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Agile Tortoise releases Terminology 3 for the iPhone and iPad
Agile Tortoise is back again with a fresh, new version of its Terminology dictionary and thesaurus app for iOS. The latest changes bring the app to version 3 and is a complete rewrite of the app for iOS 7. The core functionality of Terminology remains the same, but the app has a few new features that expand it beyond its dictionary roots. The first thing you will notice is a revamped UI that adopts the look of iOS 7. Most of your favorite menu icons are still there; they just look a little different now. Terminology 3 now supports custom actions that allow you to extend your word searches across the web using sites like Wordnik and Wiktionary. You can even search Amazon, IMDb, Stack Exchange and others. These actions also integrate with third-party apps like Drafts, Evernote and Day One. Because version 3.0 is a complete rewrite, it is being sold as a new app and costs US$2.99. It is now a universal app, so your three dollar investment will get you a version that runs on both the iPad and the iPhone. Terminology 3 also supports iCloud sync so your favorite terms and histories will sync across devices. You can read the full release notes on Agile Tortoise's website.
Drafts 3.0 adds draft and action management, much more
Drafts, the iOS note-taker from Agile Tortoise, has been updated to version 3.0, and it's a big one. Drafts 3.0 is available now for the iPad (US$3.99) and iPhone ($2.99), and it's a free update for existing users. Much like Apple's own Notes, Drafts lets you quickly jot things down (we recently featured Drafts as a Daily iPhone App) But it's so much more than that. Use Drafts to create "actions" for moving your text into other apps, or sharing with family, friends or co-workers. You can even geek out and create complex workflows that interact with other apps. Drafts can be as simple or involved as you like. In both scenarios, it's fast and useful. There's a lot to like and play with in this release; so much so, in fact, that I'm going to pore over it a bit more for a full review soon. In the meantime, here's an overview of what to expect from Drafts 3.0. This update adds draft management and action management. The new action manager gives you four customizable panes of actions -- ways of interacting with other iOS apps or web services. You needn't scroll a long list to find the actions you want. You could, for example, have sharing actions on one pane (Twitter, ADN, Facebook or email), productivity actions on another (OmniFocus, Reminders and Fantastical) and writing-based actions on a third, like Markdown and send to Byword. Draft management works in a similar way. The scrolling list is replaced with an inbox, an archive and a list of pinned drafts. Swipe any draft to pin it, archive it or move it back to the inbox. It's a seemingly simple change but it goes a long way to keeping things organized. There's fun new geeky stuff, too. New Evernote actions let you create/append/prepend to notes in Evernote. It can process notes in Markdown now, too. Integration with Apple's Reminders has also been improved. You can now opt to import reminders right into Drafts, which is handy. You can also use an action to create new reminders or even start new lists in Reminders if a list does not yet exist. Super handy. Additionally, if you use TextExpander, your saved snippets can now be expanded when you run a custom Drafts action. The iPhone version of the app features an extended keyboard. There's a lot more in there -- this is a huge release. Drafts is a handy, useful tool for the iPhone and iPad. Version 3.0 makes it so much better. Keep an eye out for my in-depth review soon.
Tally is an eyes-free counter app for iPhone
Agile Tortoise's Tally for iPhone (US$0.99) is a no-look, incremental counter app that's simple and useful. The whole screen becomes a button, so you can pay attention to your data source, not the iPhone. There are modest collection adjustment and export options, plus handy gesture support. Here's our look at Tally for iPhone. There aren't a huge number of people who need an incremental counter app, but I can think of at least one example. Years ago, I was a special education teacher at a residential school. We took lots of data with our students, like the number of times a behavior is performed within a given time period. Back then, we made tally marks on a piece of paper with a pen. While low-tech and simple, it meant looking away from the student to record an occurrence. Those brief seconds spent looking away could mean missed data points. Tally lets you record data without looking at the phone. Once launched, the entire screen becomes a button. Tap it anywhere to record a data point. An audible "click" confirms a successful tap. If you make a mistake, swipe down to remove a data point. You can optionally name a group of data (or a "tally" as the app calls it) and start a new collection whenever you like. Simply swipe to the left to reveal the list of tallys or start anew. By default, Tally's data increases incrementally by one. You can change that, too. Swipe to the right to set the initial value, or starting point, and step value. For example, count by twos, threes, fives, etc. You can also specify if Tally should record up or down and give your custom setting a name for re-use later. Finally, you can send data to Drafts to take advantage of its myriad of export options. Tally's simplicity is its strength and weakness. On one hand it couldn't be easier to use. If you can touch your iPhone's screen, you can record data. The fact that you can look elsewhere is a real plus. On the other hand, recording options are rather limited. As a special ed. teacher, I'd like options for percent of intervals, procedure duration and more. Of course, Tally isn't meant for teachers specifically -- though many could benefit for it. Check out Tally now and get counting.
AgileTortoise updates Drafts, introduces iPad version
AgileTortoise's popular Drafts app receives a welcome update today as it enters version 2.0 for iPhone. Drafts for iPad is also available. Adding sync features through Simperium, an iCloud alternative, Drafts will be able to move data across platforms and pick up from where users last left off. This cloud feature joins existing Dropbox and Evernote support. The app offers simple note-taking in a streamlined interface with a wealth of sharing features. You can send by e-mail, text message, post to Facebook, tweet, etc. I gave the iPad version a quick spin and found it cleanly designed and simple to use. It offered several standout features. For example, the built-in Markdown support allows you to build formatted email with familiar text shortcuts. I was also impressed by the integrated gestures and excellent font-selection features. (That's a big help for my aging eyes.) According to the press release, version 2.0 enhancements include: Refined user interface with updated graphics and new custom font choices. Lightning fast sync between devices. Full screen reading by swiping down on toolbar. Link mode enables tapping on phone numbers, addresses and web links captured in Drafts. More output actions, including "Append to Dropbox". Ability to configure the delay before a new draft is created when returning to Drafts from another app. Action sounds. Integration with additional apps, such as Appigo Todo, Writing Kit and Threadnote. The iPhone version is $1.99 (free upgrades for existing owners). The iPad version is $2.99.
