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App beta testing gets better with new TestFlight SDK

Posted on September 12, 2011
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Developers looking to beta test their apps before getting them into the App Store have a number of options for finding and communicating with beta testers, but few are as slick and easy to use as TestFlight. Now the provisioning tool gets even better, thanks to a number of updates in version two, which made its official debut on Monday.

The new version of TestFlight comes with an SDK that allows developers to make their beta testing process a lot more involved, and it provides improved tools for gathering feedback. Feedback and communication are key to a successful beta test (which is why I’m not a great tester myself), and the new features available to developers through TestFlight’s API are all about improving information flow between devs and testers.

Highlights of what developers can look forward to include:

  • In-App Questions. Trigger questions at specific checkpoints to get feedback from users as they’re using the software exactly at points where you think there might be an issue.
  • In-App Updates. Make sure your test group is on the same page with in-app update prompts, which also allow you to update to the latest version instantly over the air.
  • Feedback. In-app forms and tester email responses all feed into the developer dashboard and allow for instant replies between tester and coder.

There’s more, too, so be sure to head over to the official TestFlight website and check it out if you’re interested. Developers and testers alike can still sign up for free, too, and all of these new features arrive as free updates for existing and new users alike. Inevitably, TestFlight will have to bring some tiered paid options or advertising to the table to keep things going, but judging by developer response and its adoption by big brands so far, it won’t have too much trouble getting people to pay for the product when it does.

As for general consumers, even if you never actually use or see TestFlight in action, you’ll probably feel its effects: A better beta process with more communication options built in should lead to better shipping products popping up in the App Store.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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App beta testing gets better with new TestFlight SDK

Posted on September 12, 2011
by

Developers looking to beta test their apps before getting them into the App Store have a number of options for finding and communicating with beta testers, but few are as slick and easy to use as TestFlight. Now the provisioning tool gets even better, thanks to a number of updates in version two, which made its official debut on Monday.

The new version of TestFlight comes with an SDK that allows developers to make their beta testing process a lot more involved, and it provides improved tools for gathering feedback. Feedback and communication are key to a successful beta test (which is why I’m not a great tester myself), and the new features available to developers through TestFlight’s API are all about improving information flow between devs and testers.

Highlights of what developers can look forward to include:

  • In-App Questions. Trigger questions at specific checkpoints to get feedback from users as they’re using the software exactly at points where you think there might be an issue.
  • In-App Updates. Make sure your test group is on the same page with in-app update prompts, which also allow you to update to the latest version instantly over the air.
  • Feedback. In-app forms and tester email responses all feed into the developer dashboard and allow for instant replies between tester and coder.

There’s more, too, so be sure to head over to the official TestFlight website and check it out if you’re interested. Developers and testers alike can still sign up for free, too, and all of these new features arrive as free updates for existing and new users alike. Inevitably, TestFlight will have to bring some tiered paid options or advertising to the table to keep things going, but judging by developer response and its adoption by big brands so far, it won’t have too much trouble getting people to pay for the product when it does.

As for general consumers, even if you never actually use or see TestFlight in action, you’ll probably feel its effects: A better beta process with more communication options built in should lead to better shipping products popping up in the App Store.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

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Lion Tweaks Fixes Common Annoyances in Apple’s Latest OS [Mac Downloads]

Posted on August 11, 2011
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Mac: If you upgraded to Mac OS X Lion and immediately started finding system settings and changes you disliked, Lion Tweaks is a utility that gives you one-click access to enable or disable all of Lion’s most loved-or hated-new features. More »







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Lion Tweaks Fixes Common Annoyances in Apple’s Latest OS [Mac Downloads]

Posted on August 11, 2011
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Mac: If you upgraded to Mac OS X Lion and immediately started finding system settings and changes you disliked, Lion Tweaks is a utility that gives you one-click access to enable or disable all of Lion’s most loved-or hated-new features. More »







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7 Lion annoyances and how to fix them

Posted on August 3, 2011
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With every OS upgrade, there’s always some new annoyances that pop up, and since Lion is such a big update to OS X, it stands to reason that it has more annoyances than usual. Here’s how to remedy seven of them.

Enable three-finger swipe for back/forward

In Snow Leopard, swiping three fingers on the trackpad moved you back or forward in Safari and the Finder. In Lion, however, that gesture has been changed to two fingers, with the three finger gesture reserved for Mission Control. In effect, any apps that used this gesture for back/forward are broken and need to be updated to use the new gesture. Until then, you can get the old gesture back by going to Trackpad in System Preferences, and under the “More Gestures” tab changing the option for “Swipe between pages” to “Swipe left or right with two or three fingers”. If you do this, you’ll have to switch between full-screen apps with four fingers.

Enable tap dragging and disable inertial scrolling

Apple moved these preferences to the Universal Access pane in System Preferences. To tweak them, enter the Universal Access area, go to the “Mouse and Trackpad” tab and click “Trackpad Options.”

Turn off automatic file locking

Due to the addition of Auto Save, Lion automatically locks files after two weeks if they haven’t been edited. You can change this by going into System Preferences > Time Machine > Options and unchecking the option to lock files.

Take Dashboard out of Mission Control

With Lion, Dashboard is now a space in Mission Control. If you don’t want it taking up the room, or if you want Dashboard to act as an overlay, the way it did in Snow Leopard, you can go to Mission Control’s System Preferences pane and uncheck the box next to “Show Dashboard as a space.”

Show the Finder’s status bar and hide All My Files

The Lion Finder has a couple of annoying changes. First, the status bar is hidden, so you can’t see the extra information it provided, such as how much space is left on a volume. You can show it again by going to View in the Menu bar and clicking “Show Status Bar.”

Second, the Finder has a new sidebar item called “All My Files.” Basically, this is a smart folder that shows a full list of every kind of file on your system. While this may be useful for people who don’t have a lot of files, for me, it’s pretty worthless, as I have to scroll for ages to find anything. You can get rid of it by simply holding down the Command (?) key and dragging it out of the sidebar.

What other annoyances have you found in Lion? Tell us in the comments.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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7 Lion annoyances and how to fix them

Posted on August 3, 2011
by

With every OS upgrade, there’s always some new annoyances that pop up, and since Lion is such a big update to OS X, it stands to reason that it has more annoyances than usual. Here’s how to remedy seven of them.

Enable three-finger swipe for back/forward

In Snow Leopard, swiping three fingers on the trackpad moved you back or forward in Safari and the Finder. In Lion, however, that gesture has been changed to two fingers, with the three finger gesture reserved for Mission Control. In effect, any apps that used this gesture for back/forward are broken and need to be updated to use the new gesture. Until then, you can get the old gesture back by going to Trackpad in System Preferences, and under the “More Gestures” tab changing the option for “Swipe between pages” to “Swipe left or right with two or three fingers”. If you do this, you’ll have to switch between full-screen apps with four fingers.

Enable tap dragging and disable inertial scrolling

Apple moved these preferences to the Universal Access pane in System Preferences. To tweak them, enter the Universal Access area, go to the “Mouse and Trackpad” tab and click “Trackpad Options.”

Turn off automatic file locking

Due to the addition of Auto Save, Lion automatically locks files after two weeks if they haven’t been edited. You can change this by going into System Preferences > Time Machine > Options and unchecking the option to lock files.

Take Dashboard out of Mission Control

With Lion, Dashboard is now a space in Mission Control. If you don’t want it taking up the room, or if you want Dashboard to act as an overlay, the way it did in Snow Leopard, you can go to Mission Control’s System Preferences pane and uncheck the box next to “Show Dashboard as a space.”

Show the Finder’s status bar and hide All My Files

The Lion Finder has a couple of annoying changes. First, the status bar is hidden, so you can’t see the extra information it provided, such as how much space is left on a volume. You can show it again by going to View in the Menu bar and clicking “Show Status Bar.”

Second, the Finder has a new sidebar item called “All My Files.” Basically, this is a smart folder that shows a full list of every kind of file on your system. While this may be useful for people who don’t have a lot of files, for me, it’s pretty worthless, as I have to scroll for ages to find anything. You can get rid of it by simply holding down the Command (?) key and dragging it out of the sidebar.

What other annoyances have you found in Lion? Tell us in the comments.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

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Skedaddle Hides a Secret, Password-Protected File Drawer Underneath Your Mac’s Desktop [Download Of The Day]

Posted on August 3, 2011
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Mac OS X: There are lots of ways to hide your files, but Skedaddle offers one that both useful and fun. It creates a secret drawer in your desktop that opens with a keyboard shortcut and a password. The app is kind enough to walk you through the entire setup process and help you test the preferences you choose. Once you’re all set, you’ll have a little hiding space for your folders and files. You can customize the size of that space as well as how items within it are displayed. While Skedaddle won’t encrypt the data it stores, it does a great job at keeping things hidden that you don’t want people to see. If you’re mainly looking to protect your privacy when others are using your computer, it’s a good app to have. More »







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Skedaddle Hides a Secret, Password-Protected File Drawer Underneath Your Mac’s Desktop [Download Of The Day]

Posted on August 3, 2011
by

Mac OS X: There are lots of ways to hide your files, but Skedaddle offers one that both useful and fun. It creates a secret drawer in your desktop that opens with a keyboard shortcut and a password. The app is kind enough to walk you through the entire setup process and help you test the preferences you choose. Once you’re all set, you’ll have a little hiding space for your folders and files. You can customize the size of that space as well as how items within it are displayed. While Skedaddle won’t encrypt the data it stores, it does a great job at keeping things hidden that you don’t want people to see. If you’re mainly looking to protect your privacy when others are using your computer, it’s a good app to have. More »







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Start Google Plus Combines Google+ with Facebook and Twitter [Downloads]

Posted on August 2, 2011
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Start Google Plus is a great extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you update Twitter and Facebook from within Google+, also adding feeds from both social networks onto your main page. We mentioned it in our Facebook to Google+ migration guide, but felt it deserved to be highlighted on its own because it’s so useful. More »







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Start Google Plus Combines Google+ with Facebook and Twitter [Downloads]

Posted on August 2, 2011
by

Start Google Plus is a great extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you update Twitter and Facebook from within Google+, also adding feeds from both social networks onto your main page. We mentioned it in our Facebook to Google+ migration guide, but felt it deserved to be highlighted on its own because it’s so useful. More »







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