Byword iOS in Airplane Mode

Created in Airplane Mode with Manual Sync turned off to see what happens. Byword caches documents that have been viewed but doesn’t cache everything like Elements does. The disadvantage of what Elements does, in my experience, is that syncing can fail, saving can fail and documents can be corrupted. So I prefer what Byword does for offline work. I just need to cache (view) the documents before I go.

Another app I use has a similar offline technique but Textforce says if a file is ‘cached’, ‘uncached’ or has had a ‘remote change’. Byword uses a more subtle (impossible to see) little symbol to the right of the filename in the file list, cloud symbol = in the cloud, device symbol = cached on device.

In Airplane Mode, offline created documents cannot have their filenames changed. I guess this is to save of possible syncing conflicts.

Byword for iOS on iPad

The minimal Markdown text editor market is well an truly saturated. Not only is it saturated but a lot of that saturation is by very good apps.

This has been written using Byword on the iPad available in the iTunes App Store. It is a Plus app and so will also installed on an iPhone or iPod all for the single purchase price. It connects with iCloud or Dropbox. I’ve connected it with the Dropbox/App/ folder. By default, this creates a Byword folder inside Dropbox/App/. Setting it up was no problem but how to change the Dropbox source/save folder is not so obvious. At the bottom left of the file list is a little cloud icon.

Tap this and a dialog appears where the path to another folder can be typed in. This is not as easy as being able to tap through the file hierarchy to choose the folder to work with. This dialog also has the option to turn on manual syncing.

Byword for iOS has a subtle extended keyboard row that displays various information. Tap it whilst it displays the word count and it will cycle through displaying words, characters or words and characters.

Swipe the extended bar to the left will display easy access characters for entering a tab space, (),[]," and * as well as cursor movement keys.

Swipe to the left once more to have easy add Markdown paragraph headings, Markdown links, Markdown image links, Markdown numbered or bulleted lists as well as the cursor movement keys again.

I have seen this swipe movement on the extended keyboard bar in Nebulous Notes text editor but Byword’s version is very neat and clean. It doesn’t appear that Byword’s one can be customised.

Saving happens all the time in the background. This does not appear to cause any negative hit on input. I have used other apps that do background saving that cause the keyboard to become unresponsive and stutter whilst the saving happens. This has not happened once with Byword whilst writing this.


Initial impression: Very impressive. Neat, clean, useful and effective extended keyboard bar. A selection of four fonts of which the default M+ C Type 1 is easy on the eyes. Byword feels a very useable app, with nice extra features but not too many to create confusion. I like it more than I thought I would.

Pink highlight from hell

I wish there was a way to stop the 'No Replacement Found' pink text zapper from happening on my iOS devices. I've turned off 'Check Spelling' via 'Settings > General > Keyboard > Check Spelling: OFF' but with no effect on the dreaded pink highlight from hell.

Never once has this pink highlight been helpful but many times whilst trying to place the cursor in front of text, I have zapped and disappeared the pink text and so requiring me to do the throw my device from my hand whilst trying to display the undo dialog wrist flick undo I will now curse technique.

Setup iCloud Mail with Mail.app on Snow Leopard

I have been able to add an iCloud Mail account to the Apple Mail.app on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. I added it as an IMAP account. The key is to get the right Incoming (Step 5) and Outgoing (Step 6) mail servers which are different from the default MobileMe servers. (Click the images to see them full size.)

1. Launch Apple Mail.app

1. In Mail: Click Mail > Preferences…
2. Click the Accounts tab
3. Click the + button

2. Enter iCloud account details

1. Enter the Name, Email and Password for the iCloud account to be added
2. Click Create

3. Wait

1. The Checking login stage took an age for me. Just wait.

4. Login Fails. Just Continue

1. There is a warning that the logging in has failed.
2. Click Continue

5. Setup Incoming Mail Server

1. Account Type: IMAP
2. Description: what ever is meaningful. This is the name that will appear in the list of email accounts in Mail.
3. Incoming Mail Server: imap.mail.me.com
4. The User Name and Password will be filled in automatically using the data entered in Step 2.
5. Click Continue

6. Outgoing Mail Server

1. Description: Enter what ever is meaningful.
2. Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.mail.me.com
3. I chose to Check - Use only this server
4. By default these should be set automatically. Make sure Use Authentication is Checked. The User Name and Password are what were used in Step 2.
5. Click Continue

7. Account Summary

1. See that everything looks correct and click Create

8. Mail Inbox - iCloud on Snow Leopard

The iCloud Mail account now appears in the list of Mailboxes and the Accounts List.

You say ultrafast and I'll say ultra-fast

I happen to get both the US and UK emails from Apple about their latest promotion. Usually the mailshots about new products are virtually the same except for the price being in dollars or sterling. I notice with the latest one for the new iPad that there are two differences:

1. The US use ultrafast where as the UK use a slightly slower, hyphenated ultra-fast.
2. The US use a geeky acronym for the type of ultrafast connection where as the UK stick with the simpler ultra-fast wireless.

iPad US email advert

iPad UK email advert

Show Hidden Files in Open or Save Dialog

To see hidden files or folders in OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (I don’t have Lion so I don’t know if it still works) from the Open or Save dialog within an application:

1. Click File > Open or File > Save then press Command Shift . to reveal all hidden folders and files.
2. Press same combination to hide them again.
   

This is the method I used to open a hidden folder using the Finder.

MobileMe Security Certificate Not Trusted

Just when I think my MobileMe Mail experience is not going to get any worse, Apple manages to lob a new issue at me in the form of the mail server security certificate is now 'Not Trusted'.
I have not been able to access my MobileMe Mail account using Mail.app on OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) for months now, with password rejection issues. I was unable to use PostBox for the same reason. I had to make Sparrow my default mail client because it is the only Desktop application I have that is unaffected by the password issue.
On my iOS devices I needed to delete and reinstall my MobileMe Mail account once iCloud became active in order to overcome the password rejections. Now there is this -- Not Trusted Certificates.
I am trying to shift all my email connections and usage from Apple to Google Gmail. Apple's iCloud debacle has lost the love of this unhappy bunny.

Update: Thu-23-Feb-2012 - Whether my problem was related to this post Flashback.G Mac Trojan Horse Infections by Intego I do not know.