Tag: interface
Gmail’s new interface is here to stay
Gmail’s permanent switch that moves everyone over to a new integrated view starts this month.
In a blog post published on Tuesday, Google announced it’s getting rid of the option to revert back to the previous Gmail UI, so we’re all just going to have to get used to the bubbly — and very blue — interface. That includes its Material Design 3 font and Google Sans Text.
Google calls Gmail’s new layout the “integrated” view because it comes with options for Mail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet on the far-left sidebar. While hovering over these buttons reveals a small pop-out menu, clicking on them makes the app fill the whole screen.
In case you find the extra buttons distracting, you can disable Meet and Chat from your Settings menu. This saves…
Instagram won’t make an iPad app, but its web interface is getting better
Instagram’s CEO has made it clear that an iPad app isn’t a huge priority for the company, but it is at least doing something to make the big-screen experience better. Some people, including a few members of The Verge’s staff, have started noticing a slightly redesigned version of Instagram for the web, which features a navigation sidebar with links to pages like search, explore, messages, and notifications instead of having those as unlabeled buttons at the top.
The design is relatively similar to how Twitter is laid out and definitely seems more at home on a bigger screen — you get more info about what the buttons are and what they do, and the options to access settings, your saved posts, or the ability to switch accounts have been…
Apple’s new iCloud web interface is much more useful than before
iCloud has been available on the web for a long time, but you might not have rushed to use it given a basic and sometimes clunky interface. You might have a reason to give it another look, though. Apple has introduced a beta iCloud web client that presents far more info at a glance, with a customizable tile layout that reflects your priorities. It’s easier to switch between apps thanks to launchers on the home page and menu bar, and you can quickly start tasks (such as writing email or adding calendar events) thanks to another menu option.
The revamp also improves access to iCloud+ features like custom email domains and Hide My Email. And if you’re panicking at the thought of lost info, a “Data Recovery” tool will help you reclaim bookmarks, calendars, contacts and iCloud Drive files deleted within the last 30 days. Except for iCloud Drive, you can restore from specific moments in time. Some features still need to be controlled through Apple hardware, including Family Sharing, HomeKit Secure Video and Private Relay.
Apple hasn’t said when the new iCloud web interface might leave beta testing. We’ve asked the company for comment and will let you know if we hear back. However, the tech firm pitches this as an upgrade for customers whose only Apple product might be an iPhone — you can more readily access content and manage services through your Windows PC’s browser.
This redesign probably won’t persuade Android users to switch, and the individual web apps haven’t changed much. The beta may encourage you to stick to the Apple ecosystem, though. Combined with web access to services like Music and TV+, it also shows that Apple is eager to court users who can’t (or just don’t want to) run dedicated apps on their platforms of choice.
Apogee Boom brings its DSP-powered plugins to a budget-friendly audio interface
You might know Apogee for its pocketable headphone or guitar interfaces. Or maybe its microphones. But ask a bedroom producer and most will tell you they know the company for its audio interfaces and software tools. Today, the company unveils the Boom ($300), a new 24-bit/192kHz desktop audio interface with both studio and mobile creators in mind.
Like the popular Duet series, the Boom incorporates a dedicated hardware DSP so it can run Apogee’s Symphony ECS channel strip plugin directly on the interface. This can help take a load off of your CPU and also help reduce latency. DSP-enabled interfaces aren’t uncommon, but the Boom is considerably cheaper than most entry-level offerings with similar onboard hardware. A copy of the ECS plugin comes bundled in with the Boom via the companion software. You’ll also be able to pick up a “native” (separate/DAW-friendly) copy for half-off – $50 – when you register the device.
The Boom has a pretty standard 2-in/2-out configuration with one XLR-combi input and one 1/4-inch input for instruments. For outputs there’s a pair of 1/4-inch outputs and a headphone jack around the back. The rear placement of a headphone connection always seems a little unhelpful as you fumble trying to find the port, especially if you use your headphones for other things so end up doing this often. There is a gap at the base of the Boom you can feed the cable under which makes things a little neater, but a port on the front seems more practical.
Fortunately, the Boom is USB-powered so there’s no need for a separate power supply. There is iOS compatibility, too, but given the USB port does double-duty for data and power, this is limited to the iPad Pro as the iPhone won’t be able to drive it, even with a camera-connection kit. Of course, a full-size interface like this doesn’t make much sense for a phone anyway, but in case you were wondering, now you know.
While there’s only one XLR input, the pre-amps are plenty loud enough and can drive hungry microphones like the SM7b easily. Using the Symphony plugin’s EQ and compressor allows you to fine tune that sound (whatever the mic/instrument). There are a bunch of presets that should cover the most popular recording scenarios, but you can obviously EQ and compress things to your own personal preference, too.
For musicians, this can really help you perfect a mix without having to interfere with any plugins you might have running in your DAW. But for podcasters and streamers in particular it means you can control how your voice sounds without a DAW or other host application running at all — your mic simply presents the EQ’d signal as the standard output. For now it’s only Apogee’s ECS channel strip that will work with the Boom, though the company confirmed it’s entirely possible for its other plugins to be brought over to the DSP side of things.
Apogee’s desktop products often feature a sleek design and the Boom is no different. The purple-colored steel casing gives it some reassuring heft while the single rotary dial is a neat solution to controlling multiple things (two channels of gain and two effects).
At $300, it’s a shade over some of the most popular interfaces like the Scarlett 2i2 and UA Volt – both of which come in under $200. However, with that DSP Apogee might be pitching this as a simpler alternative to the like of the Apollo Solo ($499) also from Universal Audio or the MOTU UltraLite-MK5 ($595).
Minecraft interface survey suggests future changes to the UI
The Minecraft interface is, most likely, not something you really think about. Oftentimes with games, especially ones that have been around as long as this primo sandbox game, people just accept that a user interface is how it is, but that could all be changing soon.
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Why I Hate Google’s New Search Interface
Humans are creatures of habit, so when something you use daily changes, it throws everything off. That’s what’s happening right now, which is why I’m not a fan of the new Google Search bar menu buttons.
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Gigabyte Aorus tease its fastest NVMe SSD yet with PCIe 5.0 interface
Gigabyte Aorus are the latest to join a growing number of manufacturers in teasing their next generation NVMe SSD products, which promise to be much faster than currently available devices thanks to the PCIe 5.0 interface. While the company is yet to share many details about its upcoming storage solution, it has shared some internal benchmarks and one image of the M.2 drive.
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