020 - Apps For Productivity - Inspiration Maps - Alexa for Quick Exercise, Mind-Mapping Tool, and Decreases in Smartphone Sales

Your App Lady

Your App Lady

Show Notes

Episode 20

Welcome to episode 20 of the Your App Lady Podcast!

All about apps and tech that I love and use every day.

On each episode, I’ll talk about recent tech news, recommend apps that I use myself and leave you with a great tech tip.

Tech News

Global smartphone sales have not been firing on all cylinders for several years now but Gartner’s latest figures record the first ever decline since the analyst began tracking the market all the way back in 2004. (Though it’s not the first analyst to call a decline.)

Gartner’s figures peg sales of smartphones to end users in Q4 2017 at nearly 408 million units — a 5.6 per cent decline over its Q4 2016 figure.

It says No.1 ranked smartphone maker Samsung saw a year-on-year unit decline of 3.6 per cent in Q4, while sales of Apple’s iPhones fell 5 per cent in the holiday quarter, though it says Cupertino stabilized its second-place marketshare.

For more information:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/22/gartner-reports-first-ever-global-decline-in-smartphone-sales/

Featured App: Inspiration Maps VPP by Inspiration Software, Inc.

Available for iOS.

Inspiration Maps began as computer software.

It is a great mind mapping/graphic organizer app that helps you get your thoughts from your head onto paper. The paid version has many templates to chose from. After completing the template, you push one button and all of the information you entered on the template becomes an outline.

This app is great if you need to organize your thoughts into blog posts, papers for classes or emails. Children in second grade or above will also benefit from it.

Tech Tip

Alexa Skill that gets you to exercise, with one of more than 30 fitness-related skills.

My favorites are the 5-Minute Plank Workout, which gives you six sets of core and various plank exercises with short rests in between.

After you enable the skill, just say “Alexa, start five-minute plank,” and you’re off. I also really like the Five Minute Workout: Core and Cardio, for short blasts of exercise throughout the day, and the 7-minute-workout skill. If you say, "Alexa, start 7-minute workout," Alexa suggests top rated exercises based on various muscle groups.

She also helps with yoga, guided meditation, and can now integrate with Fitbit too.

For more information:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/12/25/10-things-you-didnt-know-your-amazon-echo-could-do/971951001/

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Betsy can guide you through designing (or redesigning) your app or websites. Contact her at [e-mail] or 713-542-8118 to get details about working with her.

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