New App Releases
LinkSheet: Take Control of Your Link Jumps
Platform: Android
Keywords: link hopping, URL, hijacking, utility
The promotion of mobile apps is so pervasive that it not only places advertisements in various locations, but also invades your choice of opening hyperlinks: sometimes we just want to open a URL or jump to a certain app, but other apps on the phone will come out to brush up their presence, or even deprive the user of the right to choose.
LinkSheet is an application that intervenes in this process, allowing you to re-select the way you want to open. LinkSheet works by “restoring” the “URL-App-Chooser” feature that was removed from Android 12, forcing a choice dialog when opening regular URLs and Deep Link links. In order to do this, it needs to be set as the default browser to take over the processing of all links.
It doesn’t stop there. In Android, mobile apps can register certain URLs as Deel Links for the purpose of evoking the app from a web page. However, some “ambitious” mobile apps may register URLs indiscriminately, causing us to see them even when we open some regular URLs. With LinkSheet, we can not only lock the default browser, but also exclude these unscrupulous apps from the selector, or block the Deep Link that it should not be pulled up.
To make the selection menu even more useful, we can also adjust the style and ordering of the selection list in LinkSheet, add link copy and share buttons, force the browser to open in privacy mode, and more. In addition, LinkSheet also integrates a number of privacy features, such as cleaning up tracking parameters with ClearURLs, integrating FastForward rules to bypass redirects, or enhancing privacy protection. These settings can greatly enhance the experience and peace of mind when accessing URLs, which are a key entry point to the digital world, and in a world where ethical standards are barely binding, LinkSheet can act as at least one firewall.
Osx Uninstaller 2024 Released
Platform: macOS
Keywords: App uninstaller
The go-to app removal tool Osx Uninstaller 2024 has just been released and is available to all existing Osx Uninstaller users as a free upgrade. The US-based app removal tool has been completely rebuilt and redesigned to consolidate its dominance as the best Mac uninstaller, beating out other tools with the best app removal capabilities, most comprehensive compatibility and most cost-effective pricing. It is the must-have app removal utility recommended by our editors for years. You can download and try this latest version from the official website and get the lifetime license on sale while it is cheap and affordable.
Reflect: A New Option for Double-Linked Notes
Platform: macOS/iOS/Web
Keywords: dual-chain, notes, Obsidian
When it comes to the “notes” category, I personally came across Obsidian earlier than Notion, and at that time I didn’t really understand dual-chained notes. However, after using more and more note-taking software – especially Notion-like services – I’ve grown to dislike Obsidian’s ability to customize and extend its functionality, and I’ve always found it to be very bloated.
It’s an exaggeration to say that Reflect gave me a “spring in my step” feeling, the same way I felt when I switched from Notion to Craft – they both felt fresher and more aesthetically pleasing at first. There’s no redundancy, and the first time you use it, you’re guided through it in detail, so it’s a snap to get started.
Reflect’s Markdown support is very complete, with 6 levels of headings, quotes, code blocks, etc., unlike some other note-taking programs that are also in beta (that’s you, MS Loop!) that don’t even have italics; and in terms of typing, those who are accustomed to Markdown syntax will be able to get used to it very quickly.
On the original Markdown syntax, Obsidian’s “double-link” syntax adds new settings that conform to the user’s operating logic, for example, in Markdown syntax, []() means that the text inside the square brackets is the display name of a hyperlink, and inside the () is the address of the hyperlink – Reflect also follows this syntax to make it easier for the user to enter a hyperlink, and for the user to enter a hyperlink. Reflect follows this syntax for those who have used Obsidian in the past. Double-click on the left square bracket to enter the name of the note you want to link to. Reflect also has many features, such as Craft-like daily notes and quick meeting scheduling (which requires a Google, Microsoft, or Apple account).
Globetrotter
Platform: Apple All Platforms (except tvOS)
Keywords: travel, record, quantify
I don’t know if you like the Maps and Memories features of Apple’s Photo Albums: the former allows you to visualize “the world is so big, I want to see it” and use photos to mark your footprints around the globe, while the latter automatically categorizes photos according to time, place, and people, and produces a showcase video that brings back memories of what you’ve been up to.
Globetrotter is a travel album app that enhances both of these features, based on location information, and does a better job of organizing the sights you’ve seen over the course of a year than the system does.
Globetrotter’s first startup animation is very interesting, it mimics the porthole of an airplane, open the visor, straighten the seat back, get the photo and location access, and your trip begins; the main screen of the app is a world map, you can clearly see the proof of your ‘clocking in’ around the world. Compared to the native photo album, Globetrotter also supports displaying the activity track of a certain day on the map, so if you have a recommended travel route, you can share it with your friends through this function.
On the personal page, the app offers a wealth of statistics, not only does it detail the number of continents and countries visited, but it also provides a preview image to mark them; if you’re traveling in the US or have traveled in the past, the app goes into detail about each US state; collectibles are also a necessity for globetrotters, and Globetrotter gives you a straightforward, it will reward you with flags for all the countries you’ve visited. Globetrotter gives it a more straightforward approach, rewarding you with the flags of all the countries you’ve visited.
“Memories” is also one of Globetrotter’s selling points. In contrast to the richness of the native albums, the app focuses on locations, generating random memories from different locations on its own, or you can add more manually. A year in review is also ‘standard’ for this type of app, but you’ll have to go to your personal page to find that memory. The app also offers 3 playback speeds and supports sharing of original footage as well as automatically generated videos of entire memories.
In addition, Globetrotter offers 9 widgets that can display different information such as map markers, recent photos, memory collections, clocking statistics, etc., which are also considered to be well-designed desktop beautification materials.
Globetrotter requires a subscription, and the app offers 4 subscription models, you can subscribe for $15/week, $28/month, $148/year, or pay $328 for a one-time subscription that supports all Apple platforms except tvOS. The annual subscription offers a 7-day free trial. Considering that Globetrotter’s features don’t reach a very wide audience, and that most of the features are available in the native albums, it’s recommended to try it out before deciding whether or not to subscribe.
App Updates
Bear 2.1: Make it Faster to Open and Find Notes
Platform: iOS/iPadOS/macOS
Keywords: Notes, Markdown
There are a lot of note-taking apps on the market, but Bear is probably the best choice if you just want to keep track of content – you can create forms and to-do lists based on Markdown, and its simple, intuitive design lets you categorize your notes better, and all of its features are built around the Apple ecosystem. It’s also built around the Apple ecosystem, so you can edit on your Mac and then sync to write, read, and browse on your iPhone or iPad.
Recently, the venerable Notes app received a minor update that makes it even easier to find your notes. Search is a common feature in note-taking software, but the design of search-related features is actually very worthy of scrutiny. For note-taking apps that accumulate information over time, the search results often contain a lot of redundant information. Bear v2.1 realizes the effect of “Quick Launcher” in desktop systems through a tool called “Quick Open”, which can be triggered by using the shortcut key Command + O or sliding down with three fingers on an iPad/iPhone. “In addition to searching for keywords, Quick Open also supports special commands such as symbols and specific tags.
For example, you can quickly locate the contents of a note tagged with #tag, and you can use the keyboard to retrieve a suggested directory in the suggestion bar under “Quick Open”, and @section to quickly locate the corresponding directory of notes. When using with a keyboard and mouse, it is naturally more convenient than point-and-click. In addition to the new Quick Open tool, Bear v2.1 also includes some minor improvements, such as the addition of an Obsidian import feature, which allows you to import content from Obsidian into Bear, and Markdown documents with attachments can now be imported very easily. You can download Bear Paw for free from the App Store and the Mac App Store, or you can buy Bear Pro to get features like iCloud synchronization and exporting notes.
Reader Public Beta Update: Performance Improvements, Unreal Speech, Auto-Summarize
Platform: iOS/iPadOS/Android/Web
Keywords: read later, syndicated reading
Since its public beta release, Readwise’s read-it-later tool Reader has gained a lot of popularity among reading enthusiasts, and its rich functionality and smooth interaction design have made many of them willing to pay for its annual subscription fee of $95.88 (users from developing countries can send an email to request a 50% discount). Recently, Reader launched its sixth public beta update, making reading easier with the help of artificial intelligence. Let’s take a look at what Reader brings to the table in this update. First of all, it’s important to mention that Reader has rewritten the entire application architecture with over 36,000 lines of modified code, 520 edited files, 300 Pull requests, and 7 contributors, making it easy to build Reader as an offline-first, cross-platform application that can be run in a web browser without any local installation.
While Reader enabled text-to-speech early in the product, the neural network technology from Microsoft Azure, AWS Polly, and Google Cloud that was used at the time has become a bit of an underachiever in the AI boom, and the best text-to-speech models today can do it at a level that’s virtually indistinguishable from that of a human narrator. The best text-to-speech models can now be almost indistinguishable from a human narrator. That’s why Reader uses a next-generation text-to-speech model from Unreal Speech in its new version, which delivers a smoother, more natural sound. Unfortunately, this new technology is only supported for English documents, while non-English documents continue to use Microsoft Azure.
Back in the summer of last year, Reader introduced a text summarization feature using Ghostreader technology and the OpenAI API to help readers quickly summarize the main points of the current article, but this feature requires manual operation every time, which is a bit cumbersome. In the new version, Reader now includes an auto-summarize feature, which automatically generates a summary of all articles added to the library with the help of GPT-3.5 technology, and you can click the “Summarize” button to re-generate the summary if you’re not satisfied with the one you’ve generated. If you are not satisfied with the summary, you can click the “Summarize” button to regenerate it. Currently, the auto-summarize feature is only available for articles and emails manually added to the library, but not for feed content.
In order for readers to better practice the “read later” concept, Reader also introduced an email version of the summary function, which can automatically summarize all the articles you have saved to the library in the past 24 hours, and then arrange them into a beautifully laid out email and send it to you, reminding you to read and improving the efficiency of reading at the same time. Finally, Reader has launched its first desktop client. With a new architecture, Reader’s native Mac client shines, functioning like the Web version but running independently of your browser and running more smoothly. Most importantly, Reader’s Mac client “doesn’t use Electron, doesn’t use Electron, doesn’t use Electron, doesn’t use Electron,” to say it three times, but instead uses Rust, and doesn’t come bundled with Chromium at all. Reader can be downloaded for free from the App Store, the Mac client can be downloaded from the official website, and the Windows client is on its way.
Mozilla Firefox (Linux, Windows and macOS): Updated to v121, the new version alerts users to the AV1 video extension and enables AV1 decoding in an experimental option; the Mac version now supports native voice control commands; the Linux version now uses the Wayland compositor by default; and the built-in PDF viewer has been updated. The built-in PDF viewer has also been updated.
Pixelmator Pro (macOS): Updated to v3.5.2 with full support for Adobe Illustrator files, the ability to view and edit all layers and groups of layers, and support for opening older EPS format files; the new version also features performance improvements and 14 new holiday-themed templates.
Photomater (iOS & iPadOS): Updated to v3.3, it introduces a new watermarking tool to support watermarks when exporting images.