Programs and Applications

Programs and Apps

• Smartphones, computers, and tablets need a program or app to run.
• Businesses and home users utilize productivity apps for managing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases.
• The terms "software," "program," and "app" are used interchangeably.
• Apps are categorized by productivity, graphics and media, personal interest, and communications.

Program and App Categories

• Productivity apps encompass word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, database, note-taking, calendar & contact management, project management, support services, and enterprise computing.
• Graphics and media apps include computer-aided design (CAD), desktop publishing, paint/image editing, photo editing & management, clip art/image gallery, video & audio editing, multimedia & website authoring, media players, and augmented & virtual reality.
• Personal interest apps include lifestyle, mapping, medical, and education.
• Communication apps are blogs, browsers, chat rooms, online discussions, email, file transfer, internet phones, internet/mobile messaging, and videoconferencing.
• Security apps consist of personal firewalls, antivirus software and malware removers and internet filters.
• File, disk, and system management apps include file manager, search, image viewer, uninstaller, disk clean-up, screen saver, file compression, PC maintenance, backup & restore, and power management.

Local vs Portable vs Native vs Web vs Mobile apps

• Local apps are installed on a computer's hard drive.
• Portable apps run from removable storage devices like external hard drives, flash drives, or the cloud.
• Native apps are written for a specific operating system and installed on a computer or mobile device.
• Web apps are accessed via the Internet through a browser on a computer or mobile device.
• Mobile apps are those accessed on smartphones or tablets.

Mobile and Web App Usage

• Mobile apps can check email, maintain online calendars and contact lists, and provide maps and travel directions without needing a desktop or laptop.
• Mobile apps generally focus on a single task
• Some apps may be available as both native and web apps.
• Native apps enable item searches by taking a photo, scanning a product's barcode, or using the microphone.
• Mobile web apps run in a browser using the web address.
• Actions, data, information, and settings are synchronized between web and mobile app versions.

Mobile App Convenience

• On-screen keyboards predicting words/phrases, and automatic corrections can help with typing.
• Voice recognition is integrated in some on-screen keyboards.
• Portable keyboards can be connected to smartphones via Bluetooth.
• Mobile web apps can be created faster than native apps.
• Access to information on the go, voice input, and smart on-screen keyboards simplify interactions.
• Mobile web apps are generally slower and have fewer features than native or desktop apps.
• Poorly designed apps may deter users, and typing on small on-screen keyboards can be difficult.

Web App Tech

• Web apps use HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language) to display information, JavaScript for app performance, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for formatting.
• Cross-platform development tools enable apps to function across multiple platforms.

Sensors

• Fitness trackers use sensors to track heart rate.
• Digital cameras have sensors for remote controls.
• Smart home devices, like the Nest Thermostat, use temperature sensors.
• Google Home and Amazon Alexa smart speakers possess sensors to detect voices.

Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)

• Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, apps facilitate online purchases of goods and services.
• Mobile payment options are integrated into apps like Uber, Lyft, Amazon, or Walmart.

Productivity Apps

• Productivity apps help users create documents, develop presentations, track appointments, and stay organized.
• These include word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, databases, productivity suites, and enterprise computing.
• Project development involves switching back and forth between entering text/numbers, inserting images, adding contacts, scheduling appointments, and other tasks, using input methods like keyboards, mice, touchscreens, or voice input.
• Editing involves changes to documents such as font, spacing, and alignment.
• Saved projects are transferred to a local storage medium.
• A hard copy refers to information on a physical medium, such as paper.

Word Processing

• A word-processing app includes features for entering, editing, and formatting text and graphics.
• Word Processors create; documents, reports, mailing labels, flyers, brochures, newsletters, and resumes.
• Created files are called documents, a document is, in turn, a collection of one or more pages.
• A blank document appears upon launching a word-processing program.
• Document management tools protect, organize, and share files.

Workplace Uses of Word Processing

• Business executives, office workers, medical professionals, and politicians use word processing for agendas, memos, contracts, proposals, reports, letters, emails, personalized bulk mailings, and labels.
• Personal use include letters, greeting cards, notes, event flyers, and checklists.
• Students use it for essays, reports, stories, and resumes.
• Conference promoters and event planners utilize it for business cards, postcards, invitations, conference tent cards, name tags, and stickers.
• Web designers create documents before converting them to HTML for the website.

Spreadsheets

• Spreadsheet apps facilitate data organization in columns and rows, with calculation capabilities.
• Columns and rows form a worksheet.
• A spreadsheet file may be known as a workbook with thousands of related individual worksheets.
• A cell is a worksheet location formed by the intersection of a column and a row.
• A workbook represents a collection of related worksheets in a single file.

Spreadsheet Tools

• Formatting changes the appearance of worksheets.
• Developer tools add custom functions.
• Printing prints entire worksheets or selected areas.
• Web Capabilities support sharing workbooks online, adding hyperlinks, and saving worksheets as web pages.
• Charts (graphs) use bars, columns, pie wedges, lines, or other symbols to represent data.

Presentations

• Presentation apps organize content and create digital slide shows for a professional appearance.
• Presentations are displayed in various formats and include features for inserting, deleting, duplicating, hiding, and moving slides.
• Key points are added in a bulleted list within a text box on the slide.
• Graphics and images can be added for greater impact.
• Design ideas help improve the overall appearance.

Slide Content

• Text entered is placed within a placeholder, or copied and pasted.
• Content can be typed directly to a placeholder or copied/pasted from another file
• Graphics are inserted directly on the slide, or are copied and pasted from another file.
• Media content such as video or audio clips can be inserted to enrich the slide show.
• Links redirect to documents or web pages.
• A content placeholder inserts text from document files
• Charts help represent data

Presentation Features

• Transitions provide interesting effects.
• Animations add visually interesting components
• Slide masters are templates for presentations with a theme, and are customized with titles, text fonts, and backgrounds.
• Slide shows display or deliver content

Databases

• Databases consist of organized data that facilitate access, retrieval, and reporting.
• Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) consist of organized tables in columns and rows.
• Large enterprises use databases for storing vast quantities of data to facilitate online shopping.

Key Database Features

• Data is structured into tables of records (rows of data), electronically stored.
• Data pieces are entered and stored in a field.
• Columns group specific categories of information.
• Fields are defined by their data type, such as text, date, or number.
• Hyperlinks store data as web addresses.

Tables

• Tables store records and data for a single object.
• A database consists of one or more tables.

Productivity Suites

• Productivity suites contain individual applications to be used together as a unit.
• Microsoft Office runs on Windows, macOS, or web apps.
• Apple iWork runs on macOS, iOS, or web apps.
• G Suite runs on ChromeOS or web apps.
• Open Office runs on Windows, Linux, macOS.
• The Microsoft suite contains Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access
• Apple iWork contians Pages, Numbers, and Keynote
• G Suite contians Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and Gmail
• Open Office contains Writer, Calc, Impress, and Base

Virtual and Augmented Reality

• A simulated 3-D environment where one can explore and manipulate is Virtual reality (VR).
• VR seeks to remove a sense of separation between the viewer and the media.
• Augmented reality (AR) apps overlay information and digital content onto the real world.
• A convincing illusion of depth and space is created by a 3-D computer model in a virtual world

VR, AR and Gaming

• Video games use high-end graphics, powerful processors, and the Internet to create environments.
• Systems use handheld controllers as input, speakers and screens as output, and incorporate a hard drive or memory cards for storage.
• VR gaming systems use VR hardware and include customized desktops, headsets, controllers and sensors to track movement.
• Augmented reality integrates game content with the user's real-world environment.

VR Applications

• Microsoft HoloLens headsets, use holograms and projected three-dimensional images.
• Physical therapists use motion-sensing controls along with games for treatment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Al is technology that uses logic and previous experience to mock human intelligence.
• Machine learning is a kind of AI used to train machines.
• Navigation apps use Al.
• Security systems use Al to recogize faces
• Machine learning allows computers to identify patterns and improve performance without human support
• Strategic gaming, military simulations, statstical predictions, and self diving cars use Al

Natural Language Processing

• Natural language processing relies on data where computers translate spoken words.
• Digital assistants respond to questions and provide answers from voice commands, and use search technology.
• Search technology is used for commands from digital assistants

Robotics

• Robotics brings engineering and technology together to code robots.
• Robotic surgery is designed to take a shorter time, be more precise and prevent infections
• Robotics helps with more precise and controlled work, as well as to replace smaller incision sites.