Essential Apps for September 2023

Over the past few weeks, I have found some really awesome apps that deserve recognition. This article is entirely about them.

Speaking of recognition, this blog has now been accessed in 34 countries globally and has been read over 10,000 times. I feel this is a milestone, so I thought of sharing it. Thank you for being an active reader of The Tech Garamond.

Keeping this aside. Let's get to the first app.

ClearVPN

Moving on, the first app on this list is ClearVPN. Virtual private networks (VPNs) are becoming extremely important in this digital day and age. They help you cover your internet tracks, which keeps you away from hackers, the FBI (it’s a joke), and other cyber criminals. Why ClearVPN? Well,  it is simple to use and has cool features.

The VPN service allows you to change your location to almost all countries in the world, which allows you to bypass geo-restrictions. In addition, it has a stealth mode for streaming services. What does this mean? Well, if you try to watch content on Netflix via a VPN that is not available in your country, Netflix will block your service until you turn off your VPN. But guess what? ClearVPN can simply evade all of these restrictions. Not only for Netflix, this stealth mode works for several streaming platforms. Lastly, ClearVPN also allows you to choose between modes such as fast internet browsing and top security. This way, you can use the software according to your needs. ClearVPN is obviously paid, but you can get started with a three-day free trial here →

Flighty

Flighty is the super-handy flight tracker that really makes life convenient. Every time you want to see the status of a flight, you have to look up the flight number on Google and then reload the page every time you want an update. But this app changes that. You can add a flight and then see all of its details. When I say details, I mean the status of the flight, the boarding gate, and so much more! It also gives you an arrival forecast based on previous trends about flight delays. Not to mention, it also lists down all the information about the aircraft for all the aviation geeks. Lastly, it also allows you to create your own digital travel passport, which gives you cool stats like total kilometres travelled, airports you have visited, and total airborne time. This feature is so cool!

The basic features of this app are free, but if you want to go all out, you'll have to pay for an annual subscription. However, I recommend taking their trial to better understand the app.

Download the app here → 

GoodNotes 6

With so many friends buying iPads lately, I have had people reach out to me asking for a good notes app. My answer is always the same: GoodNotes. GoodNotes is a powerful app for the Apple ecosystem that allows you to use the iPad to its fullest potential in terms of note-taking. It has some great features, such as endless canvases, annotating on PDFs, and AI support for notes.

AI support in a note-taking app? Yes, GoodNotes performs spellchecks using AI in handwritten text, even with the Apple Pencil. It also tells you if your math is incorrect. This feature is called AI Math Assist. On top of that, it creates a summary of all your notes for revision purposes. These features are amazing to me. The app also allows you to record audio from your classes and tag them to certain parts of your notes. Additionally, the app is well-designed and lightweight, so it is a joy to use. Plus, the app isn't even that expensive for what it offers. Check it out → 

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Yeah, those are the best apps for this month. Definitely check them out. Oh, also, Apple has its "special event" on September 12th, where they will unveil their new iPhone 15 lineup and hopefully more products. The event will be live-streamed on Apple's website and YouTube page if you want to watch it. Here is the link for it.

And that's it for this issue. I'll catch up with you next week. Until then, make sure to update your tech!