drafts

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.

Drafts is a popular iOS app for jotting down notes and lists, passing thoughts, and great ideas. The app boasts a simple interface, but underneath it offers a long list of options for sending your musings to other apps and sharing via social networks. The iPhone app was updated earlier this week, along with the release of a separate app for the iPad. Drafts for the iPhone costs $1.99, and Drafts for iPad costs $2.99. While owners of both iOS devices will bemoan the lack of a universal app, you can sync the two. Let's take a … Read more

Canvas 14 from ACD Systems is an enterprise-class technical illustration program. With it, you can create, refine, and publish sophisticated illustrations, animations, and documents.

It combines the drawing and illustrating features of a premium graphics app, the 3D modeling and drafting capabilities of CAD, and the collaborative capabilities of a productivity suite in one surprisingly intuitive package. A quick-start guide, copious documentation, and a helpful sidebar called the Canvas Assistant made getting to know this capable but complex software easier than we expected.

To try Canvas 14 for free, you must select that option during installation and complete the process … Read more

Please bear with me while I explain the process for accessing a message draft that you just started, but had to save in order to check something else in the Mail app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Take a deep breath.

First, assuming you have more than one e-mail account (I have four on my iPhone) and you are starting in the "All Inboxes" window, you'll have to tap "Mailboxes" in the upper-left corner. Then, scroll down to the Accounts section and select the proper account for your draft. Now, tap the "… Read more

I've written a screenplay or two in my life. When the iPad was released more than a year ago, I imagined that it could eventually be a killer tool for reading and editing scripts, saving a trip to a printer or laptop. Well, so far, the iPad's been great for a lot of documents and publications...but a little slow on the uptake when it comes to the complicated formats of screenplays.

For my last screenplay revision, I actually saved my script to PDF format using Final Draft, then opened up GoodReader to check out my work. iBooks … Read more

It's a weird time for the NFL, to say the least. The league has been in a state of suspension since the Super Bowl in February, engaged in a lockout that seems, at the moment, to be lifted. And, of course, the NFL draft is about to kick off tonight amid the confusion. No better time to check out the latest edition of EA Sports' Madden franchise, which was unveiled today in playable form during an event in New York City's Times Square.

Enter EA Sports, which decided to engage in an unorthodox campaign of its own for this year's Madden 12 by putting the yearly cover athlete up for a bracket-based public vote.

In a shocker, the Cleveland Brown's gritty running back Peyton Hillis beat out the controversial Mike Vick, becoming the first cover athlete on EA's box in recent history who most people can't even recognize.

The cover photo shoot happened as a live event in Times Square, and alongside the session were the first playable versions of Madden 12, tucked away in a press tent. Needless to say, I stuck around to play (I'm a bit of a New York Jets fan, in case you didn't know).

I also spoke with Madden 12's art director, Mike Young, and executive producer, Phil Frazier, about how this year's version will fare amid a season that's still very much in flux. In addition, I asked about my continual pet peeve: Bill Belichick's mysterious absence from the Madden franchise. Check out the video above for the interview. Down below, I'll briefly discuss the game and my initial impressions.… Read more

It's always great to save money on gadgets, but even better when that gadget helps you save even more money.

For example, the Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector helps you locate hidden energy leaks in your home. Patch 'em up and you could save a small fortune on heating and cooling.

The gizmo has a list price of $60, but Lowe's has the Thermal Leak Detector for $29 (plus sales tax). The only hitch is that you have to pick it up in-store. (Truck delivery is laughably expensive.)

Update: Apparently this was a regional deal. Although it … Read more

One relatively common problem people have with Mail is that the program will seem to collect messages in its Drafts mailbox. While not an intrusive issue, and definitely one that can be fixed by deleting the messages in this mailbox, some people have found the drafts are continually and permanently saved every time they compose new messages.… Read more

A handful of weeks ago, before I bought an iPad, I wondered whether Apple's slim little go-anywhere tablet could help redefine the casual editing process for writers everywhere.

Well, I've been a little disappointed on that front.

I was dreaming of the iPad becoming a way of editing a paperless "printout" in a far better manner than either a laptop or physically printed pages could normally allow. Yes, I was an idealist. Perhaps foolish. I was excited about news of an upcoming iPad app from veteran screenwriting-software maker Final Draft. To date, it hasn't materialized.

I read scripts via PDF readers such as GoodReader, but as far as writing and editing go, I've had problems. A noble effort by some clever outsiders created a script-formatting template for use with Apple's Pages, but it's essentially a preformatted document you can erase and write over.

Scripts Pro, which became available in the App Store a week ago, is technically what I was looking for.

This isn't a new app: it's been out for the iPhone/iPod Touch for a while. Scripts Pro is a simplified script-writing app that accepts both Final Draft .FDX and .CELTX documents or .TXT files, and can create new documents in any of those formats as well. The latest update turned the app into a hybrid with iPad-optimized graphics and layout, all for a downright cheap price of $5.99. The real question is, how does the app stack up as a tool?… Read more