I Love Work

youmeandmyapi:

This is what Irwin, Elliott and I have been up to over the past few months. If you’re searching for a way to read without distraction, this is your solution.
Blackstrap takes your Instapaper or Pocket queue and turns it into the book you see above.
(via Blackstrap, a sticky Molasses product)

I love Instapaper. Stumble upon an article online that seems interesting, hit a button, then read it on the train when bored. No ads, no distractions; the app strives to be the perfect reading environment. And on the iPhone, it is. Even more, I think you can hardly get closer to perfect typography for reading longer pieces of text anywhere, on any screen (with iPhone’s smaller screen in mind, of course).
Apple’s approach to iOS is clear to anyone who ever used one of their devices. Do one thing at a time and nothing else. Focus.
Launch Instapaper and focus on reading text.
However, even though both Marco and Apple are doing their best to serve you an environment as reading-friendly as a lazy afternoon in a hammock with an old-fashioned book, they can’t succeed. Because a phone, or a tablet, isn’t a book. There are constantly annoying notifications coming up. The home screen is just a button away. All the distractions are simply too close.
Beautiful typography is only one aspect of Instapaper, though. The other great advantage is the actual point of the app – you can curate what content shows up. What you read. When you put a little bit of effort into finding great writing online, you can have your own digital magazine – with you as the editor-in-chief.
I have high hopes for that product up there. Digital devices are not capable of creating as good a reading environment as print is. On the other hand, you can’t choose which articles show up each month in your favorite print magazine.
This, to me, is perfect. Don’t give me what you think is interesting content, I already have a whole queue of that in Instapaper. Just send me a beautiful book with articles I can’t wait to read.
Blending the digital world with the real one, like a pro.

Thursday, December 6th, 2012 ∞

This is what Irwin, Elliott and I have been up to over the past few months. If you’re searching for a way to read without distraction, this is your solution.

Blackstrap takes your Instapaper or Pocket queue and turns it into the book you see above.

(via Blackstrap, a sticky Molasses product)

I love Instapaper. Stumble upon an article online that seems interesting, hit a button, then read it on the train when bored. No ads, no distractions; the app strives to be the perfect reading environment. And on the iPhone, it is. Even more, I think you can hardly get closer to perfect typography for reading longer pieces of text anywhere, on any screen (with iPhone’s smaller screen in mind, of course).

Apple’s approach to iOS is clear to anyone who ever used one of their devices. Do one thing at a time and nothing else. Focus.

Launch Instapaper and focus on reading text.

However, even though both Marco and Apple are doing their best to serve you an environment as reading-friendly as a lazy afternoon in a hammock with an old-fashioned book, they can’t succeed. Because a phone, or a tablet, isn’t a book. There are constantly annoying notifications coming up. The home screen is just a button away. All the distractions are simply too close.

Beautiful typography is only one aspect of Instapaper, though. The other great advantage is the actual point of the app – you can curate what content shows up. What you read. When you put a little bit of effort into finding great writing online, you can have your own digital magazine – with you as the editor-in-chief.

I have high hopes for that product up there. Digital devices are not capable of creating as good a reading environment as print is. On the other hand, you can’t choose which articles show up each month in your favorite print magazine.

This, to me, is perfect. Don’t give me what you think is interesting content, I already have a whole queue of that in Instapaper. Just send me a beautiful book with articles I can’t wait to read.

Blending the digital world with the real one, like a pro.

Source: blackstrap.it