Product Announcements – Independent development team, CogSci Apps Corp. of BC, Canada has released Hook 1.0, their handy digital utility for the Mac. Hook supplies the missing links in macOS, to allow users to access the documents that are most relevant to the task at hand. The app, based on cognitive science, allows users to instantly create notes linked to a document, or other information item, providing instant navigation between the two.
Hook doesn’t replace any of a user’s favorite Mac apps but instead augments them. For instance, by using a simple keyboard hotkey combination, a Mac user can instantly create a new item (in the app of their choice) that Hook links to the current item (such as a web page, PDF, email or file). With Hook, a document can be linked to an outline, an OmniFocus project, an email, and many other types of information.
“Deep work requires quickly accessing documents from your Mac. Unfortunately, filing and searching are distracting, slow and effortful,” shares Luc Beaudoin, a cognitive scientist and co-founder of CogSci Apps Corp. “Hook allows you to skip these steps by immediately linking and accessing contextually relevant information.”
This CogSci Apps(R) invention not only helps users with their own tasks, it also comes in handy by aiding the user’s colleagues. Users can send links to files in locally synced shared folders – such as Dropbox or iCloud – or even revision control systems like Git. Colleagues can then click on a link, and Hook finds the file and displays it in their Mac’s Finder window (or opens it) – even if the file has moved. Solving an age-old problem, links to emails can also be shared, so they can be used to easily refer to previous conversations.
When using Hook, the focal document becomes a hub for a user’s work, allowing instant access to information that is most relevant to the task at hand. No longer will Mac users overly depend on Finder, folders, Spotlight, web search, tags or aliases to access related information items. Now, users can swiftly learn, create products, and solve problems with pertinent knowledge resources.
Hook features include:
* Link items together (including files, URLs, emails, notes, tasks, and many more)
* Create, link, name, tag, and access items with one command
* Navigate instantly between linked items
* Get robust formatted links to various resources (including files, web pages, email, notes, and more)
* View linked items in Hook’s compact popup window
* Create, view and follow links with the Hook window
* Create shareable links to email
* Create links to shared files in Dropbox, iCloud, Git and elsewhere that recipients can open on their own Macs
* Use Hook search-links to trigger Spotlight searches
* Reveal the current document in Finder
* Import/export
* Link to and from files in DEVONthink Pro, EagleFiler, Evernote, Yojimbo and Finder
* Use the Multi-Link feature to link multiple items together in one or two steps (PRO Only)
* Copy all of a resource’s links (PRO Only)
* Create Markdown links to files, web pages and other resources (PRO Only)
* Create Hook files, which contain a URL or Markdown link in plain editable text, which are more general than aliases and .webloc (PRO Only)
* Customize with AppleScript (PRO Only)
* There’s more than that, and even more to come!
“Before Hook, links were essentially ‘out there’ on the web. Links could not connect your personal files, emails, tasks, and other important documents and information sources,” continues Luc. “Hook supplies the missing links in macOS so you can instantly access the documents that are most relevant to your current task. Hook allows you to you focus on creating, learning and solving problems.”
Device Requirements:
* macOS 10.12.6 or Higher
* macOS 10.14.5 Mojave Compatible
* 8.2 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Hook Essentials 1.0 is $14.99 USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies) and Hook Pro 1.0 is $19.99 USD. Hook Pro has all the features of Hook Essentials, but also enables users to generate Markdown links, make Hook files, edit integration scripts, generate search links, and install and use Hook on more Macs. Both versions include software updates for one year and are available worldwide exclusively at the Hook website. A 30-day Pro trial is available. Subsequent one-year software updates will be available at a discount of the original price. See the Hook Productivity website for details.
John's Notes 