Automating Invoice Processing on My Mac

When I first opened my solo law practice, one of the unanswered questions in my mind was how I would go about billing clients. This is supposed to be hard. Some law firms spends days every month on getting bills out the door. Others pay outside vendors. I decided to nerd the s%*t out of this problem and do it myself.

I use an online practice management solution, Clio, to track my time. At the end of the month, the service creates PDFs of my invoices that go into my Mac's Downloads folder. Rather than show an actual client invoice, I'll use this dummy invoice for my side landscaping business.

One of the tricks of this workflow is that when I push a button in Clio, the PDF is created and opens automatically on my Mac in the Preview application. The first tool to help me automate the process is Hazel. I've talked a lot about Hazel at this site and on the podcast over the years. One of Hazel's many talents, is the ability to identify, name, and move files. So I've got Hazel constantly looking at my Downloads folder. If it sees a PDF file that has the text "Lawn Care Products and Livestock", "PO number", and "Gunther's Gardening", it will start acting on that file. My logic is that there will be no PDFs in my Downloads folder that have all of those words in that order that are not an invoice. Here's the Hazel Rule.

Once Hazel finds a match, usually within seconds of the file downloading, Hazel renames the file with the current date, client name, and a further description of the invoice. Because the PDFs open on my desktop at the time of the download, it's fun to watch the name change as I'm reading the invoice over. Next Hazel moves the invoice to a folder I've designated in the client's Admin/Invoices folder.

So within seconds of downloading the invoice, my Mac has named and moved the invoice to its appropriate folder.

Next I click on the sharing button in the Preview App (which is diplaying the invoice). From there I click on the Mail icon and this creates a new blank email with the invoice already attached.

My next big tool is TextExpander. I manually type in the client's name as an email recipient. Then I tab down to the s ubject line and fire off a TextExander snippet. The snippet phrase is "newbill". The snippet first fills in the subject line with the terms "Sparks Law %B Invoice" which TextExpander fills in as "Sparks Law October Invoice". Next month the snippet will automatically change "October" to "November". (TextExpander recognizes the wildcard %B as the current month.)

Next, the snippet asks me to fill in the client name and let's me choose from several frequent options. Three common issues in these cover emails are questions about whether the client wants to pay online via credit card, wants a snail mail copy of the invoice, and if there is someone else at the company that needs to get the invoice. I use TextExpander Optional Selection phrases for this. I can check or uncheck the appropriate phrases for the particular invoice.

Finally,  I have a multi-line field at the bottom where I can write or dictate in a further description of services or plans for the coming month.

Here is the finalized email from the above snippet screen.

Here is a screenshot of the snippet form TextExpander.

Here is the full text of the snippet if you want to adapt it for use use it in your copy of TextExpander at home.

Sparks Law %B Invoice
%key:tab%Hi %filltext:name=field 1%,

Attached is this month’s invoice. %fillpart:name=online pay:default=yes%I also sent you a separate email with online payment instructions if you’d prefer to pay that way via credit card.%fillpartend% %fillpart:name=optional part 3:default=yes%Also, please let me know if you’d like hard copies of these invoices in the mail.%fillpartend% %fillpart:name=someone else:default=yes%Finally, if you’d like me to direct these to someone else at the company, let me know.%fillpartend%

%fillarea:name=Message:default=Thank you for your business.%

Kind regards,

David Sparks
Sparks Law
SparksEsq.com

So this detailed explanation probably sounds like a lot but in action, the whole process is wicked fast. It takes just moments for me to approve and download a PDF invoice, at which point my Mac names and files the invoice, and I send it off to the client with a customized email. I love being a nerd.

As an aside, I have had very few clients take me up on the offer to get snail mail invoices. Almost everyone wants things in just PDF form. I have brilliant clients.

Sponsor: Eternal Storms Software →

I’m pleased to welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky, Eternal Storms Software. Eternal Storms makes some of my favorite Mac productivity software and I’m really pleased to have them sponsoring the site. Here are just a few of their tasty morsels:

Yoink

(Website)(Mac App Store)

You know that thing where you are using full screen mode and it’s a pain to move files between screens or building a document and can’t find the image file you need that’s buried somewhere on your desktop? Don’t fret. Yoink it.

ScreenFloat

(Website)(Mac App Store)

Ever taken a screenshot of something for reference only to find out that you can’t actually see the screenshot when you need it because it’s buried under seven windows? ScreenFloat keeps those screenshots above all other windows. This app also helps you organize and sort your screenshots.

Transloader

(Website)(Mac App Store)(iOS App Store)

This app lets you start downloads on your Mac from your iPhone or iPad and make you feel like a total boss.

There’s more. Eternal Storms also has Glimpses, that takes the grunt work out of making still motion videos from a collection of photos, and Flickery, that help you manage your Flickr images and library.

When Eternal Storms first contacted me about sponsoring the site, they offered license codes for their apps. The funny thing is that I didn’t need any because I’d already bought them. Eternal Storms makes some really slick productivity apps. Check them out today.

∞

Steve Jobs Movie Impressions

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to see a screening of the new Steve Jobs movie. I have to admit, I went in there with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I didn't like the Walter Isaacson book for all the reasons that all the other nerds didn't like it and my expectation was, "garbage in, garbage out".

That being said, I actually enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. The movie is really a story about the fictional Steve Jobs and his fictional daughter. I use the word "fictional" because many of the meetings and conversations represented in the movie simply never happened. Likewise, even the relationship between Steve and his daughter Lisa is not accurately represented. The movie is entirely silent about the fact that Lisa was living with Steve and his wife and other children during the same period of time the film portrays them as estranged. For that matter, the movie also does not acknowledge his wife and other children.

It is this lack of accuracy that is going to make all Apple nerds a little crazy. According to this movie, Steve Wozniak was responsible for the Newton (he wasn't), Steve Jobs had multiple powwows with John Scully after Scully fired Jobs (they didn't), and the entire inspiration for the iPod was a tape deck that Lisa wore on her hip for about 15 years (it wasn't).

Aaron Sorkin writes some great dialogue and the story does pull you in. However, there is so little connection between the movie and actual events, that you have to wonder why they called it Steve Jobs at all.

All of these dramatizations of Steve Jobs seem to be focusing exclusively on the low hanging fruit. Make no mistake: if just a fraction of the stories are to be believed, Steve Jobs was a pretty terrible manager when he got started. This movie dramatizes several of those sins around the orbit of his denial of Lisa's paternity. What the movie, and to a lesser extent the Isaacson book, fail to do is expand the story much further than that. How did someone with these types of demons succeed so spectacularly? How did he get a measure of wisdom after his years in the wild to turn Apple into the biggest public company in the world? How did he balance Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

In the end, I don't think the makers of this film had any interest in those questions. They looked at the source material and saw an opportunity to tell a father-daughter story and they did it pretty well. The unfortunate part is that by attaching it to Steve's name, it creates this sort of mythology that everyone who has any knowledge of the actual events agrees isn't true but for most people who watch the movie, will become gospel. I can see why his family didn't want this movie made.

The Computer Show

Adam Lisagor is making more than ads. At XOXO, he shared a rough cut of the first episode of The Computer Show. It's a mythical television show about computers in 1983. It brought me back and was hilarious all at once. Now you can watch the first two episodes on the web. This is some great weekend viewing. Watch them all at the delightfully 1983-inspired website.

Gary Fabert and co-host Sherri Longhorne welcome Lumi cofounders Jesse Genet and Stephan Ango and have a hard time understanding the very basics of modern digital design tools. Lumi can be found at http://lumi.com, which is a "web-site".


iWork Updates Abound. Long Live iWork.

A few months ago there was this thing going around the Internet where everyone decided that Apple had given up on iWork. I didn’t buy it. While the iWork applications certainly aren’t the most important applications being developed at Apple, I think the are key part of their business and having Apple’s own, homegrown productivity suite has benefits that justify its continued development. Moreover, Apple often uses the iWork suite as a demonstration of how they think productivity apps should look on the Mac and iOS.

Today Apple released updates for all of the iWork suite applications for both OS X and iOS. Some of these updates are simple fixes for new features in the hardware and operating systems, like the ability to use split screen mode on the Mac or 3-D Touch on the new iPhone, but other bits show continuing development. For instance, Pages for the Mac got some improved AppleScript tools and added several new Apple designed templates. I don’t believe Apple would be putting development time in to templates and AppleScript support for Pages if it had given up on the application.

You can download the updates through the iOS and OS X app stores. Check it out.

20 Minutes with the New Apple Magic Keyboard

I had to go into the Apple store today to get my MacBook checked out. I’m having some issues with the spacebar sticking. Ironically, while I was there I was able to try the new Apple Magic Keyboard. 

I use the existing Bluetooth keyboard with my iMac every day and I was curious to see how the new keyboard stacks up against the old one.

The new keyboard is lighter than the existing one. I’m guessing that has a lot to do with chucking the battery barrel that runs along the back of the existing Bluetooth keyboard. Using a molded battery let’s Apple get rid of a lot of weight.

The new keyboard now charges through a lightning port on the back of the keyboard. Attaching the keyboard directly to your iMac lets the keyboard charge and pair. It’s all pretty slick and since most people have a lightning cable hanging off their iMac already, much more convenient then my usual routine of rotating the rechargeable batteries.

Another improvement is the on/off switch. In the existing keyboard, whether or not the device is turned on is always a bit of a mystery. You need to long press on the power button (located on the opposite side of the battery access cover) and that either results in the device turning on or turning off. The trouble is you don’t know until you try. The new keyboard has a switch. The slider background shows green if it’s on and red if it’s off. That’s much better.

Typing on the new keyboard I couldn’t tell any difference from the existing keyboard. Apple explained they’ve done additional work to improve the scissor switches to have 33% more stability and I have no doubt that they have but it felt pretty similar to me. One nice improvement is that the function keys now are full-size instead of half size on the existing keyboard.

Removal of the battery barrel also allows the keyboard to be slightly flatter. This reduces the angle of the keys off the table and is probably ergonomically better. Again, after using the existing Bluetooth keyboard every day and now trying out the new Apple Magic Keyboard, couldn’t tell a difference.

Overall, the new keyboard seems an improvement in just about every way. I’m not sure if it’s worth replacing my existing keyboard but because I am weak, I will probably at some point in the future do so anyway. Regardless, going forward, the new Apple Magic Keyboard is better than the old one.

One final point is the branding. Notice how it’s called the Apple Magic Keyboard and not the Macintosh Magic Keyboard or just Magic Keyboard? I think this is one more example of the recent trend where Apple is putting it’s own name into product branding.

As an aside, while I was at the Apple Store I also got to try the new Magic mouse which felt exactly the same as my old Magic mouse at home except for removal of the battery compartment and instead placing a lightning adapter (strangely on the bottom of the mouse) for the built-in recharging. The Apple Store didn’t have any of the new Apple Magic Trackpads for me to try.

The Retina iMac: One Year In

My fancy retina iMac is now a year old and Apple has just released an update. I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my thoughts about the 27 inch retina iMac.

When I purchased it a year ago, I had no idea that I was going to be leaving my job and opening my own law practice a few months later. I originally thought of the iMac as a luxury item and I understood I would not be using it all the time. That has changed. I now use this computer many hours every day.

You pay a premium to have a screen this gorgeous. I know in the future this technology will be standard, and cheaper, but for now, retina screens on big computers are still expensive. The question I’m exploring after a year is , was it worth it?

I have always been a resolution junkie. There was a time many years ago when choosing a computer monitor required you to decide if you wanted color or sharp resolution. You couldn’t have both. Monochrome monitors rendered text better and since most of what I did on computers even back then involved text, I was more likely to go for the sharp monochrome monitor over the blurry color monitor.

Now I’m fortunate enough to have both. If sharp text and beautiful color are a “thing” for you, you are going to love a retina iMac. Just like in my youth, I use this screen mostly for words. I write books, legal briefs, and even notes to friends using a screen that renders text in printed magazine quality. Every few months I go to do some maintenance on my kids’ MacBook Airs and the blocky resolution hurts my eyes. You can’t see pixels with a retina screen and that makes all of the difference. 

The screen of this caliber isn’t, however, just for text. Photos look amazing. Games pop. Video looks great and sharp, even when you only give the video half the screen so you can work in the other half. Pixels=flexibility. If this stuff is a big deal to you and you’re trying to save money, my advice is to stay away from looking at one of these retina iMacs.

With 27 inches of retina goodness, it is quite easy to have a lot of data open on your screen at one time. (There’s probably a separate post in exactly how I pull that off.) I’ve not been tempted at all for a second screen.

So after using this computer for a year I can attest that the screen remains awesome and drool-worthy. That probably isn’t much of a surprise.

The rest of the machine is no slouch either. I sprung for SSD storage when I purchased it. It stung when I had to pay for it but it’s been real nice every time I use it. For storage, I additionally have a Drobo G3 attached via USB 3. I keep the iTunes library and other cold storage on the Drobo but managed to keep the rest of my key data on the iMac’s SSD, including my Photos library.

This iMac replaced a six-year-old iMac and one thing I do miss is the inclusion of an optical drive. Not often, but on occasion a bit of optical data lands in my life and getting it into the system now requires me to track down the external optical drive that we share among the family. I understand the trade-off for getting rid of the optical drive was making the computer thinner and lighter (which are noble goals, particularly for portable computers). However, since installing the iMac on my desk, I’ve had no occasion to spin it on its side or lift it except when trying to plug something into a USB port, which are located on the back because of said thinness. In my case, I’d happily trade a little more weight and thickness to get an optical drive back.

There is so much to love about this computer. It is fast, quiet, and reliable. But above all, it has a gorgeous screen that I spend many hours a day looking at. Although it was my biggest technology purchase in several years, I don’t regret it in the slightest.

Steve Jobs Screening on October 15

I'm not particularly excited about the new Aaron Sorkin movie on Steve Jobs. I don't think the book that the movie is based on is very good and while I'm sure the movie will be full of drama, I can't help but think the movie will make a lot of the same mistakes as the book. Nevertheless, I still want to see it. This Thursday, October 15, I'm going to go see the movie along with Adam Christianson from The MacCast and Victor Cajiao from the TerraTech podcast in Irvine California. If you're in the neighborhood and want to watch it with some fellow nerds, join us. Afterwards, we'll probably find a local bar to discuss the movie. You can get tickets at Fandango here.

Sponsor: OmniPlan 3 for the Mac

This week MacSparky is sponsored by OmniPlan 3 for the Mac

It has been four years since the last major update to OmniPlan and the recent release of version 3 is a doozy. OmniPlan brings the usual level of Omni-style attention to detail to a project planning application. 

Like versions before, you can easily set up an outline and turn it into a Gantt chart. I use this with project planning in my day job and share the charts with clients. It lets everyone know when to expect things to start happening. As with every other Omni Group productivity application, everything looks gorgeous.

The new version includes a substantial number of brand new power features starting with network diagrams, which do a fine job of pushing my nerd buttons. With the network diagram, you can see the visual flow of your project and make connections and adjustments.

With the Pro version you get a multi-project dashboard that lets you track now only one but many projects going on in your company at the same time. The Pro version also has a reports feature that lets you see where things are working and not working. They've also added Monte Carlo simulation, which lets you run your project through different scenarios to see how it impacts the project outcome. It's powerful stuff and it's now in OmniPlan 3 for the Mac.

I've been using OmniPlan for some time and am going to start covering it in more detail here to explain where I can make it work for me. Learn more at the OmniPlan website. 

Jazz Friday: Phil Woods at the Village Vanguard

Alto Saxophonist Phil Woods was an animal. I saw him for the first time in the late 70’s and it changed the way I thought about the saxophone forever. Phil played so fast and hard that it reminded me of a running out of control and always about to fall on my face. But Phil never fell down. 

Some called him the “New Bird” because of the way he played so intensely like Charlie Parker. (He also was married to Bird’s widow.) I always thought of him as the jazz-hippie because I was introduced to him during his long-hair phase. For awhile, Phil lived in France and recorded avant-garde jazz with a group called the European Rhythm Machine. (A nice example of this music is their song, Chromatic Banana.) By the 70’s, Phil moved back to the United States, returned to more straight ahead jazz, and got a haircut.

Phil also played sax for many popular artists including Billy Joel and Paul Simon. Whether playing upbeat or a ballad, Phil Woods always played intensely. My pick, his Live at the Village Vanguard is on iTunes and features him powering through Webb City and equally nailing a ballad as only Phil could in Prelude to a Kiss. Like a lot of jazz artists, the best Phil Woods recordings are those made before a live audience.

Phil passed away last week at the age of 83. The below video is of Phil playing in Lincoln Center a few years ago. Even in his 80’s Phil Woods still could swing his ass off.

My Home Screen: iOS 9 Edition

While I'm usually featuring someone else's home screen, with the release of iOS 9 and a few other developments, I thought I'd share my own home screen today. So, here goes.

My home screen is always in motion. For example, the Notes app is currently in my dock because I'm still testing it as a potential full-time notes solution. Camera is likewise in the dock because the 3D touch buttons on the Photos application icon make keeping the app on my home screen suddenly relevant again. Audible is another example. I don't usually keep it on the home screen but I've been listening to James Corey's Expanse Series so I want quick access.

Drafts is still a thing for me. Even with iOS 9, I like the ability to start dictating text with one press. I also admire the way Drafts keeps evolving to take advantage of new iOS features. It's now 3D touch-friendly.

Unread is under new management but still manages to hold onto the whimsey that makes it my RSS tool of choice.

About two months ago, I got tired of looking at Tweetbot on the iPad and switched over to the native Twitter app. About the time I started figuring out the official app, Tweetbot released its new version with much better iPad support and I went back without thinking twice.

1Password is another application that I like to keep on my home screen. I've got so much data in there and want easy access. Secure notes are a great feature in 1Password if you want to keep something important behind a separate security wall.

I haven't decided if the App Store deserves to be on home screen but with all the post-iOS 9 app updates, it's going to stay there for at least the next month.

The strangest development is that my home screen is now my only screen. Katie Floyd made the suggestion in a recent episode of Mac Power Users. She split all her additional apps into just 4 folders. I tried it and was skeptical at first but I think I'm sold. The folders are Productivity, Reference, Utility, and Fun, I've put the most frequently used apps in each category in that first page and I can now get to my favorite apps without swiping away from the home screen.

My wallpaper is another thing constantly in motion. The current one is a picture of a gray brick wall that I like (for now).

If I were in charge at Apple, I'd continue to give iOS more power-user features. I understand how they want to keep things simple but as iOS evolves, the operating system needs more power tools. 3D Touch is a great start. It's easy to use and easily ignorable. More of that please.


Fantastical for iOS 2.5

This week the other penny dropped for Fantastical. On the heals of their Mac update comes Fantastical for iOS 2.5. There's a long list of updates and new features including things like 3D Touch on the new iPhones and multitasking. 

For me, the big story here is the Apple Watch app. It's always looked better than the native Calendar app but also been hampered by the fact it's not a native application. It is now. The native app is much faster, now includes a Fantastical complication, and retains that clean Fantastical design. I've switched all my calendar complications over to the new Fantastical.

Apple Maps in 2015

Poor Apple Maps. It has been the whipping boy of the Internet for several years. Here is my favorite shot at Apple Maps from last season’s Silicon Valley.

Scene from HBO's Silicon Valley. I do not own the rights.

For the first year after Apple Maps released, I kept Google maps on my home screen. However, after that Apple Maps improved enough to work for me. Moreover, the killer feature with Apple Maps is the Siri integration. I can be driving down the road, press the button for Siri and say “get directions home” or “get directions to Hippieland Granola Factory” and Siri does the rest of the work for me. It looks it up, opens the location in Apple Maps, and then initiates directions. This has saved my bacon plenty.

I still think this is a function of where you live. With me being in California, I suspect the Apple Maps problems got fixed a lot sooner than it would for someone who lives somewhere more remote. Nevertheless, if you gave up hope in Apple Maps, you should go look at it again. How-to Geek just did a comparison of the two services and found Apple and Google maps were a lot closer than they expected.

Sponsor: Automatic →

This week I'm pleased to welcome back Automatic to MacSparky. Automatic is a device  that plugs into your car's OBD-II port. (Just about every car made since 1996 has one.) The Automatic then has access to your vehicle's data and connects via BlueTooth to your iPhone.

In a lot of ways, the Automatic makes your dumb car a smart car. Last week I spent several days driving around for the day job and needed to keep track of my mileage. That is no problem with the Automatic. It knows where I start and where I finish and gives me extremely accurate data on my iPhone and on their website. 

There is a lot more you can do with the Automatic including:

  • Get extremely accurate data about fuel efficiency, trip distance, gas used, and other performance metrics.
  • Get notifications when your car's fuel level is getting low.
  • Get explanations of any alarms or other events your car reports. No longer do you need to visit a mechanic when you get a cryptic light on your dashboard.
  • Detect when the vehicle has been in a significant accident and call you, your loved ones, and emergency support.
  • Get driving feedback when you are accelerating too fast, braking too hard, and otherwise doing silly things behind the wheel.

Automatic truly lets you geek out your ride. I purchased Automatic not only for my own car, but my wife and daughter's cars as well so if they are in an accident, I know about it immediately.

There is no subscription fee. Once you buy your Automatic, you're good to go. Moreover, they are giving 20% off to MacSparky readers. Use this link and the usual price of $100 drops to $80. I use my Automatic every time I step in my car. I bet you would too.

∞

Self Driving Cars

Matt Honan, who's at Buzzfeed these days, got to go for a ride in a Google car.

“A future without human drivers is a long, long way off. But we’ll get there. No matter what you think. No matter what you hope. No matter how you feel about it. Because the efficient, unemotional, necessary logic of cars that operate without human error and instability is unquestionable.”

Matt further explains how the Google cars, now with a combined 3 million driving miles under their belts, are sharing the same brain and, in essence, learn from each other's mistakes. While that sounds creepy, I am all for self-driving cars. In the past week alone, I've seen a driver do her makeup on the freeway and another driver shaving while blowing through an intersection. Setting aside the legions of bad drivers, wouldn't it be nice if you could spend your commute time getting some work done or (even better) taking a nap? Once all this sorts out, sign me up.

(Thanks Daring Fireball for pointing me at the linked article.)

Home Screens: Brian Sutich

Brian Sutich (Twitter) is a huge Apple guy who writes over at TheAppFactor.com and Sutich.org. Brian’s a man of many hats as a dad, musician, and audio engineer. So Brian, show us your home screen.

My homescreen is a little crazy, but it has a method to its madness. I try to put my most used apps where I can reach them, and I use Spotlight search so much, that it almost doesn’t matter where the icons are at this point.

What are some of your favorite apps?

I’ve installed 1Password on every device I own, and that coupled with TextExpander are auto-installs I couldn’t live without because of how much time they save me.

Speaking of time-savers, Slack came out of nowhere and now I’m subscribed to multiple channels. I enjoy it a heck of a lot more than email, and I’ve met some great folks through using it. 

I left Spotify this year for Apple Music, and I haven’t had any of the problems yet (fingers crossed) that people have complained about. I love Apple Music because of their catalog, Beats 1, and the curation. I have big hopes for the app as it gets updated. 

For photography I use a combination of Obscura to take photos, and Pixelmator to edit them. Those apps are so powerful at this point, that they truly feel desktop-class. 

For journaling and trying to figure life out, I’m using Day One. I love the design on both iOS and OS X. I try to journal as much as possible and I’ve found it has had a huge positive impact on my life. 

I’m also using Paprika for collecting recipes I’m looking to try and cook. I haven’t burned anything yet!

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

It has to be a tie between Tweetbot and Overcast. I check Twitter more than I’d like to admit and Tweetbot has been my favorite client on iOS and OS X. I’m subscribed to tons of podcasts in Overcast (so I can listen to alllll the great shows), and some months I listen to more podcasts than I do music. I can’t wait for the update to Overcast, but I also have my eye on what’ll happen with the new version of Castro.

What app makes you most productive?

For getting stuff done, it’s a combination of Fantastical, Todoist and Due. Each app gives me something different for long term, medium, and short term tasks I have to get done. 

On the writing side, I’d say it’s a combination of Editorial, Blink, and Clips. All great apps that help me put together an article right on my iPhone.

Finally, Nike +, Pedometer ++ and Get Moving have all helped me in my quest to get in shape. I just finished my first 10K this month! 

What app do you know you’re underutilizing?

Definitely Pythonista. I know it’s a powerhouse, and I’m trying to learn the language a bit every day. Slowly but surely I’m using it more and more. I need to read more Dr. Drang!

How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPad?

Quite a bit. I love my 128 GB iPhone, and I guess you could call me an app hoarder. At the time of this post, my installed app count was nearing 700 apps. I’m always looking to try something new to see what sticks.

What Today View widgets are you using and why?

I’m using a bunch. Some of my favorites are Launcher, which I use to launch directions to home, Shazam a song, open Apple Music and more. I also use Carrot Weather, which has a detailed and good looking forecast. I use Clips and Drafts to manipulate text. I use Shipments to track anything headed to my house, and I use Today Steps to see my step count info.

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPad?

My favorite feature is that it truly has become a mini computer that allows me to do just about anything. While the iPhone and iPad haven’t replaced my Mac yet, they’re not far off from being able to handle anything you throw at them.

What’s your wallpaper and why?

It’s an amazing Empire Strikes Back movie poster zoomed in. It combines both my love of Star Wars and the color orange. (Two gold stars to Brian! -David)

Anything else you’d like to share?

Apple devices have literally changed my life. It’s so great we can share what makes us productive and happy. Thanks so much for having me, it’s an honor!

Thanks Brian!