By Jason Snell

January 4, 2023 1:36 PM PT

Tuning in to the Channels app

Note: This story has not been updated since 2023.

Though I had heard a lot about Channels from various people—mostly Casey Liss—I never really thought it would be relevant to me. Channels is a server that runs on a device in your house and records TV shows to your hard drive, which you then play back via a web browser or the Channels app on your mobile device or TV streamer box.

In short, Channels is largely intended for people who want to build their own DVR by connecting a local device to an over-the-air antenna or a box containing a CableCard. I don’t get over-the-air channels and cut the cord in 2021—so it was never really on my radar.

Funny thing about that. A few weeks ago, after a month-long free trial, I signed up for an $80 annual subscription to Channels. It’s that good. Let me explain how I’m using it.

TV Everywhere and Virtual Channels

The moment when Channels became instantly relevant to me was when I discovered that it supports TV Everywhere, a system where you provide your credentials from your cable, satellite, or over-the-top streaming provider and gain access to live streams of some cable channels directly from the channel provider itself.

Using the TV Everywhere support built into Channels, I could authenticate with FuboTV and give Channels access to more than 150 different streams, including my local broadcast channels. Channels can tune these streams in without using anything but my Fubo login, and I can view or record them within Channels. Recordings are saved to the hard drive of the Mac mini I’m using to run the Channels server and can be played back later. (Unfortunately, not all cable channels support TV Everywhere, but most of the ones I watch do.)

The next revelation was when I discovered Channels’ Virtual Channels feature. Using existing recordings you have—I used the contents of my Plex library, which integrated easily with Channels—you can program faux “linear” channels yourself.

I realize Virtual Channels may seem like a perplexing concept when I’ve got access to any episode of any show, or any movie, for playback via Plex itself. But sometimes you don’t want to pick something specific. Sometimes you want that old-school feeling of serendipity or randomness that you used to get when you flipped on the TV to see what was on. Streaming services are realizing this—there are now a bunch of streaming linear channels programmed like TV stations of old for this very reason.

But Channels lets you use your video archive to build linear stations of your own. So I created Miyazaki+, which shuffles through my entire library of the works of Hayao Miyazaki. When I tune in Miyazaki+, I’ll get something by or related to the great Japanese animation director, but I won’t know what. (Right now, it’s showing “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, followed by “Porco Rosso.”) I’ve got channels devoted to Marvel, Star Trek, Doctor Who, “NewsRadio”, “MASH”, and “Stargate SG-1.”

Now, these channels aren’t really streaming live, 24/7. Instead, Channels builds a schedule based on rules you set, including whether you want shows to run linearly, shuffle randomly, or appear in “mini-marathons.” When you tune to a virtual channel, Channels drops you into the show that’s been scheduled for that particular time—and the stream begins. You can back up to the beginning of the movie or episode or just take it where you came in and watch through the next couple of episodes as they appear.

It’s really a clever idea. I love it.

Where Channels wins out

So why should I care about getting a subset of my Fubo-provided channels inside the Channels app? After all, doesn’t Fubo offer a cloud DVR feature and access to my TV content wherever I go?

Wellll…. sort of. There are a bunch of catches. First, cloud DVRs just can’t offer the same latency that playing back a file that’s sitting on a hard drive on your home network can. When I want to skip commercials in “Jeopardy!” on Fubo, I’m awkwardly battling streaming lag and latency. The jumps and seeking in the Channels DVR are instantaneous, like I’m back using my TiVo.

Also, there’s the fact that the shows I record on Channels are resident on my hard drive—and I can save them forever. There are no storage limits other than the size of my drives, and if I want to take a movie and copy it to my Plex library to keep forever, I can.

Then there’s the issue of region changes. When I leave the Bay Area, Fubo knows it—and it adjust itself accordingly. When I was visiting my mom in Arizona over Christmas vacation, the 49ers game was on back home—but in Arizona, they were showing a different NFL game. And Fubo would only show me Arizona local channels, since that’s where I was.

Here’s the clever part: My Channels server was back home, in the Bay Area. And it could tune in the 49ers game on my local Fox affiliate, which I could then stream back to my iPad in Arizona. (Or pretty much anywhere else.) Changes in region don’t matter with Channels so long as your server is in the right region.

And then there’s the truth that sometimes these over-the-top streaming services are unreliable. The other day, Fubo got really laggy and slow for a few hours. I have no idea why! I got frustrated with it and switched to watching the football game on Channels (via TV Anywhere, which you’ll remember isn’t served by Fubo but by the original source of the programming). It worked like a charm. (Yes, I could probably also have used the Fox Sports app, the Paramount+ app, or the ESPN app.)

Worth it to me

Quite frankly, just the ability to reliably DVR the few linear TV shows I watch that are unavailable (or delayed) on streaming was enough for me to pay for Channels. The Virtual Channels feature is a delightful bonus.

The Channels apps are really good, too. I’ve been relying on the tvOS app for a few months now, and it’s got a solid interface and is remarkably responsive. The iOS app is similarly good. (I do wish the Channels commercial-skip detection feature was a little more accurate, though.)

This isn’t an app that’s for everyone, but if you’re like me—or, even more, if you’re still using cable or an over-the-air antenna to watch TV—Channels can help bring everything you want to watch into one place.

By Dan Moren

January 3, 2023 9:30 AM PT

Miss Dark Sky? CARROT Weather has you (cloud) covered

Note: This story has not been updated since 2023.

January 1st, 2023 has come and gone, and with it the demise of my weather app of choice, Dark Sky. Goodbye, old friend, you will be missed!

But when Apple closes a door, it opens a space on your home screen. Opportunity awaits! It’s been a long time since a new contender got a shot at some prime real estate on my iPhone.

Despite my allegiance to Dark Sky, I’ve stayed in the weather app game. Over the last several years, I’ve downloaded and tried a number competitors and while none had dethroned Dark Sky, there were a couple others in heavy rotation. Apple’s iOS 16 Weather app is significantly improved on previous versions, though it still seems to prioritize flashy form over function (see “animated weather graphics that take up a big chunk of the screen”). Say what you will about Dark Sky, but its interface was simple and straightforward.

CARROT Weather has been my other go-to app, thanks largely to its incredible power and versatility. So when I saw my old Macworld colleague Chris Breen¹ point out that you can actually recreate Dark Sky’s interface in CARROT Weather, well, my interest was piqued, to say the least.

There are, however, some caveats. I’ve been a CARROT Weather subscriber for many years and am still on one of its older (no longer available) subscription plans.² While that does get me access to many of the app’s features, some are reserved for the more expensive tiers. So, for example, I can still get access to the radar via the toolbar, but I can’t put a little radar widget on my CARROT Weather home screen, à la Dark Sky. For that, I’d need to pungle up $30 per year, or $50 for the family plan. I think I’m okay without it for the moment.

To do this for yourself, open up CARROT Weather, go to Settings > Layout > Layout Gallery and choose the Inline style. Give it a name—oh, I don’t, know maybe, “Dark Ski”?—and you’re done. From there you can customize the layout further if you’d like.

For me, the result is close enough: it apes Dark Sky’s easy-to-read vertical chart of the hour-by-hour forecast, including a pop-up menu that lets you choose from temperature, precipitation, UV, and so on. I was also able to customize it a bit further, adding a summary line to give me the day’s high and low temperatures, as well as including CARROT’s trademark snarky robot for my own amusement. And, of course, CARROT already provides precipitation alerts, one of Dark Sky’s best features, and even uses the new Live Activities API to put them on your home screen.

Should I have used this opportunity to try something different, maybe find something better? Perhaps! But I’m a creature of habit, and this creature likes to know what the weather’s going to be like at a glance, without having to work too hard. I’ll keep playing with Apple’s Weather app, too—it remains a solid contender, but it still has some work to do. Maybe in iOS 17.

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors, as well as an author, podcaster, and two-time Jeopardy! champion. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His next novel, the sci-fi adventure Eternity's Tomb, will be released in November 2026.]

By Scott McNulty

January 2, 2023 12:44 PM PT

Kindle Scribe review: Big, beautiful, and… buttonless?

Note: This story has not been updated since 2023.

I like big books, and I cannot lie. Trade paperbacks and hardcovers are my preferred format when it comes to physical books. Admittedly, they do not offer the best reading experience anywhere other than in a nice comfy chair. (Yes, sometimes I have to leave the confines of my home. I don’t like it.)

This preference extends into ereaders as well. I’ve always been a fan of the Kindle, though the folks at Amazon seem to think that the “paperback” size is the way to go. I assume this is based on the fact that very few people bought their previous giant Kindle variants: DX and DX Graphite (I have both, and I really liked them. If only they had chopped off the keyboard, they might have created my ideal Kindle. Hey, wait a minute…).

Enter the $339 Kindle Scribe. There’s now a market for note-taking tablets, and it would seem Amazon would like to dominate it. While the Kindle DX was sold as a Kindle that you could take notes with, it really sucked at taking notes. Can the Kindle Scribe improve on that experience?

Well, it would be hard-pressed to do worse… and I have to say the note-taking aspect of the Kindle Scribe is the least interesting thing about it to me. And yet I bought one immediately.

Why? That glorious screen. This is the best Kindle screen I’ve ever read on—I’ve read four books on it so far—and I’ve used a few Kindle screens in my day. I could list all the tech specs, but I’m not going to because they don’t matter to me¹. I’ll just say that the crispness combined with the even lighting and size make it a joy to read on.

If you’ve read anything on a Kindle, imagine that slightly crisper and much bigger. Nice, isn’t it?

Now, I know there will be people who say, “I don’t want to lug around a giant ereader, Scott.” To them, I say, “You shouldn’t!” This product really isn’t for everyone. If you want to pocket your Kindle when you’re out and about, you’ll either need to get massive pockets or embrace disappointment.

I brought the Scribe along on my commute, and I was worried that it might be uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time. I found it well-balanced, and best of all, it didn’t feel like I was holding a novelty-sized Kindle.

The Amazon folio cover is a nice addition and allows you to fold back a bit and stand the Scribe up or have it pitched at an angle (there’s only one angle, which is a shame, but that one angle works for me). It does take a bit of getting used to folding the cover the way it is meant to be folded. It just didn’t work the way my brain thought it should—though, to be fair, very few things do. Also, the cover sort of overhangs the sides of the Kindle for some reason. I’m guessing that’s so the power button is protected from errant collusions. I don’t like how that looks, but I hardly ever notice it, and I would like the Kindle turning off and on in my bag even less.

The Scribe feels solid and well-made. There’s none of that creaky cheap plastic feel that you might find with other ereader top models. The power button’s action is satisfying, and while the placement was a worry for me before using it (on the side of the Kindle instead of the top), in practice, it has made no difference.

Right below that power button is a USB-C port. USB-C charging is welcome and means I can responsibly recycle most of my micro-USB cables and remove them from my travel bag.

The one thing (or, technically, two things) missing from the Scribe are its page-turn buttons. Even the flippin’ DX(s) had them, so I am slightly perplexed by their absence. It doesn’t keep me from loving the Scribe, but it keeps me from truly madly loving it. Come on, Amazon, give us buttons! Give love a chance!

What about note-taking? Well, as I said, I didn’t buy the Scribe with that feature in mind, but you know, I tried it out. I’m very impressed with how much writing on the Scribe feels like jotting a note on a piece of paper. Every stroke from the pen pretty much appeared on the screen in real-time.

If I could read my handwriting, this thing would be a game-changer—or if it could read my handwriting, for that matter. Unfortunately, the Scribe doesn’t do OCR, it only syncs your notebooks to Amazon, and you can’t search your handwritten notes. You can use the stylus to highlight and annotate in books, though, if you’re into that. (I was raised never to “deface” a book, so I never got into the habit of writing/highlighting in books.)

I bought the model with the basic pen, and it is a basic pen. Feels nice in hand and has a flat side so it won’t roll off your desk. It makes a satisfying click when magnetically attached to the side of the Kindle too.

Who should buy the Scribe? People who want a giant ereader or those who don’t mind getting started on the ground floor with Amazon’s note-taking plans. I’m sure they’ll be adding many more features to the note-taking aspect of the Scribe, but it is pretty basic at the moment. What’s not so basic is getting the best ebook reading experience on the largest and nicest E-Ink screen I’ve used.

[Scott McNulty has bought every Kindle ever. Long ago, he was the lead blogger at The Unofficial Apple Weblog. These days he blogs for the sheer thrill of it, appears on numerous Incomparable podcasts, and lives, plays, and works in Philadelphia.]

By Dan Moren

December 29, 2022 11:51 AM PT

Dan’s favorites of 2022

Note: This story has not been updated since 2022.

See ya later, 2022—2023 is where it's at!

Jason has already detailed his favorites from the year that was, but I suppose I owe it to you—to myself really—to see if I can remember the stuff that I loved over the past twelve months.

Games

My gaming habits basically lie in one of two directions: mobile puzzle games or incredibly high-budget blockbuster titles.

Jason's already extolled the virtues of Knotwords, which despite my usual frustration with anagrams and my love of crosswords, I absolutely adore. I only really do the Daily Puzzle, but I do it pretty much every day. (And the feature that lets you get your broken streaks back if you complete another seven days straight is 😙👌.)

I'm also one of the people still playing Wordle most days—it helps that it's built into the New York Times Crossword app, which is another of my daily habits. I just don't post my scores, because nobody needs to see that anymore.

On the other end of the spectrum, my lovely wife gave me a PlayStation 5 for my birthday this year; it's the first of the Sony systems I've ever owned, so I've been working my way through a backlog of great titles that I haven't been able to play over the years.

Marvel's Spider-Man was at the top of my list and it was everything I'd hoped for from a game about one of my favorite superheroes. I've previously enjoyed the Arkham series of Batman games, which managed to capture the feel of embodying the dark knight, and Spider-Man (and its spinoff featuring Miles Morales) are just as good at nailing the essence of the webhead. In particular, swining through New York and running up buildings? A freaking delight. There's a sequel reportedly coming later next year and I am here for it.

I also played through the entire Uncharted series, which several people had told me over the years that I'd really enjoy—and guess what? They were right! Yes, they're highly linear to the point of being basically interactive movies, but they're done well: extremely fun, solid writing, great voice acting performances.¹ Some might be a little dated technologically (even with the remastered versions I played), but at this far a remove, they're refreshingly spartan: no giant skill tress or endless fetch quests. By comparison I'm currently playing Ghost of Tsushima which, while beautiful and expansive, is riddled with that type of content.

Continue reading “Dan’s favorites of 2022”…

By Jason Snell

December 28, 2022 3:56 PM PT

Jason’s favorites of 2022

Note: This story has not been updated since 2022.

It’s the end of the year, but before we turn the page (or mount a new calendar) and move on to 2023, I thought I’d make a quick list of some of my favorite fun things from the year almost entirely gone by…

Games

I am not great at games. I want to play them… but never quite enough to play them as much as I’d like. Still, I did play and enjoy some games this year.

At the top of my list is Knotwords, which took a lot of my game time this year. It’s a crossword-puzzle-themed game that isn’t a crossword puzzle. It’s a word game, though. I love it.

I still adore the Apple Arcade game Mini Motorways, which got a nice update this year that added more game styles, including an endless mode—for when you just can’t say goodbye to the delightful city you’ve developed from nothing by laying roads, highways, and roundabouts. This one made my list last year and I kept playing it this year.

I spent many hours this year playing Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain, an Apple Arcade release that extended my favorite iPad game franchise in new ways. (This was the second Alto’s extension, after last year’s Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City.) It’s an endless snowboard game with challenging tricks, a very simple control scheme, beautiful graphics, and soothing sounds.

This year I got my Panic Playdate, a delightful handheld game toy gadget that I haven’t played nearly enough. But I do want to highlight my favorite Playdate games: Vertex Pop’s HyperMeteor, a spectacularly fun take on Asteroids; and Nic Magnier, Arthur Hamer and Logan Gabriel’s Pick Pack Pup, a delightful match-three puzzle game that manages to also be a critique of Amazon warehouses.

Continue reading “Jason’s favorites of 2022″…

By Jason Snell

December 28, 2022 10:28 AM PT

You’re going to have to pungle up

Note: This story has not been updated since 2022.

I left an easter egg in this week’s Macworld column:

People who want the most cutting-edge iPhones will need to pungle up for the privilege. And guess what? A whole lot of people will.

The first time I came into contact with the phrase “pungle up,” I knew what it meant—it was clearly used in the same way as a phrase I was familiar with, “pony up.” It means that you’re going to have to put your hard-earned money on the table, that whatever you’re getting is going to come dear.

My introduction to “pungle up” came from Chris Breen, who was a freelance writer at MacUser and Macworld—later, I hired him full time as a writer at Macworld. Chris used it a lot.

As he explained today:

“Pungle” was a word that was thrown about freely when I was growing up, so I was surprised when editors questioned me about its use. I believe Macworld’s copy editors added it to the style guide so future editors wouldn’t query me about it.

True story. And my use of the term on Macworld this week is absolutely intended as an homage to Chris. (Chris works inside at Apple these days, though he does blog occasionally on non-tech topics and is the author of the theme songs for many, many podcasts.)

Anyway, it’s in the dictionary and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Macworld style guide, and that’s good enough for me.

By Dan Moren

December 27, 2022 8:45 AM PT

In praise of the Apple Watch’s Camera control

Note: This story has not been updated since 2022.

As technology enthusiasts, we’re all too often accustomed to looking forward to the next thing, to the feature that’s just over the horizon. And sometimes that means forgetting the amazing things we’ve already got—until they pop up, perfect for the job at hand.

When the original Apple Watch came out, one of its many (perhaps too many) whizbang features was the ability to look through the camera of the paired iPhone and take a photo with it. But the real-time image was jerky and imprecise and the screen was so small and grainy that it felt like more of a novelty than a real utility.

Fast forward to the year 2022 and I’m trying to take a picture of myself, my wife, and our kid in front of the Christmas tree. There’s only the three of us, so how to best capture the shot? I guess I could prop the phone up, hit the timer in the Camera app and scurry over in the hopes that I’ve posed correctly. But that sounds like a nightmare, especially with a squirming baby.

To the rescue flew the Apple Watch’s Camera app. I’ve probably used this feature a handful of times since the first Apple Watch, and probably not at all since I got my Series 7, and frankly I was blown away with just how much better the experience is than I remembered. A modern Apple Watch is now more than capable of showing a live, full-frame video stream with almost zero lag, and the screen is large enough that you can actually use it to tell if everything’s framed the way you want. You can easily take a shot and quickly check it on the watch to make sure that everybody’s eyes are open.

The current version even provides an icon indicating whether or not the pictures will be going into your iCloud Photos Shared Library. If I have a complaint about the feature, it’s that I wish it would let me toggle between the camera’s various zoom levels. You can switch between front and rear-facing cameras, activate or deactivate features like the flash, HDR, and Live Photos, but not choose the ultra wide lens or a 2x or 3x zoom.

This still isn’t a feature I’m going to use everday, or even every month, but it’s absolutely perfect when the need arises. Honestly, it kind of makes me wonder what other things the Apple Watch can do that I haven’t checked in on in a while.¹

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors, as well as an author, podcaster, and two-time Jeopardy! champion. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His next novel, the sci-fi adventure Eternity's Tomb, will be released in November 2026.]