Meet 3 Swift Student Challenge winners

June 03, 2022

I can barely program the schedule on my smart thermostat, let alone an app, so I'm thoroughly impressed by three students who won Apple's Swift Student Challenge.

One created an app to identify invasive plants; another to teach CPR; and a third a language app that lets users experiment with different gender identities.

These are just three winners out of 350 in total. All the winners created apps using Swift Playgrounds, and submitted them for the competition as part of an annual WWDC student program.

Perhaps one of them can rustle up a smart AI that fiddles with thermostats?

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple showcased three Swift Student Challenge winners who solve problems in their communities with their coding skills. The three teens were all first-time participants in the annual app-coding competition for young developers using Swift Playgrounds.

We see all kinds of battery packs, but few as innovative as the Chrger Porta. Like most of them, it can restore your drained iPhone. But this pocket-size power source also comes with a special compartment for charging straight-stem AirPods and a built-in puck for an Apple Watch. And you can charge up all three devices at the same time.

This USB-C dock sits on the 24-inch iMac's stand and adds six frequently used ports. It also sports an enclosure for user-installed SSDs. It launched Friday, and is available now for 20% off the usual price.

On a tight budget and looking to buy a new pair of AirPods? The excellent earbuds are currently down to just $99.99 on Amazon — a whopping 37% discount from the $159 retail price.

Apple U.S. retail store employees now get a minimum of 12 hours between shifts, up from 10 hours. And they won’t have to work more than five days in a row. These are just two of the changes Apple is reportedly making to how it schedules workers at its 270+ retail locations.

Strange to think that until quite recently, people carried around separate chargers for each device. And some people still do. But if you’re on the go for work or leisure, wouldn’t it be much better to bring one compact charging device and a few cables? With compact and potent gallium nitride chargers, you can.

In CDKeylord.com's Big Sale heading into June, you can get great savings on software, games and gaming accessories.

Mix the classic Frogger arcade game with Raiders of the Lost Ark and you get Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins. Jump through puzzle-ridden ruins to unravel their mysteries.

On June 3, 2011, iOS overtook Research in Motion's BlackBerry operating system for the first time. The decline of BlackBerry OS marked the beginning of the end for the mobile devices that once ruled the business world.

We’ve seen a fair number of PC gamers converting to one or more of the new Macs lately, including some who let go of their main gaming machines entirely. Today’s featured setup fits that bill.

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One more thing ...

"I want you to show me stuff that makes me crap my pants," -- Steve Jobs to Apple staffers, according to Pedraum Pardehpoosh, a 16-year Apple veteran

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