Type of Article: MacTech Web Site

Apple has updated Swift Playgrounds, a free iPad app to teach kids of any age basic coding skills in Swift, to version 1.1. The upgrade — available at the Apple App Store — adds new Learn to Code lessons, support for sound and music.

Playgrounds is designed to teach basic programming concepts like loops and conditionals using an animated character that the budding programmers direct by writing code. The app offers suggestions for code to be used, and Swift Playgrounds also has a special iOS coding keyboard to ease entry of all of those pesky brackets.

Promise Technology Inc. has launched a free software upgrade (http://tinyurl.com/zn9qpwm) for its Apollo Cloud personal cloud device and app designed to make it easier to manage all of your digital content. New features include cheduled daily backup, direct USB upload/download and more.

mature markets, where it’s Pixel and Pixel XL devices have started selling.”

FileMaker announces annual awards
FileMaker, Inc. (www.filemaker.com) has announced the winners of its annual FileMaker Business Alliance (FBA) and FileMaker Community awards. The awards recognize standouts among the thousands of developers, customers, users, writers, trainers, partners and supporters in the FileMaker ecosystem.

The FBA awards recognize excellence in six categories, referred to as the FBA Pillars of Excellence: Design, Development, Education, Innovation, Advocacy and Growth. 

Apple has opened registration for Hour of Code workshops at all 487 Apple retail stores worldwide, from Dec. 5-11 in celebration of Computer Science Education Week. They teach the basics of computer science with Code.org’s programming tutorials. Apple and Code.org share the goal of giving every student the opportunity to learn computer science.