In iPadOS, the old Today View has shuffled over a little, and now lives right on the Home screen. You can pin widgets there, and they will be permanently shown on the left edge of the Home screen (in landscape, at least — in portrait they will act more like a temporary Slide Over panel).

This changes how we use widgets. Instead of being temporary, quick-info panels, or shortcuts for app functions, widgets are now always visible, and always available to tap. A weather widget can be checked with a single glance, for instance. Ditto countdown timers. And — best of all — Shortcuts can be triggered with a single tap.

Let’s take a look at some great widgets for the iPadOS Home screen.

Every morning, after I park my iPad in its desk stand, I start writing the same way: I play the same music playlist; I start the Focus app, which reminds me to take breaks; and I create a new Ulysses sheet to start typing in. And I do all of these almost without touching the screen.

You’d be surprised at how much you can do on the iPad with just the keyboard. Today we’re going to see some cool examples, plus a bonus Good Morning shortcut.

This week we check out Feedly’s amazing new iOS app, remember to take breaks with Focus, and write shortcuts from scratch, in code (!), with the Shortcuts Cub compiler. Woah, right?

Getting perfect Portrait Mode photos no longer requires an iPhone with two camera lenses.

Instagram revealed a new feature today that mimics the blurry depth of field on Portrait Mode photos, only it works on older iPhones and even Android smartphones.

Ever wake up feeling like you didn’t get any rest at all? Believe it or not, you might be sleeping wrong. Luckily, technology can help.

Time at the computer is a constant fight to stay focused. Keeping distractions at bay and your mind on task has a lot to do with your environment. So the right music can make all the difference.

I find the idea of “distraction-free” writing apps to be bunk: after all, why on Earth would the presence or lack of a menubar make any difference to your ability to concentrate? I am, however, a sworn enemy of clutter, and so I immediately downloaded the $0.99 Focus app, which is kind of like a virtual rug under which you can sweep your mess of Mac application windows.

Folks, this is a one-day deal that you would be an absolute fool to miss out on. The app is Focus, and it lets you mess with the focus and such of your pics. I was a skeptic at first. I have a gabillion photo apps on hand and thought, “do I really need another one?“.

Then I tried it.

I’m getting this app ASAP because at $3, it’s a steal and very, very cool. Even if the price doesn’t get you, the examples I did just now (in about 5 minutes) sure will.

Apple’s latest iPhones take some pretty incredible images during the day, but it’s a different story when the sun goes down. Despite its LED flash, the iPhone’s performance in low-light still needs significant improvement. But if you’ve already abandoned a dedicated point-and-shoot, and you were hoping to snap some images at the firework display this July 4, here are some tips for taking great firework photos on your iPhone.