Insights By Dean Duke / June 1, 2016 Share Tweet Share Share Byword Review: A Simple iOS Writing Tool – Byword for the Mac, iPhone and iPad has been recently updated to version two. The update brings a few new and improved features to the writing tool. In this article, you will learn about the merits of the updates, it’s fundamental features, a comparison to Pages and Functionality of the app.Byword – Simple and Efficient Writing ToolRelated: Writing Apps For The iPadNew Features Recently AddedByword 2.0 brings new features to this writing app. The tool now has automatic downloads for offline editing. It also has offline help/support and App integration has been improved. The premium version allows users to directly publish to Blogger, Evernote, Scriptogram, Tumbler, and WordPress. I like these new features as I usually get new article and blog ideas which I can quickly write using Byword and send them to my WordPress site. No fuzz. No nonsense. Just writing and quick publishing!Latest Byword ReleaseByword InterfaceI installed Byword for the iPad mini and opened the app. I was greeted by a very clean user interface devoid of any distractions. Just a sidebar on the left side which I can also hide if I wanted to and fill my iPad’s screen with just the app’s writing slate. This is the tool I want to use when writing: simple and unobtrusive.Byword with SidebarThe app has two themes: a light and a dark one. It’s up to the user to choose which one he/she likes. Personally, I like to use the light theme in the morning and the dark theme at night. I do this so I won’t disturb anyone when I am writing.You can change themes using the app’s preference/settings page. Just tap the three dots on the upper right hand corner of the screen and you will be presented with the screen below.Byword’s Preferences Screen / Dark ThemeFrom the “Preferences” screen, you can also control the following:Font usedFont sizeLight/Dark ThemeAutocapitalizationAutocorrectionSpell CheckingText ExpanderThe last one, Text Expander, is a Byword add-on which you can install separately.Byword 2.0 can also export articles to HTML and PDF directly.The markdown support shows formatting changes as you type. This makes it easy to see the finished article as it would be when published.Byword 2.0 For The Mac, iPad and iPhoneByword’s Clean And Clutter-Free InterfaceCloud IntegrationByword 2.0 brings improved Cloud integration. Users can use Dropbox and other cloud storage easily as Byword 2.0 defaults to the cloud as its primary save location. I tried this by writing a sample article and saved it to my Dropbox account and there it was! It allows offline files duplication, deletion and renaming. Automatic sync and update happen when the user is online.iCloud integration on the Mac has also been improved. The app now defaults to iCloud as its save location. There is a problem with iCloud sync though. Articles created on the iPad or the Mac does not sync to the iPhone.Byword Premium – Is it Worth the Money?Byword 2.0’s Premium feature will allow users to publish directly to their favourite writing platform. This service will cost you $4.99 (iOS) and $11.99 (Mac). It is also a separate purchase for the Mac, iPad and iPhone.Byword 2.0 is a simple yet efficient writing tool for your Apple devices. We found it very easy to use and the new features greatly improve the writing experience on all platforms.Watch the video below to see Byword in action.Byword Vs. Pages For iOSIts is easy to see the differences between these two writing tools for the iOS. While Byword presents a minimalistic interface, Pages for iOS has a rich (but somewhat cluttered) screen. In Pages, users can insert images and other stuffs which can quickly distract them from writing. It really depends on the user and what he/she wants to write about.Read also: Ulysses vs Pages vs Write I personally prefer Byword over Pages, mainly due to the interface and ease of use. But I imagine this will come down to a personal preference.You can watch the video below for quick how-to video of Pages.The only downside is the payment for the Premium features. The Mac version will set you back $11.99 while the iPad version costs $5.99. But it is a small price to pay for a good addition to an already great app. You can get Byword 2.0 by clicking this link for the Mac and here for the iPad.If you found our Byword review informative, please let us know and remember to share it on your preferred social media platform.
