Evernote has become something of an indispensable tool for compulsive note takers, a group that will no doubt be happy to hear that a major update to the Mac version of the app has been announced. Evernote 5, as it's called, has been in the works for more than a year according to its developers and will feature a refreshed UI in addition to more than 100 new features.
[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]
If you'd rather not let your Nexus 7 live out its life as a Jelly Bean-toting device, Canonical's freshly minted Ubuntu Nexus 7 Desktop Installer can help. Instead of allowing Ubuntu to ride shotgun with Android, the installer requires unlocking the device's bootloader, which wipes the slate clean. Once the Nexus 7 is unlocked, started in fastboot mode and connected to an Ubuntu machine, the one-click installation software takes care of the rest. Roughly 10 to 15 minutes later, your tablet will be running full-blown Ubuntu. Since development is currently focused on getting the core of the desktop OS up and running, there's no tablet-specific Unity UI to see here. However, Raring Ringtail is set to flesh out the mobile experience with an emphasis on sensors, memory footprint and battery life, among other features. Those who regret ousting Google's confection-themed operating system can simply reload their device with stock Android. For the entire walk through, hit the first source link below.
[Source: Engadget]
Bartender is a simple but excellent little app that lets you control that flood of icons up in your menu bar on the top of your OS X window. Now, designer Ben Surtees, who we spoke with earlier this year about where the app came from, has released version 1.0.2 of the app, officially releasing it as a finished product out into the world. You can buy it now for US$15, or there's still a four-week trial period available, if you just want to check it out for free.
Bartender offers a lot of different functionality to let you control your menu bar exactly as you choose. You can hide everything, kick icons down to Bartender's own bar or even set it up so that your icons are usually hidden, but only appear if they change. Plus, the app works with Notification Center, so you can hide or control that icon too as you'd like. And even when icons are moved down to the Bartender bar, they retain all of their functionality, as you can see above.
Bartender is a handy little app, and congrats to Surtees on finally releasing it. Again, it's available for purchase right now.
[Source: TUAW]
With all the hubbub surrounding today's Microsoft event, who can blame Amazon for wanting to get in on the action? The mega-retailer used the opportunity to announce the Windows 8 version of its popular reading app. Interested parties can download the thing for free from the Windows Store, giving them access to the company's selection of 1.5 million titles. The app is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese and offers up good old Amazon features like Whispersync. Amazon also used the opportunity to announce that Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung will be pre-loading the app on their devices. More information can be found in the source link below.
[Source: Engadget]
You're probably saying to yourself, "didn't Skype just get a Windows 8-friendly refresh?" Why yes, yes it did. But Skype 6.0 here isn't limited to Windows RT slates, instead it's designed for more traditional Windows systems and even has a similarly numbered OS X counter part. There's a number of notable changes here, including the ability to sign in directly with your Facebook or Microsoft account. (If you've got a Live Messenger, Hotmail or Outlook.com account, then you've got a Microsoft account.) The most visible changes, however, will be the "flattened" Don't-call-it-Metro-friendly UI on Windows and the addition of Retina display support on OS X. There's a few other minor changes, including some additional localizations, which you can read about at the source. And heck, since you're already there, might as well download Skype too.
[Source: Engadget]
Apple’s iTunes Store has leaked a mention of iBooks 3.0 ahead of Apple’s October 23rd media event. This media event will discuss a smaller iPad, which will likely be education oriented. French site iGen first discovered the listing, and The Next Web snapped the above screenshot in the French iTunes Store. The current version of iBooks is iBooks 2.0, which was announced earlier this year with digital textbook support.
[Source: 9to5Mac]
If you're one of the many who are underwhelmed with Apple's Maps and wish you could get Google Maps back on your iPhone, I highly recommend downloading Maps+. Besides using the Google Maps API, Maps+ offers several features now missing in Apple's new Maps app. The app also adds plenty of features that were never in Google Maps on the iPhone, like bicycling directions, location-based alarms, current location coordinates and altitude and more.
There are pros and cons to consider with Maps+. For one, point-of-interest search results in Maps+ aren't as good as the old Google Maps app, but often better than Apple's Maps. Also, Maps+ lacks public transport directions and Street View. Then again, the app is free, and if you're missing Google Maps on your iPhone, this is the best way to get them back.
[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]
When Twitter put out its strict new API guidelines, there was some doubt as to whether or not third-party clients like Tapbots' Tweetbot for Mac would even make the cut -- the user caps and other curbs on unofficial apps potentially made it tough to develop competition around a different (and possibly better) experience. That makes today's official appearance of Tweetbot in the Mac App Store as much symbolic as it is practical. While there won't be many significant shocks for those who've been participating in Tweetbot's alpha and beta stages, the finished version gives everyone running OS X Mountain Lion a major and sometimes more advanced alternative to official choices, such as TweetDeck, as well as existing third-party options like Twitterrific. A $20 price doesn't make Tweetbot the cheapest way to buck convention by any means, but it might be worth the investment if you're already committed to Tapbots' iOS apps or want to make a statement on the value of third parties in an ecosystem.
[Source: Engadget]
On Monday, Adobe dropped details for an update to its iOS and Android versions of Reader. The most noteworthy enhancement here is the introduction of cloud file storage with Acrobat.com, which allows users to view and edit documents seamlessly across mobile and desktop devices, à la Google Docs Google Drive. Reader Mobile has also gained FormsCentral data support, improved selecting and highlighting of Asian text, and mobile document rights management with secure watermark support. If Android is your mobile platform of choice and you'd like to give these new features a spin, head on over to Google Playto claim your prize. iPhone owners, on the other hand, have a bit of a wait ahead of them. The update is still awaiting Apple's approval before hitting the App Store.
[Source: Engadget]
Break out the party streamers and balloons -- if only in an orderly fashion, because this is the day Office 2013 has been released to manufacturing. The completion swings Microsoft's attention towards a rollout staggered over the next few months. Wider availability will have to wait until the first quarter of 2013 -- such synchronicity with your branding, Microsoft -- but companies who've sprung for volume licensing will get access as early as mid-November to December 1st, depending on whether or not they're embracing a Software Assurance plan. In the meantime, Microsoft is offering an easy path for anxious workers by promising a free copy of Office 2013 to everyone who buys Office 2010 from October 19th onwards. The upgraded software might not be cheap for those who aren't already buying a Windows RT tablet, but it's likely to be an important piece of the puzzle for anyone hunting down a touchscreen Windows 8 PC.
[Source: Engadget]
For all of the many directions Ubuntu One's cloud storage has gone, it hasn't headed the Mac's way. Official clients have been the province of Linux devotees (naturally, Ubuntu is recommended) and their Windows friends across the aisle. A newly available Mac beta puts all three major desktop platforms on an even keel, very literally -- the OS X port is almost identical to what you'd get in Linux or Windows, including a few rough points where other interface concepts clash. Still, the Ubuntu One test build has a handy Mac-specific menu bar item, and it's one of the few cloud options that will natively support both the Ubuntu box in your den and the MacBook Pro in your bag. Grab your copy at the source link if you can deal with a few unfinished elements.
[Source: Engadget]
Do you have issues with certain Japanese characters not appearing in Mail? Are you frustrated by Safari's inability to access secure sites when parental controls are turned on? Or is your system having trouble starting up with more than 64 GB of RAM? If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you may be interested in the OS X 10.8.2 Supplemental Update 1.0, currently downloadable from the App Store.
This 27 MB Mountain Lion 10.8.2 patch fixes the three specific issues listed, and does require a restart. Macworld notes that there's also a 10.7.5 Supplemental Update in the wild, which addresses a Time Machine issue and a problem with Developer ID-signed apps failing to launch.
[Source: TUAW]