The Blog Subscribe
Top Apps 2017
Here at BTN we love our apps and 2017 has been no exception. Here are my faves of the year plus what the other guys love day to day.
Ofo
Since my review earlier this year Ofo have as promised made dramatic improvements to their service. If you weren't in the know Ofo is a bike sharing service which recently made itself to Norwich and my first experiences were far from great. But that has all now changed. I am constantly checking the app to see if there is a bike near me, and add I don't drive is got me out of some sticky situations.
Google Assistant
I'm done with Siri. She's never really lived up to her promises and I had always looked enviously over the fence at the experience Android owners had with Google Assistant. So I was well chuffed when it finally came to iOS. I find it so much faster and much more accurate. And even though it didn't have the hooks into the OS like Siri does it performs bloody well. I have it ironically set up as widget on the Siri screen of my iPhone for quick access and I love it.
Twitch
I really got back into gaming in 2017 with my purchase of the Xbox One S and finally I was up to date with what everyone else was playing. This got me much more interested in the phenomenon that is eSports. I love watching live streams and was gripped by this year's Street Fighter tournament. Twitch is great for getting quick access to these streams and although I don't interact much with others watching them I do pick up lots of handy hints and tricks.
Slack
Slack is a must if you're involved with BTN and is my go to social network because you lot are awesome! There is a lot to be said about having a private network of like minded individuals. You make me laugh, sometimes make me cry and cost me a fortune with your picks. Keep it up.
This year I thought looking and hard about my use of Facebook. You've probably experienced the same as me where you get sucked into a rabbit hole of meaningless rubbish. Plus the platform isn't what it used to be. So I deleted the app for a month to see if I missed it and to be perfectly honest I didn't. I did eventually reinstall it as I need it for BTN but I don't actively post there.
I did however get heavily into Instagram in 2017. Now I know what you're saying. They are owned by Facebook. I am aware of that. But it's a far nicer social experience. It's just nice pics from those you follow and doesn't have the dirge of comments you find on Facebook.
Also I found it has made me more creative and conscious of what I post which is just great all round.
The BTN Crew's fave apps:
Ewen
- Piano 3D
- Slack
- F1 racing 2016 on AppleTV
- MyEE iPhone App
Camps
- Bring! (Shopping list app)
- Sonos,
- Strava,
- Slack
Anders
- Slack
- WebSSH (remote server access - hit this one a lot the last couple of weeks)
- Met Office
Author
Paul Wright