Welcome to the 80th issue of Mobile Apps News!
Another stay-at-home edition. Hope you are healthy and safe!
This issue was slightly delayed because I got sidetracked with all the news of the insurrection at the Capitol last week. So it doesn’t include some of the most timely news related to apps like Parler, Signal, Twitter, and so on. I'll save that for the next issue.
This issue includes news from November, December and early January. Stories like these:
Apple’s major expansion of its racial equity and justice initiative
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds - excellent article
Tips, accessibility, voice-computing, thought-provoking articles, and articles about the future.
️ ❤️ Enjoy! (And if you like this issue, please “heart” it - thanks!)
Featured App
Craft Review: A Powerful, Native Notes and Collaboration App
An excellent new note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
App Lists
It’s the time of year for many “best of” lists. These are some of my favorites.
App Updates
Google’s latest Chrome update delivers ‘largest performance gain in years’ - The Verge
iPhone and iPad Apps Are Coming to the Mac App Store - MacStories
My Offerings
Information Literacy Tutorials for Undergraduates
I’m collaborating with librarians to create these in my position as e-learning developer at University of Arizona. Each tutorial has a Creative Commons 4.0 license, so you can borrow and remix for your audience.
Best Podcasts for Diverse Audiences
Love podcasts? Check out my set of ebooks that recommend the best ones by and for specific audiences.
The 12 Top Astronomy News Stories of 2020 » The Cosmic Companion
If you’re interested in astronomy news, check out my husband’s blog and newsletter.
Just for Fun
Puppr Review: Teach Your Dog New Tricks - MacStories
From Twitter:
“someone did a collab tiktok with a cat and it’s perfect”
Tips
How to get one of iOS’s best new privacy features on Android
8 Ways to Declutter & Organize Your iPhone Home Screen in iOS 14
Accessibility
Accessibility in tech improved in 2020, but more must be done
Good summary of how apps are working for people with disabilities. Zoom gets good marks (works well with screen-readers), and so does Apple.
Google’s “Look to Speak” app for Android uses your eyes to make your phone talk
”With Look to Speak, you can make your phone speak a phrase by looking left or right. Each side of the screen starts with several different phrases to choose from and after you look left or right a few times to narrow down the choices, you'll be left with one phrase on each side of the display. Selecting a phrase will make the phone speak it aloud.”
Pandemic presents new opportunities to boost accessibility
“… as the coronavirus pushes more of everyday life online, it is eliminating physical barriers and making more things possible for people with disabilities. As a result, brands are exploring the use of cutting-edge technologies, including AI, machine learning, virtual and augmented environments, mobile apps, voice assistants, and assistive and adaptive hardware to make digital assets more user-friendly, bridge language differences, and augment spoken and written communications.”
Voice Computing
Amazon Adds Live Translation to Alexa Features
Real-time translation between English and French, Spanish, Hindi, German, Italian, or Brazilian Portuguese. “When the voice assistant beeps, the user can speak either language naturally and Alexa will subsequently repeat back what was said in the other language.”
Google Assistant Voice Search on Chrome is Expanding to Android
“Google Assistant is moving to replace the existing voice search function on the Android version of its Chrome web browser.”
20 Alexa Skills to Try as 2020 Ends
Mayo Clinic Answers, 7-Minute Workout, Netflix, and more.
20 Google Assistant Actions to Try as 2020 Ends
Donations, Interpreter Mode (for translations), Smart Dog Owners, and more.
10 Apple HomePod Mini Tricks to Try as 2020 Ends
Handoff, Find My, Intercom, and more.
Smart Home Ownership Nearing 50% of U.S. Adults with Voice Assistant Control Becoming More Popular – New Research
Interesting statistics.
Thought- Provoking
Apple Announces Major Expansion of Its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative - MacStories
Low-code and no-code development is changing how software is built - and who builds it - ZDNet
FCC votes to open up more Wi-Fi spectrum - The Verge
Do These A.I.-Created Fake People Look Real to You? - The New York Times
Online game enables users to curate Birmingham Museums collections - Museums Association
Coding the future: the tech kids solving life’s problems - The Guardian
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds - James Clear
Remote Work - City of the Future - interesting podcast episode from Sidewalk Labs
Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, and Social Media Knows It - Scientific American
FCC awards $9.2 billion to deploy broadband to 5.2 million U.S. homes, businesses - Reuters
This Little Free Library at the South Pole is the First in Antarctica - Little Free Library
This Ultra-Green Library Offers Hands-On Environmental Learning - ILoveLibraries.org
Universities, the Climate Emergency and ‘The Ministry for the Future’ |- Inside Higher Ed
January 1st brings public domain riches from 1925 - Internet Archive Blogs
My Favorite Tools 2020: Top Investigative Journalists Tell Us What They’re Using - Global Investigative Journalism Network
Pandemic
A thread worth reading from Twitter:
RT @thatalicewu: A note from abroad: Realizing now that I’ve been 5 days out of US that many folks back home don’t realize how other countries might be living with the ‘Rona. Here is what it was like to come to Taiwan. I think we could maybe learn a coupla things… /1
Swish, Gargle, Repeat: UArizona Researcher Explores Mouth Rinse Test as Alternative to COVID-19 Nasal Swab - University of Arizona News
What are COVID archivists keeping for tomorrow’s historians? - Nature
The pandemic is as much about society, leaders, and values as it is about a pathogen
Review in Science Magazine of Apollo’s Arrow, by Nicholas Christakis
The Future
The Xenobot Future Is Coming—Start Planning Now - Wired
(Synthetic biology - wow, so many interesting ethical issues) .
How coronavirus set the stage for a techno-future with robots and AI - The Conversation
MIT forum examines the rise of automation in the workplace - MIT News
Why we shouldn’t fear the future of work - MIT News
The 8 Best Books About Artificial Intelligence to Read Now - Wired
PODCAST 128: Nicholas Christakis on ‘Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound And Enduring Impact of Coronavirus On The Way We Live’ - Quillette.com