Have you been giving Apple News+ a try? Julio Ojeda-Zapata is too, and he has some reservations about paying $120 per year for the service. Those who are buying a new Mac or getting a Mac repaired take note—Apple has dropped the $99 fee for migrating your data from an old machine. If you’re looking for an easier way to initiate communications with your contacts in iOS, check out the new Cardhop, which offers a radical rethinking of how you work with contacts. Finally, people who worry about accidentally deleting or corrupting Google-hosted data in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Drive will have to search for a new backup solution, since CloudPull is being discontinued soon—we suggest some alternatives. Notable Mac app releases this week include Typinator 7.9, CleanMyMac X 4.4, and Tinderbox 8.0.
As of 2 April 2019, Apple has eliminated the $99 fee for migrating user data to a newly purchased or repaired Mac.
Due to security-related changes in Google’s permissions, Golden Hill Software has discontinued the CloudPull utility for making local backups of data in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Drive.
The new Apple News+ service seems like a bonanza for news junkies and magazine aficionados who get access to nearly 300 periodicals for just $9.99 a month. But would-be subscribers need to take a close look before plunking down money because Apple News+ still has a few issues.
Looking for a faster and easier way to start phone calls, text conversations, or email messages with people in your contacts list? Cardhop for iOS from Flexibits brings the Mac version’s speed and elegance to the iPhone and iPad. Adam Engst takes a look.
Watchlist
Provides bug fixes and new versions of the predefined English and TidBITS auto-correction sets. (€24.99 new, free update, 6.7 MB)
Adds the Space Lens visual storage analysis feature. ($89.95 new, free update, 44.2 MB)
Major upgrade for the note-taking assistant and information manager adds new features to help you visualize and analyze your data. ($249 new, free update, 33.7 MB)