Instapaper creator sets out to build Overcast, a better iOS podcast app

If you're wondering what Marco Arment, creator of Instapaper, has been up to since he sold the read-it-later service to Betaworks, wonder no more. At the XOXO festival in Portland, OR, Arment announced that he's been working on a new podcasting app for iOS called Overcast. Why? The tl;dr reason is because "podcasts are awesome" (We can't say we disagree). The long of it, however, is because as a lover of podcasts, Arment was frustrated at the quality of the podcast apps that are out there, stating that Apple has been asleep at the podcast wheel for years and third-party solutions aren't that much better. So he's taken matters into his own hands with Overcast. He's currently about half-way done with the app and hopes to release it later this year. We don't really know that much more about it, but if Arment's previous work is any indication, we have high hopes for this one. In the meantime, you can head on over to Overcast.fm to sign up for updates.

[Image credit: John Biehler, Flickr]

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Source: Overcast

Betaworks acquires Instapaper, promises continued development

Betaworks acquires Instapaper with a plan for expansion

If you're the sort who likes to catch up on web articles through a dedicated reader app, you're likely familiar with Instapaper and its lone creator, Marco Arment. His solo work makes for a cohesive experience and a great story, but it also involves a lot of strain -- enough so that Arment is selling majority control of the app to Betaworks, the owner of Bitly and Digg. Thankfully, this shouldn't represent a classic acquire-and-absorb deal that ultimately kills the original brand. Arment says he'll remain involved as an advisor, and the takeover is arranged with promises that Betaworks will add staff and continue building the read-it-later tool. While neither side has said just where they'll take Instapaper with more resources, there's a real chance that competitors like Pocket will feel some added pressure.

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Via: Marco Arment (Twiter)

Source: Marco.org

Apple aware of corrupt apps issue, working on a fix (Update: Fixed!)

Apple aware of corrupt apps issue, working on a fix

Earlier this morning, reports started circulating that the App Store was pushing corrupt binaries to iOS and Mac users, resulting in constant crashes of the affected apps. Marco Arment, of Instapaper fame, was one of the first to notice and very vocal -- bringing the issue to the attention of many in the media and at Apple. The list of affected apps is pretty staggering, including such high profile titles as Angry Birds Space, Yahoo! Search, Google Reader and, of course, Instapaper. The number of developers affected now tops 115, so we'd hold off on those updates. For the first several hours Apple was mum on the issue, but it has finally acknowledged the problem in the support forums and even reached out to developers via email. Suspicions seem to be that the FairPlay DRM is at the root, but until we have official word from Apple we'll refrain from laying the blame at its feet. Cupertino is working (we assume tirelessly) on a fix, which will hopefully be delivered sooner, rather than later.

Update: Apple has confirmed to AllThingsD that the problem was due to a "server that generated DRM code" and has been fixed. Affected end users are advised to delete the corrupted apps and redownload them.

Apple aware of corrupt apps issue, working on a fix (Update: Fixed!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Instapaper launches on Android devices

Instapaper launches on Android

Instapaper creator Marco Arment has been kept so busy with the iOS version that he decided to contract out the Android iteration to Mobelux. Fortunately, this is the same developer that crafted Tumblr apps for both the iPhone and Android, so we can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Available today, priced just shy of $3, Instapaper ties together one of iOS' favorites with Android's capacity for sharing across multiple apps. It arrives cocooned in a decidedly classy UI, even on our Gingerbread devices -- although it does get a little squashed in some sub-menus. As long as you're running an Android version higher than 2.2, hit up the source below to give it a try.

Instapaper launches on Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceGoogle Play, Instapaper for Android  | Email this | Comments