AppShopper

As promised last week, Realmac Software, Impending, and Helftone have released Clear for Mac today. Clear for iPhone made quite an impression at its release (I loved it and use it almost every day) with its fluid, gesture-driven interface and it’s been a regular in the Top 200 Paid Productivity iPhone apps since. The new Mac version offers synchronization with its iOS counterpart via iCloud and I’ve found over the past week that it manages to keep the spirit of the iPhone version’s button-free interface alive on the Mac.

Clear is, at heart, a simple lists app. You can create lists for items you need to buy or do or anything your little heart desires. There are no alarm options or sub-levels to break list items down into multiple parts. It’s meant to be straightforward and effortless to use so you’ll need to look elsewhere if you want a tasks or lists app that lets you customize every last thing six ways from Sunday.

When you first open Clear for Mac, you’ll get a short and very helpful tutorial that walks you through how to create lists, add to and modify them, and navigate through the app. After this, using Clear for Mac will feel very familiar if you’ve already used the iPhone version with a few minor changes to accommodate and even work around the mouse-driven interface of a computer compared to the iPhone’s touchscreen. For example, you can just start typing to create a new list or add a new item to an existing list and to create a new item in between other existing items in a list, you can just hover and click in between them to insert the new item in that spot.

Here’s a video overview I recorded of Clear for Mac in action:

You couldn’t tell in the video, but navigating through Clear is easy with a mouse and keyboard but really shines with a trackpad on a laptop or if you have a Magic Trackpad or even a Magic Mouse for your desktop Mac. The swiping and pinching gestures these devices allow you to use are what keep the spirit of the iPhone version of Clear alive on the Mac. It’s not exactly the same but it’s still enjoyable and unique compared to most desktop apps where pointing and clicking rules the day.

Like the iPhone version, there are several color themes to choose from. In the iPhone version, you can unlock bonus themes by installing and using other selected apps (Tweetbot, Temple Run, and others) or doing certain things (using Clear for 7 days straight or between 12:00 am and 3:00am) and these bonus themes sync over to the Mac version accordingly. Clear for Mac also has the same cute sound effects as the iPhone version though you can elect to turn them off if you want.

I’ve been using Clear for Mac for about a week now and the only issue I’ve found is that it’s a little too easy to create lists and new items or navigate to lists I don’t mean to when using a mouse. I often scroll up or down too far, which will prompt the creation of a new list when I’m in the Lists view or a new item when I’m within a list. Other than this, Clear for Mac is just as functional and almost as fun to use as the iPhone version. The iCloud synchronization between the Mac and iPhone versions has worked very quickly and reliably in the short time it’s been available (the iPhone version was just updated yesterday to add iCloud synchronization in time for today’s Mac version release) though it’s not all unicorns and sunshine for everyone and Realmac has posted a troubleshooting support page if you’re seeing slow syncs.

Clear for Mac hit the Mac App Store last night and it’s on sale at a special introductory price of $6.99 through Monday, November 12 Sunday, November 11. After this it will go up to its regular price of $14.99 so mash that Buy Now button below before the price goes up. It’s a worthy purchase, particularly if you already have Clear for iPhone.

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  Clear

  Last Changed:

  2 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (20)

  Version:

  1.0.2

  Mac OS

  Featured in the Mac App Store “Best of 2012”! Life is messy. Keep it together with Clear, the amazing app for list-keeping that is unbelievably simple, quick and satisfying to use. Clear for...

Earlier this year, Realmac Software, Impending, and Helftone partnered to create Clear, a gesture-driven list app for the iPhone with nary a virtual button in sight. I thought Clear had a beautiful and fluid interface and it remains one of my most often-used apps on my iPhone today. I have occasionally wished that I could access my Clear lists on my Mac to avoid interrupting my workflow to grab my iPhone to make changes and RealMac, Impending, and Helftone will be making that wish come true soon with the release of Clear for Mac on November 8.

Clear for Mac will synchronize your lists between your iPhone and your Mac through iCloud. Check out the teaser video to get a peek at it in action:

With a mouse-driven interface, Clear on the Mac won’t have quite the same feel as on the iPhone but it looks like the spirit of Clear is still intact.

The preview video also gives a sneak peek of at least one change coming to the iPhone version in the next update that will also be released on November 8 –– the ability to swipe left and right between lists (at about 0:38 into the video).

We’ve learned that Clear for Mac will cost $15, a price I will happily pony up to get those lovely lists on my Mac and synchronization with my iPhone.

Clear for iPhone currently costs $1.99 and it’s worth every penny (see our review for more details if you want more info before making that $2 leap, you penny-pincher, you). If you have a Mac and have a need to make lists for grocery shopping, tasks, or count the myriad ways you love AppShopper, go buy it now and stay tuned for a closer look at Clear for Mac when it’s released.

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  Clear

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (183)

  Version:

  1.2.2

  iOS iPhone

  As Featured in the App Store “Best of 2012” Collection Life is messy. Keep it together with Clear, an amazing new app for list-keeping that is unbelievably simple, quick and satisfying to use. ...

Tapbots, the maker of Tweetbot, my favorite Twitter client for the iPhone and iPad, and Netbot, an identical client for the Twitter-like upstart App.net, has released Tweetbot for Mac. Tweetbot had been released as a free public alpha in July and made it into the App Store today at $19.99, a price that’s notably higher than several competing Twitter clients for the Mac.

In a blog post announcing the release, Tapbots explains the new limits imposed by Twitter that are the primary factor driving the price of the app:

Because of Twitter’s recent enforcement of token limits, we only have a limited number of tokens available for Tweetbot for Mac. These tokens dictate how many users Tweetbot for Mac can have. The app’s limit is separate from, but much smaller than, the limit for Tweetbot for iOS. Once we use up the tokens granted to us by Twitter, we will no longer be able to sell the app to new users. Tapbots will continue to support Tweetbot for Mac for existing customers at that time.

Tapbots goes on to explain that the price could change if Twitter allows developers more tokens in the future and encourages users to reach out to Twitter to request this:

This limit and our desire to continue to support the app once we sell out is why we’ve priced Tweetbot for Mac a little higher than we’d like. It’s the best thing we can do for the long term viability of the product. We know some will not be happy about Tweetbot for Mac’s pricing, but the bottom line is Twitter needs to provide us with more tokens for us to be able to sell at a lower the price. We spent a year developing this app and it’s the only way for us to be able to make our money back and continue supporting it with updates in the future. Feel free to let Twitter know how you feel about it.

You can hear more directly from Tapbots developer Todd Thomas in this interview over at iMore.

I’ve been using the alpha and beta versions of Tweetbot to date and just downloaded the official Mac App Store version. Its look and feel has not changed significantly from the pre-release versions and it offers several useful features for avid Twitter users and even those who manage multiple Twitter accounts. However, at $20, it’s probably not an insta-buy for many and understandably so. Comparatively, The Iconfactory’s Twitterrific and my previous favorite, Osfoora, are just $4.99. These apps are also subject to Twitter’s token limits, which may prompt these developers to revisit their pricing.

I really like Tweetbot and I have no problem paying a bit more for a useful and well-designed product that I will use on a daily basis. If you feel the same way, Tweetbot is a great Twitter client for the Mac. If not, there are plenty of other less expensive or free apps that work just as well or maybe even better depending on your needs.

If you’ve used the alpha or beta versions of Tweetbot but don’t plan to buy the official Mac App Store version, Tapbots asks that you release your tokens so they’ll be available to others, which you can do by logging into your Twitter account on the web, going to the Apps section, and finding Tweetbot in that list and clicking the Revoke Access button next to it.

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  Social Networking
  

  Tweetbot for Twitter

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  Rating:

  5.00 (58)

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  Mac OS

  Tweetbot is a full-featured Mac OS X Twitter client with a lot of personality. Whether it’s the meticulously-crafted interface, sounds & animation, or features like multiple timelines...

Image courtesy of The Loop

The Loop reports that Apple has sent out invitations for a media event to take place on October 23 at 10:00 am Pacific Time at the California Theater in San Jose, California.

Apple is widely expected to announce a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad mini by the press so far, at this event. A strong focus on iBooks is also expected according to a report from The Next Web. If Apple does release a smaller iPad with a 7-inch screen, it will compete directly with Amazon’s Kindle Fire and tablets made by Samsung, Google, and others.

An updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display to complement the 15-inch model that debuted earlier this year may also be on the docket for this media event based on a report from 9to5Mac.

I’m hoping for an iPad mini, which I think could easily replace my current iPad 3 that I’m finding just a little too large and heavy for the amount of ebook reading I use it for. I also wouldn’t mind a version of the iPad that’s a bit more portable –– I rarely lug my iPad with me out of the house unless I’m going on a trip that will last more than a day. What are you hoping to see out of this event?

Rovio is at it again in its attempts to keep you glued to your iPhone or computer and make your productivity at work drop to career-limiting levels. The developer’s follow-up to its wildly popular Angry Birds franchise hit the App Store last night. Bad Piggies, which features those dastardly egg-stealing pigs from Angry Birds, is now available for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Though it features the same shady swines from Angry Birds, the gameplay in Bad Piggies is very different. There are no slingshots or birds in sight and your mission is to help the pigs find the lost blueprints that contain their diabolical plans to steal the eggs from the birds we know so well already. To do this, you have to create vehicles and contraptions using provided parts to transport the pigs to reach the lost blueprints. It’s creation versus destruction this time around, though odds are that the contraptions you create will be destroyed on their way to the blueprints.

If you’re not sure if Bad Piggies is for you, check out this video from our sister site, TouchArcade, where they play through the first few levels to show off the game’s mechanics (note that there is adult language in this video so it’s a bit NSFW and not completely suitable for children):

Bad Piggies is creative, fun, and highly polished as you’d expect from a company like Rovio. It features familiar graphics and characters to make you feel like you’re still in the Angry Birds world but just hanging out in the next town over.

Bad Piggies works on the iPhone 5 (though it’s oddly not optimized for its larger screen) and older models back to the iPhone 3GS, plus the 3rd-generation and later iPod touches, and all iPad models and requires iOS 5.0 or higher. If you have both an iPhone and an iPad, you’ll need to purchase separate versions of the app if you want to see it in glorious high resolution graphics on both devices. For Mac, Bad Piggies requires OS X 10.6.6 or later.

• $.99Buy Now
  Games
  

  Bad Piggies

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  iOS iPhone

  From the creators of Angry Birds: an all new game from the PIGS’ point of view! IGN's "Best Mobile Game of 2012" Winner! "Extremely fun and very challenging"...

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  Bad Piggies HD

  Last Changed:

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  4.50 (802)

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  iOS iPad

  Bad Piggies, IGN's 2012 game of the year, is now .99 cents! From the creators of Angry Birds: an all new game from the PIGS’ point of view! IGN's "Best Mobile Game of 2012"...

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  Bad Piggies

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  Mac OS

  From the creators of Angry Birds: an all new game from the PIGS’ point of view! IGN's "Best Mobile Game of 2012" Winner! "Extremely fun and very challenging"...

Junecloud, the Michigan-based developer of the excellent Delivery Status touch package tracking app for the iPhone and iPad, has released Notefile for Mac. This version of Notefile complements the iPhone and iPad version that first debuted in the App Store last summer and offers synchronization of your notes between all computers and devices via iCloud or Junecloud’s own synchronization service.

Notefile is a straightforward note-taking app that I’ve been using since it was available for the iPhone and iPad. Previously, the only way to view and edit your Notefile notes on the Mac was through a Dashboard widget available from Junecloud’s site. Now, Notefile is a stand-alone Mac app available through the Mac App Store that can stay out of the way on your Mac’s menu bar or remain in the Dock if you prefer to access it like any other app. Whatever you choose, you can designate your own keyboard shortcut to invoke Notefile to get to it even quicker.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

When it comes to synchronization, you can use Apple’s iCloud service or Junecloud’s own synchronization service. I’ve been using Junecloud’s service and have found it to be rock solid and drama free, giving me no reason to switch to iCloud.

Notefile’s interface is clean with a crisp sans serif font and a slightly textured background; no font or other settings to muck around with. (I find Notefile’s interface to be much more pleasing to the eye compared to Apple’s own Notes and its lined yellow pages and the default –and obnoxious– Marker Felt font.) Each note can contain thousands of words if you’re on the wordy side and you can even do math within notes by entering an equation, selecting it, and then pressing ⌘= to execute the calculation. For those of you with Apple’s latest MacBook Pro with a retina display, Notefile has the high resolution graphics to fill up those pixels nicely.

If you’re looking for a no-nonsense notes app that synchronizes over-the-air automatically between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, I highly recommend Junecloud’s Notefile. It’s well-designed, does exactly what it promises with no extraneous frills or nonsense, and looks good to boot.

(The free Dashboard widget version is going to stick around in case you’re not sold on the Mac App Store version and it just got an update to make it retina-display worthy.)

Notefile for Mac requires OS X 10.7 or later and costs $4.99. For the iPhone and iPad, the universal Notefile app requires iOS 4.0 or later and costs $2.99.

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  Notefile

  Last Changed:

  10 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (50)

  Version:

  1.2

  Mac OS

  Notefile lets you make quick notes and view them quickly, from anywhere. It syncs with our iOS app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, using iCloud or our own Junecloud sync. • Shows in the Dock or...

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  Notefile

  Last Changed:

  12 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (72)

  Version:

  1.6

  iOS Universal

  “The best app for simple notes” — Tap! Magazine "a simple, yet seamless syncing experience between all of your Apple devices in a familiar interface" — MacStories “a...

As expected, Apple has issued invitations to the press for an event on September 12 to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am Pacific Time, according to The Loop. Everyone and their mother expects Apple to release the next iPhone model at this event. iOS 6, which was announced at Apple’s developer conference in June, should also get an official release date at this event.

The rampant rumors indicate that the new iPhone will have a larger screen that will measure four inches diagonally and a redesigned casing. All signs point to new materials for this casing as well, which would be a welcome move away from the easily-breakable glass back of the iPhone 4 and 4S in the humble opinion of yours truly. The new casing may or may not be two-toned with metal and ceramic portions – check out this post over at MacRumors with a video of what’s claimed to be the new iPhone’s casing.

The headphone jack appears to have been moved to the bottom of the device and a smaller dock connector also seems to be in order. Apple is expected to provide a dock adapter to allow users to continue using accessories with the 30-pin dock connector. I’m hoping this adapter will be fairly inexpensive since I’m going to need several of them myself.

Even though the new iPhone will actually be the sixth-generation model, it’s been commonly referred to as the iPhone 5. Apple seems to be reinforcing this technically erroneous nomenclature with the number 5 appearing on the press invitation.

I am very excited for the release of the new iPhone, whatever it’s called. Although my iPhone 4S is still running like a champ, I would welcome some more screen real estate and more processing power. I’m also looking forward to iOS 6 with Passbook, Do Not Disturb, and more.

Fantastical, the calendar assistant app created by Flexibits, is now on sale for $9.99, 50% off its regular price of $19.99. Fantastical debuted in the Mac App Store in May 2011 and has been a regular in the Top 200 Paid Productivity apps for the Mac recently.

Fantastical is a utility that lives in your Mac’s menu bar and lets you create new and edit existing events and reminders with natural language. You can find an overview video that Flexibits created here on YouTube (embedding is disabled so I can’t include it in this post, unfortunately).

Flexibits has updated Fantastical regularly since its release to fix bugs and add several new features. In recent updates, Fantastical got support for Mountain Lion and its new Reminders app, upgraded graphics for the Retina MacBook Pro, improved search functionality, and more.

I’ve been using Fantastical since it was released and love it. Even though I work from home and my schedule is never really crazy, it’s my preferred method for entering new items into iCal (or Calendar for those of you who have upgraded to Mountain Lion).

This back-to-school sale is only for a limited time so go get it now before the price goes back up.

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  Fantastical

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  Rating:

  4.50 (30)

  Version:

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  Mac OS

  ★★ GET THE CALENDAR APP EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT ★★ Presenting the calendar app you'll actually enjoy using. Type in that you have "Lunch with John on Friday at 1pm" and...

Moleskine, the Italian maker of notebooks and related accessories, has released Moleskine Journal for the iPad, a note-taking app featuring virtual notebooks in the company’s iconic style. The app hit the App Store earlier this week and is free to download. Moleskine Journal replaces the universal Moleskine app that debuted in April 2011, which will be removed from the App Store on September 1, 2012.

The features of Moleskine Journal include the following:

• Signature Inner Pocket to store favorite images and text. Includes image import and access to the built-in camera
• Portrait and landscape modes, with double-spread view unique to Moleskine Journal
• Classic Moleskine paper selection—plain, ruled, squared—plus templates from the popular Weekly Planner, Passion Recipe Journal and Storyboard Notebook
• Artist toolset (paintbrush, Moleskine pencil, Moleskine pen, highlighter), all with size control and full-spectrum color picker available on-the-fly
• Fully-featured color picker gives full artistic control, with value slide, opacity slide, custom swatch library and Moleskine’s cream-color paper background for easier color selection
• Text tool with all iOS-available fonts, color picker, opacity and size control on-the-fly
• Classic Moleskine ribbon bookmark
• Multiple undo and redo
• Easy image import from your photo library or take new photos with the built-in camera
• Easy project sharing via email, Facebook and Twitter
• Easy sync to Evernote and backup to Dropbox
• Unlimited page-adding capability—never run out of room.
• View entire journal at once in an editable page thumbnails view
• Fully editable library in thumbnail and list mode
• Unlimited journal creation capability—make as many journals as you like!
• Intuitive Apple iOS gestures such as pinch and spread, 2-finger scroll and page flip

The app’s description promises new features in future updates, including wrist protection, a feature that is essential in digital note-taking apps on a device with a large screen like the iPad.

The downside with this new app is that it removes iPhone and iPod touch compatibility, which is present in the original and soon-to-be-removed Moleskine app. However I’d be willing to be that there weren’t too many folks out there looking to take extensive hand-written notes on an iPhone or iPod touch, so this loss may not be a big deal to most.

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  Moleskine Journal

  Last Changed:

  25 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.00 (166)

  Version:

  1.0.8

  iOS Universal

  Your best ideas everywhere - Moleskine journals, re-imagined for limitless creativity, productivity and passion. The look and feel are classic Moleskine; the digital capabilities are inspiring....

Moleskine also announced earlier this week a collaboration with Evernote, the California-based company that provides services and tools to save and archive notes, and the upcoming release of a new line of notebooks designed to work with the Evernote iPhone and iPad app. The Evernote Digital Notebooks, which are now available for pre-order in various sizes, will feature special page styles with dotted lines to assist in image alignment and capture with the Evernote app. The notebooks will also come with “smart” stickers to be used as tags that will be recognized automatically by Evernote and digitally searchable. Each Evernote Digital Notebook will come with three free months of Evernote Premium service, which normally costs $5.00 per month or $45.00 per year.

This promotional video highlights the features of the new notebooks:

I know people who swear by the Evernote service but it’s one that I’ve never been able to really get into. However, I do use Moleskine notebooks to capture my lists and thoughts and may give it another shot with one of these new notebooks. With or without the notebooks, Evernote’s service and iPhone app could be useful if you’re a student or busy professional.

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  Evernote

  Last Changed:

  4 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (1775)

  Version:

  5.3.1

  iOS Universal

  Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes,...

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  Evernote

  Last Changed:

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  Rating:

  4.00 (61)

  Version:

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  Mac OS

  Inducted into the Apple "App Hall of Fame", NY Times "Top 10 Must-Have Apps", Winner: TechCrunch Crunchies, Mashable Award and the Webbys. Evernote helps...

Although Wikipedia doesn’t come close to Encyclopaedia Brittanica accuracy and reliability levels, it can still be a good place to start when kicking off research for a school project or to satisfy a need to delve into the traits of fainting goats to break the monotony of work. Of course you can browse Wikipedia freely and easily through any web browser but developer Arvindh Sukumar’s Quickipedia offers a more streamlined (and more covert, for those of you with observant bosses or co-workers) way to browse the Free Encyclopedia in a stand-alone app on your Mac.

Quickipedia is a lightweight Mac app that provides access to five language editions of Wikipedia: English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. You can get to it via a shortcut button that lives in your Mac’s menu bar or by a keyboard shortcut that you designate and save in the app’s Preferences menu. Its interface is a single window with a search field in the top right corner and navigation buttons at the top to quickly go backward and forward through articles you’ve browsed and jump to sections in the current article you’re viewing.

Click the images to see larger versions

Plus and minus buttons in the bottom left corner let you adjust text size and a random page button in the bottom right will show you a random entry in Wikipedia to assist you in quenching your thirst for arbitrary bits of knowledge.

Instapaper and Pocket integration are also on the list of Quickipedia’s features so you can save articles for perusing later using your preferred read-it-later service.

One of the more handy features of Quickipedia is its integration with Mac OS X that allows you to look up any word in any app in Wikipedia through the Services contextual menu (accessed via right-clicking or pressing the Control button while clicking), saving you from the need to even type anything to search Wikipedia.

If you browse Wikipedia often or simply like to keep the number of browser tabs you have open to a minimum as you do your research, Quickipedia is a compact app that provides an efficient way to access Wikipedia. The app debuted in the Mac App Store late last week, costs $1.99, and requires OS 10.7 or later on a Mac with a 64-bit processor.

• $199Buy Now
  Reference
  

  Quickipedia - Minimalistic...

  Last Changed:

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  4.50 (8)

  Version:

  1.0

  Mac OS

  Quickipedia is Wikipedia at its minimal best. Read Wikipedia in a beautiful, unobtrusive client only on your Mac. Whether you want a quick peek at an article, or have fun reading random articles,...