shortcuts
Latest
ChatGPT for iOS gets support for Siri and Shortcuts
It also added iPad support and a drag and drop feature.
Amazon's new Fire TV voice remote with app shortcuts will ship April 14th
This $30 remote for your Fire TV adds four buttons linking directly to apps like Netflix and Disney+.
These Shortcuts can help you clean out your iPhone or iPad
“Spring cleaning” usually conjures up images of tedious housework, but it’s worth thinking about tidying up your smartphone and tablet too — and I don’t mean physically, though that might also be a good idea. If you’re anything like us, your devices are full of old photos, files and apps taking up valuable storage space. Now is as good a time as any to start cleaning things out. And if you’re an iPhone or an iPad user, Apple’s Shortcuts feature just might be able to help.
IKEA's smart home system now supports scenes
IKEA has finally added scene support to its smart home system, and shortcut buttons appear to be close at hand as well.
Apple resurrects its iPod 'Music Quiz' game for iOS 14
Apple has brought back its classic 'Music Quiz' iPod game with iOS 14, and it didn't even need an app to do it.
Adobe browser shortcuts make it easier to create PDFs
Adobe's .new browser shortcuts give you quick access to useful PDF tools.
Slack’s latest changes couldn’t come at a better time
Slack was already a big part of modern work life for many people, but as more companies turn to remote work, it is becoming even more essential. Even if you were using Slack to chat with coworkers in an office before, conducting all of your conversations there could be a big shift. Fortunately, Slack is introducing changes to make its desktop platform easier to use and organize.
Apple is already beta testing iOS 13.1
Apple isn't waiting for the release of iOS 13 to start testing its first big update. The tech giant has posted an iOS 13.1 developer beta (plus a corresponding iPadOS 13.1 beta) -- apparently the first time an iOS point release has been in a dev beta before its base version is available. You won't trip over yourself to install this unless you're an early adopter, but the early additions suggest this is partly about restoring features that weren't quite ready for 13.0.
Tesla workers say they used electrical tape in Model 3 production
Tesla may have broken its own records, manufacturing 72,531 Model 3 sedans in the three months that ended June 30th. But employees say in the push to ramp up Model 3 production, they were forced to cut corners and work in difficult, unsafe conditions. A handful of employees who work in Tesla's open-air GA4 production tent told CNBC that they used electrical tape to quickly repair cracks on plastic brackets and housings and worked through extreme heat, cold and wild-fire smoke.
Waze adds Siri Shortcuts to its iOS app
Waze is playing even more nicely with Apple after it enabled CarPlay support back in September. The latest version of its iOS app lets you use Siri Shortcuts to find your way to a destination. You'll be able to set up shortcuts for things like your morning commute, the drive home and directions to your favorite places.
Philips Hue now supports iOS 12's Siri Shortcuts
With the launch of iOS 12, iPhone owners were introduced to Siri's new Shortcuts feature that makes suggestions based on a user's routines. Numerous third-party apps — such as Pandora, Evernote and even Google News — already offer such integration, but one of the most eagerly anticipated platforms, Philips Hue, has been missing. Now, that wait is over — Philips Hue users with the latest version of the app received Shortcuts support today.
Making the most of iOS 12's Siri Shortcuts
iOS 12 is here, and while many of the improvements focus on processing and performance, there are a few notable features you shouldn't ignore. Shortcuts is definitely one of the biggest -- not only will it use notifications to suggest actions you can take, such as returning a missed FaceTime call or turning on Do Not Disturb before a meeting on your calendar, but you can also use the brand new Shortcuts app to create your own customized Siri-based triggers for third-party apps.
Apple's Shortcuts app lets Siri do everything
It's no secret that Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, doesn't have the best reputation -- especially when you compare it to Google's incredibly smart counterpart. But, the company has been working hard recently to make Siri more useful for those of you with an iOS or Mac device. And today, Apple announced that Siri is getting smarter thanks to a new app called Shortcuts, which will let you build your own commands with any application. With the Tile app, for example, you can say "Hey Siri, I lost my keys," and that will then alert the tiny gadget attached to your keys.
Google's search app now has shortcuts to its popular tools
The Google app is handy for finding all sorts of information you're hunting for quickly on both Android and iOS devices. Today, the company is adding a quicker way to browse information on entertainment, sports scores, nearby ATMs and more. Google is calling the new feature "tappable shortcuts" and it will be available on both apps and via its mobile website.
Facebook's iOS app uses 3D Touch to make short work of status updates
When you find yourself needing to post to Facebook quickly, the social network's app leverages tech on Apple's latest handsets to do just that. Thanks to the newfangled 3D Touch tool that arrived with the new iPhones, a press on the app's icon will reveal options for taking a photo/video, uploading a photo/video and composing a status update. With the addition, Facebook joins a collection of apps (like Dropbox) that have already taken advantage of the new iOS feature. If your trusty device hasn't alerted you to the update yet, nab it from iTunes via the source link below.
Mac 101: An introduction to keyboard shortcuts in Safari for Mac
More Mac 101, tips and tricks for novice Mac users. A long time friend of mine, who is also a long-time Windows user, has recently bought a MacBook Air. Like any transition, it's not been without its hiccups. But he's really pleased with his new purchase. He's also a first time user of Safari, so I've been showing him a few keyboard shortcuts to make browsing the web a lot easier. There are many helpful keyboard shortcuts to be found in Safari. Some simple ones are opening a new tab by hitting the command key (cmd) and T, so cmd+t. Another one is jumping straight to a bookmark by hitting cmd and a number key correspondingly assigned to your bookmarks (more details here). For instance, If BBC News is your third bookmark, hit cmd+3 to jump straight there. Here are a few I regularly use: Cycle through open tabs by hitting cmd+shift+left arrow (or right arrow). Cmd+click a link to open that link in a new tab. Cmd+alt+click to open a link in a new window. Cmd+w to close the active tab. Cmd+z to undo the last tab closed. Cmd+r to refresh a tab Shift+click a link to save a link to Reading List. There are loads more. I came across Shortcutworld.com, which has 58 keyboard shortcuts for Safari. With all these shortcuts, some are unusually placed, like adding a bookmark using cmd+d (logically "cmd+b" would make sense, but that's generally reserved for making text bold), or viewing the downloads folder with alt+cmd+l. You'd think the D key would be for downloads, but sadly, no! Fortunately, you can customize Safari keyboard shortcuts (as well as any other Mac app) to just about any way you'd like by going to keyboard preferences in System Preferences.
"Ducking iPhone" Revisited: two ways to improve iOS auto-correct feature
Back in December 2008, I came up with an "interesting" solution to iOS's annoying habit of "correcting" the word that I wanted with the word that it thought I wanted. The problem was colloquially known as the "Ducking iPhone" for reasons you are probably smart enough to figure out on your own. (If you're confused, here's the PG–13 version, or, for the more sensitive types, TUAW also has a PG-rated version.) The solution was simple: Create a new contact in your iOS address book, using the word you want iOS to learn as the first or last name. The good news is iOS is much better about learning words (tap the 'x' which appears when the auto-correct option appears), but a Twitter search of 'ducking iPhone' shows that many people are still running into this problem. If you would rather not add contacts to your address book, there is another option now which did not exist in 2008. On your iOS device, go to Settings » General » Keyboard » Shortcuts. Tap the + on the top right to create a new shortcut, and then enter the word that you want iOS to learn in the "Phrase" field. You can leave the "Shortcut" field blank. Tap 'Save' and enjoy your freedom to use whichever words you want. However, having done (admittedly limited) tests using both systems of adding words to iOS, I still think the Contacts solution is the better one. I have noticed that when words are entered into my iOS Contacts list, iOS will use them as autocorrect suggestions when I start typing. Sometimes iOS will even suggest autocorrections based on "names" from the Contacts list, but does not seem to do that for the Shortcuts. Siri and iOS' dictation will also use your Contacts for matching spoken words. So if you have a favorite word that iOS doesn't recognize, whether it's one of the 7 words you can't say on television or some obscure idiom of your own choosing, you can keep iOS out of your ducking way.
Google Hangouts receive sign language interpreter support, keyboard shortcuts
Video chat can be an empowering tool for hard-of-hearing internet citizens for whom sign language is easier than voice. Most chat software doesn't easily bring an interpreter into the equation, however, which spurred Google into adding a Sign Language Interpreter app for Google+ Hangouts. The web component lets chatters invite an interpreter that stays in the background while they verbalize hand gestures. Google is also helping reduce dependencies on the mouse for those who can't (or just won't) use one during chat: there's now keyboard shortcuts to start or stop chats, disable the camera and other basics that would normally demand a click. Both the interpreter app and shortcuts are available today.
Use Eve to learn Mac OS X shortcuts
Eve is a brilliant little program that I just installed on my MacBook -- it's got one function only, and that is simply to pop up on the screen whenever you do something with your mouse, and remind you that there's a way to do it with your keyboard. I am a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts, but I have a terrible memory for them, and Eve is designed to fix exactly that problem. Most people know Command-X, Command-C, and Command-V for cut, copy and paste, but I often forget about other shortcuts for common tasks, so I'm hoping Eve can help me build up some muscle memory for them. Eve is an open source project, so it's being added to all the time (and it looks like a "learned button" is one of the first features on the list, which makes a lot of sense -- you wouldn't want a warning to keep showing up after you've learned the shortcut). It's free to download. This kind of instant feedback could be just what you're looking for if you want to increase your keyboard-fu. [via OTW & Lifehacker]
VIM Adventures teaches you keyboard shortcuts, :%s/n00b/pro/gc in no time
If you've ever had the pleasure of using VIM, the popular Linux (and other platforms) text editor, you'll know that dark magic lies within its keyboard shortcuts. However, with so many to learn, where do you start? Well, some fine fellow (Doron Linder to be precise) thought the answer to that question was a neat little fantasy adventure game. VIM adventures coaxes you through the learning process via ingenious little tasks that teach you the shortcuts along the way, all washed down with a healthy glug of gaming nostalgia. Before long you'll have the keys to the castle and, of course, unabated word processing prowess. Tap j to hit the source link and get started.
