LINEA SKETCH is an app that lets you make most of the Apple Pencil, the stylus for writing and drawing on your iPad Pro and the new iPad – and you don’t have to be an artist to use it.

Priced at less than Bt200, the app has lots of different uses. It can act as digital paper to jot down your ideas or plans instantly and effortlessly, allow you to take notes, write storyboards or design an app interface.

One of its best points is that it is intuitive to use with minimal user interface design. Every control is designed to stay out of your way and give you a large canvas on which to work. Most interface or sub-menus are hidden but will surface when needed with just a tap on the screen.

You can start working by choosing from the numerous grids, templates, backgrounds and paper textures.

The templates include notepads with wide and narrow rulers in both portrait and landscape mode. There are also app use interface and icon design templates for those wanting to design an app UI.

If you want to work on storyboards, you simply choose between 16:9, 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 ratios.

The app allows you to turn paper texture on and off and several paper type and backgrounds are available, including Butcher’s paper, Black construction, Blueprint and Grey Bristol.

And you can work on your sketching masterpiece by using five flexible layers to prevent your work from being damaged. Each layer can be set to transparent and all the layers can be merged.

The sketching app also allows you to import images from Dropbox or other sources on which to work. The image files support drag and drop to rearrange and their capacity can be adjusted.

Linea Sketch is designed to allow you to easily choose from a wide range of pre-defined colours. You can also customise colours with a single tap.

The colour panel is part of the always on-screen and boasts two banks of pre-defined colours, each with six shades. You can also drag and drop colour swatches into Linea Sketch form other apps.

The Iconfactory, which publishes the app, says Linea Sketch was designed from the ground up for the Apple Pencil input device and boasts that it was the first sketching app designed to use with the stylus.

The apps supports tilted |rendering, meaning each drawing tool works differently when your Apple Pencil is used flat against the screen.

Four drawing tools are provided and they are pressure sensitive. They are Technical Pencil, which provides hard lead and thin lines, Classic Pencil with soft lead and thick lines, Felt Tip Pen with thin solid lines that vary in opacity with pressure, and Wide Tip Marker giving fat solid lines that also vary with pressure.

The app also provides an Eraser tool for you to clean up your work at the touch of a finger.

While drawing, the app provides a feature called ZipLine to help you draw straight lines and polygons easily. You can draw a line and hold at the end to automatically straighten it. You can also tap and hold to connect ZipLines to form polygons.

Another tool that makes your drawing or sketching easier is the Lasso tool. This allows you to draw a piece then move, resize, or duplicate it. With this tool, you can transform portions of just one layer or a combination of layers.

After you have finished your masterpiece, you can export your work as a layered Photoshop document, transparent PNG, and flattened JPEG. You can also export the entire drawing or cropped portions to a range of services including Dropbox.

The Linea Sketch provides an intuitive project management feature, allowing you to organise your drawings in project folders. You can share, rename, move and remove drawings and projects easily. The project folders also display thumbnail previews for you to quickly glance through your drawings.

The app supports iCloud Sync that automatically keeps all your sketches and projects up-to-date across all of your devices. You can even continue to work on your sketches on a Macbook if you purchase the Linea Sketch for Mac version.

During the test on iPad Pro 10.5, I found that the Linea Sketch worked fast and smoothly. The Apple Pencil worked very responsively on the digital papers of the app and gave off the feeling of writing on real paper with the thickness of the pencil varying according to the pressure. I could also rest my palm on the screen while writing just like on a real notepad.

The Linea Sketch is priced at Bt179.

Key Specs

>> Seller: The Iconfactory

>> Size: 39.7 MB

>> Category: Productivity

>> Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPad Air, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular, 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Wi-Fi (5th generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (5th generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular (2nd generation), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation), and iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (6th generation).

>> Languages: English

>> Age Rating: Rated 4+

>> Price: Bt179

THE macOS is now much better with the release of the macOS Mojave, with several new features and new apps as well as a redesigned Mac App Store.

Among the fresh features are Dark Mode and Dynamic Desktop, which can make your Macbook and Mac desktop computer look much better.

I tested the Mojave on a MacBook Pro and loved Dark Mode, which transforms the desktop with its dark colour scheme that highlights content and makes it easier on the eyes in low light.

Dark Mode is beautifully integrated across built-in Mac apps including Mail, Messages, Maps, Calendar and Photos. Users can enable Dark Mode in System Preferences and third-party app developers can also integrate Dark Mode in their own apps.

The Mojave is the first macOS with Dynamic Desktop. The desktop background features a series of images that shift to match the time of day wherever you are in the world.

The desktop, featuring the rolling sand dunes of the Mojave Desert, transitions with different lighting variations based on the time of day, from dawn to midday, dusk and evening, to give the user an all-new experience.

If you store files on the desktop until it becomes cluttered, you will love Stacks, which can quickly clear up the mess. Stacks automatically organises files into neat groups based on file types, similar images, presentations, PDFs and text documents.

You can also customise Stacks to sort based on other file attributes, including dates and tags. Stacked files are easily accessed by clicking to expand them.

Screenshots on the Mojave is much easier to use and very useful indeed. It now comes with on-screen controls for quick access to new video capabilities. The controls include options for setting a timer and even choosing where to save the screenshots.

The Finder in the new macOS now features an all-new Gallery View that lets users skim through files visually, while a Preview Pane shows all of a file’s meta-data, making it easier to manage media assets.

Quick Actions now appear in the Preview Pane within Finder and allow you to do things like create and password-protect PDFs. Quick Look now lets you rotate and crop images, mark up PDFs and trim video and audio clips. Quick Look can be accessed by selecting a file and pressing the space bar. I found it very convenient.

A new feature of the new macOS is called Continuity Camera. You can shoot or scan a nearby object or document using your iPhone and have it appear on your Mac. You simply need to use the function “Import From” in Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Notes, Mail and other supported apps to scan or shoot.

Other useful iOS apps, including News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, come with the new macOS.

Use News to get information from trusted sources as selected by the editors and personalised for you. Use Stocks to track the market and read the news alongside your personalised watch-list with quotes and interactive charts.

The Home app allows you to control HomeKit-enabled accessories, from turning on lights to adjusting a thermostat or checking a baby monitor. And Voice Memos makes it easy to record personal notes, lectures, meetings, interviews or song ideas with the Mac’s built-in microphone and then later access them through iCloud from iPhone, iPad or Mac.

The Mojave has the Mac App Store completely redesigned. It now features rich editorial content that makes it easier to find apps and a Discover tab that highlights the hottest new apps, plus Create, Work, Play and Develop tabs to find apps for a specific project or purpose.

The Safari web browser of the new macOS comes with enhanced Intelligent Tracking Prevention that helps prevent social media “Like” or “Share” buttons and comment widgets from tracking users without permission.

Safari also presents simplified system information when you browse the Web to prevent data companies from creating a unique “fingerprint” that can be used for tracking.

Safari helps you better manage passwords by automatically creating, auto-filling and storing strong passwords when you create new online accounts.

Safari now supports website icons in the browser tabs so you can easily identify their open tabs at a glance. This can be enabled in Preferences.

Another improved function is Siri on Mac that lets you control HomeKit-enable devices. It has improved knowledge of food, celebrities and motor sports.

Mail comes with a new feature with an emoji menu within the composition window. This makes it quick and easy for you to add emojis to your email.

And the FaceTime video call of macOS Mojave now lets you add up to 32 people to your group video call. And the same call can include both audio and video callers.

The macOS Mojave is available today as a free software update for Macs introduced mid-2012 or later, plus 2010 and 2012 Mac Pro models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards.

COMPATIBLE WITH:

MacBook early 2015 or later

MacBook Air mid-2012 or later

MacBook Pro mid-2012 or later

Mac mini late 2012 or later

iMac late 2012 or later

iMac Pro all models

Mac Pro late 2013, plus mid-2010 or mid-2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics card

HARD DISK SPACE:

2GB memory, 12.5GB of available storage space, or up to 18.5GB of storage space when upgrading from OS X Yosemite or earlier

JIM THOMPSON brings elegance to the home this winter with a new furniture collection that revives the iconic designs of leading American architect Ed Tuttle.

Committed to creating contemporary designs that represent local culture, Tuttle was behind the striking makeover of the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, the Park Hyatt Milan and Aman Resorts in Indonesia. More recently he has undertaken renovation projects for the five-star Sukhothai Hotel in Bangkok and Chiva-som International Health Resort in Hua Hin.

Famous for his minimal but luxury style, Tuttle plays with geometric forms to create abstract sofas, semi-precious stone hand-inlaid tables, comfortable lounge chairs and hand-crafted lamps. This is a made-to-order service, allowing customers can choose their own favourite wood, upholstery fabric and colours from a catalogue. The work takes between 45 to 90 days to complete depending on the designs.

“The partnership between Jim Thompson and Tuttle began 15 years ago when Tuttle expanded his reach to include interior design. He invited us to hold an exclusive production license of Ed Tuttle Furniture by Jim Thompson to supply furniture and home furnishings for his design projects,” says Sasaya Buranastidporn, director of Home Furnishing Asia Pacific & International Operations.

“Our furniture was made in Austria and France but all textiles were produced at the Jim Thompson Factory in Pak Thongchai district of Nakhon Ratchasima. Today, all the production is based in Thailand because Tuttle is working on more projects in Asia.”

To help customers visualise how the pieces can be used in an interior, Tuttle has designed and styled four different vignettes at Jim Thompson Home Furnishings Showroom on Surawong Road. The room showcases his special furniture in juxtaposition with fabric walling and textile panels as well as contemporary Southeast Asian art he personally picked.

Focusing on simplicity and classic designs for urban living, the remarkable Patsri large lounge chair and low dining armchair are made of solid teak and finished with detachable chenille canvas cushions, making them a perfect fit for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Using special techniques to form their dedicated structure, these low-seat chairs showcase the very finest of Thai craftsmanship. They take an inspiration from the chairs Tuttle designed for his friend Patsri Bunnag to use on their shared yacht the “Mahabhetra”.

The Maia dining chair and armchair have a chic, sleek feminine character that is influenced by his celebrity friend Mai Vejjajiva. Their frames are made of ash and finished with a zebrano and ebony veneer for a classy look.

The Lite sofas and daybeds come in the shapes of C and L. Their structures are a mixture of ash wood and metal, complete with refined upholstery that easily matches other furnishings. Following its name –sky in French – the Ciel series gives a feeling of floating on air when sitting on its Meridien sofa, two-seater sofa and armchair thanks to the super soft seat stuffed with duck feathers.

Tuttle has added some new tables and lamps to his home furnishing collection. One of the highlights is the Square Gem side table, adapted from the full dining table at Park Hyatt Milan, for which hand-inlaid techniques are used to create a beautiful top made with such gemstones as malachite, agate and onyx.

The black Micro Mosaic table and console are complemented with agate and amethyst stones, while the Organic Pair table has smoked brass legs and free-form African granite finishing and the Gueridon features a gunmetal-shaded stainless steel frame, mahogany legs and African granite top.

Perfectly paired with Patsri chairs, the Drilled Glass low dining table comes with teak legs wrapped with ropes. The X stainless steel tables are scratch-resistant and come in three colours of gunmetal, rose-gold and gold. There’s also the Wood Column mahogany table lamp with a silk shade, the inside of which is adorned with woven gold ropes.

Tuttle also presents a new design of hand-woven, silk-rayon fabric called Rice that is available in 22 colours to complete his furniture. The look is minimal yet sophisticated, with the natural yarns in the warp and weft making it the perfect accompaniment for the complex silhouettes.

Find out more about the furnishings by calling (02) 632 8110 or emailing showroom@jimthompson.com.

The Hong Kong Cyclothon – the biggest cycling event in Hong Kong featuring four races and five cycling activities – has become a must attend event among cyclists from around the globe. The fourth edition, held last weekend, saw an increase in the number of amateur and professional cyclists of more than 5,000 over last year.

“This cyclothon has gone from strength to strength in just four short years and continues to draw more top-notch cyclists,” says Anthony Lau, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

“The high level of competition means that we have been able to upgrade the UCI Asia Tour Class 1.1 road race into a world-class spectacle, which is in line with our continued efforts to enhance every element of our diverse range of mega events and underline Hong Kong’s status as the events capital of Asia.”

Adrian Ferguson, a civil engineer from Fermanagh in Ireland, who has lived in Hong Kong for six years but only signed up for the cycling event this year, was delighted with the race.

“It’s brilliant. The route is very flat, and yes it is very good,” said Ferguson, an experienced cyclist who brought along his wife and two children.

This year too saw celebrities and cyclists fly in from Thailand to take part, among them model Surampha “Golf” Yokchotisakul and Channel 8’s actress Rattanaporn “Mint” Klinkularbhirun, who took part in the 50-kilometre ride. Also along for the ride was Pawin “Pong” Suwannacheep, the drummer of modern rock band ModernDog who signed up for the Elite Partners Men’s Open Race over three laps.

“It was really exciting cycling over the bridges, which usually are used for vehicles, and crossing the Hong Kong islands. The wind was very strong,” said Golf.

“Before coming here, I saw some pictures of last year’s cycling event and was astonished at the suspension bridges and the tunnels, which are closed to traffic for this event. The hardest aspect was the 10 cutoff times throughout the 50-kilometre distance. We were really wondering how we would manage our time,” added Mint.

The 10 cutoff times of the 50km ride were at junction of Jordan Road and Lin Cheung Road at 3.6km, Nam Cheong (the junction between Tsing Sha Highway and West Kowloon Highway) at 6.5km, Tsing Long Highway (near the slip road to Tsing Yi Road West) at 14.3km, Nam Wan Tunnel (near Sai Tso Wan Entry) at 15.2km, Nga Cheung Road Flyover (ICC) at 25.9km, Nam Wan Tunnel (near the Sai Tso Wan Entry) at 28.2km, Tsing sha Highway (near Lai Po Road) at 34.3km, Eagle Nest Tunnel (Shatin Toll Plaza) at 38.5km, Eagle Nest Tunnel (Kowloon Side Entry) at 40.7km, and Nga Cheung Road Flyover (ICC) at 47.5km.

Golf and Mint, key opinion leaders and in Hong Kong at the invitation of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, agreed that the most exhausting part of the route was the climb over the long bridge. The admitted they found it hard, even though they had experience of cycling up hills during the International Angel Challenge in Ratchaburi.

“Cycling on the long bridge was tiring and we had to struggle against the wind. We tried to control our bikes while also watching out for other cyclists riding into us,” said Golf.

“We saw one cyclist who had come off his bike and had blood pouring from a head injury.”

I also took part in the 50km ride and was shocked to see the number of injuries. I passed one cyclist who had been left unconscious by his fall and others with obvious though not life-threatening injuries.

“I think that the road was too narrow for the large number of cyclists,” said Golf, who won plenty of admiring looks from hot-blooded Hong Kong males. “I was nearly hit by another cyclist though all the local bikers were friendly and generous.”

“For me, it was thrilling to cycle through the tunnels though I found it more difficult to breathe. We don’t have many tunnels in Thailand,” she said.

“The views were stunning though,” added Mint. “And I was really impressed at how smooth the expansion joints on the bridge were.”

Drummer Pong was excited about taking part in the Men’s Open Race but discovered the age categories defined in the registration meant little in actual race terms.

“I ended up cycling behind some 70 stronger cyclists. But I did my best to follow the group and am pleased to say I didn’t finish last.

“You really need a proper warm up to take part in this kind of race. Usually, I spend longer warming up on my indoor bike but here I had to share with other cyclists so only got 10 minutes. The route took us over bridges and through tunnels and there were a lot of sharp curves. It was fun though I tried to remain aware of safety throughout.”

The climax of this fourth edition Hong Kong Cyclothon was the finale of the Hammer Series 2018 – the first Hammer Series race to be held in the SAR. Some of world’s top professional cycling teams were taking part, among them BMC Racing Team and Trek-Segafredo from the USA, Bora-Hansgrohe and Team Sunweb from Germany, Quick-Step and Lotto Soudal from Belgium, Mitchelton-Scott from Australia, and Team Sky from Great Britain.

The Mitchelton-Scott claimed victory though they admitted the going was tough.

“It was really hard,” said Matteo Trentin, after the finish. “Especially because the time trial followed immediately after the 40km point race. There wasn’t any time to recover but I liked it.”

“It’s a really good way to round out the season,” added Cameron Meyer. “It’s an important event to us – it’s new in the world of cycling and for us to win the series in a city like Hong Kong is really great.”