Apps

I’ve reached a point in my life where cooking is important to me. I may not want to stand in the kitchen when I get home after work but I’ve realized how much better I feel when making my own meals with fresh, whole ingredients. Now it’s time to find some healthy recipe apps that not only use whole ingredients to make delicious meals but also don’t take too long to make. Here’s my list of the best healthy recipe apps I’ve discovered.

Technology keeps getting miniaturized, but the Videus ($95) from Aerix Drones may be the smallest drone you will ever get your chance to use, unless you work for the CIA. This thing is incredibly small, and it's almost a disadvantage because it could easily be mistaken for a cheap toy. It's not cheap and it's not a toy. The Videus is a fully functional video-recording drone that includes a 2.4GHz wireless controller but can also be controlled using a free iOS or Android app.

As if becoming an app developer wasn't already an intriguing opportunity, a new proposal from presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton could make it more interesting. Along with several proposals to help graduates deal with crushing student loan debt, she is now suggesting that entrepreneurs and early stage startup employees could delay payments on their loans. Developers of apps built to help society could see even more benefits. Considering how such startups are often cash-poor and use equity to attract employees, this is a positive step. As an app developer since the App Store was introduced, I see this as a great opportunity for young graduates to pursue their dreams.

Internet-of-Things technology vendors want to take over your home, car, person—you name it. And the trend will continue to pervade further into our lives as portable tech becomes ever more sophisticated. At WWDC 2016, Apple announced expanded integration with smart-home product vendors, one of which is a monitoring product called Canary ($179). I just happened to be reviewing their current 1st generation product when the announcement was released. HomeKit (and newly minted products that leverage it, like the Canary Plus to be released later this year) teases with an Apple-centric vision of smart appliances, apps and online monitoring services to come. The current Canary offers a slice of that vision.

Apple knows how important education is. That's why the tech giant supported President Obama's ConnectED initiative, donating millions of dollars in hardware and software to schools. It's one of the reasons I've had an affinity for Apple, having first learned computing on an Apple ][ in the early 1980s, in high school. At the recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple made several strides towards ensuring there will be a strong next generation of Apple programmers. 

The saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." But the corollary is, if it is broke, fix it. The honest truth is that the Apple Watch was broken. It was cumbersome to find your favorite apps, and it was slow to launch them. Apple didn't release a new Apple Watch, or any new hardware for that matter, at this week's Worldwide Developers Conference. But the tech giant may have saved the Apple Watch. The company fixed two of the worst issues: app launching and performance. Now that I've had 24 hours or so to contemplate it, I've concluded this was the right move. Before adding any significant hardware or software features, like standalone GSM/cellular capability or FaceTime video calling (with or without a camera) Apple really had to fix the user experience, especially when it came to launching apps.