The Mac Observer is pleased to introduce the new Mac Geek Gab iOS App! Available now from the App Store, the MGG App is the best way to listen to, and interact with, your two favorite geeks.
All new and recent episodes, including Premium episodes for Premium subscribers, are available in a beautiful streamlined interface. Check out a brief tour:
Episodes
The Episodes screen, which greets new users upon first launch, features access to app settings, a contact menu, the episode list, and viewing and download options.
Tapping on an individual episode will start streaming that episode immediately. To see more info on each episode, including show notes and user bookmarks, tap the blue arrow on the right.
Full gesture support is built-in and users can mark episodes as played/unplayed by swiping left to right on an episode title. Swiping right to left lets the user quickly download an individual episode or delete the downloaded copy of an episode that has already been downloaded.
To download more than one episode at once, press the “download” icon in the lower right portion of the screen and tap the blank circle next to each episode you’d like to download. Once all desired episodes are marked with a “check,” press “Download” in the lower left of the screen.
Along the bottom of the screen are filters. Left to right are Bookmarks, showing only episodes that have user bookmarks, Unplayed, All, and Downloaded.
Now Playing
If the app is configured to download the “Enhanced” versions of MGG episodes, users can access chapters from the Now Playing menu. Other options include adding and viewing user bookmarks, adjusting playback speed (1x, 1.2x, 1.5x), and outputting audio to AirPlay enabled speakers and devices.
Contact the Geeks
The coolest feature of the MGG App is the ability to contact Dave, John, and Pilot Pete directly from within the app, either by sending an email, Twitter message, or by recording and sending an audio comment.
Users can also call the Geek Gab crew via their voicemail box or Skype account.
Settings
Via the in-app settings, users can choose to download the Enhanced AAC version of the show or the standard MP3 version. The AAC version is created by Michael Johnston and includes chapters and links to discussed topics. It is usually available within 24 hours of the show’s recording date. The MP3 version does not have the enhanced features, but is usually uploaded within minutes of the show’s recording. So, if you want all the features, set “Enhanced Feed” to “On;” if you want new shows as soon as possible, set it to “Off.”
Premium Subscribers to Mac Geek Gab can enter their login information on the Settings page to enable automatic downloading of Premium shows and the back catalog of episodes that are only available to Premium subscribers.
“Continuous Play” will automatically play the next queued episode after the current episode is complete, and “Sorting” determines what order you’d like episodes to be displayed in.
Finally, “Stream Over Cellular” allows users to stream new episodes while they are using cellular data and not Wi-Fi. Mac Geek Gab episodes are not huge (40 to 50 MB each), but listeners with small data caps on their iOS devices should take note of this option.
The Mac Geek Gab app is available now from iOS App Store for US$3.99. It’s a great way to support the Geeks who have brought you Mac and iOS tips, tricks, solutions, and cool stuff for over seven years.
Listeners who don’t want the app can still find Mac Geek Gab in the iTunes Store but for the full Geek Gabbin’ experience, be sure to check out the Mac Geek Gab App.