Here’s this week’s list of things to check out.

Ivory

When Twitter changed things such that apps like Twitterific and Tweetbot could no longer effectively serve their customers, Tapbots, the maker of Tweetbot, introduced Ivory in short order. It’s a great Mastodon client, feels familiar to Tweetbot users, and I prefer it to the stock Mastodon app.

Tapestry

I featured the new Reeder in Sunday Serial back in September. The new Reeder is made by the same developer who makes the now-called Reeder (Classic); the latter is an old-school RSS reader that connects to a number of services (or uses local or iCloud sync), while the former is of a new breed of app, a kind of content aggregator that collects your favorite content from across many silos.

Tapestry is the Iconfactory’s take on the same kind of application. You connect RSS feeds, Mastodon feeds, YouTube creators, Subreddits, and other sources to Tapestry, and read across services. It’s a beautiful and well-thought-out app, which is no surprise coming from Iconfactory.

The Black Magic Trackpad

Apple has a strange history of charging more money for otherwise identical products whose distinguishing feature is their black color. I am an avid sucker of this ploy, having purchased a black polycarbonate MacBook back in 2006, when Apple switched over to Intel for their processors.

I wrote last month that I’ve been flirting with replacing my Logitech mouse here in my home “office” with a Magic Trackpad. My previous attempts to use it with a Mac have always fallen flat, but I really like using it with my iPad. I think the touch-driven interface of the iPad lends itself to using a similar surface as a pointing device. And I do generally prefer using an iPad when it’s up to the lift. So I ordered a black one to match my black (pro?) keyboard.