Here in the U.S., many folks are heading into a long holiday weekend and counting down the hours until the end of the work week. To help you in your winding-down efforts, here's a roundup of mobile and app news from the past week. Oh, and ICYMI, yesterday, June 29, marked the ten-year anniversary of the release of the iPhone, so expect at least a few links reflecting on the device that changed many lives.

Enjoy, and have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend!

A decade and 12 megapixels later, we're still glued to Steve Jobs' greatest invention by Nikolay Nikolov - Mashable, June 29, 2017.
A decade ago, the world seemed like it wasn't ready for the iPhone. Research showed most people in affluent societies didn't want converged devices.

Living With the Original iPhone... in 2017 by Joanna Stern – Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2017.
Back in 2007, the iPhone was revolutionary. But what about using that same phone in 2017? WSJ's Joanna Stern locked up her iPhone 7 and attempted to make it through the day.

Apple's iOS 11 public beta is now available by Scott Stein - CNet, June 26, 2017.
Apple's next iPhone and iPad OS is here in public beta form, should you choose to experiment.

Apple CareKit adds cloud connectivity, new prototyping tool by Jonah Comstock – mobihealthnews, June 29, 2017.
Though health and fitness news on the main stage of Apple’s WWDC focused mostly on Apple Watch updates, the team has also added some significant upgrades to Apple CareKit, which were shared at a series of sessions at the conference that are now available online.

15 health and wellness use cases for virtual reality via mobihealthnews, June 22, 2017.
Virtual reality has moved from science fiction to marketable consumer product astonishingly quickly, partly because the incorporation of the smartphone into the technology makes it accessible, if not ubiquitous. It’s looking more and more like those who bet that virtual reality is here to stay, and not a flash-in-the-pan trend, made the smart bet.

Survey: 70 percent of caregivers say tech plays no role or a minor role in their work by Jonah Comstock – mobihealthnews, June 27, 2017.
A new survey of 700 non-professional family caregivers finds that just 30 percent say technology plays a major role in their caregiving. Forty-two percent say technology plays a minor role, and 28 percent says it plays no role at all.

Augmented-reality measuring tape unfurls on your iPhone by Amanda Kooser – CNET, June 27, 2017.
No tape measure, no problem. An augmented-reality app built for iOS turns your smartphone into a virtual measuring device.

SpaceX is even landing rockets in augmented reality by Sean O'Kane – The Verge, June 26, 2017.
An ARKit demo brings the Falcon 9 to the backyard

932 million mobile banking transactions made a SECOND in 2016 - and the number is rising fast by Vicki Shaw - Mirror, June 29, 2017.
Last year, 30 in-app transactions were recorded a second in the UK as Brits turn digital to manage their cashflow

AI and mobile apps: What really matters By John Brandon – Computerworld, June 29, 2017.
More apps use AI to do things for us, such block and remove offensive posts on Instagram. Soon AI will take the limelight, and the apps will move the background.

Also, here's a bonus video showing how one company is using Augmented Reality to help firefighters save lives: