ronintechwriter

Evernote for Everything?

I used to use Evernote as my primary note-taking app years ago when it was a simple, cloud-based note editor. I appreciated its minimal feature set, but once Evernote started to focus on rich-text editing and image uploads, I switched to plain-text notes synced via Dropbox.

I have grown quite fond of writing in plain text. Though seemingly limited, plain-text notes can be quite robust. I use Markdown syntax to identify basic formatting like headings and lists and I add tags like “@ios” or “@coffee” so I can easily search my notes using nvALT on my Mac and WriteRoom on my iPhone and iPad¹.

While plain-text notes have served me well for years, I decided to take another look at Evernote after it released version 5 of its iOS and OS X apps. After working with the latest version of Evernote for a few weeks, I have found it to be an invaluable service even if I cannot use it to store everything.

Where Evernote Excels

Let me start by stating that I still prefer to write simple notes and blog posts in plain-text using nvALT and WriteRoom. I don’t have to apply formatting in Evernote, but a rich-text document without formatting is not the same as true plain text. That said, I have found a few uses for Evernote for which it is particularly well suited.

• Meeting Notes: This is one area where I actually prefer Evernote’s rich-text capabilities. I often share my meeting notes with colleagues and very few of them are familiar with Markdown. Additionally, Evernote is invaluable for capturing pictures of whiteboards due to its accurate optical character recognition (OCR) that even recognizes most handwriting².

• Photo Notes: I use Evernote when I’m out to snap pictures of products I want to learn more about or add to my shopping wish list. This is especially useful for books.

• Web Articles: Pocket is my preferred read-later service. I delete most articles I save to Pocket immediately after reading them, but I find that Evernote is a better home for those articles I want to keep for future reference. Pocket has an archive feature, but Evernote has a more robust search. This is especially important as my archive of articles continues to grow.

A Question of Longevity

For all the things that Evernote does well, I still have some concerns. I want to feel confident that I can still view my notes 20 years from now. Who knows, Evernote might still be around then, but few Web-based services seem to have that kind of shelf life. In contrast, I feel very confident that computers of the future will still open TXT files. Though I trust Evernote not to lose or comprise my data, it is not particularly easy to extract data from the service should the need arise³.

Along the same lines, I have considered upgrading to Evernote Premium to use it as a full records-management repository. I ultimately decided to stick with PDFs in Dropbox because I like having portable files that are not tied to a specific application or company, especially for critical documentation.

Why Choose?

Fortunately, I do not have to choose between Evernote and Dropbox. It would be nice to use a single tool for everything, but with a few clear guidelines governing the content in each tool I can minimize the complexity of a multiple-app system.

I realize that plain-text nerds are the minority, but I still hope that Evernote someday adds the option to store plain-text notes in addition to rich-text notes. If that happens, Evernote just might become my “everything box”. Adding support for plain-text alone will not solve the lock-in aspect of the service, but perhaps more third-party tools will integrate with the ENML export format as the service continues to expand.

My Current Writing Tools

This is a great time for those of us interested in plain-text writing apps. OS X and iOS both offer an abundance of great options, such as Byword, Writing Kit, iA Writer, and Notesy to name just a few.

The differences between plain-text editors are often subtle. Perhaps one app has a slightly more polished interface or syncs with Dropbox a split-second faster than another app. As long as an app is reliable, just about any plain-text editor will do the job. Your choice will largely depend on personal preference.

After much experimentation, I have found a collection of writing tools that works well for me. I have been working with this particular setup for several months now, and I am extremely satisfied with the results¹.

Long-form writing

For articles and blog posts, I prefer to use a simple tool that will help me to stay focused on my writing. I’ve tried several viable apps, but my hands-down favorite is WriteRoom. I use it on both OS X and iOS. It has a bare-bones interface that permits minimal customization (as opposed to absolutely no customization like iA Writer). I especially like that I can switch themes with a simple hotkey. I prefer black text on a white background during the day and either white on gray or the dark Solarized theme at night.

Notes

I write notes that fall into two categories: temporary notes and notes I’d like to keep. I evaluated using Evernote as a single repository for all of my notes, but I found I was making too many concessions for that to be a viable option (perhaps I’ll elaborate on that in a future post). I have since found a much better solution.

I use Drafts as starting point for all of my notes. Drafts is my electronic version of sticky-notes. I can quickly jot down whatever is on my mind and if I later decide that a note is worth keeping, then I can easily export it to Dropbox.

Once a note (and by note, I mean a plain-text file) is in Dropbox, then I can edit it anywhere. I use WriteRoom on my iPhone and iPad and nvALT on my Mac. WriteRoom for iOS has a fast full-text search, syncs quickly and reliably with Dropbox, and like its OS X counterpart it offers just the right level of customization. nvALT for OS X is a simple (and free) way to browse and edit a collection of plain-text notes.

Code Editing

I don’t write much code anymore, but when I do occasionally have to dive in behind the scenes I use TextWrangler. It’s chock-full of features, reliable, and completely free. What’s not to like? If I spent more time coding, I would buy TextWrangler’s big brother, BBEdit, in a heartbeat.

TextExpansion

Another key part of my workflow involves using text expansion shortcuts. On the Mac, I use TextExpander. The amount of keystrokes (and therefore time) that TextExpander saves me is staggering. For example, I type “;date” to enter “January 13, 2013” or when I create a new HTML page, I simply type “;html” to enter this:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
    <head>
        <title></title>
    </head>
    <body>

    </body>
</html>

I have TextExpander Touch on my iPhone and iPad, but while WriteRoom and many other iOS apps supports TextExpander Touch, I more often use iOS keyboard shortcuts because they work in all iOS apps.

The most important part of setting up a writing environment is finding what works for you. These apps suit my workflow well by letting me focus on what’s important: my writing.

Twitter 4.3

Back in December, I commented on Ben Brooks’ post about Twitter’s redesign of its official iPhone app. At the time, it seemed to me that Twitter would take steps to discontinue or severely cripple their API to effectively kill off third-party Twitter apps like Tweetbot.

Twitter recently released version 4.3 of its official Twitter app for iOS. Macstories published an article about the implications of this update, and it seems that Twitter is moving us closer to a day when third-party Twitter clients (or at least full-featured clients) will no longer exist.

A lot of people seem to be very disappointed with the changes that Twitter made to its iPhone app in the 4.0 update. I do not mind the changes, but Tweetbot remains my Twitter client of choice.

Tweetbot has all of my favorite Twitter client features:

• Timeline sync
• One-tap to view replies to a tweet
• Save links to a read-later service like Pocket or Instapaper
• Open linked articles in a mobile-friendly view
• Active links and @ mentions in the timeline view

The official Twitter client also has a nice replies view and it supports several read-later services. It currently does not support mobilizers or present active links in the timeline view, but I those are only nice-to-have features.

The primary reason that I stick with Tweetbot is timeline sync. Why is it that a third-party app like Tweetbot supports two flavors of timeline sync (iCloud and TweetMarker), but Twitter’s official client does not include this functionality in any form? I typically check Twitter several times per day, switching between my iPhone and iPad. It is convenient to have Tweetbot open to wherever I left off in my timeline regardless of which device I am currently using.

By not supporting timeline sync, it seems to me that Twitter wants us to use a single device (presumably our phones since the iPhone client has received the majority of attention lately). It seems that I will soon be using my iPhone as my only means of accessing Twitter; possibly by choice, but probably not.

Launch Center Pro

Launch Center Pro by App Cubby is a gem that I almost overlooked. I initially thought it was just an app launcher akin to a standard folder on the iOS home screen and I could not understand its value. However, after reading the umpteenth glowing blog post about it, I decided to give the app a try. I am very glad that I did.

While you can create a shortcut to simply launch an app, Launch Center Pro’s most appealing feature is that you can use it to create shortcuts to specific app actions, such as adding a new event to you calendar or a new task to OmniFocus. Sure, I could open those respective apps and tap +, but I find that using Launch Center Pro is faster, especially for my “search” shortcuts. For example, I have an action set up to search the App Store. To search for an app without Launch Center Pro, I would open the App Store app, tap the Search tab, tap the “x” in the search box to clear my previous search, type my new search term, and then tap Search. Now, I open Launch Center Pro, tap my Search App Store action, type my search term, and then tap Go. Not only does using Launch Center Pro require one less tap, but the entire process happens much more quickly or at least it feels that way, which is good enough for me.

I find Launch Center Pro so useful that it has not only earned coveted spots on both my iPhone and iPad home screen, it is the first iPhone-only app that I have ever kept on my iPad.

Well done App Cubby, well done.

My Launch Center Pro actions:

Apple Doesn’t Want Me to Think Different

Using some very basic trickery, I have been using iCloud to push my Gmail messages to my iPhone and iPad since October. My system is simple and reliable. At least it was reliable until about a week ago when iCloud stopped pushing my mail. iCloud is still pushing my calendar events and contacts to all of my devices. I had hoped that there was simply an iCloud email outage that was causing the error, but after a week, I have accepted that Apple has probably disabled push for manually-configured IMAP accounts. I’m not sure if that is even technically possible (I’m not exactly an email system guru), but it seems logical. Apple has always encouraged us to think different, unless that means circumventing their intended workflows.

I have no desire to change email providers and my email address, so it seems my only option is to revert to setting iOS to fetch my mail every hour. I’m fine with that. I do not need my iPhone to notify me instantly when I get a new message. However, this makes me wonder whether or not I should abandon my Gmail to iCloud mail system entirely. Without push, is there really a benefit to this system or should I go back to using Gmail directly?

Of course, if Sparrow ever releases an iPad app, that might help to tip the scales.

Should You Upgrade to the New iPad?

I have been thoroughly enjoying the new iPad for the last week. Let me add to the chorus of technology bloggers and state that the new iPad does not get hot. After prolonged use, the back of the new iPad can feel slightly warmer than the iPad 2, but by “warmer” I mean that it feels roughly room temperature to the touch.

With the heat issue nonsense out of the way, I can focus on what is really important to know about the new iPad: whether or to upgrade from a previous model. There are many detailed reviews out there, so I’ll simply add my recommendations based on which iPad you currently own.

If You Have a First-generation iPad

Upgrade immediately. You will not be disappointed (assuming you like your current iPad). Compared to the original iPad, the new iPad is significantly faster, a little thinner and lighter, and the screen is absolutely gorgeous.

If You Have an iPad 2

Unless you cannot stand the thought of holding a thicker and heavier tablet, you will probably be very happy with your new iPad should you decide to upgrade.

Benchmark scores indicate that the new iPad’s A5X CPU is about as fast as the iPad 2’s A5 CPU while the new iPad’s GPU is significantly faster. You might interpret that to mean that the new iPad runs games more smoothly than the iPad 2, but that both models perform general computing tasks similarly. That was my expectation, but after using the new iPad for a while I found that I was pleasantly mistaken. The new iPad’s extra graphics-processing muscle has a noticeable impact on general computing as well as gaming. The new iPad feels much more responsive than the iPad 2 when scrolling, flipping pages, and switching between Safari tabs.

The new iPad’s screen is amazing. For me, this was reason enough to upgrade from my iPad 2. The new iPad’s screen is just as good as the screens on the iPhone 4 and 4S, but the effect is even more amazing given the larger size of the iPad’s screen. Pictures do not do the screen justice. You really need to experience it for yourself.

As someone who used an iPad 2 every day for a year, I can confirm that the new iPad feels noticeably thicker and heavier than the iPad 2. I have read several reviews that suggest that the difference is negligible and that most people will not notice the change. I disagree. I certainly would not call the new iPad “heavy” or “thick,” but you should know that the difference is perceptible, at least to me.

If you are still on the fence about upgrading, I suggest you go to a brick-and-mortar store and compare the new iPad screen to the iPad 2 screen. If you do, you should be prepared to part with some cash. You might not think your iPad 2’s screen looks bad, but let me assure you that it looks positively archaic next to the retina screen. Consider yourself warned, and enjoy your new iPad.

Byword for iOS

Metaclassy recently released an iOS version of their Markdown-friendly text editor, Byword. Other bloggers and app sites have already thoroughly reviewed the app, so I won’t rehash all of Byword’s features here, but I will offer a few of my observations.

An extended keyboard row in an iOS text editor is nothing new, but Byword’s implementation is the best I’ve used for editing Markdown text. The keyboard row is unobtrusive and all of the formatting options work exactly as I expect.

While I am certainly not a font maven, I am getting tired of Verdana, Georgia, and to a lesser degree Helvetica. Fortunately, Byword for iOS offers several font choices including the great M+ C Type-1. Though the name does not exactly roll off the tongue, I like the M+ font family a lot. Because of Byword for iOS, I am now using the M+ P Type-1 in Byword for Mac. While the M+ P-type is better suited for my MacBook Pro’s screen, M+ C Type-1 looks amazing on the iPhone and new iPad Retina displays. Of course, just about every font looks great on the Retina displays.

Byword for iOS supports syncing using either Dropbox or iCloud. The iCloud sync works flawlessly. Unfortunately, Byword’s Dropbox sync is unreliable. On several occasions, I started a document on my iPad, continued working on it on my Mac, and then later switched back to my iPad to finish working on the document. When I reopened the document on my iPad, I did not see the changes I made on my Mac. Instead of copying the version of the document in Dropbox to the iPad, forcing a manual sync usually resulted in a conflict. Byword then prompted me to select whether to keep the local or Dropbox version of the document. While selecting the Dropbox version works, this process is frustrating, especially when other similar Dropbox-based apps, such as Notesy and iA Writer, sync without any issues. I recognize that this is the first release of Byword for iOS, and I hope that Metaclassy will improve the Dropbox sync in future releases. Until that happens though, I will continue to use the rock-solid iCloud sync instead.

Overall, I highly recommend Byword for iOS if you are looking for a Markdown-friendly writing tool, especially if you prefer to sync your documents using iCloud.

Color Me Solarized

I have never had much of a knack for visual design. I know what I like when I see it, but my skill at creating original designs is admittedly limited, especially when it comes to choosing color combinations. The only rule I tend to follow is to use high-contrast colors to improve text readability.

I recently discovered an excellent color palate by Ethan Schoonover that he calls “Solarized.” Check out Ethan’s site for a great explanation of the color theory behind the palate. While the theory is interesting, it all comes back to what I mentioned earlier: I know what I like, and I know I like Solarized.

Solarized is a low-contrast palate. While this goes against what little I thought I knew about color design for readability, it works surprisingly well, especially for editing code. Schoonover designed both light and dark themes and provides the specifications for both. I personally prefer the dark theme, but the light one also works well.

I have created Solarized themes for many of my writing and coding tools, and I now use the pre-defined Solarized themes that come with many of my iOS apps like Notesy. I even redesigned the theme for this blog using the Solarized colors.

If you like to tinker with Web design or are otherwise looking for some theming inspiration, check out Solarized.

In Praise of DuckDuckGo

I appreciate a well connected app ecosystem, which is why there was a time when I was enamored with Google. I enjoyed using Google Search, Gmail, Calendar, Reader, Maps, YouTube, and, relatively recently Google+, but I find that I am using fewer and fewer of these services. I still use Gmail and Reader, but both are essentially backend services for the things I really want to use: iCloud for email (using my Gmail address) and Reeder for RSS.

Google had been my search engine of choice for many years, but my trust in its results (and in the company in general) has been waning for some time. DuckDuckGo has been around for a while, but I only recently started using it exclusively. DuckDuckGo prides itself on not tracking you or customizing your search results based on personal information. Unfortunately, Google cannot state the same.

Aside from displaying non-filtered, non-targeted, non-sponsored search result links, DuckDuckGo also provides summary and referential information at the top of the results page. Google and Bing (does anyone actually use Bing?) occasionally provide similar information, but the type of information varies from search to search and I found that I rarely used this information in Google even when it did display. In contrast, I often use this information in DuckDuckGo. For someone like me who conducts a lot of research online, it is often very convenient to be able to view the first few lines of the search term’s Wikipedia page for quick reference.

If you too have been looking for an alternative to Google Search for a while, I suggest giving DuckDuckGo a try. It might not be a household name, but DuckDuckGo gets it right where it counts: top notch functionality and trustworthy search results.

Goodbye PC Gaming, it’s Been a Blast

I have been an avid gamer for most of my life. Aside from some SNES-is-better-than-Genesis crusading back in the early ’90s, I have appreciated most of the major gaming platforms equally. However, as strong as my love affair with console gaming has been over the years, the PC remained my platform of choice.

I have been thinking about PC gaming recently because I am in the market (or will be soon) for a new computer. My MacBook Pro is not as spry as it used to be and it might be time to think about a successor. I initially thought about getting another MacBook Pro. It seemed like the obvious choice because it has the power and portability I want, but then I started to question why I need that power. The only answer I could come up with was for gaming. I rarely edit video or do any other processing-intensive tasks other than play games.

Over the last few years though, I have been playing PC games less and less due to a variety of reasons. For one, I switched to Mac. I run Windows 7 (no Microsoft hating here, Win 7 is a quality product) via Boot Camp, but having to reboot every time I want to play a game is annoying. Another reason is that console gaming has come a long way over the last decade or so in terms of both content and graphics. PC games used to have more depth and offered a richer experience than console games, but that is no longer true. Also, now many (ok, almost all) games look better on my 1080p 50-inch TV than my 15-inch 1440x900 pixel MacBook Pro screen.

Lately, it seems that I purchase a PC game only because I can’t buy the game on any other platform. I loved playing Skyrim on my Xbox. I know a lot of people preferred the PC version of the game, but I know I had more fun reclining on my couch with feet up and controller in hand than I would have if I played hunched over a keyboard up in my stuffy office.

I recently played Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) on the PC. I really liked the game, but it has already run its course. Like all MMORPGs, SWTOR requires a lot of time, but a copious amount of free time is not a luxury I have at this point in my life.

I thought that Diablo 3 would be the final chapter in my PC game career, but the game keeps getting delayed and I long ago stopped holding my breath for its release. It seems to me now that my retirement from SWTOR also marked my retirement from PC gaming.

So long PC gaming, we’ll always have King’s Quest, Grim Fandango, Baldur’s Gate, Morrowind, and Warcraft.