apps

Photo courtesy of siliconangle.com

Exposing data through APIs is a well-worn topic.  At Mashery, we talk about it literally all the time.  But we usually focus on a company exposing its own data sets through APIs to inspire innovation.  What we don’t talk about as often, is how whole industries can use APIs to increase productivity and efficiencies. 

SXSW has traditionally been a stronghold for lifestyle technology.  Until recently, the Interactive crowd went as far as shunning the mere notion that enterprise business process or even mere productivity apps had anything to do with the social interaction of the creative minds that mingled amid the balmy spring weather of Austin.

Mashery’s own Delyn Simons, VP of Developer Outreach, and John Oberon, VP of Engineering, were featured in a New York Times article titled “Where Apps Meet Work, Secret Data Is at Risk.” The article focuses on the risk of data exposure in a world where employees work and live using the apps and devices they choose; where employees may be sending and sharing sensitive information using apps like Dropbox,

For those of us who live in cities, transportation networks are vital to our day-to-day activities.  Since I don’t have a car, I am wholly reliant on New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).   Thank god they have an API.

We took a look at Internal APIs, or APIs within a company, in our post earlier this week and were reminded of the Olympic-sized benefit Coca-Cola Enterprises internal API and ordering app gave them during the summer Olympics in London last year.

A couple of weeks ago, Adria Richards (West Coast Developer Evangelist with our friends at SendGrid) hosted Girl Develop Its’ “How to Rock Your First Hackathon”.

She went through some of the key resources anyone should have ready (not just the ladies) for your first hackathon:

Learn To Code Resources

The Yellow Pages Group (YPG) has experienced an incredible journey from phonebook supplier to online communications and marketing giant. And since releasing an API, the Canadian company and its business partners continue to enjoy even more growth.

Photo courtesy of apievangelist.com

We are clearly far past the point of having to explain the benefits of API management and services, but there are still specific aspects where more attention is merited. In particular, partners.

Image courtesy of lancekorsun.com

Photo courtesy of mobihealthnews.com

Healthcare has been a popular topic in the past few years.  A lot of attention has gone into legislation and how we can improve our ailing healthcare system.  While the fights over laws have gone on, innovators in the medical device space have made leaps and bounds, making healthcare more accessible to individuals.

Photo courtesy of Geeky Gadgets 

The Internet is rapidly transforming everyday objects like refrigerators, thermostats and even cars into super-connected machines. As the offline world moves online, this “Internet of Things” (IoT) is starting to revolutionize the way humans and machines interact.

While many of our New Year’s resolutions center around things like losing weight or finally organizing the garage - think about starting the New Year by cleaning out your digital clutter.

When it comes to social media, we create our own experience to a certain extent. We choose who we want to follow or add to our network and how we connect.  However, after years of adding acquaintances, old co-workers or potential business contacts, we may find our contact lists become bloated.

There are over 8,300 APIs out there today and the number keeps growing.

After several days of eating your grandmother’s chocolate covered, sugar coated butter cookies, you may decide it’s time to hit the gym. Although… don’t you deserve another cookie just for thinking about getting off the couch?

If your dieting resolve tends to waver around triple-decker fudge bars and marshmallow cream pies, don’t worry. These mobile apps can help you stick by your New Year’s resolution no matter what goal you want to accomplish.

Carrots and Sticks

Although Santa doesn’t have his own API (I’m sure he is very saddened by this), he does have a few mashups that focus on him that were made with the help of some awesome APIs.  These range from Santa trackers (there is even some drama surrounding this category) to Christmas light display locators, and they are all very festive and sure to get you into the holiday spirit!