Category: Features

Articles, interviews, columns, and more — you’ll find it all here.

Insight beat Safari to extensions on your iPad

By Thord D. Hedengren FeaturesSeptember 11, 2021

I’ve been using a new web browser on and off for a while, and chances are you haven’t heard of it. It’s called Insight, and it’s got something that Safari hasn’t yet: Support for extensions. The actual rendering engine is the same as Safari, of course. This is true for all browsers on iPadOS (and iOS for that matter), but Insight stands out with smart extensions on a per-site basis.

I shot a couple of questions to Abhinav Sharma, responsible for the product roadmap at Insight, to learn more about this new browser.

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The Dumbphone Experiment, concluded

By Thord D. Hedengren FeaturesSeptember 1, 2021

 I’m sitting here, looking at the Punkt MP02. It’s a wonderful little thing, a pleasant device to fiddle with, a lovely non-touchscreen, and buttons you want to press. This is a device designed with purpose, with taste, and with a very narrow public.

I love it. I’ve loved it almost all the way through the iPad + dumbphone experiment. The only time I don’t like it is when I need to type more than five words in a row. Man, have we evolved since the T9 days! I’ll never complain of a cramped touchscreen keyboard again.

I even went as far as to try a foldable bluetooth keyboard paired to my MP02. Zagg was kind enough to send me their Tri Fold folding bluetooth keyboard, and I have thoughts about it. I’ll get back to you on that, I did try to carry it for a few days, but it requires a flat surface, and why wouldn’t I use the iPad in such a situation? That said, again, interesting product, more later.

Anyway, here I am, piecing the iPad + dumbphone experience together.

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The Dumbphone Experiment: Authentication issues

By Thord D. Hedengren FeaturesAugust 24, 2021

I think we’re closing in on the gist of things for this experiment, which is closing in on two weeks sans iPhone. Can you imagine that, being smartphone-less for two weeks? Is it a hell for you, or a tantalizing notion? I get both angles, as it were.

This experiment was always about finding out what’d happen if I didn’t have my iPhone, but a dumbphone instead. Would the iPad be enough? I think we’ll know for sure soon.

But first, some words on authentication.

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iPadOS 15 Beta Watch: The Quick Note feature I didn’t think I’d use

By Thord D. Hedengren FeaturesAugust 23, 2021

There’s a new feature in iPadOS 15 called Quick Note. It gives you access to Notes in a special view, all over the interface, without actually leaving the app or screen you’re on. I gushed about this in Switch to iPad #52 (which is free to read, so pop over there if you like), and now, running the beta on two different iPads, I’ll confess to be in love with this new feature. However, I’m not using it the way I thought I would.

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The Dumbphone Experiment: Is size everything?

By Thord D. Hedengren FeaturesAugust 19, 2021

It’s been a couple of days, and I think I’ve got things pretty much under control in my iPad + dumbphone experiment. There are some things I’m still struggling with, but overall, this works, the trade-offs are reasonable thus far, I think. Yesterday, after driving to the summer home (that really is an all-year home), I did start to think about iPad sizes, though. I’d like to share those thoughts with you.

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iPadOS 15 Beta Watch: Lovely widgets

By Thord D. Hedengren FeaturesAugust 13, 2021

I’ve been using the iPadOS 15 beta on my, err, beta iPad Pro since the first developer beta was released at WWDC. It’s really getting there, although I must stress that it’s still a beta, so some things will be wonky. I wouldn’t run the iPadOS 15 beta on my primary iPad Pro because there are too many things I rely on that just won’t work on the beta just yet. That will depend on what you’re using your iPad for, obviously, but be careful nonetheless.

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