2017 slipped by before I knew it, and I haven’t updated the blog in ages. Partly, the more I learn, the less I feel I know, and I worry about misleading readers with a technical post. Partly, I’m just lazy. So I’ve decided this blog doesn’t have to be all technical articles. I’ll also write about things that matter to me and thoughts I want to keep. It’s a record for myself; if someone else finds it useful, even better. (Not that there are many readers…)
With 2017 just behind us, I wanted to share the things I enjoyed using or found helpful at work and at home. Maybe some will be useful to you in 2018. There are apps, hardware, books, and exercise equipment here. These are my picks; what worked for me may not work for you. Right, on to the list.
Historical note (reviewed October 2026): These are my 2017 experiences and recommendations. Models, features, and quoted promotional material retain their historical context and are not current buying or installation advice. Notes below clarify version and feature limits.
2017 Best iOS Apps
Keywords: Weight Loss Learning Knowledge
Keep
If you’re a fitness enthusiast, a weight-loss planner looking for an app to record your workouts, then I recommend Keep to you. Keep has a very famous slogan, I don’t know if you’ve heard it: “Discipline gives me freedom!” I also like another quote: “Don’t let work ruin your life—there’s always someone busier than you who’s exercising.”
The software is just an assistant—the most important thing is self-discipline. Life needs self-discipline, exercise needs self-discipline, diet needs self-discipline. Self-discipline doesn’t mean losing the fun in life; on the contrary, self-discipline brings freedom and confidence. People always long for a perfect version of themselves. Keep at it!
In 2017, with Keep’s help, my weight went from 78kg at my heaviest to my current 70kg. In terms of numbers, it might not seem significant, but looking back at photo comparisons, I really have much more confidence now.
Dedao
As my wife—the boss at home—puts it: you know some people are impressive, and that’s about all you know about them.
The Dedao app gives us a path to get close to those really amazing people, to know their learning methods and ways of thinking. You’ll discover that people smarter than you work even harder than you do—so what reason do you have to be lazy?
In 2017, I listened to Wu Jun’s “Letters from Silicon Valley,” listened to Xue Zhaofeng’s “Peking University Economics Course,” listened to Wan Weigang’s “Elite Daily Class,” spent a year listening to Luo Pang on “Logical Thinking,” and listened to plenty of books.
In terms of both broadened horizons and thinking, I already gained far more than the subscription fees for these columns.
WeChat Reading
There are many reading platforms; choosing one and sticking with it is most important. I have books on all three platforms: WeChat Reading, Duokan Reading, and Kindle—neither is better or worse, what’s important is actually acquiring knowledge.
People are always complaining about how much time we spend staring at our phones. Instead of swiping Weibo, Zhihu, Jike on the subway, it’s better to open a book, calm down, and read carefully.
2017 Best Mac Apps
Keywords: Work Arrangement Work Recording
Things 3
This thing is a bit expensive, but it’s truly useful. Various functions are complete, and data across all platform versions (iPhone, iPad, Mac) is synced.
Things handles the first part of my work routine: planning tasks. With a lot going on, I sometimes forget something important. Now I put everything I need to do in Things and choose the day’s priorities each morning. Anything unexpected goes in there too, so I don’t lose track.
Additionally, Things’ repeating tasks, task priorities, task timing, etc., are quite easy to use. I was previously using the web version of Tower, but I decisively migrated all data to Things.
Update: Things 3 prioritizes through Today ordering and custom tags, rather than a built-in P1/P2 field. Sync requires the same Things Cloud account. With Things 3.23, updating one device requires the others to run 3.22 or 3.23 to keep syncing; cross-platform support does not mean every old version remains compatible.
MWeb
MWeb is a Markdown editor. I tried several others before settling on it. It has the features I need, looks good, feels comfortable to write in, and handles images well.
MWeb handles the second part of my routine: recording what I did, including my daily work log. Things tells me what needs doing; afterward, I use MWeb to write down what happened and what I learned. Things keeps the list, MWeb keeps the thinking.
I also use MWeb to write blogs, company documents, summaries, etc. In short, it’s a Markdown editor I enjoy using.
Evernote
I don’t need to introduce Evernote much. Its browser clipping plugin helped me save many excellent technical articles; the team sharing function helped me share notes in the team.
Evernote handles the third part of my routine: archiving. Technical articles, meeting notes, project plans, PDFs—anything I want to keep long term goes there. Sometimes I even use its presentation mode in meetings instead of making slides.
Version note: This describes the older experience. Evernote and Yinxiang Biji are separate services, with separate accounts and feature sets. International Evernote decommissioned pre-v10 Mac, Windows, and Android clients on March 26, 2024. The old presentation workflow is not a promise about current versions; follow the documentation for the service you use when migrating or exporting.
2017 Best Android Apps
Keywords: Android Tools
Android Network and Resource Access Tools
As a long-time user of Google’s apps and services, I relied on Shadowsocks for the Android experience I wanted at the time. As an Android developer, I couldn’t imagine how many sources of knowledge I’d lose without it.
Crossing the Great Firewall took some care. Thankfully, the government hadn’t shut every route down. Don’t ask me how I set it up—keeping a low profile was how you got by.
Greenify
This was my 2017 recommendation for controlling background apps, not a universal must-install recommendation today. Android 6.0 (API 23) introduced system-level Doze and App Standby; later systems and vendors have their own policies. Check actual battery use and background behavior on the device before adding another tool.
I had the privilege to discuss issues with Greenify’s author Feng in the WeChat group. The depth of Feng’s knowledge and passion for technology—we can only look up to him with admiration. We all owe Feng a donation version.
The promotional description below is historical. The developer’s listing warns that hibernation interrupts background functions, including push messages, alarms, scheduled work, and widget updates. Foreground functionality does not imply unaffected background behavior or permanently new-device performance.
No need to envy friends’ iPhones anymore—even if they install many apps, their phones won’t become laggy or drain battery. With “Greenify,” your Android device can also maintain the smoothness and battery life it had on day one!
Highest user-rated Android power-saving app on Zhihu: http://www.zhihu.com/question/21007772
“Greenify” helps you identify and prevent app programs that have negative impacts on overall system performance and power consumption. Through unique “greenification” technology, it prevents these apps from consuming your battery power and occupying your precious memory. Apps processed by “greenification” technology cannot “secretly” run when you don’t actively launch them, while still having complete functions and experience when you normally launch them—just like iPhone apps!
2017 Best Non-Technical Books
Keywords: Self-Improvement Elevation
Deep Work
I strongly recommend this book, especially to programmers who expect to keep learning throughout their careers. Everyone will take something different from it. I tried some of its methods in my own work and found they helped. For me, it was the best book I read in 2017. Consuming lots of short snippets of information can make me feel as if I know a great deal. Without taking time to think them through, though, they remain fragments and soon fade.
Checking emails at any time and place, participating nonstop in large and small meetings, busy hands and feet in the scream of instant messaging software, constantly switching attention in the cluttered multi-thread work… You appear very busy, perhaps even unconsciously enjoying this busyness—but can your busyness really be converted into productivity?
This book’s author, Cal Newport, PhD in Computer Science at MIT, sharply reveals the shocking truth of the information economy era—more than 60% of knowledge workers’ working hours are spent handling such shallow tasks, and these tasks not only produce limited value but also permanently damage people’s ability to do deep work!
The author founded the concept of “deep work,” with its meaning being to engage in focused professional activities in an undisturbed state, maximizing personal cognitive capabilities. And precisely because deep work capabilities are increasingly scarce in today’s society, their relationship with economic success is becoming increasingly tight. All discussions in the book revolve around “deep work,” and the book is divided into two parts: in the first part, the author objectively analyzes from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and other angles the importance of implementing deep work in the new economic situation. The second part systematically teaches specific strategies for practicing deep work in daily life, such as incorporating deep work into daily work processes, improving brain’s deep thinking ability, staying away from social networks, etc.
The author also emphasizes that deep work is not an outdated skill, but a good medicine that rescues people from the mental alienation state caused by technology monopoly. In today’s shallow information era centered on the internet, advocating for deep work is no different from calling for a return to craftsman spirit.
Deliberate Practice - From Novice to Master
This book already has quite a reputation. Actually, this book tells us a very simple truth: if you want to become an expert in any industry or field, you need to do a large amount of deliberate practice, not simply piling up time.
For anyone hoping to improve themselves in any industry or field, deliberate practice is the golden standard—the most powerful learning method discovered to date.
2017 Best Technical Books
Keywords:
To be honest, in 2017 I didn’t seriously finish reading even one technical book. But out of so many technical books I’ve read, there are still two I can recommend to everyone—though the technical books I read are more related to my own work, not necessarily suitable for you.
Deep Understanding of Android Kernel Design Thoughts (Second Edition)
Edition note: The heading names the second edition, while the retained cover and description refer to Android 4.3 and 22 chapters. They do not establish the second edition’s exact source baseline. Check your copy’s edition, ISBN, and source version rather than extending the old compatibility claim indefinitely.
It can be considered a classic book for system development. This book had its second edition this year, adding some new content. Whether you’re an application development engineer or a system development engineer, knowing more about Android system’s architecture and design is very helpful for the depth of your knowledge.
Read source-oriented books against the Android version used by that edition first, then compare with your target system. Jumping straight to the latest branch can introduce path and architecture mismatches. The old description’s “Android 4.3 and above” does not establish compatibility with every subsequent version.
“Deep Understanding of Android Kernel Design Thoughts” applies to Android 4.3 and above versions. The book starts with basic operating system knowledge, comprehensively analyzes implementation principles of core technologies in Android such as processes/threads, memory management, Binder mechanism, GUI display system, multimedia management, input system, etc. Most knowledge points in the book come from engineering project R&D, thus having strong practicality, hoping to let readers “know what is and why it’s so.” The book is divided into four parts: compilation chapter, system principles chapter, application principles chapter, and system tools chapter, with a total of 22 chapters, basically covering all knowledge required to participate in Android development, and guiding readers’ learning through many illustrations and examples, in order to provide readers with more easily understandable thinking methods beyond source code analysis.
“Deep Understanding of Android Kernel Design Thoughts” is suitable for both Android system engineers and application development engineers to read to improve Android development capabilities. Readers can more deeply understand the Android system in the subtle learning process of “Deep Understanding of Android Kernel Design Thoughts,” and naturally apply learned knowledge to actual development problem-solving.
Running Linux Kernel
I’m still reading this book, and due to lack of relevant knowledge, the progress is a bit slow. Essential for Android system engineers.
This book’s content is based on Linux 4.x kernel, mainly selecting relatively basic and commonly used memory management, process management, concurrency and synchronization, and interrupt management these four kernel modules to explain. The book is divided into 6 chapters, sequentially introducing ARM system architecture, Linux memory management, process scheduling management, concurrency and synchronization, interrupt management, kernel debugging techniques, etc. Each section’s content is a Linux kernel topic or technical point, and readers can think based on questions before each small section, then conduct kernel source code analysis around the questions.
This book has rich content and clear thorough explanations, not only suitable for personnel with certain Linux-related foundations, including personnel engaged in Linux-related development, operating system researchers, embedded development personnel, and Android bottom-layer development personnel to learn and use, but also suitable as a learning book for programmers interested in Linux and as a teaching material and training textbook for related majors in colleges and universities.
Version note: This is a Linux 4.x-era book. For a current Android device, check its kernel version, configuration, and vendor changes. The Android kernel overview helps compare architectures; generic Linux mainline and book examples are not necessarily the device kernel.
2017 Best Phone – Meizu Pro 7 Plus
Keywords: Flagship
It’s not that I don’t want to recommend the iPhone X. I just can’t afford it…
The Meizu Pro 7 Plus gets plenty of criticism online, but I still think it’s an excellent flagship. I like Flyme, the hardware is decent, and that little secondary display looks cool. Whether it deserves both “Pro” and “Plus” is up to you.
2017 Best Router – Xiaomi Router Pro
Keywords: Drama
Xiaomi Router + Xiaomi Home Theater was convenient for me in 2017. Some sites offered a “Download to Xiaomi Router” link. One click, and the download would go to my router at home, ready to watch when I got back. That convenience was the whole point. The feature depended on the firmware and third-party services of the time; the old integration’s availability has not been verified for current use.
2017 Best Tablet – iPad Pro
Keywords: Perfect
In my eyes, iPad Pro has both iPhone’s advantages and Mac’s advantages. From usage scenarios, attending meetings, sending/receiving emails, reading e-books, reading technical documents, reading PDFs, etc.—it can handle all.
iPad Pro with a keyboard (don’t buy a pen, it’s useless) is essentially a shrunken version of Mac. Except for writing code, it can satisfy all my other needs. Since I got this good thing, my usage rate of that Mac I’ve been using for several good years has been lower.
Those apps I mentioned earlier: Keep, Dedao, WeChat Reading, Things, MWeb, Evernote all have iPad versions, much better than the iOS versions.
Apple knows how to make good products. My word for the iPad Pro: perfect!
Technical note: “A smaller Mac” describes my use cases, not macOS or native Mac-app compatibility. “Except coding” is also not a current platform limit: supported iPads can build Swift/SwiftUI apps with Swift Playground, subject to its device and OS requirements.
2017 Best Wearable Device – iWatch
Keywords: Recording
Of my four Apple devices, the Watch is the one I notice least. Battery life is my biggest gripe: charging the first generation every day and the second every two days gets old. After I switched my main phone from iOS to Android, I stopped using its calls, texts, and alarm reminders. But it still solved one problem for me: tracking exercise.
Feature note: “iWatch” means Apple Watch here. My phone-switching experience does not mean alarms stop without an iPhone: alarms, timers, and workout tracking remain available offline. Setup still requires a compatible iPhone rather than Android pairing; calls and messages have separate model, network, and carrier requirements.
The treadmill and iWatch make a useful pair for my weight-loss efforts. Seeing the details of each workout pushes me not to slack off. The watch has become something I wouldn’t want to do without.
2017 Best Headphones – MDR-1000X
Keywords: Noise Cancellation
Wireless noise-canceling headphones make a big difference in a noisy office. Whether I’m thinking, coding, or reading, it feels good to get some quiet. And without a cable, I don’t have to worry about it getting tangled around my chair.
I’ve used MDR-1000X for so long, and I’m satisfied with all three aspects: noise cancellation, usability, and sound quality. The original post provides no test source for the claim of 50% fewer interruptions, so it should not be treated as a measured benefit. The effect depends on the environment and how you use the headphones.
2017 Best Weight Loss Companion – Treadmill
Keywords: Persistence
It’s easy to put off a run. I know it helps with weight loss, but sticking with it is another matter. Outside, there’s always the weather: too cold, too hot, rain, snow.
I squeezed a treadmill into my already crowded home. I can run whenever I want, and starting feels like less of a struggle. After work, I open Keep and get going. Five kilometers a day isn’t so hard; keeping it up is the hard part.
Others
Of course, there are still some things that can significantly improve happiness, but I won’t list them one by one. I think I’ll update them below as I think of them.
- Rouqilin’s beef sauce—look for 三观正的牛 (roughly, “a cow with its values in the right place”). Give it a try; I think you’ll love it
- Dishwasher—once you use one, cooking at home feels less daunting
- Floor-sweeping robot, who doesn’t want the floor at home to be clean every day? Especially when you have a long-haired monster and two cats at home
About Me && Blog
Below is a personal introduction and related links. I look forward to communicating with colleagues in the same field. When three walk together, there must be my teacher!
- Blogger Personal Introduction: Inside are personal WeChat and WeChat group links.
- Blog Content Navigation: A navigation of personal blog content.
- Personally Organized and Collected Excellent Blog Articles - Essential Skills and Tools for Android Performance Optimization: Everyone is welcome to self-recommend and recommend (private WeChat chat is fine).
- Android Performance Optimization Knowledge Planet: Historical introduction; the paid community closed in 2026.
“An individual can move faster, a group can go further.”
