Apps

Siri was great when it first came out, but competing vendors have caught up and arguable exceeded the capabilities of Siri. Microsoft's Cortana is quite advanced, and thanks to its integration with computers, today's Windows 10 PCs have a Cortana button built-in, so it's not just for mobile devices. Amazon offers its Echo products and the Alexa assistant, and Google offers OK Google and Google Home. Finally, with today's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple is enhancing Siri and bringing it to the Mac as part of macOS Sierra.

Styluses are not much in style anymore, the Apple Pencil still being a somewhat enigmatic and premium exception. That doesn't mean you can't buy good ones for an affordable price. Those of us addicted to scribbling, old-fashioned note-taking, doodling, or sketching know the good ones. A good stylus pen, like a fine pen, has a certain weighted balance and comfortable feel that makes it practically seem to disappear in your hand. The Lynktec Apex Fusion Stylus pen ($59.99) is one such fine electronic handwriting implement.

I've been using TrackR Bluetooth locater tags for a while and they keep getting better. The quarter-sized gizmos attach to your valuables and help you keep track of them, using Bluetooth and the free companion app. TrackR has also built up a healthy "Crowd GPS" network so, thanks to other TrackR owners, you can find your devices. Now, through a partnership with Ekster Wallets, TrackR can help you track your wallet, too. This is a nice touch, unlike Trackr's previous method, which required adding a bulky Bluetooth tracking tag to your wallet.

International travel can be the adventure of a life time. It can also be exhausting and complicated. Here are 15 free iPhone apps in no particular order that will help make everything about international travel a breeze, from planning the trip, navigating airports, and finding the best places to stay,  to seeing the sights, negotiating unfamiliar languages, and staying healthy and safe. Check out our list and let us know in the comments if we missed any. Bon voyage! 

One of the best things about this time of year is the abundance of events going on—including concerts and music festivals. There’s just something about the warm weather and being able to listen to live music outdoors that’s really exciting. Check out these 4 apps for finding musical performances in your area!

I moved into a much smaller place recently, which means I ended up having to put a lot of my things in storage—including my printer. Since then, I’ve needed to scan multiple documents, only to realize my printer wasn’t accessible. But what I didn’t realize at first, and what I’m happy to know now, is that there are quite a few apps that allow you to scan (and even fax!) documents without the use of a printer at all. Check out these free scanner apps!

When Apple offered iAd as an alternative to AdMob and the numerous competing mobile ad platforms, I was happy to integrate it into my apps. Not only did Apple make it easy to add a few lines of code to an iOS app, they made a superior ad platform. Instead of ads that interrupted the user experience, iAd allowed for interactive ads, almost like mini-apps, that let you return to the original app, where you left off.