The 10 best note-taking apps compared: OneNote, Zoho, Quip, and more

Evernote is dialing back the free version of its service and pushing key features to its premium tiers, so as a result, we declared OneNote the best choice in our comparison review. The company’s decision to abruptly impose restrictions on nonpaying accounts has left many longtime users feeling, well, miffed. Luckily, there are many great alternatives. We’ve rounded up a few of the best note-taking apps for your convenience.

If you want to have a more comprehensive read when it comes to getting things done, check out our top 10 email apps for iOS or Android, top 10 calendar apps, and top 10 productivity apps.

Bear

Bear is a very easy-to-use yet powerful app that allows you to combine text, photos, to-do lists, and even code snippets if that’s what you do. Yes, you can code using Bear because it has a markup editor that supports over 20 programming languages. The app also makes it easy for you to search through all your notes and focus on specific things using triggers such as @task, @tagged, and @files.

The app is compatible with iMessage and the Apple Watch. You can expand the power of this app by subscribing to Bear Pro. The subscription costs a little over $1 monthly, or you can pay $15 per year. The Pro version gives you the ability to convert your writing into PDF, Word documents, HTML, and more. It also gives you the option to sync all your notes across all your devices.

Are you an iPad Pro user? You’ll be happy to know that Bear supports the Apple Pencil and hand sketching, too.

Available on:

iOS  Mac

Simplenote

As the name suggests, Simplenote is as simple as they come. If you want the ability to sync your notes across all of your devices without paying a subscription, then Simplenote has you covered. You can also share notes with other users and collaborate. Once you create your free account, you can start creating notes, tagging them, pinning them, and sharing them. The interface is very straightforward and easy to get to grips with.

Simplenote is compatible with iOS devices, Android, MacOS, Windows, and even Linux. Your notes will automatically backup online and sync across all your devices.

Don’t worry about having too many notes. Simplenote lets you tag, pin, and organize your notes, and it also boasts a good search feature.

Available on:

iOS Android Windows Linux Mac

Quip

If you’re looking for more serious note-taking and collaboration apps that work well with large teams or corporations, then you should look at Quip — Docs, Chat, Sheets. The idea behind this app is to provide a place for a team to create a live document that can be accessed and edited by many people. You can look at it as a combination of chat, documents, task lists, and spreadsheets all rolled into one app. Create, share, and collaborate on notes, task lists, or edit documents with any group. You can also chat in real time with your team so that you can eliminate the need to send multiple emails back and forth. Whether you are working on your iPhone, iPad or a desktop computer, you will be able to access and edit spreadsheets with support for over 400 functions. Your work syncs across all your devices, so you can pick up where you left off anytime.

You can import documents from Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Google Docs and export documents as PDFs or Microsoft Office files. Quip also allows you to import your address book from Yahoo, Hotmail, Microsoft Outlook, Google, or iCloud.

You can sign up for a free trial so that you can decide if Quip is right for you. The pricing is $30 per month for a team of five, and $12 per additional person if you subscribe monthly, or $10 per additional person with an annual commitment. If you have a very large business, you can pay for Quip Enterprise which is $25 per month per person.

Available on:

iOS Android Windows Mac

Zoho Notebook

Productivity software company Zoho typically gears its development efforts toward enterprise, but its newest app, Notebook, is strictly consumer-oriented. It’s a note-taking app for iOS and Android that organizes your to-do lists and tasks visually, in a card-like interface, with notes appearing as colored stickies stacked on top of one another. And, like real-life sticky notes, they’re manipulable – you can group individual notes together by “pinching” them into a stack or swipe across them to see additional information.

Notebook packs a few novel features. You can attach files to notes — i.e., audio, photos, and miscellaneous web clippings — plus reminders and due dates. Content syncs across all of your signed-in devices, and notes are searchable within the notebook interface — a downward flick surfaces the search bar.

In terms of platform-specific functionality, on iOS, you can create and view recent notes from the notification panel, as well as record voice memos with an Apple Watch. And on Android, you can create shortcuts to notes on your home screen.

Notebook’s not without its shortcomings, to be fair. You can’t label or tag notes, and it lacks a web-based interface. But it’s free, and Zoho said the app will “never include ads.”

Available on:

iOS Android

Any.do

Any.do positions itself less as a to-do manager and more a productivity “accelerator.” Its headlining feature is undoubtedly “Moments,” a daily planner that helps you to prioritize the upcoming day’s tasks. It takes the form of a unified timeline that shows the notes, reminders, and appointments you have scheduled in the next few hours. The best part? Once you finish checking items off your Moments list, you get a random motivational message and pleasant chime.

Beyond Moments, Any.do sports a few other handy features that its note-taking competitors lack. When you miss a phone call on Android, a helpful pop-up at the bottom of your screen provides shortcuts to set a callback reminder. If on the other hand, you’re on the line with someone and receive a message, Any.do offers the option to send canned responses like “I’ll call you right back” and “Can’t talk now.” Also worth mentioning is Any.do’s “zooming” feature, which lets you “zoom into” tasks to reveal sub-tasks and other details and “zoom out” to a big-picture overview of ongoing projects.

Any.do’s premium $3 a month service is all about flexibility. You can share an unlimited number of tasks with collaborators (free accounts are limited to just one) and upload files to a larger (100 MB versus 1.5 MB) digital locker, so to speak. Moments, which appears only five times a month for free users, recurs daily with Any.do Premium. And finally, Premium lets you customize Any.do’s theme, set recurring tasks, and set up location-based reminders — features more or less on par with paid offerings from rival its note-taking rivals.

Available on:

iOS Android Mac Chrome Web

Wunderlist

Wunderlist may have been acquired by software behemoth Microsoft in 2015, the architect of note-taking competitor OneNote, but the to-do platform is still alive and kicking. One of its cooler tools is natural language interpretation. Much like Google Calendar on Android, Wunderlist automatically recognizes words that might as due dates — e.g., “tomorrow,” or “Friday” — and schedules reminders accordingly. Unfortunately, it doesn’t recognize locations, and Wunderlist doesn’t support location-based reminders like Any.do does.

Wunderlist sports a few features that are exclusive to its platform. On Android, you can quickly add to-dos straight from the notification bar. Wunderlist integrates with Google Now on Tap, Google’s intelligent assistant, so if you compile a list of movies in Wunderlist, Now on Tap will provide the synopses and showtimes of each. The note-taking app provides templates for the most common sorts of tasks — i.e., those involving work, personal, bills, vacations, family, and purchases — and much like the email inbox which undoubtedly served as its inspiration, it allows you to group tasks into folders and sort them chronologically, by a particular day, or alphabetically.

Wunderlist has a premium tier that grants you more. The $5-per-month Wunderlist Pro nets you the freedom to upload files of any size (the free service caps out at 5MB), you can share an unlimited number of tasks with collaborators (free users are limited to 25), and create as many subtasks as your heart desires. As an added bonus, you get 10 background images to swap between at your leisure.

Available on:

iOS Android Mac Chrome Web

Todoist

Rather than treat lists as the pillar of its productivity hierarchy, Todoist encourages you to organize tasks around projects. Individual to-do items live within those projects and can be customized to an exhaustive degree. You can add due dates, recurring reminders, flags, subtasks, and more. Todoist, like Wunderlist, optionally parses your notes for dates using natural language, so a task with the phrase “every three weeks” will be scheduled to recur, as you might expect, every three weeks. The service also features organizational filters by priority and due date.

Todoist, much like Any.do, is far more capable than your average to-do app. A few of its major differentiators is offline support and automatic backups. If you find yourself without Wi-Fi, the service’s apps will show you the last couple of tasks you added, replete with due dates and timestamps. When an internet connection is readily available, Todoist will save every major change you make to the cloud as a revision. Mistakenly delete a bunch of tasks? Not to worry — you can restore the dashboard’s last known good configuration.

Todoist, unfortunately, places serious limitations on free accounts. You can’t add labels, notes, or files to tasks without a $29-per-year Premium subscription, and you can’t perform searches within your dashboard’s projects. Email, text, and location-based reminders require a paid account, as does the ability to add new tasks via email and sync tasks to a calendar. But Todoist’s premium offering is generous in other respects. You get 200 tasks per project (versus 150 with a free account) and up to 200 projects. You can also access Karma, an analysis tool that gamifies your goals so that when you accomplish a certain number of tasks in a day or week, you earn points toward digital productivity badges like “Professional,” “Expert,” and “Master.”

Available on:

iOS Android Mac Chrome Web

Remember the Milk

If bare-bones task management is what you’re after, Remember the Milk may fit the bill. You can create to-dos, of course, and attach things like due dates, tags, notes, and the estimated time a task might take to complete. As with Wunderlist, you can organize tasks by categories. Like Todoist and Wunderlist, Remember the Milk features natural language recognition. Simply type a due date as part of the task — e.g., “tomorrow” — and it will schedule an appropriate reminder. There’s basic support for reminders, including location-based ones, and there are nifty sharing features that let you share entire individual tasks or entire categories. Furthermore, Remember the Milk allows you to set permissions restrictions on task editing and writing if, say, you want Aunt Bertha to be able to read the week’s grocery list but not amend it.

That’s not to say Remember the Milk isn’t versatile. A major update in February introduced a bevy of new features like subtasks and advanced sorting. And in addition, Remember the Milk’s mobile and web interfaces received a much-needed revamp that introduced slick, sliding panels and simpler ways of sharing and assigning tasks.

Remember the Milk’s premium tier adds a few more features to the mix, but not many. In addition to unlimited task storage, users who decide to shell out $40 for Remember the Milk Pro will see devices associated with their account back up tasks automatically and receive push notifications, plus sync offline and integrate with Microsoft’s Outlook Tasks software.

Available on:

iOS Android BlackBerry Mac Chrome Web

Google Keep

Google Keep, Google’s take on task management, admittedly isn’t quite as holistic as other productivity managers. But it’s entirely free and packs more than enough useful features to warrant mention.

Predictably, Keep plays nicely with Google’s other services, so every note you add to Keep is searchable and accessible from within Google Drive, Google’s cloud storage locker, and reminders appear within Google’s virtual assistant Now on your smartphone. Keep inherits a few of Google’s machine learning smarts, too. It can transcribe text from images using optical character recognition, and, by parsing the content of your notes for keywords, it automatically filters your notes by topic, location, and activity. As you’d expect, Keep’s search features are fully featured. You can perform queries like “Blue notes with voice memos,” and “Yellow notes with checkboxes,” for example, to quickly surface tasks you’ve created.

Keep is not without its shortcomings, though. There’s no way to group notes and tasks by folder, and Keep lacks support for subtasks. Its collaboration tools are also a tad disappointing. You can’t delegate tasks to other people, fine-tune permissions, add comments, or see edits by others reflected in real time. But for free note-keeping synced across a broad range of devices, Keep can’t be beaten.

Available on:

iOS Android Chrome Web

OneNote

Microsoft’s OneNote is the granddaddy of all note-taking apps. It debuted way back in 2003, but in 2014 received a fresh coat of paint and bunch of new features.

OneNote supports to-do lists with subtasks, starred tasks, highlights, labels, tags, and, on the desktop and the web, a virtually endless array of formatting options. You can attach images, videos, links, screenshots, files, Excel spreadsheets, geometric shapes, too, and pretty much every other type of file imaginable. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. OneNote has a file revision history browser so you can see what changes authors have made to a document over time. It’s got optical character recognition, too — OneNote automatically transcribes the text of any PDF or paper documents you upload. And, much like like with Keep, your notes are stored in a cloud storage locker, Microsoft’s OneDrive, accessible from any device with an internet connection. You get up to 15GB for free, shared among any other Microsoft Office apps you use.

OneNote has a few platform-specific features worth mentioning. On all iOS devices, it supports document search through Spotlight and multitasking by way of Split View. And on the iPad Pro, it supports note-taking with Apple’s Pencil stylus. Android users, meanwhile, get the OneNote badge: a floating widget that allows you to create a note no matter what app you’re using at the moment.

Available on:

iOS Android Mac Windows Chrome Web

Given the disparate nature of note-taking apps, it’s exceedingly difficult to crown a winner. But in terms of sheer volume of features on offer, OneNote takes the cake. Not only does it support to-do app staple features like task lists, subtasks, formatting, and project assignment, but it sports a myriad of embedding options. You can attach videos, pictures, slideshows, Office documents, and practically any other file type you please to individual notes and tasks. Its formatting options, meanwhile, are robust as any of its note-taking competition and then some, and its got additional little benefits, like optical character recognition, 15GB of cloud storage, file revision history, and real-time collaboration, abound. And it’s all free.

Google Keep comes in close second. It may lack the formatting and embedding options offered by competition like Dropbox Paper, but it more than makes up for it in organizational tools. Keep’s support for labels and colors, plus its machine learning-powered keyword sorting, are a godsend for anyone with more notes than they can keep straight. Free Google Drive storage, optical character recognition, and recurring reminders are pure icing on the cake.

Update: We took a second look at this list and added Quip, Bear, and Simplenote.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Get smart: The 25 best educational apps for iPhone and Android
• 20 Android and iOS apps for kids to keep them entertained (and quiet)
• The 20 best news apps that are fast and fluid on your iPhone or Android
• The best Apple Watch apps to download
• The 30 best Mac apps if you’re new to Apple!

7 Unique Amazon Echo Dot Cases and Stands to Amp up Your Home Decor

Personalize your Echo Dot with these unique cases and stands!

For all its great features and portability, the Amazon Echo Dot is rather uninspired when it comes to looks. The $50 smart speaker comes in two colors: black and white. It’s a short, relatively small puck with four buttons, a tiny speaker system, microphones, and an LED light ring. Depending on your decor (and where you choose to place it), the Echo Dot may blend in… or it may stick out like a sore thumb (I’m still not entirely certain sore thumbs stick out, but please pardon the digression). Whether you want to turn your Echo Dot into more of a statement piece or have it blend in seamlessly with your particular style, you’re going to need a case or stand to provide the proper camouflage. Without further ado, here are 7 unique Echo Dot cases and stands that’ll help you achieve your interior design goals!

• Amazon Echo Dot Cases
• Bamboo Echo Dot Case
• Bamboo Echo Dot Stand
• Dot Genie Flush Mount
• Fintie Echo Dot Sleeves
• NewRice Echo Dot Statues
• This Dottie Echo Dot Mount

Amazon Echo Dot Cases

Amazon’s Echo Dot cases don’t necessarily fit the “unique” criteria because there’s a chance many, many other people have picked up a few of these. That said, the $10 to $20 sleeve comes in six varieties — odds are you’re going to find something that matches your style.

Designed and sold by Amazon, the case is a perfect fit for your Dot. You simply slide your Dot down into the sleeve, plug it in, and you’re ready to go. The sleeve comes in three fabric styles ($10 apiece) — sandstone (a grayish white), charcoal (a dark gray), and indigo (a denim blue) — and three leather styles ($20 apiece) — merlot (a deep red), midnight (a deep black), and saddle tan (a medium brown).

With so many options to choose from, you could have a perfectly matching Echo Dot for every room of your house!

See at Amazon

Bamboo Echo Dot Case

This bamboo Echo Dot case is not only a nice, natural look for your home, but it also serves as a light feature of sorts. Thanks to the fact that the Echo Dot sits down inside of the case, the Dot’s light ring beautifully lights up the edges of the bamboo.

You can get this bamboo Echo Dot case for the same price as Amazon’s fabric cases: $10. It’s lightweight, it’s simple, and it’s shaped perfectly to hold your Echo in place — it’s even got a hole in the back for plugging everything in.

If you want a splash of light brown, textured bamboo to accompany your Echo Dot, this case is the perfect choice!

See at Amazon

Bamboo Echo Dot Stand

You can step things up a notch from a simple bamboo case to this cleverly crafted, bamboo Echo Dot stand!

The unique design lets you nestle your Dot in the top of the stand, leaving loads of space inside for the Dot’s small speaker system to resonate and grow louder. You can even position the hole on the front of the stand to direct the sound depending on where you are in your home. It’s designed to precisely hold your Dot in the top portion of the stand — you can route your cables through a hole in the back.

If you’re looking to pump up the power of your Echo Dot’s small speaker system while adding the natural, beautiful look of bamboo to your home, this $16 stand is for you!

See at Amazon

Dot Genie Flush Mount

I must confess: I am absolutely in love with this contraption. The $20 Dot Genie Flush Mount won’t add to your home decor, instead it serves to hide your Amazon Echo away while still giving you easy access to Alexa’s voice commands.

So how does it work? Well, it’s a rounded puck that’s meant to sit flush against a wall or ceiling. You cut out a hole in your drywall, stick the mount into the hole, feed in the Amazon Echo Dot, and wire everything up (it comes with wiring, too). After it’s installed, you can use your Dot the same way you normally would. This is a great way to get your Dot up off the counter or table and into a place that’s free from furniture and other objects that might obstruct your voice. Plus, if you’re a little self conscious about having a bunch of fu7ur3 73ch in your home, this’ll hide it away!

If your idea of a smart speaker and in-home assistant is a disembodied voice that seems to communicate from the heavens (mine sure is), then you’ve got to pick up this flush mount. Oh, I should also mention it won’t muffle your Dot’s built in speakers — the mount features a unique design that channels the audio out into the room.

See at Amazon

Fintie Echo Dot Sleeves

If you struggled with the numerous case options from Amazon, you’re going to be stuck clicking between these sleeves from Fintie for the next couple hours. For about $12, Fintie offers a protective case that’s made with a synthetic leather exterior and microfiber interior.

To put on the sleeve, you slide your Echo Dot into the pocket of the sleeve and fasten it with a small metal snap on the side. The case has cutouts for the ports on the back of your Echo, cutouts for the four buttons atop the device, and space for your speakers and mics to output sound and listen for your commands. The best part (or worst part if you have trouble making decisions) is the wide variety of colors and patterns available. From simple colors like black and blue to complex patterns like illustrated trees and stained glass, you’re likely to find something that works for your home decor.

Whether you’d like to really make your Echo Dot stand out or just need something to add a bit of you to your Dot, Fintie’s sleeves are a great choice!

See at Amazon

NewRice Echo Dot Statues

Talk. About. Adorable! These Echo Dot statues from NewRice would look right at home in just about any home. Instead of buying a glass vase and filling it with those little wicker and twine balls or fake cherries, buy one of these statues! You’ll be getting an interesting bit of home decor and a place to tuck away your Dot.

NewRice is offering both an owl and an elephant statue that retail for about $20 and $24, respectively. Much like the bamboo stand we mentioned before, these statues let you nestle your Dot into the top of the vessel. There’s a hole on the back for routing your cables. It even features a non-slip coating on the bottom of the statue to keep you from knocking over your new decoration.

If you’d like to add a little statement piece to your home and hide away your Echo Dot, you’ve got to take a look at these NewRice statues. If you look closely, you can see the owl staring longingly at you, asking you to let it come hang out.

See at Amazon

This Dottie Echo Dot Mount

Like the flush mount, the “This Dottie” mount is for those who feel the Dot is incompatible with their home decor. For about $20, you can get this mount in either white or black — whichever works better for your home and the color of your Dot.

The all-in-one design of the “This Dottie” mount makes it simple to keep your Echo Dot — and its cord — up and out of the way of your counters and tables. You connect your Dot, slide it into the mount, and plug it in! The mount works in two configurations: up and down, meaning you’ll be able to choose the best option based on where your wall outlets are positioned.

If you want to get your Echo Dot out of the way and more out of sight, the “This Dottie” will help with that. I love the all-in-one design that eliminates the need for an unsightly wire hanging down and snaking across your countertops.

See at Amazon

Thoughts? Ideas?

What do you think, are any of our choices calling out to you? Do you have a different case or stand that you absolutely adore? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments and over on Twitter!

Amazon Echo

• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• All about Alexa Skills
• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

See at Amazon

Does your Galaxy Note 8 show signs of lag?

Let’s see how Samsung’s latest holds up after a few weeks of use.

If you’re in the market for a big phone, one of your best bets is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8. The Note 8 is a behemoth, and along with its huge footprint, it offers one of the best AMOLED displays around, a dual-camera system, the iconic S Pen, and so much more.

The Note 8 is also packed to the gills with some of the fastest silicon currently available, but even with its Snapdragon 835 (or Exynos 8895) processor and 6GB of RAM, the Note 8 isn’t impervious to Samsung’s heavy software customizations that tend to slow its devices down after just a few months or weeks of use.

Some of our forum users have already started to experience varying degrees of degradation, saying:

PainFX
10-31-2017 05:59 PM

“

During the phone call switching back to the homepage it almost froze. Had to end the call and restart the phone and everything went back to normal.

It’s only been 1 month.

You guys have any problems yet?

Reply

sdsubball23
10-31-2017 07:17 PM

“

I’m having a gallery lag where it will stutter opening and closing pics. Anyone have a solution to this?

Reply

With that said, most users seem to be quite happy with the Note 8’s performance.

srvctec
10-31-2017 07:23 PM

“

Nope, totally fine and smooth here, always. AND that’s with being on the middle power save mode since day 1, which should cause more freeze ups because of the throttling of the CPU, but it’s been perfect.

Reply

Gray Area
10-31-2017 08:59 PM

“

No lag issues, going on 2 months. I have however had a couple of instances where it seem like it wouldn’t fast wired charge and I had to unplug it a couple times and plug it back in before it did it.

Reply

creekwater1482
11-01-2017 06:31 PM

“

No lag issues here at all. I do utilize device maintenance and close apps frequently. I’ll reboot phone as well, once a week probably. Same thing with my gear s3, tablet, surface, etc.

Reply

If you own Samsung’s latest and greatest, we’d like to know – Have you experienced any lag with the Galaxy Note 8?

Join the conversation in the forums!

MIUI 9 global is now rolling out: Here’s the list of eligible devices

The global version of MIUI 9 is now starting to roll out to Xiaomi’s devices.

MIUI 9 was unveiled earlier this year in China, and now the global version of the ROM is starting to roll out to Xiaomi’s entire portfolio of devices. The manufacturer is making the update widely available, with the five-year-old Mi 2 set to receive the latest version. To put things into context, the Mi 2 launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

There’s a lot of exciting new feature additions in the global version of MIUI 9, including a retooled notification pane, new themes, animations, a native split screen mode, and much more.

Xiaomi shared statistics on MIUI usage around the world during the Redmi Y1 launch event in India. Globally, MIUI is available in 56 languages, and has 280 million active users in 220 countries. There’s clearly a lot of interest in Xiaomi’s custom ROM, and we’ll delve into the new features in detail in the coming days.

Here’s the full list of eligible devices for MIUI 9 global:

• Mi Mix 2
• Mi Mix
• Mi Note 3
• Mi Note 2
• Mi Note
• Mi 6
• Mi 5
• Mi 5s
• Mi 5s Plus
• Mi 4i
• Mi 4
• Mi 3
• Mi 2
• Mi Max 2
• Mi Max
• Mi Max Prime
• Redmi Note 4
• Redmi Note 4X
• Redmi Note 5A
• Redmi Note 3
• Redmi Note 4G Prime
• Redmi Note 2
• Redmi Note 4G
• Redmi 4
• Redmi 4X
• Redmi 3
• Redmi 3S
• Redmi 3S Prime
• Redmi 2
• Redmi 2 Prime
• Redmi Y1
• Redmi Y1s

The stable version of the ROM will be rolled out to the Redmi Note 4, Mi Mix 2, and the Mi Max 2 in the next two to three weeks, with a beta build available for all three devices right away. There’s no mention regarding when the other devices will receive the update, but we’ll share more details as we get them.

Can Mophie make an argument for the $150 battery pack?

The Mophie Powerstation USB-C XXL is a big, reliable battery that gets the job done.

Search “battery pack” on Amazon and there’s no shortage of high-quality options at reasonable prices. Once-unknown brands like Aukey, Anker, and RAVPower seem to have maneuvered their way to the tops of the search results, and hundreds of thousands of happy customers regale the user reviews sections with tales of successful deals on top-notch componentry.

When a battery pack that can charge a phone, a tablet, and a laptop at the same time costs a hair under $40, can Mophie convince people that it’s worth spending nearly four times that amount on a portable charger that has less capacity and fewer ports? That’s what we’re aiming to answer here.

See at Mophie

This is definitely the nicest-looking battery pack I’ve used, but that doesn’t mean much in the long run.

The Mophie Powerstation USB-C XXL is a two-port charger with a USB-C port and a USB-A port splitting the responsibilities. Its 19500mAh capacity is, while capacious — especially for its relatively small size — not the biggest we’ve seen, but the Mophie is programmed to release that capacity as quickly as possible right now.

That’s because, in addition to the USB-A port that supports standard 2.4 amp output, the USB-C port uses the Power Delivery standard, allowing for up to 30W of output with a compatible device and proper cable. As we learned from the Pixel 2, most phones don’t support such wattage — it technically supports a 27W charger, but will only accept 18 watts, likely due to heat concerns. Still, the Mophie can charge a phone and tablet at the same time, or a phone and USB C-capable laptop (say, a Pixelbook), which is pretty great.

For most products on the market today, the USB-C port will output 3A, which is roughly equivalent to Quick Charge 3.0 speeds.

The battery itself is hefty and solid, wrapped in a fabric outer layer that, after a few weeks tossed into the bottom of my bag, has worn incredibly well. The single button uses four white LED buttons to indicate battery levels, and unlike many other chargers, the Powerstation is intelligent enough not to need an “on” button to start charging something that’s plugged in.

So why spend $150 on a battery when larger capacities are available at a third of the cost? Well, USB-PD is a burgeoning standard not supported by most battery chargers yet, and its licensing fees are reportedly higher than Quick Charge and other fast charging standards. Mophie is also well known for its high-quality components, and the Powerstation’s two-year warranty should be reassuring for those willing to take the plunge.

I can say that the Powerstation USB-C XXL is not three times better than the average battery pack from RAVPower, Anker, Aukey, and others, but in my time with it, it’s been incredibly reliable, useful, and hardy.

See at Mophie

SEC warns celebs about legal dangers of bitcoin endorsements

When celebrities endorse things on social media, a lot of people tend to take their word for it. Now that some of them have also begun endorsing a controversial means of crowdfunding called “initial coin offering” or ICO, which was recently banned in China and South Korea, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has had to step in with a warning. Since ICOs are an unregulated means to raise money using cryptocurrencies, people could use them to sell products that don’t exist or to entice investors to sink their money into projects that will never materialize. That’s why SEC has decided to be on the lookout for celebrity ICO endorsements to protect potential investors.

The agency’s warning says:

“Any celebrity or other individual who promotes a virtual token or coin that is a security must disclose the nature, scope, and amount of compensation received in exchange for the promotion. A failure to disclose this information is a violation of the anti-touting provisions of the federal securities laws. Persons making these endorsements may also be liable for potential violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, for participating in an unregistered offer and sale of securities, and for acting as unregistered brokers.”

SEC’s warning comes after The New York Times published a piece on celebrities like Floyd Mayweather and Paris Hilton endorsing various ICOs. The famous boxer help a Miami-based ICO called Centra Tech raise $30 million. According to the publication, Centra Tech’s founders created a chief executive that doesn’t exist. In addition, despite promising a Visa or a Mastercard debit card to its backers that will supposedly allow them to spend their Centra coins anywhere, the company reportedly doesn’t have any kind of deal or partnership with either credit card company.

Centra’s (CTR) ICO starts in a few hours. Get yours before they sell out, I got mine https://t.co/nSiCaZ274l pic.twitter.com/dB6wV0EROJ

— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) September 18, 2017

I just received my titanium centra debit card. The Centra Card & Centra Wallet app is the ultimate winner in Cryptocurrency debit cards powered by CTR tokens! Use your bitcoins, ethereum, and more cryptocurrencies in real time across the globe. This is a Game changer here. Get your CTR tokens now! #CryptoBilli #Bitcoin #Ethereum #Digitalcurrency

A post shared by DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) on Sep 27, 2017 at 4:09pm PDT

Going forward, posts like the ones above need to disclose if they’re paid promotions — NYT has confirmed that Mayweather got paid for his Centra endorsement, though it’s unclear whether he got paid in cash or in Centra coins. If you ask the FTC, though, Instagram’s and YouTube’s “includes paid promotion” marks are nowhere near enough to indicate sponsorship: the agency recently said those platforms’ built-in disclosures are a bit too subtle for its liking.

For interested investors, SEC has this to say:

“Investors should note that celebrity endorsements may appear unbiased, but instead may be part of a paid promotion… Celebrities who endorse an investment often do not have sufficient expertise to ensure that the investment is appropriate and in compliance with federal securities laws. Conduct research before making investments, including in ICOs.”

Source: SEC

Ableton Live will remember your riffs if you forget to press record

Ableton Live is popular with computer musicians thanks to its flexibility. As the name suggests, it enables live performance of electronic music, but it’s also a robust music making tool in its own right. Fans of Live are long overdue an update, as the last full release (Live 9) was four years ago. Today Ableton revealed Live 10, which promises to make it even easier to translate ideas into anthems.

Aside from Live’s double duty as performance and creation software, one of the biggest lures for budding producers is its workflow. Ableton designed Live to work on one screen, with clever shortcuts to jump between common tasks. Live 10 builds on that with new tools to do more with less. For starters, you can now edit multiple MIDI clips side by side, and zoom in for precision work with one key.

Most musicians have struggled with getting a part of their track just right. Currently, if you start playing a project back, you won’t hear MIDI instruments until the next note in the clip. This means if you start playback mid-note, you won’t hear it — annoying for long strings sounds, for example. A new “Note chasing” feature solves that, meaning all notes will play even if halfway through. It’s a low key change, but one that will please anyone who’s heard the same part over and over again just to get to where you want to edit.

For those (like me) who seem to give their best performance while not recording, there’s “Capture.” It sounds similar to a feature in Apple’s Logic Pro that remembers all MIDI input in the background, even if you’re not recording. So, if you happen to play a killer riff along to a beat, but weren’t recording, Live will have snagged it anyway so you can retrieve it.

For advanced users, Ableton’s “Max for Live” kit has long allowed you to create tools like Capture, or software instruments from scratch. Max is now built right in to Live 10 (previously it was a $200 add-on), but it’s good to see some of the more popular ideas made in Max find their way into the standard version of the software.

Other updates include a new built-in synthesizer call “Wavetable” for squelchy sounds a-la Stranger Things and three new audio effects (Pedal, Drum Buss and Echo). Owners of Push — Ableton’s companion hardware controller — can look forward to improved graphics and visualizations so you can keep your eyes away from the computer (and look less like you’re checking your email on stage).

Despite the announcement today, eager users will still need to wait a little longer. Ableton Live 10 won’t be available until early 2018. The good news is, that you can snag a copy of Live 9 right now if you don’t already have it at 20 percent discount, which will automatically be upgraded to the new version once it lands. Once released, Live 10 will cost $449 for the standard version and $499 for the suite with all the software instruments (this is the one you probably want).

Source: Ableton

LG V30 owners in Korea can preview Android Oreo

LG’s phones may be bothersome for its bottom line, but they boast a sizeable advantage for users: Quick access to Android updates. And it looks like the trend is set to continue with the company’s latest beaut, the V30. LG is currently letting owners of its flagship in South Korea try out Android Oreo, ahead of the official update. Users can apply via the firm’s Quick Help app, and will then receive a software update alert within the month. LG claims it will also take onboard customer feedback for its official Oreo rollout in December.

The electronics giant did the same thing last year by giving 2,000 G5 users an early taste of Nougat, but this time there’s no limit on sign-ups. LG’s close bond with Google — it built the Pixel 2 XL and the bulk of Nexus phones — could be behind its Android upgrade perks. How that relationship will be affected by Google’s recent acquisition of HTC’s R&D department remains to be seen.

Source: LG

iPhone X Pre-Order Customer Strikes it Lucky at Courier Collection Depot

While the vast majority of iPhone X customers continue to watch their pre-order status for signs of progress, at least one lucky customer in the U.K. has already managed to get his hands on the phone a day early.

MacRumors forum member Illdoit2morrow apparently visited his local DPD collection depot on Thursday morning and somehow managed to agree pickup of his iPhone X parcel a full day ahead of Apple’s official November 3 launch date.

As a result, pre-order customers in the U.K. will probably start trying their luck at DPD collection depots throughout the country, however the incident is highly unusual and unlikely to be replicated. Apple typically keeps a tight rein on the couriers it hires to ship products, and DPD could well find itself in trouble when news of the pre-release handover gets back to Apple.

Order statuses currently “Preparing for Shipment” should start indicating that the iPhone X is in transit later today, for delivery on Friday, as per Apple’s official launch plans.

The lucky customer said he pre-ordered his iPhone X through British retailer Carphone Warehouse.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

iPhone X Orders Now Widely Shipping to Customers as Delivery Dates Continue to Improve

iPhone X pre-orders began shipping to customers earlier this week, and with just hours remaining until the device launches around the world, most orders have now been updated with a “shipped” status on Apple’s website.

MacRumors readers continue to report improved delivery estimates, with some customers who were previously quoted a November 17-24 window now expected to receive their iPhone X around November 8. Many of these customers, but not all, are enrolled in the iPhone Upgrade Program and ordered a silver model.

iPhone X pre-orders destined for the United States are passing through UPS and FedEx hubs in Anchorage, Alaska, as usual, with UPS shipments headed to its Worldport facility in Louisville, Kentucky. From there, the iPhone X orders will begin to make their way to customers around the country.

The truest of Apple aficionados can take the UPS tracking number they receive, once their iPhone X has been shipped, and match their device’s departure scan with UPS flights on FlightAware. The page hasn’t been updated since the iPhone 7 launch, but the flight information appears to remain accurate.

The calendar is already turning to Friday in Australia and New Zealand, two countries where the iPhone X will launch first. Long lines are forming at Apple Stores across the Asia-Pacific region, including the Orchard Road location in Singapore.

Line at Apple Orchard Road in Singapore via Instagram user kytetsu
If you didn’t pre-order and plan on lining up for a chance to purchase the iPhone X tomorrow, our iPhone Launch Meetups section in the MacRumors discussion forums is a useful resource. The vast majority of Apple Stores will open at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday, and supplies wil likely be very limited.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums