Creator of Fineliner, Overcast, and Unforgetful. Previously Tumblr and Instapaper.
New York
Joined March 2008
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I made a demo-recording mode for myself that renders a 3D Pencil and shadow, in real time, based on the real reported tilt and rotation angles from the Pencil Pro.
Auto-shape recognition in Fineliner:
Draw any shape, line, curve, or squiggle, but at the end of the stroke, don't lift up your pen/finger — just hold it there.
It'll autocorrect into a shape. And you can then drag to adjust its size before lifting up.
It hasn't been available on Mini until the latest one that comes out next week.
I've tried nanotexture with Pencil on the iPad Pro, and I expect it to be the same on the Mini. Basically:
- iPad nanotexture is a BIT better than glass for Pencil, and screen clarity only suffers a little
- PaperLike/Astropad feel MUCH better than nanotexture, but screen clarity suffers more
- iPhone Duo inner texture is better than both, yet screen clarity only suffers about as much as iPad nanotexture
It's the first thing my teenage son did.
(He drew the entire Minecraft-enchanting-table alphabet. Which, of course, he already knew.)
My favorite is an iPad Mini with a PaperLike film:
amazon.com/dp/B0FN93QXKS/?ta…
…and this great Pitaka case for holding the Pencil:
amazon.com/dp/B0DLWF2LPS/?ta…
PaperLike also makes a nice folio case for the 11" iPad Pro, pictured here between the Pitaka and a reMarkable 2.
This is literally how I made the first version of the Fineliner settings screen. I drew this, screenshotted it, and told Claude to build it like this.
It got remarkably close on its first try. I only did minor corrections.
Marco Arment retweeted
Without question, @marcoarment 's new Fineliner app is the most delightful thing I've reviewed in a long time. It's also a pretty good notes app, but that's only part of the point.
inc.com/jason-aten/marco-arm…
Marco Arment retweeted
simslim is pretty nice for restricting runaway simulator RAM github.com/MobAI-App/simslim
Lots of people are recommending powerful desktops to run coding agents, remote-controlled from anywhere with lower-spec laptops.
What's the move with doing iOS development on locally connected devices with such a setup?
Brett is (inadvertently) showing off a hidden Fineliner feature here:
Long-press the toolbar, and you can drag it to any screen edge!
The hardest part was rotation.
Specifically, how to give the best experience of a notebook that can be held in any orientation. What should happen?
I tried every solution, and one was CLEARLY the best in real-world testing:
The notebook pages don't rotate. Your tools do.
Fineliner, my delightful notebook app for your iPad, iPhone, and iPhone Duo, is out now in the App Store!
Definitely the most fun I’ve ever had making an app. I hope you enjoy it. :)
Best on iPhone Duo and iPad. Apple Pencil recommended!
apps.apple.com/us/app/fineli…
Still waiting for app review. Soon, hopefully!
Is Fineliner App by @marcoarment out yet?
Listened to ATP and (of course!) wanted to check out Marco’s new app. Unfortunately, the AppStore tells me it is not available in my region (which is Germany).
Now I am wondering: Isn’t it approved yet or is it limited to the U.S.?
Based on its current trajectory, I expect Overcast to have more iPhone Duo users than iPhone Air users within a week… two, tops.
Thanks! Honestly, iPhone day was one of the hardest without a tech community.
Not just because I couldn't post my dumb hot takes, but more because I had nowhere to learn all of the little tidbits and details that everyone finds in the tech specs, APIs, etc. after the event.
I was completely in the dark.
