finish
Latest
Tesla’s Berlin factory will support flashy multi-layered paint jobs
Elon Musk has hinted at color and pattern options for the Cybertruck, and it’ll all come down to wrapping.
The 'smoothing beautifier' will make your 3D prints less ugly
Sculpteo, the Paris-based company that does cloud-based 3D printing for consumers and companies like Staples, has launched a process that results in more finished-looking objects. Called the "smoothing beautifier," it is used on objects printed by laser sintering, otherwise known as additive manufacturing. Normally, the plastic-based powders result in a rough finish on prototyped objects (or little statues of yourself). However, the new technique, which is applied after printing, provides a "perfectly smooth and shiny finish," according to the company.
Finish goes completely free with version 3.0
Task management app Finish (our full review here) has been updated to version 3.0, which removes all in-app purchases. Now Finish is completely free for all users, so everyone can schedule more than ten tasks, enable the "bother me" notifications and enjoy the other features that have previously been held behind a paywall. This update also fixes several issues that existed in previous versions, and offers improved iOS 8 support. As an aside, it's notable that Finish co-founder Ryan Orbuch has recently implied he's working on something new. Based on his current success at such a young age, I'm eager to see what he has planned.
Finish for iPhone offers freemium version, teases iPad
Task management app Finish for iPhone (our full review here) has adopted a new freemium model and teased a forthcoming iPad version. The new version of Finish limits users to 10 tasks. Additionally, you can't assign a time to a task with the free version. Both of these restrictions are removed by upgrading to "Finish More" via an in-app, available for an introductory price of US$0.99 (full regular price was not available as of this writing). Note that those who've previously purchased Finish get the upgrade for free. The company has also teased a forthcoming iPad version of Finish, which should make a lot of people happy. I'll be taking a look at that version and will have a review ready once it's available.
Finish 2.0 for iPhone adds reminders, rewards and more
Last January I reviewed Finish for iPhone (US$0.99), a task-management app that went on to win an Apple Design Award. Today, version 2.0 has been released with some sweet new features, including pesky reminders and rewards. My favorite new feature is the "Bother Me" reminder. It's similar to my beloved Due in that it won't stop nagging you until you act. Finish reminds you hourly that a certain task must be completed. No more forgetting this and that. The rewards feature is interesting, too. As you get things done, you can earn real-world rewards via Kiip, which is a service that lets business and consumers connect through mobile rewards and other contests. You can't predict when you'll receive a reward through Finish, but getting your work done sooner rather than later seems to be a good thing. This is a nice update to an already successful app. Those who don't need the industrial strength of the OmniFocuses of the world ought to give it a try. Plus, how many great-looking purple apps are there? I can only think of one.
16-year-old developers of Finish rack up 16K downloads
High school students Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen have to be pretty proud of themselves. The duo, based in Boulder, Colo., recently released their own iOS to-do app, called Finish, on the App Store -- our own Dave Caolo took a look at it last month -- and now reports that they've seen it downloaded more than 16,000 times. For a US$0.99 app from a couple of part-time developers, that's not shabby. The two just had their story written up by The Denver Post, and as that article points out, Apple has actually taken an active interest in Finish and its young developers as of late, promoting the app on the App Store and talking to the public about its creators. Of course, not every small developer gets that kind of attention and it's easy for apps to get lost in the App Store (the Denver Post mentions that two-thirds move fewer than 1,000 copies in their first year) but it's heartening to see a couple of dedicated youths and Apple fans getting their time in the spotlight.
Finish for iPhone is a simple, handy task manager
Finish for iPhone (US$0.99) is a task-management app built by high school students Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen. The pair wanted a simple, mobile way to stay on top of their work. Finish is the result. After playing with it for a couple of days, I can say that it's well done. Finish looks good and uses gestures well. It's not as full-featured as some of its contemporaries, but worthwhile for those looking to corral simple tasks. UI Finish is a nice-looking app. Each task list is clearly identified by type (more on that later), and a number in the sidebar shows you how many you have in each list. It's all quite legible and the differentiation between lists is clear. Icons are suggestive of their function. Use Finish sorts tasks into three categories: short-term, mid-term or long-term. This is determined by the time between the current date and the tasks' due date. For example, a task due within two days is listed as a short-term task. Something due within the next three to seven days is a mid-term task and beyond that: long-term tasks. As days go by, tasks get re-assigned accordingly. For example, after four days, a mid-term task becomes short-term. That's pretty handy as deadlines draw nearer. %Gallery-176538% To create a task, tap the "+" in the upper-right-hand corner and give your task a name. Finish warns you that long task names will be truncated in list view. Then hit Set Due Date and you're done. List view shows one task per category. Tap any list to see its full contents. You can then swipe any task to reveal the options bar, which lets you mark it as done, star it as a favorite, share that task via Twitter or Facebook and finally, make changes. Conclusion Finish isn't the most feature-rich task manager. It doesn't sync across devices and tasks can't be grouped into projects, for example. But as a portable, running list of "What do I need to do?", Finish works very well. Check it out in the App Store now.
HTC fixes rare One S chipping finish issue, swaps phones for free
The black HTC One S uses a process called micro arc oxidation (MAO) to harden its aluminum unibody and make it feel like ceramic. We've recently experienced some chipping on the finish of one of our review units, so we reached out to HTC to find out if this is a known problem. Turns out we're not the only ones to report the issue, and while rare, the company's gone ahead and tweaked its manufacturing process and is offering to swap affected phones for free for existing customers. Here's HTC's statement: HTC is committed to delivering a high quality product and great experience for all our customers. There have been a few, isolated reports of this issue. The finish on the One S was laboratory tested as being at a hardness similar to ceramic. While that's hard, it doesn't mean it's impossible to damage. Regardless, HTC takes quality very seriously and are providing all customers with an immediate fix and we are implementing some small changes to ensure customers do not experience this issue in the future.
Nexus One losing finish, innocence?
There'd been stories dating back a couple months about removable black splotches appearing along the bottom of the Nexus One when used in the included neoprene case, but this looks like a different situation here. Basically, a gentleman has noticed peeling finish on the side and around the dock connectors on the phone's darker finish at the bottom -- the same area affected by the splotching, coincidentally -- after about one weeks' use. We're hoping this can be chalked up to a single defective unit or unusually rough use, but it's kind of interesting that this is the second issue we've seen with that troublesome dark finish, isn't it? [Thanks, Damien]
