I’d like to thank the OmniGroup for sponsoring MacSparky this week. The OmniFocus team has been hard at work, releasing version 2.6 this week. The new version includes some nice new features, including dark mode, swipe to flag, and push syncing. The new version is great. Don’t believe me? Take a minute and a half to watch the below video and you will. Learn more at the Omni Group.
This week I’m pleased to welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky, HoudahSpot. Imagine if there were a group of engineers at Apple that wanted to turn up the Spotlight search a notch or two and had nobody in management to tell them “no”. That’s what you get with HoudahSpot.
HoudahSpot lets you search your Mac like a boss. It improves upon Spotlight to let you find files by multiple criteria, like name, text, content kind, author, recipient, and pixel count just to name a few. You can combine these search criteria to drill in quickly and choose which locations HoudahSpot looks in and which locations it ignores. You can even set up templates for repeat searches.
I’ve used HoudahSpot for years and if you haven’t tried it yet, you should. Here’s a quick war story. In a recent trial I had things go a little bit wonky with some PDFs I wanted to use as exhibits. I suddenly found myself with a “needle in the haystack” scenario with 10 minutes to find the documents. I knew they were there …somewhere… and I cooked up a quick HoudahSpot query that found them with time to spare.
Anyway, don’t take my word for it, go try out the app. If you like it you can get 20% off with the coupon code MACSPARKY or purchase through this link. There’s no better way to search your Mac.
This week MacSparky.com is sponsored by inShort, an iPhone/iPad/Mac application that lets you plan projects and processes graphically across all of your Apple devices. InShort for Mac just got a significant updated adding several new features including:
• Data synchronization using iCloud (The iOS version also now synchronizes data via iCloud)
• The ability to queue tasks and organize the work with active tasks in accordance with the elements of the GTD methodology
• Control lists for diagrams — giving you the ability to monitor the sequence of actions with the diagram step by step.
You can now order tasks in relation to specific projects and priorities. Once you complete a task, it disappears from the list. There are different ways to display the tasks including organization by active tasks, tasks under way, deferred tasks, and tasks waiting for other tasks to begin or finish or waiting for resources.
This task integration is a significant upgrade to inShort and worth checking out. You can learn more and purchase that application through the website and learn more with the the application’s PDF documentation or user forum. Thanks inShort for sponsoring MacSparky.com.
This week MacSparky is sponsored by inShort (website) (Mac App Store) (iOS App Store). inShort is an iPhone/iPad/Mac application that lets you plan projects and processes graphically across all of your Apple devices. This brings a new paradigm to process and project planning and is absolutely worth checking out.
One of the more clever features is the way it allows you to embed processes and drill down to the level of detail you need at the moment. I like to think of this as “nested” flowcharts and I think it’s really smart. inShort is a great tool to sort out a process in your own mind and then explain it to others when you’re done.
inShort is actually kind of hard to describe until you lay hands on it. The developer has most recently published a very quick guide to inShort that helps explain it better. The apps continue to get regular updates taking advantage of the newest iOS and Mac OS technologies. The new versions look great on iOS 8 and Yosemite. Want to learn more? Read the developer’s PDF.
This week, I’m pleased to welcome back, curbi as a MacSparky.com sponsor. While the Internet can be scary for most people, it is terrifying for parents. Letting our kids enjoy the good parts of the Internet while protecting them from the nefarious parts isn’t easy. Not only can kids get into trouble over your local WiFi network, they can also get into trouble through a cellular connection or at a friend’s house. curbi solves this problem, giving you amazing parental controls for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can easily block specific types of content or add a specific site list. curbi tracks (and can block) websites through Safari or any other iOS app that has a web browser. Perhaps even more importantly, the curbi blocks will work no matter how they access the Internet, even using their Pal’s home WiFi on the other side of town.
curbi also lets you set boundaries. For example, you could block social networks from 3pm to 6pm and the entire Internet from 9pm to 8am. For just $6.99 a month, you can protect all of the iOS devices in your home. curbi is the only service I’ve ever seen that can protect your kids, no matter where they are. Learn more here.
This week MacSparky.com is sponsored by OmniFocus. The Omni Group has been hard at work since last year taking all of the their iPad applications universal, so they work on both the iPad and iPhone. Version 2.1 of OmniFocus for the iPad is now officially universal and works on the iPhone.
This new version looks fantastic on the larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screens. The new version works in landscape mode with a Sidebar on the iPhone 6 Plus, lets you use the Review perspective on your phone, create perspectives (with the Pro version) and view perspectives with project hierarchy (again with the Pro version). This single development has me thinking I may have to get the bigger iPhone the next time I upgrade.
There are also some really nice new features for both the iPad and iPhone including:
If you’ve already bought the iPad version, go ahead and install it on your phone. If you’ve already bought it on your iPhone, the Omni Group has a plan for you too. Go learn more from the Omni Group and thank you OmniFocus for supporting MacSparky.com
This week MacSparky is sponsored by OmniGraffle 2.1, the newly released version of The Omni Group’s diagramming, wire framing, draw-anything power tool. This version ups the game in a lot of ways:
1. Universal!
Did you buy one of those big new iPhones and now wish you could run OmniGraffle on your phone? Your wish has been granted. The application not only looks good on the iPhone, The Omni Group’s designers figured out how to make it usable on the smaller screen as well.
2. New Tools
There is a new set of tools for editing the points on a shape. You can drag existing points and add (or remove) points from an object. As a result it’s easier than ever to take a pre-existing shape and bend it to your will.
3. A Loupe
Touch the screen and your edit points magnify. This innovation makes it a lot easier to do detailed work on an iPhone and iPad screen.
4. Fill Effects and Filters
You know all those great new filters and fill effects on the Mac version of OmniGraffle? They are also now on iOS.
There’s a lot more so head over to The Omni Group and check it out for yourself. Thanks to OmniGraffle, you can do advanced diagramming and graphics work on the iPad and iPhone.
This week MacSparky is sponsored by the Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock. This new dock from Elgato enables you to connect everything to your MacBook or Ultrabook at once. With two Thunderbolt 2 ports, connect your computer with only one cable and simultaneously enjoy the extended versatility of Thunderbolt.
A built-in HDMI port can drive up to a 4K resolution, and three additional USB 3.0 ports assure that all of your devices are connected when you need them, at full speed and with up to 1.5A of power. Tap into the full performance of wired network connections with the built-in Gigabit Ethernet port, and enjoy crystal-clear conference calls through the separate microphone input and amplified audio output. An added benefit is stand-alone USB charging even when your computer is not connected. Learn more right here.
If you’ve got a desk full of equipment, this dock greatly simplifies (and improves) the experience.
This post is sponsored by Syndicate Ads.
This week MacSparky.com is sponsored by The Omni Group, one of the premiere productivity software companies for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. If you are looking for serious solutions for serious problems, look no further. The Omni Group’s applications include:
My beloved task manager that lets me practice law and publish books and videos without completely losing my mind.
This is simply the best outlining application for the Mac and iOS. When I need to organize ideas, I break out OmniOutliner.
This diagramming and graphics tool lets me build stunning graphics in a few minutes.
If project management is your game, look no further.
The Omni Group has its own sync solution, OmniPresence, to keep all of these tools working between your Mac and iPad and, most recently, they’ve announced they are putting all of these productivity apps on the iPhone as well.
Check out the Omni Group and let them know you heard about them from MacSparky.com.
This week, I’m pleased to welcome a new sponsor, curbi. Letting our kids enjoy the good parts of the Internet while protecting them from the nefarious parts isn’t easy. Not only can kids get into trouble over your local WiFi network, they can also get into trouble through a cellular connection or at a friend’s house. curbi solves this problem, giving you amazing parental controls for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can easily block specific types of content or add a specific site list. curbi tracks (and can block) websites through Safari or any other iOS app that has a web browser.
curbi also lets you set boundaries. For example, you could block social networks from 3pm to 6pm and the entire Internet from 9pm to 8am. For just $6.99 a month, you can protect all of your children’s iOS devices everywhere. The Internet can be a scary place and curbi is the only service I’ve ever seen that can protect your kids, no matter where they are. Learn more here.
