Wednesday, 30 April 2025 Issue#029

Transition Smarter. Tech-Driven Guidance for What’s Next

Navigating transition decisions with a hundred browser tabs open? We’ve got a better way. From AI-powered spreadsheets to a veteran app vault, this week’s spotlight tools are like having an executive assistant… minus the salary.

Weekly Spotlight

Tool of the Week: Chatsheet – Turn Hours of Work Into Seconds!

Like putting stuff into spreadsheets but struggle with using formulas for more than just simple math? Chatsheet is a tool that can help. It is really many AI tools in one that are accessed through a spreadsheet interface. It can help with comparisons (think a bunch of real estate listings or job postings), web scraping, and PDF reading. Military transitions typically include making a lot of decisions, organizing and analyzing them through a tool like this can save hours of work.

Why we like it:

✅ Robust free tier; affordable paid tier

✅ Use case demos

✅ Web scraping tools useful for job and house hunting

✅ Intuitive & clean interface

What We Are Tracking

Tech Update: Facebook parent Meta Platforms launches standalone AI assistant app

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, just made a big move in the world of artificial intelligence by launching its very own standalone Meta AI app. If you’ve been following the AI race, you’ll know that this puts Meta in direct competition with giants like OpenAI (the folks behind ChatGPT) and Google, both of whom already have their own AI assistant apps out in the wild. Until now, Meta’s AI was tucked away inside apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, but with this new release, you can access Meta AI directly, no social media required.

So, what makes this new app special? For starters, it’s powered by Meta’s latest and greatest language model, Llama 4. This means you can expect smarter, more nuanced conversations, better reasoning, and support for multiple languages. But the real kicker is personalization. Meta AI isn’t just answering questions in a vacuum-it’s using information from your Facebook and Instagram profiles (with your permission, of course) to tailor its responses. If you’re someone who likes having an assistant that “gets” you, this could be a game changer.

Meta’s vision goes beyond just chat, though. The app is designed to work hand-in-hand with Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses, so you can interact with your assistant both on your phone and through your eyewear. There’s also a new discovery feed, where you can see how others are using AI and even share your own creative prompts or results. And if you’re a developer or just a tech enthusiast, Meta is hosting its first-ever AI developer event, LlamaCon, to showcase the power and flexibility of its Llama models.

Looking ahead, Meta plans to test a paid subscription for advanced AI features later this year, though it might take some time before this becomes a major revenue stream. All in all, this launch marks a big step for Meta as it tries to carve out a bigger slice of the AI pie, promising a more personal, context-aware assistant that’s ready to compete with the best in the business.

Bonus Feature

App Spotlight: VA App Store – Directory of Veteran health focused Apps

The VA Mobile App Store is an official platform by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that serves as a centralized directory for mobile applications designed to support Veterans, their families, caregivers, and VA healthcare professionals. Rather than hosting apps directly, the store provides curated links to applications available on public platforms like the Apple App Store, Google Play, or as web apps.

🔍 Key Features

• Comprehensive App Directory: The store categorizes apps into sections such as Mental Wellness and Self-Care, Physical Wellness and Health, Care at VA, and more, facilitating easy navigation based on user needs.
• User-Friendly Filters: Users can filter apps by specific health topics, including anxiety, PTSD, nutrition, and appointment scheduling, ensuring they find tools relevant to their circumstances.
• Support for Various User Groups: The platform offers tailored app recommendations for Veterans, healthcare professionals, and family caregivers, addressing the unique needs of each group.

📱 Notable Applications

• VA: Health and Benefits: This flagship app enables Veterans to manage appointments, securely message healthcare providers, view claims and payments, and access proof of Veteran status.
• VA Video Connect: Facilitates virtual appointments with VA healthcare providers, enhancing accessibility to care.
• VA Health Chat: Allows Veterans to connect with VA staff members promptly, often within 60 seconds.
• Annie for Clinicians: Enables VA care teams to manage patient health subscriptions and monitor submitted health readings.

The VA Mobile App Store is a valuable resource that consolidates a wide range of applications aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of Veterans and their support networks.

Productivity Spotlight

Tools that help you stay, or get, productive

✅ Loop Habit Tracker - With daily reminders, beautiful charts and insightful statistics, Loop Habit Tracker™ helps you create and maintain good long-term habits.

✅ Day One - Powerful journaling app to help you keep track of all of life's events.

✅ Ground News - Ground News is a platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias and break free from algorithms.

Check us Out

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