Day One, a popular journaling app for iOS, has received a number of new features to go with a visual overhaul inspired by iOS 7, including support for the 64-bit A7 processor and M7 motion coprocessor found in the iPhone 5s, the ability to add information about a currently playing music track to an entry, and general performance improvements.
What's New in Version 1.12
- New iOS 7 Design
- Automated activity data tracking for iPhone 5s
- Daily Step Counting (M7 coprocessor required)
- Speed improvements and optimizations
- Additional weather source: forecast.io
- Add currently playing music track info to entry
- Fix issues with iPhone 5s panoramas
- 64-bit
The Mac version of Day One [Direct Link] was notably named Mac App of the Year in Apple's Best of 2012 awards, as the iOS version has been featured by Apple numerous times since its launch in 2011. Day One is a $4.99 app for iOS devices and can be downloaded through the App Store. [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
Every day, in the morning or night before, I log my goals for the day. For example: get x-project accomplished. Then at the end of the day I write down the results, why, and my thoughts. Essentially I analyze my performance and ability to achieve my day goals. First, it forces me to consciously choose a purpose for the day (goal). Then by analyzing my accomplishments and failures, I observe and assess the flaws in my behavior. This forces me to confront a more accurate reality vs the illusion in my head. For example: sometimes I think I have more time, energy, opportunity than I really have. Sometimes my goals are to big. Sometimes I fail because I spend too much time browsing the web. And sometimes I have issues with other people that compromise me emotionally, deflating my motivation. Whatever the case, if benefits to confront those realities. When you see it written down, you then ask yourself, "What am I going to do about it?"
It is correct that Day One lacks encryption and stores entries as plain text. These can be read outside the App. If you are concerned about this, you can easily turn on Filevault on your Mac and set a strong login password. This way no one can read your notes except you.
On the Dropbox/iCloud side, it's really not true to say anyone can read your entries. Dropbox and iCloud both encrypt your data as soon as it leaves your computer. All data is stored on their servers in an encrypted format. Whether you trust the service or not is a separate issue, but accessing your journal entries is not trivial and certainly not achievable by 'anyone'.
If Day One added encryption, it would be a second level of security on top of the existing options - nice to have sure. But I hope the points above show the current implementation is actually pretty good security wise.
If you sync with Dropbox anyone using your laptop can read your stuff, if you sync with iCloud bored Apple engineers can :)
That actually gives me a lot of perspective as to whether I want to buy it or not. I've been thinking about a journal app to log my thoughts as I tend to have so many of them, but the appeal of this to me has fluctuated. I think the idea of using it to write how you feel and look back days/months/years from now is an awesome thing! :)
I now have close to 4 years worth of daily entries and sometimes enjoy going back and reading what my thoughts were a a few years ago and see how much my perspective on things has changed over the years. In addition it's also fun to relive some of the moments I wrote about. Maybe someday will write a book on some of the crazy, and stupid, things I've seen guests do, or try to do, in my line of work as guest relations host at a major resort.