Windows 10’s smart backups may be going away

When Microsoft introduced File History with Windows 8, cautious PC users were happy: it gave you a Time Machine-style backup that let you recover older files if you made a mistake. You might not get to take that feature for granted, though. Users trying a leaked Windows 10 Insider Preview build have discovered that creating new File History backups is “no longer supported.” Provided this change sticks, you might lose the feature by the time the Fall Creators Update hits your PC. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to see if it can comment, but the find is already raising a question: if File History is going, what (if anything) is replacing it?

Windows news guru Paul Thurrott suspects that it’s a matter of establishing a consistent, cloud-linked backup system. File History can save previous versions of files in the cloud through OneDrive, but they’re always tied to a specific PC. If you need to get that old report on your new computer, you may be hosed. That’s not exactly comforting if a PC dies and you can’t go back.

OneDrive, meanwhile, already has a version history feature on the web. While we wouldn’t count on this happening, it wouldn’t be a stretch for Microsoft to bake that OneDrive versioning into Windows and ensure that you can restore files regardless of the system you’re on. The catch would simply be the cost — you’d need to spring for one of Microsoft’s Office 365/OneDrive subscriptions (starting at $70 per year) to get that reassurance where you already have something like it for free.

Via: Thurrott

Source: H0x0d (Twitter)

South Korea turns its back on coal and nuclear power

South Korea is clearly a tech-savvy country when companies like Samsung and LG dominate, but you almost wouldn’t know it by looking at its energy policies. It not only depends heavily on coal and nuclear reactors (70 percent of its power comes from those sources), but gives them tax breaks to keep prices down. However, it’s making an about-face now that there’s a new president. New leader Moon Jae-in is proposing an energy strategy that would discourage the uses of coal and nuclear in favor of both natural gas and renewable sources like hydro and solar. It would be unusually rapid — and not without potential problems.

Moon’s administration wants to fix the “skewed” current approach by slapping environmental taxes on coal and nuclear power while shrinking or eliminating import tariffs on natural gas. He’s also freezing output at old coal plants, and is reviewing the construction of upcoming coal and nuclear facilities. And in the long run, the cleaner and safer sources would represent a larger slice of the pie. Moon wants natural gas to climb from 18 percent of power today to 27 percent by 2030, while renewables would jump from 5 percent to 20 percent.

The problem, as you might guess, is that a rapid transition could leave people in the lurch if the government isn’t careful. Whether or not Moon actually halts construction on coal and nuclear plants will depend on whether or not South Korea can meet its energy needs without them. Also, there’s no guarantee that prices for gas and renewables will fall quickly enough to avoid a significant rate hike.

If the plan goes forward, though, it would show that even those countries that are heavily entrenched in “dirty” power can go clean. And it could have ramifications even if you’ve never set foot on Korean soil. While firms like Samsung don’t manufacture everything in their home country, this move could ease your mind if you’re worried about the electricity used to make your phone or TV.

Source: Reuters

New Jersey may give you the right to repair devices in your chosen manner

Why it matters to you

If this legislation passes, it could mean a cheaper repair for that cracked iPhone screen.

The Founding Fathers of the United States couldn’t have possibly known that in addition to our rights to exercise free speech, bear arms, and peacefully assemble, Americans would one day be asking for the right to have their electronics repaired at a shop of their choosing — or do it themselves. And yet, that is indeed the position in which we now find ourselves, as New Jersey assemblyman Paul Moriarty announced Friday the introduction of the “Fair Repair Act.”

The move makes New Jersey the 12th state to consider such legislation, and would basically force electronics makers to sell replacement parts and tools to both the public and third party repair companies. Furthermore, these manufacturers would need to make repair guides publicly available. That means that if you were to drop your iPhone and shatter its screen, you would be able to buy a replacement screen from Apple and figure out (theoretically) how to fix it yourself.

Needless to say, big tech companies are none too pleased with this concept, and lobbyists have already caused the defeat of right to repair bills in Nebraska and Minnesota. Motherboard also reports that Apple, IBM, Verizon, and other such companies have increased their own lobbying efforts in neighboring New York.

But as Moriarty told Motherboard, this could be a huge win for customers. “When there’s a monopoly on who can fix a device or make repairs, the cost of those repairs is very high,” he said. “Anyone who takes an iPhone to an Apple store can attest to that.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that right to repair legislation is pushed through at the state level. Massachusetts actually has an automotive right-to-repair law, and now, a number of states have adopted this legislation in what’s considered a “de facto nationwide” standard (which is to say, most states now ask automakers to do the same thing). So who knows, friends. The cost of fixing your electronic devices could soon be a lot lower than it is today.

New Jersey may give you the right to repair devices in your chosen manner

Why it matters to you

If this legislation passes, it could mean a cheaper repair for that cracked iPhone screen.

The Founding Fathers of the United States couldn’t have possibly known that in addition to our rights to exercise free speech, bear arms, and peacefully assemble, Americans would one day be asking for the right to have their electronics repaired at a shop of their choosing — or do it themselves. And yet, that is indeed the position in which we now find ourselves, as New Jersey assemblyman Paul Moriarty announced Friday the introduction of the “Fair Repair Act.”

The move makes New Jersey the 12th state to consider such legislation, and would basically force electronics makers to sell replacement parts and tools to both the public and third party repair companies. Furthermore, these manufacturers would need to make repair guides publicly available. That means that if you were to drop your iPhone and shatter its screen, you would be able to buy a replacement screen from Apple and figure out (theoretically) how to fix it yourself.

Needless to say, big tech companies are none too pleased with this concept, and lobbyists have already caused the defeat of right to repair bills in Nebraska and Minnesota. Motherboard also reports that Apple, IBM, Verizon, and other such companies have increased their own lobbying efforts in neighboring New York.

But as Moriarty told Motherboard, this could be a huge win for customers. “When there’s a monopoly on who can fix a device or make repairs, the cost of those repairs is very high,” he said. “Anyone who takes an iPhone to an Apple store can attest to that.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that right to repair legislation is pushed through at the state level. Massachusetts actually has an automotive right-to-repair law, and now, a number of states have adopted this legislation in what’s considered a “de facto nationwide” standard (which is to say, most states now ask automakers to do the same thing). So who knows, friends. The cost of fixing your electronic devices could soon be a lot lower than it is today.

Verizon just upgraded its prepaid plans with more data for less money

Why it matters to you

We use our smartphones for practically everything these days, which means we need data more than ever.

Prepaid customers haven’t historically gotten the best of deals, as mobile service providers would obviously prefer to have you on a monthly contract than allowing you to retain the semblance of autonomy when it comes to your smartphone bill. But now, these customers are being given some reason to celebrate. Verizon announced that beginning June 6, the service will be offering three new monthly prepaid plans with more data than before.

Starting next week, each prepaid tier will be leveling up its data allowance. Rather than 2GB for $4o, you’ll get 3GB. Rather than 5GB for $50, you’ll get 7GB. And if you’re currently paying $70 for 10GB, you’ll enjoy a $10 break, with the highest tiered plan now costing $60 a month. These adjustments go well with Verizon’s recently introduced $80 prepaid plan, which gives you unlimited data.

But don’t get too excited too soon. Alas, all video playback will now be limited to 480p, and yes, that’s the case regardless of which prepaid plan you choose. So if you were hoping to stream hours and hours of Netflix on your smartphone, you may be a bit disappointed.

Furthermore, Verizon notes that it “may prioritize your data behind other customers” if networks are congested. And if you do exceed your monthly data allowance, your speeds will be cut down to 128kbps (unless, of course, you’re on the unlimited plan).

That said, the new plans do come with a few other standard perks, including Mobile Hotspot and Carryover Data. Plus, Verizon is offering a $100 if you switch over from another carrier and activate a prepaid plan.

“This is all about providing you with more data, more choice and more value — and ultimately more ways for you to get on and enjoy the Verizon network,” the company concluded. “Whether you use 3 GB of data a month or want to go unlimited — we’ve got a plan for you — with no credit check or long-term contract required.”

Computex was a reminder that the age of the eSIM is upon us

Nestled inside your cellphone is a teensy sliver of plastic you almost certainly never think about. That’s your SIM card — the bit that basically stores your phone’s identity and passes it along to whatever wireless carrier network you pay for. It’s absolutely crucial to the way your phone operates, but wireless carriers and network companies have been plotting its demise for years. As far as they’re all concerned, the future belongs to what’s called an eSIM — short for “embedded SIM” — woven directly into the silicon fabric of a device’s modem. Now, thanks to some crucial announcements made at Computex, we’re getting a better sense of just how pervasive these things are going to be.

Before we go any further, you should know that eSIMs have been the works for years, mostly with smartphones, the Internet of Things and wearables in mind. Got a 3G Gear S2 or a Gear S3 Frontier on your wrist? They’re among the first commercially available gadgets you could buy with an embedded SIM, allowing you to make calls and access data connections for apps without the need of a connected smartphone.

Anyway, Microsoft used its time in Taipei to push for “always connected” PCs: computers that, thanks to built-in eSIMs and ever-improving data connections, could function just as well out in a cornfield as it could in a coffee shop brimming with WiFi. Again, not a new concept, but one that’s more feasible and effective than ever with innovative modems and the promise of true gigabit data connections.

Richard Lai/Engadget

Even now, the list of partners backing Microsoft in this effort is no joke: ASUS, Dell, HP, Huawei, Lenovo, VAIO and Xiaomi are all committed to building Windows machines with embedded SIMs for high-speed connections anywhere. For those not up on the PC market, that means the four biggest PC sellers in the world are down with the eSIM revolution, along with two very prominent Chinese players… and VAIO. Most of the companies on this list also make smartphones, so the importance of more capable, more ubiquitous connections is not lost on them. So, how is this going to work?

With a lot of help from chip makers, basically. Three of the companies listed above — ASUS, HP and Lenovo — have committed to releasing Windows machines running on Qualcomm’s high-powered Snapdragon 835 chipset. (You might know it as the chip that helps the Galaxy S8 pull double duty as a smartphone and a desktop.) Snapdragons already come with radios for LTE data, but eSIM support means persistent connections and the possibility of buying your data in chunks straight from the Windows Store.

And then there’s Intel. The California-based chip maker is working to ensure its future mobile modems are compatible with eSIMs. Without getting into unwieldy model numbers, Intel is already testing and validating eSIMs in one existing modem and one not yet released — the latter is the more interesting, as it technically supports gigabit data speeds over LTE. As PC makers begin to adopt these modems into their devices, the eSIM revolution should help ensure that people can bring their notebooks and convertibles just about anywhere and still get stuff done.

Now, you don’t need me to tell you Qualcomm is the dominant force in mobile chips — there’s probably some Qualcomm silicon in your pocket right now. Before Computex, the company had never said anything about eSIM support for the Snapdragon 835, the marquee mobile processor in its lineup. Going forward, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Qualcomm doesn’t try squeezing an eSIM into its smartphone chips. Once that transition happens, good luck trying to find an Android phone without an eSIM.

Ditto for Intel, which, despite failing pretty hard at mobile over the years, has at least one huge company using its mobile modems. Certain flavors of the iPhone 7 use an Intel modem instead of the usual Qualcomm one, and rumors suggest Apple will soon lean even more heavily on Intel’s networking prowess soon. I don’t seriously expect Apple to reveal the iPhone 7s or iPhone 8 or whatever without a physical SIM slot — the timing doesn’t seem quite right — but there’s a real possibility we’ll see eSIMs take hold in iPhones next year. If a company like Apple can ditch a classic interface like the headphone jack stick to the decision, what hope does the traditional SIM card have?

Long story short, eSIMs are already in our wearables, and they’ll wind up in our phones and PCs before too long. Don’t get too nostalgic just yet, though: While the big eSIM shift could begin as early as next year, don’t forget that millions and millions of devices out there still have those tiny slivers of plastic inside them — carriers will have to support them for years to come. Like it or not though, the changeover is coming, and the days of swapping SIM cards are numbered. Then again, when you can jump on an incredibly fast data connection on your phone or your laptop or your watch without even thinking about it, will you really miss the old days?

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Computex 2017!

Apple stops showing 32-bit iOS apps in your search results

Apple has been nudging iOS app developers toward 64-bit code for years: it started by requiring 64-bit support, then told users that 32-bit apps might run poorly, and lately has been warning that 32-bit apps wouldn’t work in “future versions of iOS.” Now, however, it’s pulling the plug. TouchArcade and others have noticed that 32-bit iOS software no longer turns up in App Store search results. You can still use direct links, but that’s about as far as you can go. And you can probably guess why Apple is making this move right now.

Many suspect that iOS 11, likely to be unveiled at WWDC on June 5th, will be 64-bit only. If all those 32-bit apps are going to stop working when iOS 11 ships in a few months, why let new users download them? This is also a final warning for app writers: move to 64-bit code now or you’ll be left in the dust.

There are a number of potential advantages to moving all apps to 64-bit technology. You won’t usually see much of a performance difference — unless an app can benefit from 64-bit math (think encryption or media encoding), it’ll probably run as quickly as before. Modern iOS devices don’t have more than 4GB of RAM, so you wouldn’t need support for extra memory. Rather, this is more about creating headroom and dropping the burdens of legacy tech. Apps won’t demand quite so much space on your devices, and the hardware itself can ditch unnecessary 32-bit components in favor of making the 64-bit parts more powerful. Everyone will eventually benefit — this is just one step toward that goal.

Via: 9to5Mac

Source: TouchArcade

Overclocking to 7GHz takes more than just liquid nitrogen

Over the years, I’ve been fascinated by two kinds of events at Computex: eSports and extreme PC overclocking competitions. I doubt I’d ever make it as a professional gamer (I’m more of a Counter Fight kind of guy than a Counter-Strike man these days), but I’d jump at any opportunity to pour liquid nitrogen onto a PC motherboard, because even if I screw something up, chances are I’d still look cool doing so. It just so happened that at this year’s Computex, gaming accessory maker G.SKILL invited me to its extreme overclocking workshop behind its contest stage. As a total newbie with absolutely zero knowledge of overclocking, I quickly took up this offer.

The one-on-one workshop was jointly set up by G.SKILL and overclocking enthusiast group HWBOT. Rather than getting me to build from scratch, the instructors had already put together a rig that would let me dive right into the overclocking process. At first sight, I was slightly overwhelmed by the setup in front of me: I was staring at an ASUS ROG Maximus IX APEX motherboard which carried two 8GB G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 RAM sticks, an Intel Core i7-7700K plus a chunky copper pot directly on top of the CPU to hold liquid nitrogen.

There was a fan hanging off the pot to suck vapor away, in order to avoid condensation on the motherboard. The monitor was showing the ASUS TurboV Core software along with CPU-Z — the former for accessing various CPU parameters, and the latter for keeping an eye on the CPU’s status. To keep track of the CPU’s temperature, an industrial thermometer was hooked up to a thermal probe inside the liquid nitrogen pot.

The main objective of the workshop was to push the CPU from its 4.2GHz base frequency all the way to 7GHz, and this required lowering the CPU’s temperature to nitrogen’s boiling point — -195.8°C or -346°F — in the first place. My instructor, HWBOT director Pieter-Jan Plaisier, started by running Cinebench in Windows to ensure the CPU’s stability while I slowly poured liquid nitrogen into the pot. Once the pot reached just a little below -190°C, the liquid nitrogen stopped boiling frantically, and this was when I could actually start overclocking.

Plaisier set me off with a couple of settings in TurboV Core: he bumped the CPU ratio to 55 to reach 5.5GHz clock speed (this is derived from the 100 MHz default base clock), then he also pushed the CPU core voltage to 1.855V. As I was going from 55 to 65 for the CPU ratio, I went up by increments of two units each time before hitting the “Apply” button, and I would always wait until CPU-Z reflected the new clock speed before applying my new settings. Meanwhile, I also made sure that the CPU temperature wasn’t fluctuating too much by occasionally refilling the pot (thankfully, G.SKILL had plenty of liquid nitrogen to share). So far so good.

When the CPU reached 6.5GHz, I started nudging the CPU ratio by increments of just one unit instead, while also having to start gradually bumping up the CPU core voltage — it’d need about 1.925V to be stable at 7GHz. I became more mindful of my actions whilst having to juggle between the monitor, the mouse, the thermometer, the rig and the flask; but I kept my cool, because the last thing I wanted to do was to spill liquid nitrogen all over the place — especially not in front of my friend Lau Kin Lam, the champion of G.SKILL’s OC World Cup 2015, who I brought along for support.

By taking my time to fine-tune each parameter, I eventually saw the “Core Speed” figure in CPU-Z floating around 7GHz. Just as I was about to give myself a pat on the back, the monitor went black almost immediately. The computer had crashed. My first instinct was to check the thermometer but the temperature was still at around -192°C, so it wasn’t clear what had caused the crash.

To my surprise, Plaisier then brought a blowtorch out of nowhere and started blasting fire into the pot. Don’t worry, he wasn’t mad at me; he just needed to bring the CPU temperature up to around -170°C / -274°F so that the system would be able to boot up. And sure enough, soon we were back in Windows. I repeated the same steady process and reached 7GHz again, and this time, both Plaisier and Lau encouraged me to go further. I obliged.

As I was starting to push the CPU to its limit, I had to take baby steps in TurboV Core — in the sense that I had to leave the CPU ratio as-is and start tweaking the base clock speed instead. First of all, I had to push the CPU core voltage to 1.955V, and then I started nudging the 100 MHz base clock speed up by 0.2MHz or 0.1MHz each time.

The resultant gain in CPU clock speed was obviously much less than before, but my patience eventually paid off: I somehow managed to break HWBOT’s own 7.05GHz record with that particular chip, and I eventually hit 7.08372GHz before the system froze up (no pun intended). This remained the record for that particular chip at the show, until someone else struck back with a 7.09744GHz achievement in a later workshop session. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t mind, but still, the clock speed I got would come in ninth position in HWBOT’s worldwide overall ranking for the Core i7-7700K. Not bad for a first-timer.

Of course, I don’t plan to submit my achievement to HWBOT, because after all, I had most of the dirty work taken care of beforehand. For instance, it wasn’t until after the workshop when I realized that in order to place the pot directly on the CPU’s silicon, someone would have had to use a delid tool — like the upcoming der8auer Delid Die Mate-X pictured here — to pop the CPU’s lid off first. You’d also have to apply new paste between the silicon and the pot, and if the paste isn’t applied properly, you’d end up with uneven temperature across the silicon and thus leading to faulty operation.

Lau also made a good point before we wrapped up: it is absolutely crucial to do waterproof work around the pot, not because of liquid nitrogen (it’d just roll off the motherboard due to the Leidenfrost effect) but because of water condensation on the outside of the pot. Water on a motherboard would be “game over” for the system, which is why there was a blue towel delicately wrapped around the base of the pot we used.

The overclocking fun doesn’t stop here, though. For those who are adventurous enough, you can also use liquid nitrogen to overclock memory — with G.SKILL’s very own Trident Z 2,133MHz DDR4 RAM being the first DDR4 module to break the 5GHz barrier last year. But if you ask me, I’ll probably stick to Plaisier’s advice and learn from scratch by building my own liquid-cooling system first. One step at a time.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Computex 2017!

Barclaycard wants you to stop waiting in line to make your purchases

Why it matters to you

There’s little more frustrating than being forced to wait in line just to spend your money. Barclaycard is offering an alternative.

We’ve gone from express checkout lanes to self-checkout lanes to just checking yourself out, thanks to the latest mobile technology now being pushed forward by Barclaycard. The U.K.-based credit card company is rolling out new software that would allow customers to buy items simply by scanning them with a smartphone’s camera. So bid adieu to boring queues — Barclaycard wants to save you money in the form of time.

Other companies have piloted versions of a similar concept, with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon both attempting analogous practices on a smaller scale (though Amazon requires more hardware, as shelves must be outfitted with sensors that are triggered when an item is removed). But now, the practice is crossing the pond, as Barclays is currently conducting a trial at its own company headquarters, and has plans to pilot the tech at a “high-street retailer” next year, according to the Telegraph.

If proven effective, the new process could significantly cut down on customers’ wait times at supermarkets and other stores. In effect, shoppers would only need to scan individual items in their shopping carts and have the bill deducted directly from their Barclays account, all without ever having to interact with a human or wait in a line.

“People want less and less friction when they’re shopping,” Usman Sheikh, Barclaycard’s director of design and experimentation, told the Telegraph. “The time involved is literally a fraction of what it would take to go to the till.”

Implementing the technology could take a number of different forms — Barclaycard could either run the technology through its own app, or partner with retailers and insert the technology into their native apps. To ensure that folks aren’t taking advantage of the system, Barclaycard says, stores could oversee transactions on a screen and keep tabs on virtual receipts.

Barclaycard says that it hopes to begin retail trials either late this year or early in 2018.

The 5 best phones you can safely hand over to your kids’ grubby paws

Update: Added the Moto G5 Plus, iPhone SE, LG K20 V, and Blu Advance.

These days, it takes more than simply ringing the steel triangle on your deck to round up the kids for supper. As generations have plodded along and technology has advanced, the need for a more efficient way to maintain contact with children from afar has only increased, bolstered by their growing thirst for independence and reliance on consumer technology. Despite the fact that cell phones have become the obvious solution for basic communication and contact in lieu of the landline — and to a lesser degree, the steel triangle — they still pose both a financial and safety risk.

Parents like to know where their children are, keep them safe from inappropriate websites or apps, and stop the wrong people from contacting them. Service plans like Kajeet allow parents to control the functions of their kids’ smartphones, limiting access to websites and contacts, controlling when the phone can and can’t be used, and apportioning the bill between parents and kids, if preferred.

Even though a phone is a great way for parents to maintain contact with their children, picking the right one isn’t always easy. Parents must address crucial factors, such as cost and control, while simultaneously appeasing their children with features such as games, apps, photos, and texting, among other features. Let’s be honest, kids don’t need it all. And pre-paid, no-contract devices offer more peace of mind than most things in life. That said, here are our top picks for the best smartphones and cell phones for kids, so you can keep in contact with your loved ones at all times (even if they don’t want you to).

The Best

Motorola G5 Plus ($230)

Taking the plunge and buying your kid a smartphone can be a bit scary, but it can also be worth the investment. Luckily, there are several great options that don’t break the bank — so you won’t be too upset if your kid’s trial run ends in a lost phone — but still have many of the features that merit springing for a smartphone in the first place. When it comes to smartphones that are a great value, but are modern and can take a beating, the Motorola G5 Plus is at the top of the list. This isn’t your typical, plastic smartphone, so your kids won’t be embarrassed to pull it out of their pockets. The aluminum exterior looks great and feels premium.

Moreover, the G5 Plus has all the latest bells and whistles, including a fingerprint sensor, fast charging, and a 12-megapixel camera. This phone is unlocked, too, which means you can pick the carrier of your choice without being tied to a contract. One caveat: If you purchase the device directly from Amazon, we advise you to avoid the Prime Exclusive version, which is chock-full of ads. For younger kids, you’ll also want to install a parental control app. Read our full review here.

Buy one now from:

Motorola Amazon

The Rest

iPhone SE ($400+)

As iPhones go, the iPhone SE is a bargain, but it doesn’t come cheap. Don’t let the pint-sized package fool you, however. The iPhone SE has a fast A9 processor, which is the same processor used in the iPhone 6S. It also comes with a crisp display, and runs the latest version of iOS. The iPhone SE is a great choice for a child, too, given it features built-in parental controls. You can prevent your child from accessing the internet and using specific apps, for instance, or prevent them from making purchases in the App Store.

If you’re a family that typically opts for Apple devices, you can share your iTunes content and easily keep track of your child’s location. It certainly isn’t the cheapest smartphone you could buy for your child, but it has great specs, terrific software, and it’s a manageable size for smaller hands. If mom and dad have iPhones already, it’s definitely the most convenient choice. Read our full review here.

Buy one now from:

Apple Amazon

LG K20 V ($168)

It’s not easy to find an affordable phone that is reliable, stylish, and has a high-quality screen, but you can always count on LG to deliver. The K20 V sports a nice, 5.3-inch display, and it’s powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 425. It only has 16GB of internal storage, but it does support MicroSD cards up to 256GB in size. At 13 and 5 megapixels, the front and rear cameras aren’t too shabby, either. The K20 V also has a 2,800mAh battery, which should provide up to 32 hours of usage time. The battery is also removable, meaning you can purchase a second if you want to have a spare on hand. At $169, this smartphone is priced just so that you don’t have to worry about your child mistreating it. There’s also a ton of parental control apps for Android, if you want some control over what your child can do on the phone.

Buy one now from:

Verizon Wireless

BLU Advance 5.0 ($60+)

If your kid wants a phone to access the internet, download apps, stream video, and capture photos, the BLU Advance 5.0 is a great choice. Since the phone runs Android, parents can use apps like Google’s Family Link to exert full parental control. The phone’s internal specs are fairly basic, but given the device’s low price tag, it’s understandable. You’ll definitely want a MicroSD card to bolster the paltry 4GB of internal storage. Thankfully, you don’t have to sign up for a contract to get this phone at a reasonable price, and it’s compatible with many carrier networks, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, and MetroPCS.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Nokia Lumia 550 ($135)

A couple of the benefits your child will get from having a Windows phone are access to OneDrive and Cortana wherever they go. As children often have homework and projects, being able to access and edit documents from any device will surely come in handy, though there’s always the risk that your child will choose to finish their homework while on the bus to school in the morning. Cortana’s integration with the Nokia Lumia 550 also means that she’ll be able to answer most questions your kids might have, and remind them of what they should be doing, like getting ready for dinner or going to bed. All things considered, the Lumia 550 is a fairly powerful, solid smartphone that won’t break the bank and remains supported by Microsoft.

Buy one now from:

Amazon