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You wouldn't have the Amazon Echo (or Echo Dot, or Echo Show, or whatever) without Amazon Alexa. Here's what you need to know about the two.

Amazon Echo. Or Alexa. They're one and the same, really. That is, an Amazon Echo without Alexa really isn't any more than just a speaker. And Alexa without a speaker is just ... Well, nothing.

Confused yet. I don't blame you. Let's explain the difference this way:

Echo is hardware, Alexa is software

Amazon Echo — and all of its permutations — is hardware. Alexa is software. She (and I have zero problem if you refer to Alexa as a she) is the brains behind the Echo, and all the things you can do with it. And because she's software, she's available on more than just Amazon's own devices.

Anyone can put Alexa on anything. You can make your own Alexa speaker for just a few bucks and a little bit of nerdy know-how. There are third-party Alexa speakers that look like Amazon's own Echo Dot. There are third-party Alexa speakers that look like speakers. You can get Alexa baked into a smart thermostat. She's built into the HTC U11 smartphone.

The point is, Alexa can be built into pretty much anything these days.

But that's just half of the story.

It's all about the Alexa Skills, baby ...

Alexa starts out by knowing what Amazon tells it. She already knows how to tell the time, and set alarms and timers, or answer general questions and read headlines. But Alexa also has the ability to learn more. A lot more.

Or, more precisely, you have the ability to teach Alexa new things.

See all of Amazon's Skills here

Amazon calls these things "Skills," and there are hundreds of them.

Want to teach Alexa to turn on your smart lights, or open your garage door, or do anything she doesn't already know how to do? You need a Skill. That's where developers come in. Amazon has made it so that anyone can write an Alexa Skill, and companies and their developers have been doing so for years now.

Think about the things you do every day. Listen to satellite radio? There's a Skill for that. Lock your house after you're already at work? It's a little daunting, actually. There are hundreds and hundreds of Skills, of varying degrees of usefulness. (Dog facts, uh, OK.)

How to enable and disable Alexa Skills

Never lose a photo again with this new desktop app from Google.

Google Photos is one of the best online services any company has built. You can save any and every photo or video from your phone to Google's online servers and access them from anywhere else with an internet connection. It's a perfect way for keeping those pics somewhere they won't be lost or deleted. Today, it just got easier for people with a Windows PC or Mac.

A new desktop app from Google will back up your pictures with Photos and Drive without any fuss. Install the app, sign in with your Google account and tell it where the find photos, and it's done. This is an awesome replacement for folks who only use the Google Drive app for photo backup, and expanding it to Google Photos is icing on the cake.

You can also use the app for full two-way sync with Google Drive, so it's a complete replacement for the existing Drive desktop app. This is also great, as the Drive app was getting long in the tooth and offered less that stellar performance on macOS — something I'm not seeing (yet) with the new version.

Download: Backup and Sync for Google Photos and Google Drive

Life is long and arduous, and some of us have to face it with a health condition in tow. But sometimes, an app can help.

Mental health is not the easiest topic of discussion considering the social stigma surrounding it, but that hasn't stopped the breadth of mobile therapy and mood diary apps available in the Google Play Store. Treatment can be cost-prohibitive if you're not insured or don't have access to the proper resources, however, and while we'd never suggest that a app is adequate treatment for a condition, their mere existence has inspired the idea that you can use a smartphone to help manage your day to day.

I've even found my own routine with some apps. I've used Daylio, for example, to keep a micro-diary so that I could track my moods and day-to-day neurosis to present to my doctor. I've used the Muse brain sensing headband to learn to meditate, which has helped me make better use of apps like Pacifica that offer relaxation and mindfulness tools. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has also developed a rating system for these particular apps, while Scientific American has come out warning users against phony apps:

According to the FDA, those psychiatric apps that provide coping techniques for people with diagnosed mental health conditions pose low risks to consumers. These apps will be regulated at the fda's discretion, and many will therefore escape the agency's safety and effectiveness assessments. Some experts, however, say that these apps can still be hazardous if they give out shoddy advice or otherwise mislead vulnerable consumers. 'Some of [these apps] are really good, and some of them are awful,' says Michael Van Ameringen, a psychiatry professor at McMaster University in Ontario. 'Clinicians and consumers need help sorting through them.'

So, while we can easily conclude that not all therapy apps are right for you, there are certainly plenty available that can at least help guide you on a path towards treatment that works. If you're suffering from depression, anxiety, or general dread for what tomorrow may bring, a talk therapy app or a micro-diary service could help at least organize those thoughts. Here are five apps we suggest you start with if you're considering it.

Headspace

Meditation is a thing that works for many people — and 8 percent of adults practice it regularly in the United States. It's about training your mind to focus attention, which — and I speak from experience – is much harder than merely thinking it.

Headspace is a great app for starting a practice of daily meditation. I've friends who use the service religiously. The service offers a basic meditation program, or you can upgrade to an annual subscription to unlock other programs and facets of the app. (There just so happens to be a 40 percent sale on annual subscriptions until July 24.)

Download Headspace (free)

BetterHelp

Need to talk to someone, but don't even know where to start? You can hire a counselor through the BetterHelp app, which offers access to 2000 counselors, accredited psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and clinical social workers from around the country.

After you sign up, you'll have to fill out a questionnaire so that the service can match you to an available counselor who might fit your criteria. Like other virtual talk therapy apps, BetterHealth offers a "virtual room" of sorts where you can walk in, take a seat, and wait for your session — just like you would in real life. You're not limited to the number of sessions you can have with your assigned counselor either, as long as both of you are available at the same time. Plans start at $65 a week for counseling.

Download BetterHelp (free)

TalkLife

Remember Secret? TalkLife app is sort of like that, but not at all as malicious, or dangerous to your mental health. If anything, Talk Life is a great place to go if you want to talk about what's going on, but you'd rather do so in a casual, candid manner. All you have to do is log on, tap out your thoughts, and share.

There are no therapists on this app, though. Anything you post can be seen by whoever is hanging around at the time, and they can like and comment on your posts at will. The most recent update even added stickers.

In my experience, most of the people lurking about are kind and generous with their positive affirmations; I didn't see one critical comment pop up in the three days I was using the app. However, I do have to offer a trigger warning, as there is ample talk of suicide and abuse in the main feed. When you start feeling alright, you can then log on to help others as they need, too. The point of Talk Life is that you're not alone.

Download TalkLife (free)

What's Up?

What's Up? is a relatively straightforward app with straightforward functionality, but I like it because getting into the habit of launching it when you start to spiral can help you get out of those unproductive patterns.

What's Up? is a free app that offers a few cognitive behavior tools (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) methods to help you get through daily stressors. It offers advice on how to deal with the most common negative thinking patterns, as well as metaphors to help you snap out of your funk. There's also a positive and negative habit tracker, which you can password protect if you feel the need, as well as a catastrophe scale, which helps you determine the true weightiness of the situation at hand. There are even forums if you need a reality check from someone anonymous.

Download What's Up? (free)

Talkspace

Perhaps you've seen the commercials on television? Like BetterHelp, TalkSpace offers on-demand therapy and counseling from licensed professionals. The service gives you access to your therapist as you need, including the ability to message for help the minute you're feeling overwhelmed. The service starts at $32 a week.

Download Talkspace (free)

Your choices

Got any suggestions for apps to help with improving mental health? We're all ears!

Are you tired of roasting in your office every summer? Here are some great gadgets that'll keep you cool and refreshed through the sweltering heat!

Keeping cool can be tough, but keeping cool at the office can be nearly impossible.

You're always running around to meetings and appointments; you have to dress in more restricted, stuffy clothes; you're in tight, humid spaces with other coworkers; and that damn air conditioning just shuts off whenever the hell it pleases #imnotbitter.

If you're looking to cool down at your desk, here are a number of accessories that you can use to do just that!

1. Clip on this tiny fan on your desk and stay cool all day!

Seriously, you can even buy, like, 8 and clip them on your computer and all around your desk for maximum fannage.

2. Keep your drinks cold with this funky insulated water bottle!

It comes in 6 different fun colors, too.

3. Get icy with this Ice Body paper from Japan

Part all-over-body deodorant, part cool summer breeze in a package!

4. Look stylish and keep cool with this cooling bandana!

Yeah, that totally goes with your suit!

5. Warm wrists? We got ya covered!

This aluminum mouse pad is sure to cool down your overheated wrists.

6. Spritz, spritz, then spritz again

Seriously, this Mario Badescu facial spray will have you feeling refreshed and cooled down in an instant!

7. Cool down your laptop ASAP!

This aluminum cooling stand should do the trick...

8. Get some relief from the summer heat with a cooling mat!

You can put the mat on the ground by your feet to cool them off or on your char to chill out your bum!

9. Be not-sweaty with a S'well!

Seriously, these things can keep your ice cold and unmelted for up to 24 hours!

10. Mini USB fan + cooling humidifier feature = everything you've ever needed

Seriously, how can you be hot in the office with this little guy at your disposal?!