Shaoshupai Review Examines Four Apps for Input, Writing, Podcasts and Apple TV Capture

Zi Hao Hare, available for iOS and iPadOS, is built on the Rime engine and the Wusong Pinyin dictionary and is designed for out-of-the-box use, according to the review. It offers 26-key and nine-key layouts and a dedicated Xiaohe double-pinyin keyboard that labels final letters on the keys. The app combines touch-point data with pinyin rules to correct mistyped words, the review said, and on first launch downloads a 6.8MB Zi Hao spoken model for sentence-level input; users can switch to a 1.9MB lightweight version, use a full model or remove models. It supports traditional Chinese including Taiwan and Hong Kong standards, mixed Chinese-English input, emoji candidates and quick phrases, and can import Rime configurations and dictionaries. Processing runs on device, the app has no ads and does not require an account, though without Full Access it cannot read dictionaries or sync data from the main app. Core typing is free; a one-time Zi Hao Pro purchase unlocks translate-as-you-type, AI scripts that require the user's own API key, themes and iCloud sync. The review said the app is not initially available in the mainland China or EU App Store and that AI scripts require an external model key and may incur usage costs.

Platen turns an iPhone into a retro typewriter for note-taking, the review said. The app uses paper textures, a rail and slider, ink variation, mechanical sounds and haptics; users can customize typewriter parts, rail finish, font size, margins, ink depth, paper texture and decorations, and a night mode adds a small lamp effect. Notes are limited to 3,000 characters each, making the app better suited to short pieces than long articles, and it offers basic note management, backup, optional iCloud sync and export to paper sizes including A4, A5 and US Letter. Platen is free with up to three notes; Platen Studio costs 58 yuan as a one-time purchase and unlocks more appearances, parts, sounds, decorations and export and print options, according to the review. It is mainly an iPhone app.

Brink, for iOS and iPadOS, is a podcast app centered on transcripts and information capture. The review said it supports show notes and chapters, lets users drag along a chapter-divided progress bar to see the current chapter, and allows bookmarks at timestamps with notes and a 30-second audio preview. Its transcript feature automatically transcribes the current episode, highlights text during playback and jumps to the matching time when a sentence is tapped; the transcript can also be translated, searched, copied, saved as PDF and filtered to hide spoilers. Walk mode provides a simplified playback screen with a live map and syncs workout data to Apple Health. Brink imports OPML files and supports screenshot-based import, though the review said that import method largely does not work with Chinese-language podcasts. The app is free to download, with a subscription at 28 yuan per month or 98 yuan per year for transcripts, related features and Walk mode. The review said Brink appears to use only Apple's own AI models, so results cannot match leading frontier models.

TVScope is a recent app for recording and screenshotting Apple TV, listed for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. The review said it connects to an Apple TV on the same local network with a four-digit code, showing a live picture along with device name, model, system version, local address and mirroring specifications. Users can record or capture at 1080p/60fps or 4K/30fps and can record the handheld device's microphone for commentary. Captured material goes into an in-app library with simple editing and cropping, GIF export, and screenshot templates for X, Xiaohongshu and blogs. TVScope also works as a remote: it displays installed app icons for quick jumps and offers remote controls through a desktop widget, according to the review. The review noted that Apple released the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K on Oct. 13.

Editor's Summary

Shaoshupai's Oct. 19 review highlights four apps that address input, short-form writing, podcast transcription and Apple TV capture, with pricing that ranges from free core features to one-time purchases and subscriptions. It also notes practical limits: Zi Hao Hare's regional availability and API-key requirement, Platen's 3,000-character cap, Brink's reliance on Apple's AI models and TVScope's local-network setup. The review presents these apps as tools for specific workflows rather than broad platform replacements.