Thursday, September 02, 2010

A new look for iTunes

If you've downloaded the latest version of iTunes (10), you'll notice a small (but ever-so large) difference. The app's logo/icon has changed. Gone is the ever-familiar CD and musical note combination, replaced by a musical note with a candy-like button background. Here are some other details I've noticed.

• The app itself has changed and has received some updating, most-noticeably the icons that line the left side navigation are now monochromatic.
• The volume slider now sports a nice, round metallic knob as the contact-point. A small detail, but I like it.
• The "disk space" meter for iPods, iPhones and iPads has been subtly changed as well, removing the gloss highlighting and replacing it with a satin finish.
• The maximize, minimize, and close buttons are now arranged horizontally rather than vertically, which begs the question, will this change be rolled out within all Apple-made apps?
• A new social network named Ping is available which allows you to follow artists and other iTunes customers and share your musical interests.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Is shortcutting considered cheating?

There are many ways that a Web designer or developer can build a site, from hand coding the entire thing to using tried-and-true software like Adobe Dreamweaver (affiliate link) or other WYSIWYG/heavily-assisted programs.  Over my career, I've used a little bit of everything, eventually settling into a hand-coded environment using skEdit.  But a recent blog, specifically a line in a blog post made me take another look at these options and shortcuts.

Are shortcuts cheating?
A line Laura Otero had written in a recent post highlighting one of the latest darlings of the CMS world, SquareSpace, stirred up some questions I've wrestled with over the past few years.  Is it "cheating" to use systems that take all or a good majority of the legwork out of Web development?  I'll be honest, some of these shortcuts and snippets are very nice and I've saved myself quite a bit of time with some of them, but I still rely heavily on what I've learned through my years of hand-coding.  That being said, if someone takes paths of ease to complete a project, are they less of a professional for doing so?  What would their peers think?

I guess it's all in how you look at it, how much self-guilt and self-imposed peer pressure you put on yourself, that determines the answer.  I still feel the answer may very.  As long as the client is getting a great product and it meets/exceeds their goals, then who's to judge the path that was taken to get there?  As long as the ideas are original, and the execution is sound, who can argue with that?  What say you?

Sunday, August 08, 2010

IPad sketchbook app shootout

I’ve realized that my iPad has become my sketchbook on steroids. It's been a while since I've cracked open the pages of my notebooks, largely because of some great apps that have let me skip the pen & paper route and go with a completely digital workflow.

There are many apps that can let you sketch out ideas and get thoughts down on...glass. Here are my favorites.

iDraft - Free

I just picked up iDraft (iTunes link) a week ago and it's been my go-to sketching app ever since. What I'm the most drawn to with this app is the ability to make individual "project" notebooks that I can then email the entire book or just a few pages to anyone I'd like.

The drawing tools and markings are very natural, in fact, the pen width decreases the quicker you move your finger over the canvas. I've found this app to be a great alternative to my traditional sketchbook with some great benefits. It should be mentioned that the ability to zoom is missing from iDraft, an omission that I've noticed on a few occasions.

Pros

• Grouping of project sketches with notebook sharing as a PDF


• Differing width based on speed for a somewhat realistic feel


• Simple and intuitive UI


• No photo importing

Cons

• No ability to zoom


• Limited color choices for brushes

Adobe Ideas - Free


One of the first apps I downloaded for my iPad was Adobe Ideas (iTunes link).  This is a great app if you use Photoshop, Illustrator, or any other app in Adobe's Creative Suite line.  Sketching out quick ideas is easy and the app tries to "correct" or straighten out your lines.  One big appeal of this app is the ability to export and mail the sketch as a PDF that retains the vector imagery for further development in Photoshop, Illustrator, or your vector app of choice.

As with any drawing app worth it's salt, you can choose pen colors and erase lines so that goes without saying.  One nice, added feature is the ability to zoom into the drawing or zoom out to reveal more drawing space

Pros

• Vector drawings that can be tweaked in other full-blown apps


• Photo importing


• Layers (minimal)

Cons

• The "auto-correcting" can get annoying if you're not used to it.


• While Ideas has the ability to do layers, there are only two. A few more would be nice.

Brushes - $7.99

Last, but not least on my list of sketchbook fighters is Brushes (iTunes link).  I bought this app for my iPhone and found it fun, but also a bit frustrating due to the small screen size.  With the iPad, I decided to give it another shot and have grown to enjoy the experience more and more.

With a robust toolset of multiple brush types and sizes to great zoom and detail control, Brushes is more geared toward creating an artwork vs sketching out a layout but you never know what an might grow into

Pros

• If you want to create a great work of art, this is your app. I guess that's a pro, right?


• Great variety of brushes and tools allow you to push the limits of this app and your imagination.


• Ability to import photos.


• Zoom in and out to make fine, detailed adjustments

Cons

• Bitmapped final image

The winner?
What kind of a shootout would this be if there wasn’t a winner declared?  Truth be told, I can’t pick just one app, they’re all great and excel in different areas.  Some shootout this turned out to be.  More like a love-fest.