As a follow-on to the December general meeting on cord cutting, we talked about the tvOS 10.1 update for the 4th generation Apple TV that introduces the new “TV” app. This app allows you to search for movies and TV shows across all supporting apps such as Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, and many television/cable network apps. It can also keep track of what episodes you have watched so that you can continue through a season of TV shows. The TV app is also available on an iPad or iPhone once you have updated to iOS 10.2.
We also talked about the new Withings Body Wi-Fi connected scale that I bought recently. It measures not only weight, but also BMI (body mass index) with some accuracy, and (like other similar scales) body fat % with perhaps less accuracy. The scale has its own Withings Health Mate app that tracks your stats over time, and feeds into the iPhone’s Health app. The scale can also sync with more than 100 other web-based fitness services such as MyFitnessPal.
Speaking of the Internet of Things (IoT), another member mentioned he had bought the Ring video doorbell which is also Wi-Fi connected. It allows you to see who is ringing your doorbell even when you are not at home.
Lastly we tried out the Swift Playgrounds iPad app that teaches kids (or even adults) how to write some simple Swift programs in a very entertaining way. Swift is the language developers use to create iOS apps and Mac applications. Swift Playgrounds allows you to manipulate a character through a virtual world that you can see on your iPad.