text, use Byword’s Duplicate function.

MacSparky.com is sponsored by Bee Docs Timeline 3D. Make a timeline presentation with your Mac.

Home Screens – Jory Raphael

This week’s home screen features Jory Raphael (Twitter). Jory is the genius behind all of the 5by5 artwork, including the latest iteration of Daren Rolfe’s excellent Mac Power User’s logo. Jory is super-talented and a really nice guy. You can learn more about Jory’s work at Sensibleworld. So Jory, show us your home screen.

What are your most interesting home screen apps?

I think they’re all interesting!  The one app I use in an unexpected way is probably Adobe Ideas.  It’s replaced the notepad on my nightstand, as an easy way sketch ideas I have during the night.  That said, decoding those ideas in the morning can sometimes be a little tough!  Interaction with the iPhone and iPad touch screen is fantastic, but my finger can be cumbersome when trying to sketch a specific idea.  I’m definitely looking forward to the arrival of my More/Real stylus cap.

What is your favorite app?

The app I use the most is Tweetbot, followed closely by Reeder and Camera+.  I love the design of all of the Tapbots apps, and Tweetbot is no exception.  I’ve gotten so used to it’s features and layout that I feel a bit lost now when using pretty much any other Twitter app, iOS based or not.  Reeder is a definite must for keep up with RSS feeds, and Camera+ has proven invaluable to quickly capture important moments and milestone’s in my kids’ lives.

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

Instacast.  It’s invaluable as a way to easily keep up with podcasts.  I’d call it a guilty pleasure because it prominently showcases podcast artwork.  The majority of the shows I listen to are on 5by5, so I get to see my artwork full screen when I’m listening. Sparkynote: I love Instacast too.

What is the app you are still missing?

There is one app missing from my iPhone.  One astronomically fantastic app.  A real game changer.  It’s completely and totally amazing. Epic. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  That is to say, I have an idea for an app that I have yet to design.

How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPad?

iPhone: Constantly.  iPad: On average once a day.  More if I’m out on the road meeting with clients.

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPad?

The camera on the iPhone 4.  And, perhaps oddly, I love being able to easily access the display brightness on the iPad by double-clicking home and flicking right.  I tend to read on the iPad at night and quick brightness adjustment is key.

If you were in charge at Apple, what would you add or change?

Wait, is there an opening?

Anything else you’d like to share?

I’ve recently jumped into UI design for iOS, so have been studying apps (and their icons) non-stop.  I’m also currently working on the next (free) update to my Symbolicons vector icon set to include optimized icons specifically for iOS design and retina displays.

Thanks Jory.

See more home screens here.