Tech Tips: Cool for the Summer
Caitlin Tran | Daily Trojan
The final papers and projects of the year are piling up, but freedom is almost here. Whether you’ll be impressing your boss at an internship this summer or working on your tan at the local pool, here are four apps to arm yourself with to have the coolest summer yet.
Point SkyGuide to the skies and it’ll help you identify all the planets, constellations and satellites above at any time of day. The free app works even without Wi-Fi, data or GPS signal so make sure to download it before you head off into the wild for maximum wilderness appreciation.
Skillshare (Free classes or $10 Monthly membership, iOs)
Caitlin Tran | Daily Trojan
Keep yourself sharp, and enroll in classes on Skillshare this summer! This online platform has thousands of courses in design, photography, business and more. Their video modules are broken up into bite-sized lessons so you can learn at your own pace, and their site includes a classroom forum where you can interact with other students taking the course and showcase your take on the suggested projects. Last summer, I enjoyed this Pattern Design class and have my eye on an iPhone photography class to take next!
The price tag may seem hefty for this photo-a-day app, but the simple design and interface is worth it. Everyday essentially will remind you to take a photo everyday for as long as you want and merges them into a timelapse with one tap. If you choose to use the front-facing camera, it’ll set up face guidelines for you so you can ensure you’re staying consistent in every subsequent frame. Additionally, you can set up multiple timelines, so you can have a sandwich-a-day series and an outside-my-window series. I’m planning to use Everyday as a visual diary for my summer.
Caitlin Tran | Daily Trojan
This one is a bit of a wild card, but too cool to leave out. If you’re feeling spontaneous this summer and start itching to get inked, consider using inkHunter to preview how your tattoo would look on your skin with augmented reality. You can try any of their preloaded tattoo designs or even upload your own black-and-white sketch for testing. Unfortunately, there’s no app to predict how you’ll feel about the ink in 10 years…
Caitlin Tran is a sophomore majoring in arts, technology and the business of innovation. Her blog tech column, Captcha, runs every Tuesday.