Acrylic Blog

Wallet for iPad is here

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:16:24 -0700

I’m happy to announce we’ve finally finished work on one of our most requested products ever: Wallet for iPad. Wallet for iPad sports a brand new user interface specifically designed to take advantage of the iPad’s larger display, and also happens to be one of our most gorgeous apps ever released. All of the same features found in Wallet for iPhone are available in the iPad edition, many of which are made even better, like quick navigation between entries and the brand-new inline editor.

What about pricing? Wallet for iOS is a universal app, meaning you only need to purchase once to receive both the iPhone and iPad versions. Existing customers can simply update through the App Store to receive Wallet for iPad absolutely free of charge.

Finally, this exciting update (3.0) also brings full iOS 5 support and a number of other fixes and tweaks to the existing Wallet for iPhone. We hope you enjoy the newly refreshed Wallet for iOS – I think you’ll agree it’s worth the wait.

Acrylic + iOS 5

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:33:44 -0700

With the latest and greatest release of Apple’s mobile OS now available, many have asked us about our plans for iOS 5 and iCloud in the near future. Here’s a brief update on what’s happening:

Pulp

Pulp for iPad 1.4 has been released, and includes many important fixes and tweaks, including full iOS 5 compatibility. This update also supports system-wide Twitter integration, so you won’t need to sign into your Twitter account before posting about the awesome article you just found. Check the Updates tab in the App Store to grab it today.

Wallet

We planned on having Wallet ready for iOS 5 on day one, but as it turns out, we’ve been working on something a little bit bigger than a simple maintenance update. This update will be released in the coming weeks, includes full support for iOS 5, and is a free upgrade for existing users. What else is new? You’ll just have to wait and see.

What about iCloud, the new incarnation and replacement for MobileMe? While MobileMe and iDisk have been given a death sentence, they will be around until June 30, 2012, even after moving to iCloud. That means MobileMe sync should function properly in all versions of Wallet until then. After that, you can use a free Dropbox account or WebDAV server to sync your data over the air just like with MobileMe. Hopefully we’ll have some news before then, though.

As usual, we’ll post here about this upcoming release and other announcements as soon as they’re ready. In the meantime, enjoy iOS 5 and all of the incredible new features!

Pulp for Mac 2.1 Now Available

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:55:11 -0700

Version 2.1 of the most innovative newsreader on the Mac is out now, enhanced and ready for OS X Lion! Here’s a rundown on some of the great new features you’ll find in this update:

• Full Screen Mode (Lion only)
News is best consumed without distractions, so it’s no secret that full screen mode and Pulp were practically made for each other. Click the new full screen button in the top right corner, and Pulp smoothly glides onto a beautiful wood desktop, free from stray windows and other distractions. In full screen mode, you’re given extra room to read and enjoy each article, and features like the shelf are more seamlessly integrated.

• Multi-touch Gestures (Lion only)
Pulp supports natural multi-touch gestures found in Lion, so you can swipe and scroll through multiple articles, and even directly manipulate the page curl.

• Push Sync (Lion only)
Pulp for Mac now automatically updates itself whenever you make a change on another Mac or iPad through Pulp Sync. This feature has existed in the iPad version since day one, and is now enabled on the Mac - thanks to Lion.

• Instant Resume
Never lose your place reading an article again. Pulp 2.1 automatically remembers its state when you quit, so the next time you launch Pulp everything is back exactly where you left it.

• Tweaks, Fixes & More
There are plenty of additional small tweaks and changes in Pulp 2.1, including Lion-style scrollbars, separate font sizes for articles and pages, revamped feed settings, bug fixes, and more. This is a must update for all Pulp users, even if you aren’t quite ready for Lion yet.

Pulp for Mac 2.1 is available now on the Mac App Store, and is a completely free update for existing users. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Acrylic on Lion

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:06:57 -0700

Here’s a quick update on our plans for the next great release of Mac OS X, Lion. Today, the current Mac versions of Pulp and Wallet have been tested and work great on Lion, so nothing will change when you upgrade your Mac tomorrow to Apple’s newest cat.

However, there are a couple of new specific Lion-enhanced updates from us landing later this month:

Pulp 2.1

Pulp 2.1 is a significant new update containing a number of new features and enhancements for Lion users, including an amazing full screen mode, push sync support, auto-resume, and more. Stay tuned for more details on this update once it’s released.

Wallet 3.2.4

This Wallet update contains a number of small Lion fixes and user interface improvements. Currently awaiting approval on the Mac App Store.

Both of these updates will be totally free updates for existing users when they’re released later this month. In the meantime, keep your eyes on the Updates tab in the Mac App Store!

Introducing Pulp for Mac 2.0 + Pulp Sync

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:34:47 -0700

The wait is finally over. The long awaited Pulp for Mac 2.0 is now available, bringing all of the great features of Pulp for iPad back to the Mac - including Magic Reader, integrated sharing, feed search, additional customization options, and more.

We’ve been working on Pulp for Mac for over 9 months, and couldn’t be happier with the result. For those of you who have used Times 1.0, Pulp for Mac is a substantial upgrade in both speed and customizability, and brings it up to speed with all the work we’ve done on Pulp for iPad.

But what would a great Mac and iPad pair be without great sync support? Pulp Sync is a new cloud-based sync service we’ve built specifically for Pulp from the ground up, letting you keep all of your articles, feeds, pages, and other data in sync between multiple devices. All you need is a completely free Pulp Sync account, and all of your changes will be synced seamlessly.

Learn more about Pulp for Mac, or download for just $9.99 (limited time introduction price!) exclusively on the Mac App Store.

Wallet for iPhone 2.2

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:09:29 -0800

Since releasing Wallet for Mac 3.2 with Dropbox syncing support earlier this month, we’ve received countless emails wondering when Dropbox support would also arrive in the iPhone version. While it’s a great addition to Wallet’s feature set, it’s admittedly of limited use without support for all devices.

The wait is over. Wallet for iPhone 2.2 is now available, bringing support for syncing with Dropbox. Like the Mac version, you can set it up just like MobileMe syncing. It’s totally seamless, and best of all, Dropbox is totally free.

By popular demand, we’ve also added support for attaching photos to individual entries. Add any photo from your library to an entry, and it will be securely encrypted along with your database. The attachment will even sync back to your Mac(s) and/or other devices.

So what’s next for Wallet? We hear this iPad thing is pretty cool…

Mac App Store + Wallet 3.2

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:00:00 -0800

We’re thrilled to announce that our beloved information manager, Wallet, is now available on the Mac App Store! We just barely missed the launch of the store Thursday morning, thanks to some unexpectedly long review times, but we’re fully behind it - and now offering Wallet through the Mac App Store exclusively. Expect to see Pulp for Mac to follow when version 2.0 arrives soon.

What does this mean for existing users? Not a whole lot; we’ll continue to provide free updates to existing Wallet customers until the next major version. If you choose to migrate to the Mac App Store version (re-purchase), you’ll get slightly more convenient updates and installs, and help us further support future development of Wallet.

You might have noticed that Wallet on the App Store is version 3.2, a brand new update with some exciting new features. Don’t worry, this new version will be pushed to existing users sometime in the next few days. But what exactly is new?

Introducing Wallet 3.2 + Browser Extensions

AutoFill has always been one of Wallet’s best features. With just your Wallet password, you can automatically fill login information for any website you’ve stored in the app. While Wallet has had this feature for a long time, there has never been a way for it to directly integrate with Safari, until now.

Thanks to Safari 5’s official support for extensions, we’re now able to put Wallet right in your browser. The results speak for themselves:

The Wallet extension also tracks sites you’ve logged into (but haven’t yet saved a password for), offering a way to instantly save both the username & password to Wallet for future use.

Don’t use Safari? There’s an extension available for Google Chrome too, which offers all the same functionality.

Wallet 3.2 includes a bunch of other new features as well, including Dropbox syncing (by popular demand!), and a refreshed user interface. As mentioned, it’s available on the Mac App Store exclusively for just $19.99, and existing users will receive the update for free shortly.

This is just the start of an exciting year ahead for us, so stick around for more news in the coming months. If you have any questions about Wallet and the Mac App Store, please feel free to contact us!

Thoughts on Sync

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:38:00 -0800

It comes as no surprise that one of the most requested features for Pulp has been some form of syncing, specifically with Google Reader. It sounds like a great idea: use Google Reader’s centralized service to sync all of your feeds and articles across multiple devices, seamlessly and instantly. After all, plenty of other apps do it already. What could possibly be the problem? There’s actually two of them - let’s take a look.

A Poor Experience

Google uses the classic and simple structure for organizing RSS data in Google Reader: folders and feeds. Many feed readers copy this same approach, making them more or less perfectly compatible with Google Reader. However, Pulp is much more complex, offering customizable pages, columns, and feeds with settings, styles, and more.

Why does this matter? Let’s say you add a new feed to Pulp on your iPad, and want it to show up in the same place on Pulp for Mac after syncing with Google Reader (a pretty standard request for any app that “syncs”). A few questions instantly arise:

Which page and column does it appear in?
What appearance styles and settings will it have?
Which of its articles have you already saved to the shelf?

Since there’s no way to preserve any of that kind of data on Google’s servers, Pulp has no answers to any of these questions, and never will. You would have to re-supply all of this information manually, requiring almost as much setup as simply adding the feed again. It’s a total nightmare - no one wants an app that only syncs some of your data.

Imagine repeating this for every feed, page, or shelf article you add or remove, on every device you want to sync to, and you’ll quickly see why Google Reader simply isn’t the right fit for Pulp.

Private API

We’ve all heard before that private APIs are bad. Apple rejects apps that use their own private APIs from being on the App Store. Private APIs are undocumented, unreliable, and more than likely to break in the future. In a nutshell, they’re great for developers looking for a cheap way to add instant functionality to their apps, but undeniably bad for end users.

Outside of the developer community, no one seems to know that the Google Reader API is completely private. It has never been announced as a public API by Google, despite having been “exposed” by hackers for many years. That means there’s no official developer documentation (the API itself is a complete mess), and any apps hooking into it are subject to break at any time without warning.

Nobody knows why Google has been silent on its Reader API. However, it seems likely that when or if Google decides to make the API public, it will include some form of monetization, probably in the form of inserted ads. After all, more and more apps are piggybacking off of Google Reader’s backend every day, completely for free. Alternatively, the whole thing could just be turned off entirely.

It’s hard to believe that so many popular applications are based on Google Reader when this is the case, but the truth is clear as day. Some actually rely on Google completely for feed parsing, on top of syncing. These apps might work for now, but they bear uncertain futures at best. That’s not the kind of thing we’re interested in supporting or selling to our users.

[On a side note, yes, we did cave a bit here and include an import functionality for Google Reader in version 1.1. However, importing feeds is not a core feature, and Pulp will still work great without it.]

What’s the Plan?

We hear you loud and clear. Syncing is an important feature for any data-sensitive app, and you’d like to be able to sync your feeds and articles in Pulp across all of your devices. However, Google Reader is clearly not the right answer for us.

When Pulp for Mac 2.0 arrives, it’ll bring with it support for wirelessly syncing with Pulp for iPad, as well as additional future products. Our thinking here is not to be lazy, but to make the best products we possibly can. We’re aiming for something that’s both seamless and easy to set up, and will be reliable in the future. We think you’ll understand when you see our final product. Thanks for reading!

Pulp for iPad 1.2 with Magic Reader

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 11:22:00 -0800

Pulp for iPad 1.2 is now available! The app previously known as Acrylic Times now has a shiny new name and plenty of great new additions, just in time for iOS 4.2. Here’s what’s new:

Introducing Magic Reader

Tired of feeds that only publish short text previews? Introducing Magic Reader - with a tap of a button, it lets you see the full story formatted into a clean and easy-to-read format, regardless of where it’s from. Magic Reader works for almost any site imaginable, and doesn’t rely on what’s in the RSS feed. You might even say it’s magical.

The best part? Magic Reader actually shows you an article faster than it takes to load the web version, making it essential for 3G users on the go.

Redesigned Reading Mode

We’ve been listening closely to user feedback and completely redesigned the reading view in Pulp 1.2. Controls have been moved to the top of the screen to give you maximum viewing real estate, especially when viewing articles on the web. You can even access your Shelf items too.

iOS 4.2 Support

Pulp for iPad 1.2 is fully optimized for iOS 4.2. That means you can leave Pulp open in the background while you use another app on your iPad, without losing where you were. You can also set Pulp to refresh whenever you want, outside of the previously concrete 10 minute interval.

Finally, we’ve decided to indefinitely lower the price of Pulp to just $4.99 in time for the holidays. Grab it now while it’s hot on the App Store!

Acrylic Times for iPad 1.1 + New Name, Sweet Price

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:45:00 -0700

We’re back! Apologies for being a bit quiet here - we’ve been hard at work at even more cool stuff planned for later this year. That being said, there will be some interesting blog posts quite soon.

Fresh Paint

On to the good stuff. Last week we finished and submitted Acrylic Times for iPad 1.1 to the App Store for approval. We’ve been listening closely to user feedback and suggestions since the successful launch of Acrylic Times for iPad just over a month ago, and made some great changes and additions in the new version. Here’s what’s new, as seen in the update release notes:

New Portrait Mode
Portrait lovers rejoice! Version 1.1 has a completely redesigned portrait mode, making browsing and reading articles in portrait more enjoyable than ever before.

Google Reader Import
Now you can easily bring favourite feeds from your Google Reader account into your pages, and save yourself precious typing time.

Instapaper & Read It Later
Save interesting articles to popular bookmarking services like Instapaper or Read It Later, and read them any place at any time. (Enable them in the Settings app!)

Much More…
Back and forward buttons in the browser, move feeds between columns, improved feed compatibility, bug fixes, and many other additional tweaks and improvements.

The update was just recently approved, and is now available for download on the App Store. We’re continuing to work hard on making Acrylic Times for iPad the best it can be, and have another update in the works to take full advantage of iOS 4.2 when it drops this November.

Back In Action

You may have noticed that the previously named Times for iPad has been unavailable in some countries for the past few weeks. Unfortunately we had a small trademark dispute with a certain overly-litigious media giant, but are now back in action as the re-clarified Acrylic Times in every App Store around the globe. Apologies for the downtime!

A Sweet Price

There is one more thing. Acrylic Times for iPad was launched at the great price of $7.99, a price point we’re really proud of and think is more than fair.

However, some still felt that this was a little too high for the ‘App Store ecosystem’. In some ways, it’s true: without any kind of demo system on the App Store, it can be hard to justify spending money on multiple apps just to find the right one. We think Acrylic Times for iPad is the best of the bunch, and want to get it in the hands of as many people as possible.

To celebrate the 1.1 update, we’re experimenting a bit and making Acrylic Times for iPad available for the crazy low, half-off price of just $3.99. This deal will only be around for a limited time, so make sure to grab it while it’s hot!

Introducing Times for iPad

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:01:00 -0700

The wait is over, Times for iPad is here! The same great concept, new and improved, and designed specifically for the iPad. Learn more on the Times website.

Wallet 2.1 is Here: iOS 4 Additions & More

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:49:00 -0700

Wallet for iPhone 2.1 is now available! The new version takes full advantage of the newly released iOS 4, and contains a slew of additional tweaks and fixes. Here are the three most notable new features:

HD Artwork (for Retina Displays)

We decided to go the extra mile in Wallet 2.1, updating every piece of artwork in Wallet for iPhone (more than you’d think) to take advantage of the new retina display in the iPhone 4. The result? The most beautiful and detailed information manager you’ve ever seen!

Multitasking Support

Wallet 2.1 now fully supports multitasking in iOS 4. This means you can finally keep Wallet unlocked even after closing it (only if you opt to), making switching between apps to grab passwords easier than ever before. You’ll need to turn off the “Lock When Inactive” switch in the Settings to enable this behaviour. When you want to lock Wallet for good and secure your data, pull down on the groups list on the main screen.

Another great addition is the ability to complete syncing in the background. Just start a MobileMe or WebDAV sync like you normally would, and when you exit to use another app, Wallet will finish the job in the background (if there are any errors, you’ll be notified via a friendly alert).

Database Access Through iTunes

Until now, there have been two great ways to get at the Wallet database on your iPhone: syncing with MobileMe/WebDAV, and syncing to the Mac version over local Wi-Fi. Today we’re pleased to announce a third option: iTunes!

It’s quick and dirty, but you can now access the raw database file straight through iTunes. With your device connected to iTunes via USB, click the “Apps” tab, scroll down to the “File Sharing” section, and choose Wallet in the list of apps. You can save the database file to your hard drive as a backup, import it to Wallet for Mac, or install an exported database (make sure it’s called “Database.wallet”).

What else is new? We’ve fixed some nasty bugs related to syncing, and now have built in a Help Book for those needing quick answers on the go. You’ll also see other various tweaks and enhancements.

Grab Wallet 2.1 now from the App Store. It’s totally free for existing users and is compatible with iOS 3.0 or higher.

Keeping Your Wallet Database Elsewhere

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:11:00 -0800

One of the many questions we get asked often is how to store Wallet’s database file somewhere other than the default Application Support directory, such as a removable USB drive or Dropbox. With Wallet 3.1, this is not only possible but very easy as well!

Simply hold down the Option key while launching Wallet, and you’ll see the dialog below:

This gives you the option to choose or create a new database at the location of your choosing. If you don’t want to create a new database, you can either export or move your current database from its default directory (~/Library/Application Support/Wallet/). Future launches will open the database from your chosen location. That’s all there is to it!

When paired with a cloud service such as Dropbox, this is a great makeshift solution for ‘syncing’ between multiple Macs if you don’t have MobileMe or a WebDAV server. Just point Wallet’s database to a location in your Dropbox folder on each computer, and every time you launch you’ll be up to date!

Wallet for iPhone 2.0 Now Available

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:10:00 -0700

Wallet for iPhone 2.0 has been approved and is now available on the App Store! Among the big new features already revealed, the update contains many other important tweaks and bug fixes.

Version 2.0 is an absolutely free update, and is highly recommended for existing users. You can grab it from the Updates section on the App Store.

Sneak Peek: Wallet for iPhone 2.0

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:24:00 -0700

We’ve been busy! I’m pleased to announce that Wallet for iPhone 2.0 has been submitted to the App Store, and will become available as soon as it’s approved.

We released Wallet for iPhone alongside Wallet 3 for Mac back in December of last year. Since then, many of you have voiced your opinions on features you’d like to see. Your requests were clear, but as more and more features were added, it became apparent that the next release would be much bigger than expected. Put simply, this is the update you’ve all been waiting for.

There are too many additions to list, but here are some of the best new features in version 2:

Global Search
You ask, we deliver. Now you can search right from the main screen, making it even easier to hunt down a password when in a rush.

Attachment Viewing
Files you’ve attached in the Mac version of Wallet are now properly synced and viewable on your iPhone. Preview text files, images, PDFs, Office documents, and more.

Quick Copy
With cut, copy, & paste now available on the iPhone, Wallet’s little brother has learned a few tricks. Tap any field to copy it to the clipboard, just like the Mac version.

AutoFill
AutoFill on your iPhone. Need we say more?

Lock On Sleep
Wallet can now automatically lock itself when you put your iPhone to sleep.

Improved Notes
View and edit the Notes field in entries more easily than ever before.

WebDAV Sync
Just like the Mac version, and works interchangeably.

Best of all, Wallet for iPhone 2.0 is a free update for existing users. It will require iPhone OS 3.0 or higher when released, so if you haven’t updated yet, now might be a good time!

Times 1.1.4: Ready For Snow Leopard

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:24:00 -0700

Times 1.1.4 is now available, fixing a crash that occurred when switching pages on Snow Leopard. Various other bugs have been addressed as well. You’ll need this update if you plan on upgrading to Snow Leopard this Friday, so download it from the built-in software update.

Wallet 3.1 is here!

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:26:00 -0700

Wallet 3.1 is finally available, and ready for Snow Leopard! This release contains many bug fixes and general improvements. Here are a few of the notable new additions:

WebDAV sync support

Keyboard shortcut for menubar app

Improved password generator

Optionally show group counts, date stamps

Fields may now be specified as hidden text

More reliable syncing

Snow Leopard tested + compatible

This version is also localized fully in French. You can see a full list of changes here. The new version is a free upgrade for existing customers. Grab it via the built-in software update.

Just a note: browser plug-ins will sadly not be included in this release. With the imminent demise of Input Managers in Mac OS X, the direct Safari plug-in feature is no longer feasible. Other Safari “plug-ins” now officially have their days numbered. The Wallet menubar app is compatible with Snow Leopard and will continue to be compatible with future OS X releases.

Wallet for iPhone Goes Global

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:03:00 -0700

Did I just see a pig fly by my window? I’m pleased to announce that as of today, in addition to the U.S. and Canada, Wallet for iPhone is now available on the App Store in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Grab it here.

We’ll also soon be rolling out new language localizations, starting with French in Wallet for iPhone 2.0 and Wallet for Mac 3.1 (both coming soon).

For those not included in this list, stay tuned - Wallet should be available in your country within the next month. Thanks for your patience and sorry about the wait; this won’t happen again!

Update (08/05/09): Wallet for iPhone is now available in all 77 App Stores around the world.

Enhanced Sharing

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:47:00 -0700

One of the great new features in the recently released Times 1.1 is the ability to add your own “Share” links. For those familiar with configuring variable URLs, it’s a really easy way to add support for your favorite services. But it may be a bit of a mystery for those who are not so savvy - in fact we’ve already received quite a few requests asking us to add new services ourselves.

I’ve compiled a list of some popular services you can add to Times. Just copy and paste these URLs as new items under the Sharing panel in the Times Preferences to add them as working services. Enjoy!

Reddit
http://reddit.com/submit?url=__URL__&title=__Title__

StumbleUpon
http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit.php?url=__URL__&title=__Title__

Yahoo! Buzz
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?targetUrl=__URL__&headline=__Title__

Technorati
http://www.technorati.com/faves?add=__URL__

Mixx
http://www.mixx.com/submit?page_url=__URL__

Google Bookmarks
http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=__URL__&title=__Title__

Newsvine
http://www.newsvine.com/_tools/seed&save?popoff=0&u=__URL__&h=__Title__

LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=__URL__&title=__Title__&summary=__Body__

Update: Code Sorcery Workshop explains that native apps with their own URL schemes can be added to Times as well. Here’s how to add support for their popular Delicious client, Pukka.

Pukka
pukka:url=__URL__&title=__Title__&extended=__Body__

On a side note, Times 1.1.2 is now available and contains many important fixes. You can grab it from the Times page, or via the built-in software update mechanism.

Times 1.1

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:37:00 -0700

I’m pleased to announce that Times 1.1 is now available! This new version provides many new enhancements that should make using Times a much more enjoyable experience. Most notably, we’ve rolled our own RSS engine for Times 1.1, one that is much faster and more reliable overall.

Here are some of the other big new additions:

Built in Twitter Support - instantly tweet any article

Navigation gestures for multi-touch enabled MacBooks

Customizable sharing links

Ability to show more articles from a feed

Option to dim articles after reading

And there’s plenty more, including a slew of bug fixes and UI enhancements. Times 1.1 is a free and highly recommended update for existing users. Download it today!