The 7 budget PCs that prove PC gaming is for everyone

Looking for the best cheap gaming PCs can be an annoying process. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, then you may end up sinking funds into a machine that doesn’t perform as needed. Either way, you’ll want decent hardware for the bucks you’re shelling out, especially now that virtual reality is becoming more mainstream, thanks to Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform baked into Windows 10.

Below you will find a list of desktops focused on gaming that we believe are great for the money. Most consist of seventh-generation Core processors from Intel, but we also found one affordable model packing one of AMD’s latest Ryzen-branded chips. All models below can support the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets for VR, one of our requirements when determining the best cheap gaming PCs you can buy.

Acer Predator G3-710-UR11 ($890)

Here’s a great desktop for PC gamers based on Intel’s seventh-generation Core i5-7400 processor, and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) graphics card. This is a great combination for virtual reality, and is complemented by a cool armored exterior to visually spice up your dull desktop surface. But it’s not exactly small either, measuring 20.08 (L) x 7.09 x 16.1 (H) inches, and weighing a hefty 24.2 pounds.

The drawback to Acer’s desktop is that it has a weird memory amount of 12GB: typically, you see either 8GB or 16GB. Adding to that, the primary drive only provides 128GB of storage (M.2 SSD), most of which will be eaten up by Windows 10 and your installed desktop programs. This desktop includes a slower, secondary hard drive where you’ll likely be forced to install all your games.

As for other notable features, this rig includes Wi-Fi connectivity, Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5 audio, an easy-swap expansion bay, and Acer’s IceTunnel thermal system to keep the components inside cool.

We haven’t reviewed this model, but we have reviewed its big brother, the Acer G6.

Asus GR8 II-T069Z ($900)

This desktop definitely screams “gamer” in appearance alone. It sports a futuristic look ripped straight out of a sci-fi movie centering on ancient technology, rocking angled edges and built-in illumination for an awesome presentation. However, despite its towering appearance, it’s actually a mini-PC measuring just 11.0 x 3.4 x 11.7 inches, and weighing a mere 8.8 pounds.

While its looks will turn your head, its best selling point is what’s inside. This mini-desktop packs Intel’s seventh-generation Core i5-7400 processor, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) graphics card, 16GB of DDR4 system memory clocked at a decent 2,400MHz, and a 512GB M.2 SSD providing a good starting point for installing your favorite PC games. It doesn’t ship with a secondary hard drive.

As for other notable features, the desktop includes Wi-Fi connectivity, SupremeFX HD audio, and plenty of ports to support the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets for high-definition virtual reality.

Read our latest coverage of the Asus GR8 II here.

CyberpowerPC Gamer Extreme ($1,000)

This desktop is just pretty… pretty garish, that is. The chassis sports clear acrylic panels on the front, top, and left side that are complemented by cooling fans sporting red LEDs for lighting up this desktop’s innards. The front also includes a door that conceals the ugly optical drive, and an I/O panel just above the door provides four USB ports, a microphone jack, and a headphone jack.

Luckily, the desktop has it where it counts, with a seventh-generation Intel Core i7-7700 processor, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) graphics card, 8GB of DDR4 system memory, and a 1TB hard drive spinning at 7,200RPM. We’re not exactly keen regarding the hard drive serving as your primary storage solution, but we imagine the company opted out of an SSD due to the costs of the processor and illumination. You should eventually swap out the hard drive for an SSD, and use the hard drive as secondary storage.

Moving on, this desktop is a monster in size, weighing 31.1 pounds and measuring 20.5 x 7.8 x 18 inches. It’s supposedly optimized for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, and includes features like Ethernet-based networking, a 24x DVD burner, and a seven-color wired keyboard.

Dell XPS Tower ($900)

There’s nothing flashy about this tower desktop from Dell. In appearance, it doesn’t speak to PC gamers, but its heart is in the right place. Inside you’ll find Intel’s seventh-generation Core i7-7700 processor, 16GB of DDR4 system memory, and AMD’s Radeon RX 560 graphics card. You have everything you need here for a great VR experience with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, including more than the necessary ports to support these two headsets.

Like CyberpowerPC’s more expensive solution, Dell’s desktop ships with a 1TB hard drive as your primary storage device. It’s a great starting point you can manually upgrade at any time, such as swapping out the graphics card for a newer model, and exchanging the hard drive for a faster SSD. This system also supports up to 64GB of system memory.

In addition to its expandability, Dell’s desktop includes a DVD burner, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and loads of expansion bays and slots. It weighs at a beefy 22.1 pounds, and measures 15.3 x 14.0 x 7.1 inches.

HP Omen Desktop ($980)

Omen is HP’s brand dedicated to PC gaming. With this desktop installment, the company focuses on recent components produced by AMD, namely the just-released Ryzen 5 1400 processor, and the recent Polaris-based Radeon RX 580 graphics card (4GB). But if you prefer Team Green, there’s an even cheaper version of this machine packed with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) costing $835.

Visually, the Omen is an attractive desktop that clearly showcases its gaming roots. The multi-edge design is rather neat, which integrates red lighting and a flip-open panel towards the top that provides quick access to three hard drive bays. Inside you’ll get 8GB of DDR4 system memory clocked at 2,400MHz, a 256GB SSD playing host to the operating system, and a secondary 1TB hard drive, where you’ll install most of your games.

In addition to the actual desktop, your purchase also includes a wired keyboard with volume control, and a wired optical mouse. The desktop weighs a hefty 33.8 pounds, and measures 17.41 x 7.56 x 16.43 inches.

iBuypower Chimera AM001i ($835)

Here’s another gorgeous but budget-friendly desktop for PC gamers. This one is based on a seventh-generation Intel Core i7-7400 processor, and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) graphics card. These components are crammed into a very rectangular metallic chassis sporting a “broken” red illuminated line along the front, and a clear panel on the left side. Inside, the cooling fans include red LEDs to light up all those tasty innards.

Along with the Intel and Nvidia chips, this desktop provides 8GB of DDR4 system memory clocked at 2,400MHz, a 120GB SSD to play host to the operating system and a few programs, and a secondary 1TB hard drive for your PC games, videos, and other files. Other ingredients packed into iBuypower’s desktop include Wi-Fi connectivity via a USB adapter, plenty of ports supporting the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, and more. The PC also includes a wired mechanical keyboard built for gamers, and a wired gamer-themed optical mouse.

Finally, this PC is a beast in size, measuring 25.0 x 12.5 x 21.38 inches, and weighing 30 pounds.

MSI Trident 3 VR7RC-028US ($900)

As the model number implies, MSI’s desktop is ready to handle the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Powering this affordable beast is a seventh-generation Intel Core i5-7400 processor, and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) graphics card. They’re crammed into an impressive design that resembles a gaming console, which is built to rest on a surface horizontally, or vertically, using the provided seat/stand.

Other ingredients inside MSI’s desktop are 8GB of DDR4 system memory clocked at a meager 2,133MHz, a SATA-based M.2 SSD with 128GB of storage, and a secondary 1TB hard drive where you will store most of your games. All of this is complemented by Audio Boost 3 and Nahimic 2 audio, MSI’s Mystic Light illumination technology, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and plenty of ports to support VR headsets.

So how big is this console-style PC? It weighs a mere 18.1 pounds, and measures 15 x 10 x 20 inches, which is a bit larger than the original Xbox One console.

Check our our MSI Trident 3 full review.

Weekly Rewind: Crowdfunding astronauts, flying cars, self-cleaning toilets

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from a Black Friday countdown to a flying car — it’s all here.

 Uber wants flying taxis to soar above Los Angeles by 2020, with help from NASA

Uber

In the future, car traffic will have no effect on your taxi ride — at least, that is what Uber and NASA are counting on. On Wednesday, at the Web Summit in Portugal, Uber’s head of product Jeff Holden announced more details about Uber’s flying taxis program.

Holden said Los Angeles will be the third city Uber plans to use as a test site for its flying taxi project, “Elevate,” by 2020. Dallas and Dubai were the first two cities added as initial test sites for Uber’s flying taxi initiative in April. Holden also revealed Uber signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in an effort to create a custom air traffic control system that would manage Uber’s fleet of low-flying aircraft.

Read: Uber wants flying taxis to soar above Los Angeles by 2020, with help from NASA

Amazon Cloud Cam review

With a line of home-centric devices like the iconic Echo speaker and Fire TV, it was only a matter of time until tech giant Amazon dipped a toe into home security. Turns out that the Seattle company dove right in with the release of the Amazon Cloud Cam, an indoor security camera available now. We had a chance to test out an early review unit to see if its night vision, two-way audio, and smart motion detection could stack up to more expensive cams.

Read: Amazon Cloud Cam review

Facebook can use uploaded nude images to protect potential revenge porn victims

Facebook is conducting trials of a new preventative measure to combat revenge porn in Australia. The social media giant is requesting that those who consider themselves vulnerable to such tactics pre-emptively upload their images to the social network. While it might seem counter-intuitive, such a solution would let Facebook, and by extension, the uploader, get ahead of the problem.

Revenge pornography has been a growing problem for years, especially on Facebook, with often inefficient tools (like copyright law) available to take down the images long after they’ve been shared. Facebook is looking to do something much more proactive to prevent the practice in the future, and hopes that people who have the potential to be affected will trust its A.I.-driven system to combat it.

Read: Facebook can use uploaded nude images to protect potential revenge porn victims

Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Calling Black Friday the Super Bowl of commerce is like calling the sun “kind of hot.” Every year, on the morning after Thanksgiving, consumers across America wake up at the crack of dawn, bellies full of half-digested turkey, and sprint to their favorite stores hoping to nab items at ridiculously low prices.

While there are some people who revel in the consumer chaos, most of us are just looking to save a little bit of cash as we head into the holiday season. So if you’re trying to avoid the madness all together, join us as we count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available right now.

Read: Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Apple’s iPhone 11: News, rumors, specs, and more

Even though Apple just released the iPhone X, rumors are already beginning to swirl about the next iPhone. While we don’t know exactly what the next iPhone will be called, we’re assuming it’s not going to be called the iPhone 9. For now, we’re calling it the iPhone 11.

Read: Apple’s iPhone 11: News, rumors, specs, and more

Never clean a toilet again — SpinX robot does the dirty job

If there’s one chore truly deserving of your loathing, it’s toilet cleaning. Unfortunately, the only thing grosser than doing that particular chore is not doing that particular chore, so you grimace and bear it. But take heart, friends — your days of scrubbing that bowl may soon be coming to a close. It’s all thanks to SpinX, heralded as the toilet-cleaning robot. Promising to self-sanitize both your toilet bowl and seat in just 90 seconds, the SpinX claims to be the only automatic, toilet-cleaning robot on the market.

Read: Never clean a toilet again — SpinX robot does the dirty job

Meet the amateur astronauts trying to crowdfund their way into orbit

Copenhagen Suborbitals/Flickr

There’s a nondescript warehouse tucked behind an opera house in Copenhagen, Denmark, where a few dozen rocket scientists meet every week to discuss what has become their collective obsession: sending an astronaut into suborbital space.

That might not seem like such a feat. Russia ticked the suborbital box over 55 years ago, and NASA has sent people to the moon and back. But considering that every member of Copenhagen Suborbitals (CopSub) is an amateur and a volunteer with a day job outside of the warehouse, the organization’s goal is one of the more ambitious in aerospace.

Read: Meet the amateur astronauts trying to crowdfund their way into orbit

Who makes the best 4K streamer? Apple, Roku, Amazon, and more square off

So you’ve got the whole setup: a kickin’ sound system, the perfect furniture arrangement, and a new 4K HDR TV to tie it all together. Now it’s time to put it to work.

While 4K UHD Blu-ray provides the highest quality 4K Ultra HD picture and sound, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu are a quicker, easier, and cheaper way to get the latest content onto your television. Your new smart TV probably sports some of the apps you need to watch built right in, but a 4K-enabled streaming set-top box offers some distinct advantages, such as a large number of supported apps, voice and AI assistant integration, gaming, and even external storage. What’s more, many of our picks are portable, meaning you can take them on vacation or business trips so you never have to give up on your favorite shows while away from home.

Read: Who makes the best 4K streamer? Apple, Roku, Amazon, and more square off

A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses

Do you want to get a drone, but are too worried about either breaking it or something around you? The good folks at DJI, Epson, and Y Media Labs are here to help — courtesy of the world’s first augmented reality drone for smart glasses. The three companies announced in early November that they have teamed up to create an AR drone flight simulator app for the Epson Moverio BT-300 smart glasses, which allows you to rack up hours of drone flight without the need to actually shell out for a real drone — or extra home insurance.

“Drones are expensive,” Sheila Mikailli, marketing lead for Y Media Labs, told Digital Trends. “If you’ve just invested a thousand dollars on a new drone, the last thing you want to do is crash your brand-new toy. The simulator allows drone users to practice flying and polishing their skills in a safe environment. Unlike other drone apps controlled through your phone, this truly immersive experience allows users to get comfortable with how their drone actually flies because the physics are accurate and the simulator is controlled by the DJI drone controller, not through the phone.”

Read: A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses

Weekly Rewind: Crowdfunding astronauts, flying cars, self-cleaning toilets

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from a Black Friday countdown to a flying car — it’s all here.

 Uber wants flying taxis to soar above Los Angeles by 2020, with help from NASA

Uber

In the future, car traffic will have no effect on your taxi ride — at least, that is what Uber and NASA are counting on. On Wednesday, at the Web Summit in Portugal, Uber’s head of product Jeff Holden announced more details about Uber’s flying taxis program.

Holden said Los Angeles will be the third city Uber plans to use as a test site for its flying taxi project, “Elevate,” by 2020. Dallas and Dubai were the first two cities added as initial test sites for Uber’s flying taxi initiative in April. Holden also revealed Uber signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in an effort to create a custom air traffic control system that would manage Uber’s fleet of low-flying aircraft.

Read: Uber wants flying taxis to soar above Los Angeles by 2020, with help from NASA

Amazon Cloud Cam review

With a line of home-centric devices like the iconic Echo speaker and Fire TV, it was only a matter of time until tech giant Amazon dipped a toe into home security. Turns out that the Seattle company dove right in with the release of the Amazon Cloud Cam, an indoor security camera available now. We had a chance to test out an early review unit to see if its night vision, two-way audio, and smart motion detection could stack up to more expensive cams.

Read: Amazon Cloud Cam review

Facebook can use uploaded nude images to protect potential revenge porn victims

Facebook is conducting trials of a new preventative measure to combat revenge porn in Australia. The social media giant is requesting that those who consider themselves vulnerable to such tactics pre-emptively upload their images to the social network. While it might seem counter-intuitive, such a solution would let Facebook, and by extension, the uploader, get ahead of the problem.

Revenge pornography has been a growing problem for years, especially on Facebook, with often inefficient tools (like copyright law) available to take down the images long after they’ve been shared. Facebook is looking to do something much more proactive to prevent the practice in the future, and hopes that people who have the potential to be affected will trust its A.I.-driven system to combat it.

Read: Facebook can use uploaded nude images to protect potential revenge porn victims

Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Calling Black Friday the Super Bowl of commerce is like calling the sun “kind of hot.” Every year, on the morning after Thanksgiving, consumers across America wake up at the crack of dawn, bellies full of half-digested turkey, and sprint to their favorite stores hoping to nab items at ridiculously low prices.

While there are some people who revel in the consumer chaos, most of us are just looking to save a little bit of cash as we head into the holiday season. So if you’re trying to avoid the madness all together, join us as we count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available right now.

Read: Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Apple’s iPhone 11: News, rumors, specs, and more

Even though Apple just released the iPhone X, rumors are already beginning to swirl about the next iPhone. While we don’t know exactly what the next iPhone will be called, we’re assuming it’s not going to be called the iPhone 9. For now, we’re calling it the iPhone 11.

Read: Apple’s iPhone 11: News, rumors, specs, and more

Never clean a toilet again — SpinX robot does the dirty job

If there’s one chore truly deserving of your loathing, it’s toilet cleaning. Unfortunately, the only thing grosser than doing that particular chore is not doing that particular chore, so you grimace and bear it. But take heart, friends — your days of scrubbing that bowl may soon be coming to a close. It’s all thanks to SpinX, heralded as the toilet-cleaning robot. Promising to self-sanitize both your toilet bowl and seat in just 90 seconds, the SpinX claims to be the only automatic, toilet-cleaning robot on the market.

Read: Never clean a toilet again — SpinX robot does the dirty job

Meet the amateur astronauts trying to crowdfund their way into orbit

Copenhagen Suborbitals/Flickr

There’s a nondescript warehouse tucked behind an opera house in Copenhagen, Denmark, where a few dozen rocket scientists meet every week to discuss what has become their collective obsession: sending an astronaut into suborbital space.

That might not seem like such a feat. Russia ticked the suborbital box over 55 years ago, and NASA has sent people to the moon and back. But considering that every member of Copenhagen Suborbitals (CopSub) is an amateur and a volunteer with a day job outside of the warehouse, the organization’s goal is one of the more ambitious in aerospace.

Read: Meet the amateur astronauts trying to crowdfund their way into orbit

Who makes the best 4K streamer? Apple, Roku, Amazon, and more square off

So you’ve got the whole setup: a kickin’ sound system, the perfect furniture arrangement, and a new 4K HDR TV to tie it all together. Now it’s time to put it to work.

While 4K UHD Blu-ray provides the highest quality 4K Ultra HD picture and sound, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu are a quicker, easier, and cheaper way to get the latest content onto your television. Your new smart TV probably sports some of the apps you need to watch built right in, but a 4K-enabled streaming set-top box offers some distinct advantages, such as a large number of supported apps, voice and AI assistant integration, gaming, and even external storage. What’s more, many of our picks are portable, meaning you can take them on vacation or business trips so you never have to give up on your favorite shows while away from home.

Read: Who makes the best 4K streamer? Apple, Roku, Amazon, and more square off

A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses

Do you want to get a drone, but are too worried about either breaking it or something around you? The good folks at DJI, Epson, and Y Media Labs are here to help — courtesy of the world’s first augmented reality drone for smart glasses. The three companies announced in early November that they have teamed up to create an AR drone flight simulator app for the Epson Moverio BT-300 smart glasses, which allows you to rack up hours of drone flight without the need to actually shell out for a real drone — or extra home insurance.

“Drones are expensive,” Sheila Mikailli, marketing lead for Y Media Labs, told Digital Trends. “If you’ve just invested a thousand dollars on a new drone, the last thing you want to do is crash your brand-new toy. The simulator allows drone users to practice flying and polishing their skills in a safe environment. Unlike other drone apps controlled through your phone, this truly immersive experience allows users to get comfortable with how their drone actually flies because the physics are accurate and the simulator is controlled by the DJI drone controller, not through the phone.”

Read: A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses

Weekly Rewind: Crowdfunding astronauts, flying cars, self-cleaning toilets

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from a Black Friday countdown to a flying car — it’s all here.

 Uber wants flying taxis to soar above Los Angeles by 2020, with help from NASA

Uber

In the future, car traffic will have no effect on your taxi ride — at least, that is what Uber and NASA are counting on. On Wednesday, at the Web Summit in Portugal, Uber’s head of product Jeff Holden announced more details about Uber’s flying taxis program.

Holden said Los Angeles will be the third city Uber plans to use as a test site for its flying taxi project, “Elevate,” by 2020. Dallas and Dubai were the first two cities added as initial test sites for Uber’s flying taxi initiative in April. Holden also revealed Uber signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in an effort to create a custom air traffic control system that would manage Uber’s fleet of low-flying aircraft.

Read: Uber wants flying taxis to soar above Los Angeles by 2020, with help from NASA

Amazon Cloud Cam review

With a line of home-centric devices like the iconic Echo speaker and Fire TV, it was only a matter of time until tech giant Amazon dipped a toe into home security. Turns out that the Seattle company dove right in with the release of the Amazon Cloud Cam, an indoor security camera available now. We had a chance to test out an early review unit to see if its night vision, two-way audio, and smart motion detection could stack up to more expensive cams.

Read: Amazon Cloud Cam review

Facebook can use uploaded nude images to protect potential revenge porn victims

Facebook is conducting trials of a new preventative measure to combat revenge porn in Australia. The social media giant is requesting that those who consider themselves vulnerable to such tactics pre-emptively upload their images to the social network. While it might seem counter-intuitive, such a solution would let Facebook, and by extension, the uploader, get ahead of the problem.

Revenge pornography has been a growing problem for years, especially on Facebook, with often inefficient tools (like copyright law) available to take down the images long after they’ve been shared. Facebook is looking to do something much more proactive to prevent the practice in the future, and hopes that people who have the potential to be affected will trust its A.I.-driven system to combat it.

Read: Facebook can use uploaded nude images to protect potential revenge porn victims

Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Calling Black Friday the Super Bowl of commerce is like calling the sun “kind of hot.” Every year, on the morning after Thanksgiving, consumers across America wake up at the crack of dawn, bellies full of half-digested turkey, and sprint to their favorite stores hoping to nab items at ridiculously low prices.

While there are some people who revel in the consumer chaos, most of us are just looking to save a little bit of cash as we head into the holiday season. So if you’re trying to avoid the madness all together, join us as we count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available right now.

Read: Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Apple’s iPhone 11: News, rumors, specs, and more

Even though Apple just released the iPhone X, rumors are already beginning to swirl about the next iPhone. While we don’t know exactly what the next iPhone will be called, we’re assuming it’s not going to be called the iPhone 9. For now, we’re calling it the iPhone 11.

Read: Apple’s iPhone 11: News, rumors, specs, and more

Never clean a toilet again — SpinX robot does the dirty job

If there’s one chore truly deserving of your loathing, it’s toilet cleaning. Unfortunately, the only thing grosser than doing that particular chore is not doing that particular chore, so you grimace and bear it. But take heart, friends — your days of scrubbing that bowl may soon be coming to a close. It’s all thanks to SpinX, heralded as the toilet-cleaning robot. Promising to self-sanitize both your toilet bowl and seat in just 90 seconds, the SpinX claims to be the only automatic, toilet-cleaning robot on the market.

Read: Never clean a toilet again — SpinX robot does the dirty job

Meet the amateur astronauts trying to crowdfund their way into orbit

Copenhagen Suborbitals/Flickr

There’s a nondescript warehouse tucked behind an opera house in Copenhagen, Denmark, where a few dozen rocket scientists meet every week to discuss what has become their collective obsession: sending an astronaut into suborbital space.

That might not seem like such a feat. Russia ticked the suborbital box over 55 years ago, and NASA has sent people to the moon and back. But considering that every member of Copenhagen Suborbitals (CopSub) is an amateur and a volunteer with a day job outside of the warehouse, the organization’s goal is one of the more ambitious in aerospace.

Read: Meet the amateur astronauts trying to crowdfund their way into orbit

Who makes the best 4K streamer? Apple, Roku, Amazon, and more square off

So you’ve got the whole setup: a kickin’ sound system, the perfect furniture arrangement, and a new 4K HDR TV to tie it all together. Now it’s time to put it to work.

While 4K UHD Blu-ray provides the highest quality 4K Ultra HD picture and sound, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu are a quicker, easier, and cheaper way to get the latest content onto your television. Your new smart TV probably sports some of the apps you need to watch built right in, but a 4K-enabled streaming set-top box offers some distinct advantages, such as a large number of supported apps, voice and AI assistant integration, gaming, and even external storage. What’s more, many of our picks are portable, meaning you can take them on vacation or business trips so you never have to give up on your favorite shows while away from home.

Read: Who makes the best 4K streamer? Apple, Roku, Amazon, and more square off

A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses

Do you want to get a drone, but are too worried about either breaking it or something around you? The good folks at DJI, Epson, and Y Media Labs are here to help — courtesy of the world’s first augmented reality drone for smart glasses. The three companies announced in early November that they have teamed up to create an AR drone flight simulator app for the Epson Moverio BT-300 smart glasses, which allows you to rack up hours of drone flight without the need to actually shell out for a real drone — or extra home insurance.

“Drones are expensive,” Sheila Mikailli, marketing lead for Y Media Labs, told Digital Trends. “If you’ve just invested a thousand dollars on a new drone, the last thing you want to do is crash your brand-new toy. The simulator allows drone users to practice flying and polishing their skills in a safe environment. Unlike other drone apps controlled through your phone, this truly immersive experience allows users to get comfortable with how their drone actually flies because the physics are accurate and the simulator is controlled by the DJI drone controller, not through the phone.”

Read: A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses

Uber charts a new course in Asia: Working with taxis and governments

To say that Uber has had a tough year would be, well, the understatement of 2017. While the company has long been a magnet for bad press, these last 11 months seem to have been particularly contentious, even for a company as accustomed to controversy as Uber. From continued fights with governments, to driver protests, to the departure of a CEO, to the loss of a license in a major market, the embattled unicorn is looking for ways to change its approach. And so too is Uber’s new Asia chief, Brooks Entwistle, who joined the company in August.

Entwistle has his work cut out for him — Uber has already been pushed out of the largest market in the region (China), and in other nations, homegrown competitors are giving the company a serious run for its money. But the new leader is taking a page from new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s book, rather than that of ex-executive Travis Kalanick, calling for cooperation and coexistence over outright war.

In fact, Entwistle told TechCrunch, Uber is trying to make allies out of former enemies. “We are actively looking to partner with taxi companies,” he said. “In Taipei, taxis are at 30 percent utilization, we can drive that [figure] up.”

Similarly, Entwistle is hoping to work more closely with government officials so as to avoid the situation currently unfolding in London (where Uber is fighting tooth and nail to maintain its license to operate). As he told TechCrunch, “I visit one or two countries a week to meet regulators and governments. We talk solutions and are coming at this from a collaboration/partnership approach. The conversation feels like it is really changing.”

Government cooperation will be more important than ever for Uber, especially as rivals like Go-Jek and Grab gain traction, raising capital from Asian investors, and expanding their services beyond ride-hailing. But Uber is still looking for a silver lining, and in a departure from previous practices, toward legislative allies.

So far, this looks to be working. “We launched fully in [Cambodia] in cooperation with the government,” Entwistle noted. “Transportation officials were on stage and it is very much a partnership. I do think we have to work with them to provide solutions, and we are asking them in many cases what they need.”

Our smartphone predictions for 2018

Some thoughts on where it’s all going.

We’re not yet done with 2017, but we’re about to wrap up the last few big phone launches of the year. So, with a mostly complete picture of the current year in smartphones, it’s time to look ahead to the next generation. Here’s what I think we’ll see out of Android, and the smartphone world in general, in the next twelve months.

Basically everything will be 18:9

As taller, less bezelly panels become more attainable to makers of mid-tier phones, expect the Android landscape to become increasingly tall in the coming year, with ever slimmer borders. The look that Xiaomi and Samsung pioneered will become the new standard. That, in turn, will push everyone in the high-end to differentiate in other ways.

Big batteries in more things

We’re already seeing this in the phones of late 2017 — devices like the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, HTC U11+ and BlackBerry Motion — but as phones get taller and battery experts figure out how to pack more milliamp-hours into smaller spaces, phones with 4,000mAh cells will become increasingly common. That’s great, because as we’ve seen this year, that number is about the sweet spot for easy two-day battery life.

Someone will emulate the iPhone X’s stupid notch

Of the bigger names, my money would be on Oppo, if anyone. Although dumb, Apple is going to (successfully) turn the notch into a status symbol of sorts, so expect the usual copycat vendors in China to have plenty of lower-priced clones ready for sale by spring 2018.

Someone will figure out — and ship — in-display fingerprint

The holy grail of biometric authentication will finally happen, and it’ll happen probably in the second half of 2018. Rumor-mongers and analysts already point to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as a possible trailblazer for this new technology, which over time should prove easier to develop than Apple’s Face ID.

Wireless charging everywhere

As sales of iPhones 8 and X climb, and the big players in the Android space look to reach feature parity with Apple, wireless charging will become a table-stakes feature for flagships, just as water resistance is now. Expect to see a lot of glass flagships as a result in the coming year, at least until someone figures out how to deploy wireless charging through metal in a commercial product.

A slow burn for AI

The arrival of Android 8.1, with new neural networking APIs, will see slow but steady growth in apps using AI features as a differentiator. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 is rumored to include some kind of AI hardware, and Google and Huawei are already shipping it in existing products. But Android is a big ship, and any new app features that require both hardware and OS upgrades is inevitably going to take time to propogate.

HTC and LG will make more Pixels

Despite the Pixel 2’s panel being trashed (sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly), Google’s hardware partnerships won’t change for the coming third-gen Pixels. HTC is, AC understands, contracted for at least another year of Pixel production, and the almost $1 billion that Google sank into LG Display means it’s unlikely to backtrack. Here’s hoping LG can step it up its OLED game in the next twelve months. Expect 18:9 displays in both Pixels, and dual cameras — both are obvious, no-brainer upgrades for Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.

Android tablets will continue to be weird while we wait for Fuchsia

Whatever Google’s master plan is for its work-in-progress Fuchsia OS on phones, tablets and laptops may come more clearly into focus in 2018, but in the meantime, the moribund state of the Android tablet market will continue. With the Pixel C entering end-of-life status, Google kinda has to release a new reference tablet if it wants to continue supporting this form factor. If it does, expect a low-profile launch sometime early in the year.

A make-or-break year for HTC

October’s monthly HTC revenue numbers aren’t great, continuing the downward trajectory for the troubled Taiwanese company. If HTC is to succeed — which, as a consumer who likes the stuff they make, I hope they do — it needs to become a leaner organization. The Google investment should help — or, if you’re a pessimist, it could mark the start of HTC winding down its smartphone business ahead of a full acquisition. Either way, 2018 will certainly be a make-or-break year for the company.

Android 9.0 Popsicle

You heard it here first 😛

Other odds and ends on a working weekend:

• I dropped by Madrid earlier this week to get my first look at Xiaomi’s new line-up of handsets for Europe, which starts with the Mi Mix 2 and Mi A1 arriving in Spain. In a Q&A session after the event, Xiaomi global boss Wang Xiang didn’t commit 100% to launching in any specific other regions, but noted that other EU countries were a strong possibility. (Bad news for the UK, then.)

• It was great to drop by the BlackBerry Unstoppable Tour in London this weekend. I’m in the process of setting up the first BlackBerry I’ve ever actually used (for real), and I’ll no doubt have some thoughts on the BlackBerry Motion in the near future.

• We’ve got the OnePlus 5T launch coming up next week, and it’s going to be interesting to see how OnePlus has improved on arguably the best mid-priced flagship of the year. Stick around for live coverage from the New York launch event!

• The rumors around the Honor 7X and (in particular) Honor V10 are fascinating, and if Honor can bring us a more affordable take on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro — one of the best Android phones out there right now — it could be on to a winner. Honor usually has to wait a cycle or two to get the latest goodies from the Huawei mothership, and if that’s no longer the case then it’s a big development for the brand. The phone(s) launch December 5 in London, and naturally, we’ll be there.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back for another Editor’s Desk on December 3. 🎄

-Alex

Ben Heck’s mini pinball game: Designing the PCB

In tackling another prototype-to-production design, Ben uses Autodesk Eagle to recreate Felix’s printed circuit board layout. Learn with Ben how to create your own parts in Eagle and ensure that the board’s components are laid out correctly, bearing in mind things like ground planes and routing. What have you designed in Eagle? Is there anything you would do differently here? Let the team know over on the element14 community.

Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: AR life coaches, controller-free eboards, more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion different crowdfunding campaigns happening on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there – alongside some real gems. We’ve cut through the fidget spinners and janky iPhone cases to round up the most unusual, ambitious, and exciting new crowdfunding projects out there this week. That said, keep in mind that any crowdfunding project — even the best intentioned — can fail, so do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Quartz — self-cleaning water bottle

Does your water bottle start to stink and taste funny after a few days of use? Check out Quartz, a reusable bottle that uses UV-C light to eliminate up to 99.9 percent of bio-contaminants from both your water and the surface of your bottle. That means that the water that leaves your bottle will presumably be even cleaner than the water you put into it.

The UV-C LED light is emitted in the 280nm range, which is said to be the optimal wavelength of light to eradicate bacteria and viruses. To activate this technology, simply touch a button on the Quartz’s lid. From there, the UV light will get to work, eliminating harmful and odor-causing bacteria and viruses. The purification feature is activated automatically every four hours, ensuring that both the container and its contents are kept clean and fresh at all times.

Quartz certainly isn’t the first device to use this sanitizing technique. Ultraviolet light is used as a disinfectant in hospitals, laboratories, swimming pools, and drinking water treatment facilities around the world. It offers safe, industrial-grade disinfection without the complications and side effects of chemical treatments. Blasting your water with low-wavelength ultraviolet light effectively scrambles the DNA of any germs that might be hanging out in your bottle, thereby rendering them incapable of breeding/multiplying.

Taro — Auto-follow gimbal

Stabilizer rigs for you camera are everywhere these days. Just a few years ago, you would’ve been hard pressed to find an affordable one that fit your specific needs, but today there’s a stabilizer for just about every kind of filmmaker. Whether you’re a pro looking to steady at $50,000 Red camera, or a casual creative just hoping to make your smartphone videos smoother, there’s a gimbal out there designed just for you. Taro is the latest addition to this booming category, and is designed for tracking action — even if it doesn’t have a human operator.

“The secret to Taro’s tracking lies in the combination of a flickering sequential infrared tag and tracking module (M1), which contains an infrared camera,” the device’s creators claim on their Kickstarter page. “Together, they work to rapidly identify which part of the frame is integral to a dynamic action sequence, instantaneously establishing the intended object’s approximate location. A powerful learning algorithm then immediately eliminates sub-optimal positioning, precisely pinpointing the object’s exact location. The result: a perfect balance between efficiency and accuracy.”

Archisketch — interior design tool

Despite the fact that there are dozens of apps and specialized software suites aimed specifically at interior design, mapping out a room and creating a virtual version you can use for planning is definitely not easy. If you’ve ever tried to create a room mockup on Google Sketchup, you know exactly what we’re talking about. If you’re not an expert designer building a digitized version of your space is often too difficult to be worth it. But what if you didn’t need high-level design or software skills to create/manipulate interior design mockups?

That’s where Arhicsketch comes in. It’s basically a bundle of sensors that you can plug into your smartphone, and with the help of an accompanying app, create a virtual version of your house. “Attach it to your smartphone, turn on our app, mark the corners of a room, and BOOM — the device calculates the distances between each corner to automatically generates 2D, 3D, and VR model in minutes.” the creators claim. From there, you’re free to drag and drop virtual textures, colors, and furniture into your model.

Empower Me — Augmented reality coach

“For people on the autistic spectrum, the kind of everyday social interactions that most of us take for granted can be enormously difficult,” Digital Trends’ Luke Dormehl said. “After manifesting in early childhood, these challenges can create difficulties for sufferers from school age right through their years in the workplace.”

A startup called Brain Power thinks it has a way to help them. The Empower Me system, as it’s called, is hailed as the world’s first wearable smart glasses platform that’s designed explicitly to help people with autism.

“A bit like the kind of ‘brain training’ apps that have been popular for years, the technology functions as a digital coach. It runs on Google Glass and provides various games — with a focus on aiding those on the spectrum in building important life skills.”

“Some of the challenges we address include decoding the emotions of others, face-directed gaze, language, context-appropriate conversation skills, controlling behaviors, and general cognitive enhancement, among others,” Dr. Ned Sahin, founder and CEO of Brain Power, told Digital Trends. “Our applications are gamified and engaging, and run on smart glasses. Unlike with a tablet or phone, the person is looking up, and our software encourages social interaction with other people.”

StarkBoard — controller-free commuter e-board

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: humanity is living in the golden age of rideable technology right now. In the past few years, electric motors have become smaller and stronger, and batteries have become smaller and more power dense — two trends that have coalesced and kicked off a renaissance in personal mobility devices. There are almost too many rideables to keep track of anymore, and they seem to get crazier and more advanced with each passing month.

The latest addition to this burgeoning tech trend is the StarkBoard — an electric longboard designed from the ground up for commuters. The device boasts a number of features that ostensibly make it more convenient for urban travel. First and foremost, the StarkBoard doesn’t rely on a handheld controller to function. Just hop on the board and shift your weight forward — the board’s pressure sensors will pick up the motion and automatically accelerate or decelerate, depending on which direction you lean. It also has built-in handles for easy transport, along with headlights, so you can ride safely at night.

Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: AR life coaches, controller-free eboards, more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion different crowdfunding campaigns happening on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there – alongside some real gems. We’ve cut through the fidget spinners and janky iPhone cases to round up the most unusual, ambitious, and exciting new crowdfunding projects out there this week. That said, keep in mind that any crowdfunding project — even the best intentioned — can fail, so do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Quartz — self-cleaning water bottle

Does your water bottle start to stink and taste funny after a few days of use? Check out Quartz, a reusable bottle that uses UV-C light to eliminate up to 99.9 percent of bio-contaminants from both your water and the surface of your bottle. That means that the water that leaves your bottle will presumably be even cleaner than the water you put into it.

The UV-C LED light is emitted in the 280nm range, which is said to be the optimal wavelength of light to eradicate bacteria and viruses. To activate this technology, simply touch a button on the Quartz’s lid. From there, the UV light will get to work, eliminating harmful and odor-causing bacteria and viruses. The purification feature is activated automatically every four hours, ensuring that both the container and its contents are kept clean and fresh at all times.

Quartz certainly isn’t the first device to use this sanitizing technique. Ultraviolet light is used as a disinfectant in hospitals, laboratories, swimming pools, and drinking water treatment facilities around the world. It offers safe, industrial-grade disinfection without the complications and side effects of chemical treatments. Blasting your water with low-wavelength ultraviolet light effectively scrambles the DNA of any germs that might be hanging out in your bottle, thereby rendering them incapable of breeding/multiplying.

Taro — Auto-follow gimbal

Stabilizer rigs for you camera are everywhere these days. Just a few years ago, you would’ve been hard pressed to find an affordable one that fit your specific needs, but today there’s a stabilizer for just about every kind of filmmaker. Whether you’re a pro looking to steady at $50,000 Red camera, or a casual creative just hoping to make your smartphone videos smoother, there’s a gimbal out there designed just for you. Taro is the latest addition to this booming category, and is designed for tracking action — even if it doesn’t have a human operator.

“The secret to Taro’s tracking lies in the combination of a flickering sequential infrared tag and tracking module (M1), which contains an infrared camera,” the device’s creators claim on their Kickstarter page. “Together, they work to rapidly identify which part of the frame is integral to a dynamic action sequence, instantaneously establishing the intended object’s approximate location. A powerful learning algorithm then immediately eliminates sub-optimal positioning, precisely pinpointing the object’s exact location. The result: a perfect balance between efficiency and accuracy.”

Archisketch — interior design tool

Despite the fact that there are dozens of apps and specialized software suites aimed specifically at interior design, mapping out a room and creating a virtual version you can use for planning is definitely not easy. If you’ve ever tried to create a room mockup on Google Sketchup, you know exactly what we’re talking about. If you’re not an expert designer building a digitized version of your space is often too difficult to be worth it. But what if you didn’t need high-level design or software skills to create/manipulate interior design mockups?

That’s where Arhicsketch comes in. It’s basically a bundle of sensors that you can plug into your smartphone, and with the help of an accompanying app, create a virtual version of your house. “Attach it to your smartphone, turn on our app, mark the corners of a room, and BOOM — the device calculates the distances between each corner to automatically generates 2D, 3D, and VR model in minutes.” the creators claim. From there, you’re free to drag and drop virtual textures, colors, and furniture into your model.

Empower Me — Augmented reality coach

“For people on the autistic spectrum, the kind of everyday social interactions that most of us take for granted can be enormously difficult,” Digital Trends’ Luke Dormehl said. “After manifesting in early childhood, these challenges can create difficulties for sufferers from school age right through their years in the workplace.”

A startup called Brain Power thinks it has a way to help them. The Empower Me system, as it’s called, is hailed as the world’s first wearable smart glasses platform that’s designed explicitly to help people with autism.

“A bit like the kind of ‘brain training’ apps that have been popular for years, the technology functions as a digital coach. It runs on Google Glass and provides various games — with a focus on aiding those on the spectrum in building important life skills.”

“Some of the challenges we address include decoding the emotions of others, face-directed gaze, language, context-appropriate conversation skills, controlling behaviors, and general cognitive enhancement, among others,” Dr. Ned Sahin, founder and CEO of Brain Power, told Digital Trends. “Our applications are gamified and engaging, and run on smart glasses. Unlike with a tablet or phone, the person is looking up, and our software encourages social interaction with other people.”

StarkBoard — controller-free commuter e-board

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: humanity is living in the golden age of rideable technology right now. In the past few years, electric motors have become smaller and stronger, and batteries have become smaller and more power dense — two trends that have coalesced and kicked off a renaissance in personal mobility devices. There are almost too many rideables to keep track of anymore, and they seem to get crazier and more advanced with each passing month.

The latest addition to this burgeoning tech trend is the StarkBoard — an electric longboard designed from the ground up for commuters. The device boasts a number of features that ostensibly make it more convenient for urban travel. First and foremost, the StarkBoard doesn’t rely on a handheld controller to function. Just hop on the board and shift your weight forward — the board’s pressure sensors will pick up the motion and automatically accelerate or decelerate, depending on which direction you lean. It also has built-in handles for easy transport, along with headlights, so you can ride safely at night.

Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: AR life coaches, controller-free eboards, more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion different crowdfunding campaigns happening on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there – alongside some real gems. We’ve cut through the fidget spinners and janky iPhone cases to round up the most unusual, ambitious, and exciting new crowdfunding projects out there this week. That said, keep in mind that any crowdfunding project — even the best intentioned — can fail, so do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Quartz — self-cleaning water bottle

Does your water bottle start to stink and taste funny after a few days of use? Check out Quartz, a reusable bottle that uses UV-C light to eliminate up to 99.9 percent of bio-contaminants from both your water and the surface of your bottle. That means that the water that leaves your bottle will presumably be even cleaner than the water you put into it.

The UV-C LED light is emitted in the 280nm range, which is said to be the optimal wavelength of light to eradicate bacteria and viruses. To activate this technology, simply touch a button on the Quartz’s lid. From there, the UV light will get to work, eliminating harmful and odor-causing bacteria and viruses. The purification feature is activated automatically every four hours, ensuring that both the container and its contents are kept clean and fresh at all times.

Quartz certainly isn’t the first device to use this sanitizing technique. Ultraviolet light is used as a disinfectant in hospitals, laboratories, swimming pools, and drinking water treatment facilities around the world. It offers safe, industrial-grade disinfection without the complications and side effects of chemical treatments. Blasting your water with low-wavelength ultraviolet light effectively scrambles the DNA of any germs that might be hanging out in your bottle, thereby rendering them incapable of breeding/multiplying.

Taro — Auto-follow gimbal

Stabilizer rigs for you camera are everywhere these days. Just a few years ago, you would’ve been hard pressed to find an affordable one that fit your specific needs, but today there’s a stabilizer for just about every kind of filmmaker. Whether you’re a pro looking to steady at $50,000 Red camera, or a casual creative just hoping to make your smartphone videos smoother, there’s a gimbal out there designed just for you. Taro is the latest addition to this booming category, and is designed for tracking action — even if it doesn’t have a human operator.

“The secret to Taro’s tracking lies in the combination of a flickering sequential infrared tag and tracking module (M1), which contains an infrared camera,” the device’s creators claim on their Kickstarter page. “Together, they work to rapidly identify which part of the frame is integral to a dynamic action sequence, instantaneously establishing the intended object’s approximate location. A powerful learning algorithm then immediately eliminates sub-optimal positioning, precisely pinpointing the object’s exact location. The result: a perfect balance between efficiency and accuracy.”

Archisketch — interior design tool

Despite the fact that there are dozens of apps and specialized software suites aimed specifically at interior design, mapping out a room and creating a virtual version you can use for planning is definitely not easy. If you’ve ever tried to create a room mockup on Google Sketchup, you know exactly what we’re talking about. If you’re not an expert designer building a digitized version of your space is often too difficult to be worth it. But what if you didn’t need high-level design or software skills to create/manipulate interior design mockups?

That’s where Arhicsketch comes in. It’s basically a bundle of sensors that you can plug into your smartphone, and with the help of an accompanying app, create a virtual version of your house. “Attach it to your smartphone, turn on our app, mark the corners of a room, and BOOM — the device calculates the distances between each corner to automatically generates 2D, 3D, and VR model in minutes.” the creators claim. From there, you’re free to drag and drop virtual textures, colors, and furniture into your model.

Empower Me — Augmented reality coach

“For people on the autistic spectrum, the kind of everyday social interactions that most of us take for granted can be enormously difficult,” Digital Trends’ Luke Dormehl said. “After manifesting in early childhood, these challenges can create difficulties for sufferers from school age right through their years in the workplace.”

A startup called Brain Power thinks it has a way to help them. The Empower Me system, as it’s called, is hailed as the world’s first wearable smart glasses platform that’s designed explicitly to help people with autism.

“A bit like the kind of ‘brain training’ apps that have been popular for years, the technology functions as a digital coach. It runs on Google Glass and provides various games — with a focus on aiding those on the spectrum in building important life skills.”

“Some of the challenges we address include decoding the emotions of others, face-directed gaze, language, context-appropriate conversation skills, controlling behaviors, and general cognitive enhancement, among others,” Dr. Ned Sahin, founder and CEO of Brain Power, told Digital Trends. “Our applications are gamified and engaging, and run on smart glasses. Unlike with a tablet or phone, the person is looking up, and our software encourages social interaction with other people.”

StarkBoard — controller-free commuter e-board

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: humanity is living in the golden age of rideable technology right now. In the past few years, electric motors have become smaller and stronger, and batteries have become smaller and more power dense — two trends that have coalesced and kicked off a renaissance in personal mobility devices. There are almost too many rideables to keep track of anymore, and they seem to get crazier and more advanced with each passing month.

The latest addition to this burgeoning tech trend is the StarkBoard — an electric longboard designed from the ground up for commuters. The device boasts a number of features that ostensibly make it more convenient for urban travel. First and foremost, the StarkBoard doesn’t rely on a handheld controller to function. Just hop on the board and shift your weight forward — the board’s pressure sensors will pick up the motion and automatically accelerate or decelerate, depending on which direction you lean. It also has built-in handles for easy transport, along with headlights, so you can ride safely at night.