Author: Matthew Cassinelli

Categories
News

Apple Vision Pro Available Soon, Ready For Voice

Today, January 8th, Apple announced that the Vision Pro will be available in the U.S. on February 2nd, with pre-orders beginning next Friday, January 19 at 5 a.m. PST.

In their press release, Tim Cook says “The era of spatial computing has arrived,” marking the beginning of new ways to interact with our devices seamlessly in a way only Apple could.

Their headline features mention “an infinite canvas for productivity,” “the ultimate entertainment experience,” and “new gaming experiences” – the three key areas I plan to use the device myself, particularly when paired with macOS as a monitor. Apple also mentioned the Band on the device for the first time, which will likely be necessary to comfortably use the device for all three of these tasks for more than a short period.

Viewing Memories and interacting with other Vision Pro users’ Personas also sound like fascinating experiences, but I have a feeling those will be more valuable over time and a bit less so immediately at launch.

Not shown in their photos is the connected battery pack, which has up to 2.5 hours of 2D playback (and likely less for a fully-immersive 3D movie) – this will be great for detachability, but I have a feeling I’ll be using this first version near a charger most of the time anyway and will be plugged in for full battery.

Overall, I’m most fascinated by the interface and what it means for my personal productivity – the combination of spatial computing, interacting with my existing devices, and my heavy use of Apple’s Shortcuts app are going to provide a truly unique experience.

In many ways, I’ve spent the last 10 years working on Workflow and now Shortcuts to build out robust voice interactions for almost every part of my computing experience – now, there’s a truly hands-free device on the way that’s deeply integrated with Shortcuts by default.

I can’t wait to lay my eyes on my headset.

View the press release from Apple.

Categories
Shortcuts

New in the Shortcuts Library: Apple TV Apps shortcuts

While updating my Apple TV shortcuts for multiple devices, I cleaned up my Apple TV apps and built out a new set of shortcuts to open them all.

I’ve just added the folder to the Shortcuts Library — my set of Apple TV Apps shortcuts:

  • Open Fireplace TV: Opens the Winter Fireplace app for Apple TV on a selected TV.
  • Open Twitch TV: Opens Twitch on the TV of your choice, showing the Remote after so you can select a channel.
  • Open YouTube TV: Opens the YouTube app on a selected Apple TV, then shows the Remote so you can select a video.
  • Open Play TV: Opens the app Play for YouTube on an Apple TV of your choice so you can select videos you’ve saved for later to open in the YouTube app.
  • Open Plex TV: Opens the Plex app for Apple TV on a device of your choosing.
  • Open Letterboxd TV: Opens the Letterboxd app on the selected Apple TV, then shows the Remote so you can navigate
  • Open MasterClass TV: Opens the MasterClass app for Apple TV so you can browse or continue watching a lesson.
  • Open Developer TV: Opens the Apple Developer app for Apple TV so you can view bookmarks, browse presentations, and search for topics.
  • Open Lumy TV: Opens the app Lumy for Apple TV, which lets you see relevant times for sunrise and sunset so you can know when to take the best photos.
  • Open Unsplash TV: Opens the Unsplash app for Apple TV, then shows the Remote so you can select a set of photos to display.
  • Open Lightroom TV: Opens the Adobe Lightroom app for Apple TV, then shows the remote so you can select an album to view.
  • Open VSCO TV: Opens the VSCO app for Apple TV where you can select photosets to display in an abstract gallery.
  • Open the TV Clock: Opens the tvClock app for Apple TV that shows the time in a large flip-style format.
  • Open Wordy Clock: Opens the app Wordy for Apple TV that displays the time in an abstract text style, like “Quarter to twelve” rather than actual numbers.
  • Open Fin TV: Opens the app Fin for Apple TV, which lets you select timers and display them in a huge format.
  • Open RadarScope TV: Opens the RadarScope app for Apple TV that lets you see large weather maps and see conditions in your area.
  • Open SpeedTest TV: Opens the SpeedTest app for Apple TV which lets you check your internet’s upload and download speeds.
  • Open PCalc TV: Opens the PCalc app for Apple TV and shows the remote so you can perform calculations on the big screen.
  • Open Criterion TV: Opens the Criterion Collection app for Apple TV that lets you view films from the catalog.
  • Open App Store TV: Opens the App Store app on the Apple TV so you can browse new apps.

I’ve also updated the folder of Apple TV Remote shortcuts for multiple devices:

  • Turn the TV on: Turns on the specified Apple TV, including any connected TV sets.
  • Turn the TV off: Sleeps a specified Apple TV, also turning off any HDMI-CEC connected devices like a TV set.
  • Pause the TV: Pauses the specified Apple TV playback.
  • Resume on the TV: For the specified Apple TV, resumes playing the currently-active program.
  • Show the remote: Shows the Apple TV remote and lets you control the device from your iPhone or iPad.
  • Switch to my profile: Turns on the TV and sets the Apple TV to your personal profile, appearance preference, and Reduce Loud Sounds setting, then shows the remote.
  • Turn on the screensaver: Wakes up the specified Apple TV, then activates the built-in Screen Saver feature to display ambient scenes instead of the Home Screen.
  • Open Apple TV settings: Opens the Settings app on Apple TV where you can tweak your preferences.
  • Open Music TV: Opens the Apple Music app for Apple TV on the selected device, then shows the Remote so you can play something.
  • Open Podcasts TV: Opens the Podcasts app for Apple TV on the selected device, then shows the remote so you can pick something to listen to.
  • Open Fitness TV: Opens the Apple Fitness app on the selected device, then shows the Remote so you can pair your Apple Watch and begin a workout.
  • Open Photos TV: Opens the Apple Photos app for Apple TV, then shows the Remote so you can select an album or a memory to play.
  • Open the TV app: Opens the Apple TV app on the selected TV, then shows the Remote so you can pick something from your Up Next or a connected service.
  • Open Netflix TV: Opens Netflix on the selected Apple TV, or opens the website from Mac.
  • Open HBO TV: Opens the MAX app on Apple TV and on the web if run from Mac.
  • Open Hulu TV: Opens the Hulu app on Apple TV and on the web if run from Mac.
  • Open Disney TV: Opens the Disney app on Apple TV or website if run from Mac.
  • Open Prime TV: Opens Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV or on the web if run from Mac.

Check out the folder of Apple TV Apps shortcuts and Apple TV Remote shortcuts in the Shortcuts Library.

Categories
Shortcuts

New shortcuts in the Shortcuts Library: Kindle shortcuts

I’ve just added a new folder to the Shortcuts Library — my set of Kindle shortcuts:

  • Open the Kindle app: Opens the Kindle app on iOS and Mac to the default library view, letting you browse your collection and select a book or PDF to read.
  • Read my Kindle book: Opens the Kindle app to the most recent book you were reading.
  • Send to Kindle: Takes the file from input and emails it to your Send To Kindle email address.
  • Set Kindle charging reminder: Sets a reminder 4 hours from the current time that your Kindle is done charging.
  • Buy books on Amazon: Opens the Amazon page for Kindle so you can buy books directly.
  • Manage Kindle books: Opens Amazon to the Digital Content page of “Manage Your Content and Devices” to show your Kindle books.
  • Manage Kindle Docs: Views the Docs category in the Content section of Amazon’s “Manage Your Content and Devices” for Kindle.
  • Manage Kindle Unlimited: Opens Kindle Unlimited to let you manage your digital content, to deliver, remove, or return your book.

Check out the folder of Kindle shortcuts on the Shortcuts Library.

Categories
Shortcuts

New shortcuts to Post Threads in the Shortcuts Library

I’ve just added new shortcuts to my folder of Threads shortcuts in the Shortcuts Library — a set that works with Threads’ create URL scheme:

  • Create new Thread: Opens the deep link to Threads’ Create menu so you can post a new thread. On Mac, opens the Threads website.
  • Post to Threads: Asks you to enter the text of your post, then URL encodes the result and passes it to Threads’ URL scheme for creating posts. On Mac, copies the result and opens Threads.net.
  • Post link to Threads: Presents the link excerpt, then asks you to share your commentary along with the URL in a new post on Threads.
  • Post media to Threads: Asks you to select media to store on your clipboard, then asks you to enter a post to pass to Threads where you can paste your media. On Mac, gets file from Finder/Services and opens Threads.net.
  • Cross-post to Twitter and Threads: Prompts you to enter in a message, then copies the text, opens to Twitter for you to post, waits for you to return, then opens Threads with the message filled out. On Mac, opens the Threads website.
  • Cross-post to Ivory and Threads: Prompts you to enter in a message, then copies the text, posts it to Mastodon via Ivory, then opens Threads with the message filled out. On Mac, opens the Threads website.
  • Cross-post everywhere: Prompts you to enter in a message, then copies the text, posts it to Mastodon via Ivory, then opens Threads with the message filled out. On Mac, opens the Threads website.

Also, I’ve moved the Threads scraping shortcuts into their own folder, plus updated the rest of the Threads folder to work cross-platform with macOS:

  • Open Threads app: Opens the Threads app from Instagram/Meta. On iPhone, works well with custom icons. On iPad, uses Stage Manager to make proper window. On Mac, opens web app created using Add to Dock.
  • Open Threads search: Opens the link to Search in Threads so you can find posts about specific topics.
  • Open username in Threads: Prompts for a username (or accepts one as input) and opens the redirect into the Threads app.
  • Show my Profile in Threads: Switches the Threads app to your own profile. Userful for checking your follower count.
  • Share my Threads profile: Takes your pre-inputted Threads URL and asks whether to copy it, share, or display it as a QR code.
  • Open Threads settings: Opens the link to the Settings page for Threads.

Check out my Threads shortcuts and Threads scraping shortcuts in the Shortcuts Library.

Categories
Links Tips & Tricks

Tip: Upload High Quality Media on Threads With This Setting »

From @Threads:

Thriendly tip ✨ To upload images and videos here at the highest quality possible, head to Settings, then tap on “Account” > “Media quality” > “Upload highest quality.”

Use my shortcut Open Threads Settings to quickly access this page as needed, plus your Notification options and your Likes, plus Privacy controls.

View the post on Threads.

Continue reading “Tip: Upload High Quality Media on Threads With This Setting »”

Categories
Shortcuts

New shortcuts for the Phone app in the Shortcuts Library

For iPhone users, I’ve just added a new folder to the Shortcuts Library — my set of Phone shortcuts:

  • Open the Phone app: Opens the deep link to the Phone app (mobilephone://).
  • Activate noise control: Opens the deep link to the phone app, then sets playback to AirPods and turns on Noise Cancellation.
  • Open Favorites: Opens the deep link to the Favorites tab in the Phone app (mobilephone-favorites://).
  • Open recent calls: Opens the deep link into the Recents section of the Phone app to see your incoming and outgoing calls, plus any missed calls (mobilephone-recents://).
  • Open my voicemail: Opens the deep link into the Voicemail section of the Phone app (vmshow://).
  • Get my number: Gets the first phone number from your preselected contact card, copies it to the clipboard, and shows it to you in a dialog. Use to quickly show to or share with someone else.
  • Dial a number: Prompts you to enter a phone number, then asks you to confirm before calling.
  • Call a contact: Presents your list of contacts, then calls the person you select. If they have multiple numbers, asks you which one to dial.
  • Phone a friend: Looks for contacts added to a “Friends” group and asks you to pick one before calling them.
  • Call a coworker: Looks for contacts from a given company name (added on input), then asks you to choose which contact and calls them.

Check out the folder of Phone shortcuts on the Shortcuts Library.

Categories
Links

iOS 17.2 Includes 50 New URL Schemes You Can Use in Shortcuts on Your iPhone »

From Justin Myers at GadgetHacks:

First, there are schemes for the new Journal app and Journal’s settings:

open | moments://
open | prefs:root=JOURNAL

And two for the new Contact Key Verification for iMessage setting:

highlight | prefs:root=APPLE_ACCOUNT#TRANSPARENCY
open      | prefs:root=APPLE_ACCOUNT&path=TRANSPARENCY

The article also covers new URL schemes for Accessibility and other settings added in iOS 17.2 – make sure to check out the full list and make a shortcut if you utilize these features.

View the full article on GadgetHacks.

 

Categories
Apps Tips & Tricks

Tip: Filter Apple Music Albums By Favorites To Hide Singles

One of the best music discoveries over the last few years is the fact that I love dance music and never really realized it before – that has led to many, many Singles being saved to my singles library from top playlists so I can keep track of all the songs and artists.

However, that’s led to an Albums view that’s hard for me to parse – often each album cover represents only one or two songs, and the sheer volume/variety compared to other genres means the list is now much busier and harder for me to parse when trying to find actual full-length albums that I’ve added.

With the update to iOS 17.2 to change Likes to Favorites, however, I discovered a new filter in the Albums view that lets you see only your Favorites.

With this, I’ve gone through and added a bunch of full-length albums as favorites—leaving out all the singles—and now I can filter the list down to my “real” library.

Further, I can still favorite the individual track within a Single to add the track itself to my Favorites list like any other song, while still being able to effectively hide the artwork when I want to filter for full albums.

Overall, I think Favorites makes sense over Likes and enables some helpful quality-of-life features to the Apple Music experience – this Favorites filter for Albums is a nice touch.

Categories
Membership Shortcuts

New podcasting shortcuts for Transistor.FM

After working on my podcasting workflow this week, I’ve added a new folder to the Shortcuts Library — my set of Transistor.FM shortcuts (make sure to get the required* API shortcuts):

New episodes

When posting a new episode, these are the relevant links you’re likely to visit before publishing:

Continue reading “New podcasting shortcuts for Transistor.FM”

Categories
Apps

Things’ Shortcuts support wins “Best New Feature” in MacStories Selects

Earlier today, the team at MacStories announced the winners of their annual MacStories Selects awards, among which Things 3 won “Best New Feature” for their integration with Shortcuts.

Here’s what the team had to say:

Earlier this year, Cultured Code took an app whose automation features largely revolved around URL schemes and an action to create new tasks and turned it into a task manager that supports native Shortcuts automation for every functionality and corner of the experience.

And:

In other task managers, you would have to perform these actions manually; thanks to Things’ Shortcuts integration, you’re free to create your own enhancements for the app. Cultured Code didn’t make a button to change a task’s deadline? You can make your own using the app’s Shortcuts actions.

Finally:

There are no apps as tightly integrated with Shortcuts as Things at the moment, which is why the app’s Shortcuts support is the Best New Feature of MacStories Selects 2023.

I agree. Although I do want App Shortcuts support soon too… 😇

Read about Things’ award and the other winners of the 2023 MacStories Selects.

Categories
News Shortcuts

What’s new in Shortcuts in iOS and iPadOS 17.2, macOS 14.2, and watchOS 10.2 »

From Apple’s support doc titled “What’s new in Shortcuts for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10”:

New in iOS and iPadOS 17.2, macOS 14.2, and watchOS 10.2

This update adds enhanced VoiceOver support in the Shortcuts library and improved app performance.

Updated Actions

  • Choose from Menu and Choose from List now prevent your device from sleeping when run from the Action button and awaiting a response
  • Combine Images now correctly aligns images when output on macOS
  • Split Screen Apps now correctly handles ratios on iPadOS

I’m marking these as closed 😎:

  • FB13202947 (Action button falls asleep while running; Shortcuts menus/lists don’t register as Lock Screen taps)
  • FB12510235 (Combine Image places photos in wrong place)
  • FB13204850 (Split Screen Apps has incorrect sizes; places windows opposite where described)

Another issue not mentioned, but fixed – changing folders on iPad: FB9365048 (Pressing Control + Tab is broken; redirects to Search field).

Also from Colin Hughes on Twitter:

I called for Apple to allow users to ask Siri for blood oxygen levels back in April 2022. Delighted to see the company has listened and this, and other health features, will be accessible via Siri commands in iOS 17.2 set to be released this week. So inclusive and accessible


View the full set of release notes from iOS 17 and see Colin’s quote tweet.

Categories
Apps

iA Writer helps you become a better Ai writer with Authorship

The team at iA, the development company behind iA Writer and iA Presenter, have launched a new feature called Authorship, a way to annotate text that’s been written by ChatGPT to let writers visually understand the difference between their own words and those generated by artificial intelligence.

It works like this – writers start by copying text from ChatGPT, including both the prompt and the answer.

After pasting into iA Writer, the text is analyzed and, if detected as a conversation, you’re prompted to save the authorship markup stored at the end of the document.

Then, as you’re writing, each word that is changed back to your own words gets the annotation removed, letting you clearly see what you wrote vs what was written for you.

In their blog post, iA goes into detail about this thoughtful approach to Ai and how, rather than rejecting the trend, they learned to embrace it and utilize it as a thinking aid. Rather than encouraging you to have ChatGPT write entirely for you, Ai can help improve your writing before you use your own words as the final product – here’s how they describe it:

“As a dialog partner AI makes you think more and write better. As ghost writer it takes over and you lose your voice.

Yet, sometimes it helps to paste its replies and notes. And if you want to use that information, you rewrite it to make it our own. So far, in traditional apps we are not able to easily see what we wrote and what we pasted from AI.”

iA has also released the format on GitHub as Markdown Annotations, hoping that other developers build off their work and potentially turn the concept into an official spec. Plus, the annotations for human writers as well – you can co-write with someone else and mark out who wrote what, which has a lot of potential beyond ChatGPT conversations.

From my initial observations, I’m excited about the idea of Authorship – they didn’t just shove Ai into iA Writer and call it a day, but rather thought about how modern writing apps can integrate natively with an Ai world. And, they took it a step further and built out a format that benefits all writers.

Plus, from a strategic standpoint, the Authorship alone makes iA Writer valuable to any professional writer – iA Writer might’ve just become an even easier recommendation. I’ll have to test more myself how essential this feature is in the long run, but for now it absolutely has me downloading and trying out the app again.

Read the full blog post (includes a two-week trial for the Mac app) and get iA Writer for $50 on Mac App Store and/or $50 on iPhone/iPad.

P.S. I asked ChatGPT whether my headline should say “helps you be a better writer” or “helps you become a better writer” and it responded with this:

Both options are acceptable, but the second option, “iA Writer helps you become a better AI writer with Authorship,” is slightly more polished and flows better. It conveys the message in a more active and engaging manner.

Now the question for iA Writer – who really wrote the headline?

Categories
News

Former Shortcuts team launch new AI startup Software Applications Incorporated

Yesterday, former Workflow co-founders Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer launched their new desktop AI startup under the name Software Applications Incorporated along with fellow ex-Apple employee Kim Beverett, giving The Verge an exclusive interview as well as launching their incredible website software.inc.

Co-founders Conrad Kramer and Ari Weinstein in the new office. Photo taken by co-founder Kim Beverett.
Co-founders Conrad Kramer and Ari Weinstein in the new office. Photo taken by co-founder Kim Beverett.

Weinstein, Kramer, and Beverett have a new office in downtown San Francisco just minutes away from the former Workflow offices, where the team of co-founders will be developing generative AI for the desktop in an attempt to “push operating systems forward.”

This comes over 12 years after the founding of Workflow and almost 6 years since its acquisition by Apple, where Ari and Conrad’s app has become Shortcuts, a deeply-integrated automation app that powers everything from Automation on the Mac to the Action button on the latest iPhone. The App Intents protocol built by the Shortcuts team, for example, is key to Apple’s current operating systems, powering features beyond Shortcuts itself like interactive widgets.

Screenshot of the software.inc website.
Screenshot of the software.inc website.

Among the quotes in The Verge’s article, Ari mentions capturing “the magic that you felt when you used computers in the ’80s and ’90s,” as evidenced by their delightful website design and classic-style company name.

The team is also as thinking about how “language models and AI give us the ingredients to make a new kind of software that can unlock this fundamental power of computing and make everyday people able to use computers to actually solve their problems” – a subject area where they are undoubtedly experts already.

Perhaps the most exciting part to me, as a former member of the Workflow team, is this paragraph, mentioning how large the target for the team is:

While a handful of startups such as Rewind are building personalized AI systems for the desktop, none I’ve come across appear to have as wide a vision as that of Software Applications, which suggests they have an open lane for the time being. And with most consumer software companies building primarily for mobile these days, it’s refreshing to see a team focusing on the Mac instead.

Truly, if anyone can (and should) have the freedom to fully explore this realm, it should be Ari, Conrad, and Kim – plus whoever’s lucky enough to join their team. After all, they are perhaps one of the only teams out there who’ve actually already changed the landscape themselves, and quite successfully I might add – mobile is basically done and in Apple’s hands, now onto to desktop.

Screenshot of the AppleScript settings on the software.inc website.
Screenshot of the AppleScript settings on the software.inc website.

Plus, if you haven’t yet, you absolutely HAVE to check out their website. The team ”spent a totally unnecessary amount of time building this website” turning it into a literal recreation of MacOS 8, including fully-functional applications for things like games, drawing, and, yes, even AppleScript – you can’t deny the passion this team has for the Mac.

Categories
Apps Tips & Tricks

Tip: Mark Physical Copies As Finished For Your Apple Books Year In Review

From Zach Kahn, Services PR for Podcasts and Books (and Vision Pro) at Apple:

Pro tip: if you’ve read a book elsewhere, like a print copy, just tap the … button and mark the title as read in Apple Books. It will become eligible for your Year in Review

Look up the books, mark them as “Finished”, and see your stats change – very nice.

From the press release for Year in Review, the new feature in the Apple Books app:

Year in Review is available on iPhone and iPad within the Read Now tab under Top Picks to users with at least three titles marked as finished.

View the post on Mastodon and the Year in Review press release from Apple.

Categories
Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 101

From Issue 101 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 101 of What’s New in Shortcuts!

Since the last issue in September, I’ve entirely moved from California to Oregon—hence the lack of regular issues as of late—while Shortcuts has gone pro in a big way as one of the main features of the new iPhone 15 Pro – the Action button.

I’ve collected a swath of Action button ideas from the community, shared a big set of apps that are updated for iOS 17, and released a whole new collection in the Shortcuts Library – including a massive new section for members.

Plus, for today only, there’s a special Cyber Monday discount on annual memberships – get your subscription locked in before the price goes up next year.

And, just to leave you with a teaser, I have my first set of Apple review units to cover soon – iPhone 15 Pro, M2 iPad Pro, and the OG Apple Watch Ultra… 🙂

Until next time, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

Categories
Siri Shortcuts

Shortcuts annual memberships are 20% off for Cyber Monday

Hello everyone and happy Cyber Monday!

For today only, I’m offering a 20% off discount for annual memberships, lowering the total cost to $40 (as opposed to $60 if you pay in the $15 quarterly increments) – use code “cybermonday2023” at checkout to apply the discount.

This discount is available now for new & expired memberships, plus anyone who wants to upgrade from their quarterly plan (or the archived monthly plan) – the coupon will expire Cyber Monday at midnight (based on your timezone).

Plus, while I haven’t publicly announced the latest update, there are now over 1,400 shortcuts available for members – with more added every week.

Further, you’ll have access to the bi-monthly members-only podcast (new episode coming soon), the members-only section of my Discord community, the occasional members-only post, and the archive of livestreams I’ve hosted on YouTube – read about the membership program here.

Also, I’ll be increasing the price of the membership at some point next year, so now’s a great time to lock into the regular annual membership price (the discount is good for one year).

As always, thank you so much for your continued support – this membership program is the core of my business and lets me explore the world of Shortcuts without traditional barriers, and each member’s contribution makes this possible.

Wishing you the best this holiday season,
Matthew.

Categories
Siri Shortcuts

iOS 17 Tip: Speed up Haptic Touch

Aday on mas.to on the new “Fast” option for Haptic Touch:

By far my favorite #iOS17 feature.

Apple describes changing the Haptic Touch duration as letting you “[a]djust the time it takes to reveal content previews, actions, and contextual menus.”

Find the option in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Haptic Touch – or use my Open Touch Preferences shortcut in the Accessibility folder.

View the post.

Categories
Guest appearances Offsite Podcasts

Guest spot — Rich On Tech: Emergency phone setup & smart holiday shopping

On Saturday, November 18, I had the pleasure of joining KTLA’s Rich DeMuro as a guest on Rich On Tech to talk about Shortcuts – my segment starts around 53:00:

Rich discusses iPhone 15 Pro impressions, using shortcuts on iPhones, Wi-Fi tips, and answers listener questions about laptop batteries, cleaning PCs, and using eSIM cards.

Check out Rich On Tech in Apple Podcasts or listen to the episode below:

Continue reading “Guest spot — Rich On Tech: Emergency phone setup & smart holiday shopping”

Categories
Media

My Monarch: Legacy of Monsters movie watch list (and shortcut)

This Friday, Apple is releasing the first two episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the ambitious TV series building off the Godzilla and Kong movie series starting back in 2014. The show appears to be Apple TV+’s next blockbuster series, premiering with fairly positive reviews – and acts as a huge teaser for the Apple Vision Pro among rumors that the show has been filmed in 3D specifically for the headset.

Especially since the series appears to put more effort into the human relationships—while still including epic monster battles—than the movies did, I’m definitely looking forward to the show.

Since the first episodes are coming out soon, I’m going to make it a mini event and watch one movie each night ahead of the show – here’s the list (prices at time of publishing):

  1. Monday: Godzilla ($9.99 to buy, $3.99 to rent)
  2. Tuesday: Kong: Skull Island ($9.99 to buy, $3.99 to rent)
  3. Wednesday: Godzilla: King of the Monsters ($9.99 to buy, $3.99 to rent)
  4. Thursday: Godzilla vs Kong ($9.99 to buy, $3.99 to rent)
  5. Friday: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ($9.99/month as part of Apple TV+ or included in Apple One)

However, if you’re going to watch too, you shouldn’t actually buy these individually and instead go for the bundles – the 4-movie bundle is $29.99, and if you already own Godzilla vs Kong (like me) the other 3-movie bundle is $19.99.

If you’re interested in following along, look for my entries on Letterboxd.

Plus, I’ve added these movies and TV show to a new “Watch Godzilla” shortcut, as part of my folder of TV app shortcuts.

Categories
Gear

Humane launches Ai Pin hardware for voice, camera, and laser-based personal computing

Today, Humane announced their new Ai Pin, a $699 cellular-enabled wearable powered by artificial intelligence. The Ai Pin cleverly attaches to your clothing using a hot-swappable battery, plus utilizes a combination of microphones, camera, and a laser to enable users to interact with computing and artificial intelligence capabilities without the use of a smartphone or traditional computer.

 

On their website, a 10-minute video features Humane CEO Bethany Bongiorno and chairman/president Imran Chaudhri demonstrating the product, which comes with an array of accessories and colorways (a specific nod to Humane’s fashion-forward branding and vibe – this is a product you will be wearing, after all).

The demo, product page, and tech details cover all the unique ways you’ll interact from tap-to-speak, scanning with the camera, and projecting with a laser onto your hand (and controlled with gestures). All of this is tied together with an artificial intelligence-based OS, meaning there’s no apps per-se – but definitely services you’ll be tapping into (and a list that will surely grow over time with new partners).

Available to order on November 16, this product is admittedly intriguing to me – it seems executed with a level of polish that you might expect from a company that heavily emphasizes being run by ex-Apple employees, and the hardware/software combination appears robust enough at version 1 that no part should be a dealbreaker.

Whether or not an AI-enabled voice wearable fits into my life, however, remains to be seen – something I can only ever understand by testing this product myself. Right now, it appears to be a complement to my already robust Shortcuts-powered computing experience, but an addition that’ll surely be uniquely personal to me and how I operate.

I am definitely excited to find and explore those new opportunities with this unique technology – something I’m grateful there are companies like Humane out there striving to make possible in new ways.

Check out the Humane Ai Pin.