Pocket for Mac Update: Improved Sharing for Twitter, Facebook, Evernote and More

November 27th, 2012  •  By Mark

 

Thanks to you, Pocket for Mac topped the charts in the Mac App Store, and it has remained a top 10 free app since launch. Now, we’re excited to deliver our first update, with improved sharing, new keyboard shortcuts, bug fixes, and more.

Pocket 1.1 for Mac includes native support for Twitter and Facebook in Mountain Lion, plus new options for Evernote users, including easier tagging, commenting and streamlined authentication. We also added new keyboard shortcuts make the app completely navigable via keyboard.

Download Pocket 1.1 in the Mac App Store. It’s Free.

 

Here’s what’s new:

New
☆ Native support of Twitter and Facebook in Mountain Lion
☆ Twitter sharing now supports multiple Twitter accounts in Mountain Lion
☆ Evernote sharing rebuilt for easier tagging, commenting and improved authentication
☆ Added support for Evernote China Yinxiang Biji (印象笔记)
☆ New keyboard shortcuts: Open item in background and toggle between Home, Favorites, Archive, and Content Type
☆ Enabled Printing
☆ Added Pocket for Mac URL scheme – pocket://

Fixed
✓ Pocket now automatically downloads all items after login
✓ Items no longer disappear when new ones are saved
✓ Dock badge count now updates in real-time, and is hidden when the count is zero
✓ Crash when logging into certain accounts. If you had trouble logging in, please try again after upgrading

 

If you have any questions or feedback, you can always reach us at Pocket Support. Enjoy!

Posted in News

Introducing the New Pocket API for Developers and Publishers

November 7th, 2012  •  By Mark

 

It has been an incredible year for Pocket: We’ve grown to more than 6 million users, and we’ve expanded to new platforms including Mac, Chrome and Safari, in addition to our iOS, Android and Kindle Fire apps.

But we couldn’t have done it without you. We now have 10,000 developers integrating their apps and sites with Pocket, and 45% of Pocket’s more than 1 million daily saves come from third-party apps.

“Save to Pocket” is now a core part of the user experience inside the most popular apps and websites—from Twitter and Flipboard to Tweetbot, Digg, BuzzFeed and more. And in content-focused apps like Zite, Pocket is often one of the most-used share services, alongside Twitter and Facebook.

Today we’re introducing the new Pocket API, which makes it even easier for developers and publishers to put Pocket to work in their own apps—and to do so in more powerful ways.

Start Building with the New Pocket API

What’s In the Pocket API

Our new API includes easy integration and access to the great Pocket features available in our native apps. Here’s what’s new:

• Quick authentication: With OAuth 2, users can connect to Pocket with just two taps and without having to enter their username and password.
• Drop-in iOS/Mac SDK: With just a few lines of code, you can drop Pocket’s all new Objective-C SDK into your app, which manages authentication, performs API requests, and provides access to all of the new API features. (See our video demo below.)
• New API Features: Developers and publishers can access all of Pocket’s most up-to-date features, including favorites, content type filters, more robust tagging, and domain searches.
• New developer portal: We have a new developer site with improved documentation including step-by-step implementation instructions and examples.

What Developers Are Saying About the Pocket API

“‘Save for later’ has become an essential part of mobile news consumption, and I wouldn’t even consider launching a news app without Pocket integration.” -Mike Klaas, co-founder, Zite

“Pocket integration continues to be one of most asked-for features in the new Digg, and the new SDK made implementation super easy!” -Jake Levine, general manager, Digg

“Saving articles to Pocket is a must-have feature for a content-driven application like Readingly. And Pocket users are some of the most engaged users we have.” -Alex Kristofcak, founder, Readingly

“Save-for-later support is an important feature for TweetCaster, which makes integrating with Pocket essential. From a development perspective the new API and iOS SDK couldn’t have been easier to implement and we think our users will appreciate how seamless the integration is.” -Evan Conway, president of OneLouder Apps

Get Started Now 

Developers can get started immediately with the Pocket API: Just sign up here and start building.

More Resources: Pocket SDK Demo

Pocket Objective-C SDK Screencast from Pocket on Vimeo.

Posted in News , , , , ,

Now Live in Google Play: A Faster, More Responsive Pocket for Android

November 1st, 2012  •  By Mark

 

Today we’re excited to announce our latest update to Android. And this time, it’s about the most important feature of all—performance.

Just in time for the release of Google’s new Nexus series of phones and tablets, we’ve created a faster, more responsive Pocket app on Android—one that’s also optimized to work great on all the new devices. The update, Pocket 4.3, is available now in Google Play (and coming soon in Amazon’s Appstore) and includes faster booting, smoother scrolling, and better responsiveness that makes everything feel quicker and snappier.

Download Pocket for Android on Google Play. It’s free.

 

Pocket 4.3 for Android features:

• Performance improvements for a faster, more responsive experience.
• Optimization for the new Nexus series (Nexus 4, 7 and 10)
• Ability to edit tags directly from the Reader screen (via the menu)
• Ability to create multiple new tags at once
• Fixes for issues with Asus Transformer tablets
• Bug and crash fixes

If you have any questions or feedback, you can always reach us at Pocket Support. And we’d like to send a special thanks to all the beta testers who helped us get this release ready.

Thanks and enjoy!

-Team Pocket

Posted in News , , , ,

Introducing Pocket for Mac

October 25th, 2012  •  By Mark

 

Pocket’s mission is to make it easier for you to save and enjoy the content you love, no matter where you are.

Today we’re thrilled to introduce a brand new app on our next supported platform: Pocket for Mac.

We brought everything you love about our iOS and Android apps—offline access, distraction-free reading, streaming video, and more—into a beautiful app that is optimized for Mac.

Inside Pocket for Mac

 

Pocket for the Mac includes all the features you’d expect from a native Pocket experience, plus some new ones just for Mac:

  • Fast, seamless syncing across all devices
  • Keyboard shortcuts for key actions
  • Tweet attributions for any items saved from Twitter
  • The ability to share to Twitter, Facebook, Buffer, Evernote and email
  • Easy organizing and super fast search features
  • New ways to save from your clipboard and via drag and drop

Download Pocket for Mac, free from the Mac App Store

 

Community Powered

To create the new Mac app, we tapped into Pocket’s developer community. Michael Schneider, the creator of the popular third-party Mac app Read Later, joined Pocket to help us create this official Mac version of Pocket. If you’re an existing Read Later Mac App user you can upgrade for the full Pocket experience here.

If you’re an Instapaper user, have no fear, the existing version of Read Later will continue to work. However, there will be no future updates. If you are searching for an actively developed client, here are a few recommendations for you.

We’re thrilled to bring Pocket to your Mac. And, as always, you can reach out to us at Pocket Support with questions or feedback.

Thanks for your continued support!

-Team Pocket

Learn more about Pocket for Mac’s keyboard shortcuts and ways to save in the new app

Download Pocket for Mac, free from the Mac App Store

Posted in News , , , ,

Mediagazer Editor Lyra McKee: What’s In My Pocket

September 26th, 2012  •  By Mark

Name: Lyra McKee
Bio: Editor, Mediagazer; writer, @readmuck; organizer, @hhbelfast
Location: Belfast, Ireland
Started Using Pocket: 2011

When Lyra uses Pocket:
“I tend to save a lot of stuff during the week and then read it at the weekend—it’s the only time I have for leisure reading! I also travel a lot, so it’s great for long-haul flights and waits at airports.”

As the Ireland-based editor for the U.S.-based site Mediagazer, Lyra saves her content later in the evening, matching up with the Eastern and Pacific time zones. And more than half of Lyra’s reading occurs after 6 p.m. Belfast time.

What kinds of content are you saving right now?
“I love #longreads. I usually use Pocket to save them for the weekend. Right now, anything related to Syria or Yemen will catch my eye; there is some great foreign reporting coming out of those countries at the moment. I also like to save work from my favourite investigative reporters. The newshound in me loves a good scandal.”

What apps do you use for reading in Pocket?
“I love Read Later, a desktop client for Pocket. Other than that, I use the Pocket iPhone app.”

Number of sites Lyra saved in Pocket: 284

Most popular sites in Lyra’s Pocket:
The New York Times
The Guardian
Columbia Journalism Review
GigaOm
Poynter
Nieman Lab
Belfast Telegraph
New York Magazine

“The New York Times does some of the best investigative journalism in the world. They really get what makes a good story, and their journalists have a talent for spotting hidden gems beyond what everyone is talking about on Twitter. I’m surprised Wired isn’t on this list but having said that, I read a lot of stories via my RSS feed. I religiously read Wired’s Danger Room blog and Jeremy Scahill over at The Nation.

“The Guardian features regularly in Pocket because of their phone hacking/News Corp. coverage; they’ve consistently led on that story and I’m a huge fan of their investigative reporter, Nick Davies. Their Ireland correspondent, Henry McDonald, also does some great coverage of Northern Ireland (where I’m from).”

How does Pocket help you with your journalism work?
“When I’m not editing Mediagazer, I run a small investigative news site, The Muckraker. At any given time, I’m working on about 3-5 stories. The nature of investigations is that you could make loads of progress on one, then get hit with a two-month delay due to government bureaucracy around releasing information. So then you’d switch to another story and progress with that for a while. I use Pocket to archive information I’ve found on the web that’s relevant to my hunt for the news. Given that I work on a number of stories at a time, it’s pretty damn useful, kind of like a little storage box of potential leads. I find myself using it more and more for this purpose.”

More “What’s in My Pocket”: Founder Nate Weiner

 

Posted in Trends , , ,

More than 60% of Pocket’s Daily iOS Users Are Now on iOS 6

September 24th, 2012  •  By Mark

 

Less than a week after Apple’s introduction of its new iOS 6 and iPhone 5, we’re already seeing rapid adoption of the new software—as well as evidence of just how briskly the new device is selling.

The above chart shows the proportion of daily active Pocket users on each of the Apple iOS versions. By the end of this weekend, 63% of our iOS users were already on iOS 6.

Pocket users are also snapping up the iPhone 5—not a surprise given the latest sales numbers. Over the weekend, 20% of Pocket’s daily iPhone users were accessing Pocket from an iPhone 5. Of course, some of that popularity can be attributed to promotion of Pocket alongside the new device, but we’ll continue to keep a close watch on its popularity.

For now, here’s how iPhone 5 daily use looks alongside the earlier Apple iPhones:

 

If you haven’t downloaded Pocket yet, our latest iOS update is optimized for both iOS 6 and iPhone 5, to give you the best reading and viewing experience. Get it free in the App Store.

Posted in News , , , , ,

Pocket 4.2 Is Here, Ready for iPhone 5 and iOS 6

September 18th, 2012  •  By Mark

 

Pocket’s 4.2 update is here: Our latest release is compatible with iOS 6 and is optimized for the all-new iPhone 5 to take advantage of its stunning 4-inch Retina display.

Download Pocket for iPhone and iPad.

Here’s what’s in Pocket 4.2 for iOS:

New

  • Compatibility with iOS 6 and iPhone 5.
  • Tumblr users can now select which blog (or blogs) to post to.

Fixed

  • Offline articles will no longer be cleared if disk space is limited.
  • Items no longer duplicated when adding via clipboard.
  • Videos will no longer stop playing when the device is rotated.

For those getting their hands on an iPhone 5, we look forward to hearing what you think of Pocket on the larger Retina display. As always, you can go to Pocket Support for any questions or feedback.

Thanks again from the Pocket team.

Download Pocket for iPhone and iPad. It’s free.

Posted in News , , , , , ,

Available Now: Text-to-Speech in Pocket’s New ‘Listen’ Feature for Android

September 18th, 2012  •  By Mark

 

It’s one of those Pocket features we’ve always wanted for ourselves: What would it be like to have someone read your articles to you?

Introducing Pocket’s new “Listen” feature, part of the Android 4.2 update, available now on Google Play, and coming soon in Amazon’s Appstore.

Download Pocket 4.2 for Android.

With “Listen,” it’s easy to hear what you’ve saved in Pocket: Just open an article, press “Listen,” and Pocket will read the text out loud. You can even choose the speed or style of speaking voice.

Text-to-speech technology is still evolving, but Android’s OS simplified the process dramatically. Max Weiner, Pocket’s lead Android developer, built the “Listen” feature during one of Pocket’s Friday hack days (one of the many fine perks of working for Pocket), and it has given us a great opportunity to test the feature with our users.

A note to iOS users: iOS doesn’t currently provide a text-to-speech API. As we experiment further with this feature we will continue to look at bringing it to iOS but have no immediate plans to do so.

If you have questions or feedback about the new “Listen” feature, let us know on our Pocket Support page.

Here’s what else is in Pocket’s Android 4.2 update:

NEW

  • Pocket’s “Listen” feature: Have your articles read aloud to you using Android’s built in Text-To-Speech feature.

UPDATED

  • Manage Site Subscription feature now working on all versions of Android.
  • Improved full-screen animation in Reader.
  • No longer shortening URL when Viewing in Browser, sharing to Evernote, or copying to clipboard.
  • Minor UI updates.

FIXED

  • ZTE Blade crash when opening an article.
  • Blank help screen on Jelly Bean.
  • After long pressing a link in the Reader and selecting “Read Later,” archiving/favoriting and other actions would occur on the new link instead of the currently opened link.
  • Other minor bug fixes.

Download Pocket Now on Google Play. It’s free.

Posted in News , , , ,

New for iOS: Pocket 4.1.3 Update, with Support for Chrome, App.net, Kippt and More

September 6th, 2012  •  By Mark

It’s been a busy summer for discovering and saving what you love: There are a handful of new apps out there for finding and sharing great content—and Pocket wants to make it easy for you to enjoy them.

Pocket’s latest update for iOS, released today, includes new sharing features that work seamlessly with Google Chrome for iOS, as well as the new real-time social feed App.net and the new link-sharing site Kippt. Once you download Pocket 4.1.3, you can find these new features in the share menu.

Download Pocket 4.1.3 now

What’s new in Pocket 4.1.3:

• Share to Google Chrome, Kippt and App.net
• Fixed: Removed pocket.co URLs from archival services like Pinboard and Evernote
• Security improvements
• Bug fixes and other minor enhancements

As always, you can go to Pocket Support for any questions or feedback.

Thanks from the Pocket team, and enjoy!

Posted in News

Nate Weiner: What’s in My Pocket

August 28th, 2012  •  By Mark

Today we’re introducing a new series called What’s in My Pocket, in which we spotlight Pocket users who share their reading and watching habits with the world. We’re kicking it off with the person who started it all, Pocket founder Nate Weiner (@NateWeiner). 

 

Name: Nate Weiner, Founder, Pocket
Location: San Francisco
First started using Pocket: 2007

What’s in Nate’s Pocket:
In the five years since he first created Pocket (formerly Read It Later), Nate has saved more than 9,800 items, and he’s read roughly 2.3 million words. Nate’s weekly “open rate”—his weekly percentage of items “opened” in Pocket compared to “saved”—is 72%.

When he saves content in Pocket:
“Every waking hour. [Laughs.] If I’m in bed and just waking up, I’m checking my phone and saving stuff there. At work, I’m saving stuff there. On the subway home, I’m saving stuff from Twitter.”

 

Where he saves:
Nate saves most of his content from a Twitter client (47% of items come from there), followed by his Firefox Extension (38%). (Incidentally, Pocket was first created as a Firefox Extension.)

When he comes back to his saved items:
“I do most of my reading on the [San Francisco] Muni in the morning, and most of the time at night I’m watching videos—on the Pocket site or on a tablet. I do a lot of my video consumption while I’m eating lunch or dinner, on a desktop computer.”

 

On watching video in Pocket:
“I speed-eat, and usually there’s one video I’ve saved that’s like 10 minutes, so I can go through it. Video is a hands-off thing, so it’s nice for those moments. A lot of the video content I’m saving is from @PocketHits, Vimeo Staff Picks and time-lapse photography from the Dynamic Perception guys. There’s longer stuff, too, like TED Talks. I’d bet 90 percent of my video consumption happens after 6 pm.”

Total number of unique sites saved in Nate’s Pocket: 282

Popular sites in Nate’s Pocket:
YouTube
Vimeo
TheNextWeb
The Verge
The New York Times
Brain Pickings
Fortune
The Atlantic
Reddit
GigaOm

What’s the last thing he saved?
“I just saved a video from PetaPixel called ‘A Simple Explanation of F-Stop Numbers’ that Justin [Pocket’s Community Manager] had shared on Twitter.”

What’s the last thing he came back to?
“The last article I read was The Verge’s feature ‘Apple v.s Samsung: inside a jury’s nightmare.’ ”

***

Would you like to see your own Pocket stats and get featured in this series? Drop a note to mark@readitlater.com

Posted in News , , ,

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