Need a last-minute gift idea? Check out the hottest toys of 2017

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for the young (or the young at heart)? If you’re unclear as to what the hot toys are this year, we’ve scoured the web — and solicited a few suggestions from our staff — regarding some of the most popular toys and games this holiday season. Read on for our curated list, which includes gifts that will please friends and family of all ages, whether they’re into video games, gadgets, or getting their hands slimy.

Looking for a more robust list of picks? If so, take a gander at our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.

Nintendo Switch ($300)

Nintendo’s most ambitious console yet offers the power of a home console in a device you can take with you anywhere. Suddenly, you can play the latest Zelda or Mario game while on your morning commute, and the sharp visuals blow up nicely when you hook the Switch up to a TV. Whether you’ve got kids, or simply love Nintendo’s reliable, fun-for-all-ages style of games, the Switch is a lovely device that’s chock-full of innovation and promise. It’s so cool, in fact, we officially dubbed it our Product of the Year.

Read our full Nintendo Switch review

Buy now from:

Amazon

‘Codenames’ ($15)

Board games are more popular than ever these days, and not just for family game night. A generation of young adults raised on Catan have led to a wave of games that are strategic, and often complex. For those who don’t want to manage an economy, Codenames offers a simple — but surprisingly deep — experience that anyone can grasp. Players sort into two teams, each consisting of a spymaster and spies. Tiles with words on them are arranged on the table, and the spymasters must give clues to lead their spies to their team’s tiles (hopefully without choosing the other team’s tiles). It’s an intuitive game, one that any group, from nuclear families to college friends, can enjoy.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

DIY Slime Kit ($20)

It seemed impossible for anything to dethrone fidget spinners as the decade’s strangest trend, yet slime did just that. Today’s social media personalities demonstrated that, with household items like Borax or shampoo, anyone could recreate the set of Nickelodeon’s Double Dare. If you’d prefer your kids not play with potentially harmful chemicals, however, why not buy a kit to keep them sliming it up safely?

Buy it now from:

Target

Epikgo Classic hoverboard ($600)

They say you should dress for the job you want, so if you want to be a Silicon Valley executive, try living life on a hoverboard. The Epikgo Classic is fun to ride and can go more than 10 miles on a single charge, and besides, the calories you save from walking can be put to better use designing the next app to disrupt [insert industry here].

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Power Wheels Boomerang ($330)

What kid doesn’t love to race? The Power Wheels Boomerang is a beastly, battery-powered vehicle that will let kids tear up the lawn in style — but don’t worry, it tops out at 5 miles per hour!

Buy it now from:

Toys R Us Amazon

Nerf Rival Nemesis Mark MXVII-10k

Nerf guns are an ageless gift, enjoyed equally by children in the park and employees at Digital Trends headquarters. Regardless of how you choose to use it, the pricey Nemesis Mark MXVII-10k will make you the power player in any Nerf war. With a 100-round capacity and a motorized feed that’s capable of shooting projectiles at 100 feet per second, you’ll lay waste to opponents like Achilles having a bad day.

Buy now from:

Amazon

Lego Star Wars BB-8

If there’s one character in the new Star War films who is universally loved, it’s BB-8, the world’s friendliest rolling orb. If you want to make your own BB-8, this Lego set makes it possible, with superb detail and even a display stand.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Parrot Mambo drone ($130)

Although it’s not the flashiest drone in the world, this tiny quadcopter handles well and comes with a few fun attachments, including a claw for picking up objects and cannons for shooting foam balls. You can control it with a smartphone app, too, or spend a little more for a twin-stick controller. It’s one of our favorite drones to date, and also one of the most affordable.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

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Edward Snowden’s Haven app turns your phone into a surveillance device

Haven’s not the first app of its kind, but it just might be the best.

A quick search on the Play Store will show no shortage of surveillance/motion detection apps, and while some of these work alright, they’re not nearly as secure compared to a true security camera. Haven: Keep Watch is a new app that falls into this same category, but it does something special that helps it stick out from the crowd.

For starters, Haven is created by The Guardian Project and Freedom of the Press Foundation – the latter of which has Edward Snowden serving as its president. Haven is described as being “for people who need a way to protect their personal spaces and possessions without compromising their own privacy”, and this is where things get interesting.

Unlike most surveillance applications that can only make use of your phone’s camera and microphone, Haven is able to tap into all of its on-device sensors so that it can detect motion, sound, light, and even vibrations. As if that wasn’t enough, Haven combines these sensors while leveraging the likes of Signal and Tor to keep everything as secure as possible.

You can use Haven to choose what kind of things you want it to detect while the app is running, meaning that you can turn off the camera if you just want to place your phone on a table or in a drawer to detect sound rather than video.

Haven will push notifications to your primary phone when it detects an intrusion/disturbance, and you can access your Haven Log remotely to view everything that your phone picked up throughout the night or day.

It’s obvious that a lot of thought’s gone into Haven, and that’s a good thing as The Guadian Project and Freedom of the Press Foundation created the app with human rights defenders and investigative journalists in mind.

Haven’s designed to be used on a burner phone that you don’t use every single day, and you can download it from the Play Store right now. There may still be some bugs here and there seeing as the app’s launching as part of a public beta, but initial reviews on are immensely positive.

Amazon buys smart doorbell and camera maker Blink

Elon Musk shows off the Tesla Roadster he’s prepping for space

When Elon Musk revealed his plans for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, he also promised the delivery of his own cherry-red Tesla Roadster to space, all while David Bowie’s Space Oddity plays. Not the most subtle of promotions, for sure. Now Musk is teasing us with an even more overblown set of seven photos that show said Roadster prepping to head into orbit near Mars.

The photoset on Musk’s Instagram account reminds everyone that test flights usually contain mass in the form of concrete or steel blocks to test load capacity. Instead, Musk decided to launch his own Roadster into an elliptical orbit around the sun, which he says should last a billion years. Which, obviously, may be a bit of hyperbole. Even still, this is some unforgettable imagery, which will likely burn itself into our collective minds as we think of Tesla, Musk or Space X. Which is probably the point.

A Red Car for the Red Planet Test flights of new rockets usually contain mass simulators in the form of concrete or steel blocks. That seemed extremely boring. Of course, anything boring is terrible, especially companies, so we decided to send something unusual, something that made us feel. The payload will be an original Tesla Roadster, playing Space Oddity, on a billion year elliptic Mars orbit.

A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Dec 22, 2017 at 10:47am PST

Source: Elon Musk (Instagram)

Netflix will unveil two Dave Chappelle specials on December 31st

Remember when Dave Chappelle announced he would be releasing a Netflix special on December 31st? Well, it now turns out there’ll be two. Variety reports that along with the previously announced Dave Chappelle: Equanimity, the comedian will release a fourth special entitled The Bird Revelation. Like Equanimity, The Bird Revelation is also a Netflix exclusive.

In addition to these two specials, the streaming service earlier aired a couple of other Chappelle shows — The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium and Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits — that were recorded prior to his deal with Netflix.

Netflix’s partnership with Chappelle is just one example of the service doubling down on its stand-up comedy offerings. It’s courted several other big-name comics like Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Amy Schumer over the past year to the tune of $11 to $20 million per special. Comedian Louis CK was also supposed to have a second Netflix special, but it was cancelled in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against him.

So if you find yourself at home this New Year’s Eve, feel free to fire up Netflix and count the year down with some comedy. You can catch a short preview of Chappelle’s specials below.

THIS NEW YEAR’S EVE:
Ball drops: 1
Chappelle specials: 2

You do the math. pic.twitter.com/S79dykE5Ka

— Netflix Is A Joke (@NetflixIsAJoke) December 22, 2017

Source: Variety

Q5 True Wireless Bluetooh Earbuds – wireless music at a great price

Manufacturers are making the move to remove the audio jack port from many of the latest smartphones putting the reliance entirely on Bluetooth headphones if dongles aren’t your thing.

One such offering for Wireless Bluetooth earbuds are the Q5 earbuds from SMARTOMI.

These little 4.5 x 1.9 x 3.7-inch earbuds weigh in at only 0.2 ounces and provide Bluetooth connectivity to enjoy your music. Despite the lightweight and size, the earbuds can maintain 3.5 hours of playtime at 2/3 volume and 2.25 hours at full volume.

The fit of the Q5 earbuds is extremely comfortable and they look the part too. I had no trouble with the Q5’s falling out during a workout and the sound quality is good with some decent bass. There’s also a low battery alert as well as a dedicated method of triggering a virtual assistant utilizing Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless connectivity.

In the package, you’ll get a number of additional attachments to make the Q5’s more comfortable depending on how you wear the earbuds. You’ll also get a USB cable for charging the Q5’s with a dual micro-USB connection.

At only $39.99, the Q5’s aren’t designed to compete with offerings from Beats for example, but given the lower price, they are certainly a great option for someone looking to not spend a ton of money on wireless earbuds.

Just in time for Christmas, SMARTOMI has provided an exclusive discount code for an additional 35% off. Simply use coupon code MERXMS35 at checkout to get the Q5 wireless earbuds at a cracking price for the holidays.

Facebook’s new tool reveals any fake Russian accounts you followed

Nearly 150 million Facebook users encountered inflammatory posts created by a Russian propaganda operation, and the social giant is finally helping users understand how they were disseminated. Earlier this afternoon — and as promised — the company launched a tool to highlight those accounts sowing social discord across Facebook and Instagram.

The tool can be accessed through the site’s Help Center and lists accounts you may have liked or followed between January 2015 and August 2017. To Facebook’s credit, it’s very simple to use — just sign in (and plug in your Instagram credentials, if you’re curious), and you’ll be presented with a list of offending accounts created by Saint Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency. The Kremlin-affliated organization’s skill in using provocative, trollish behavior to shape opinion through divisive content has been well known since about 2014, and Facebook moved to delete all of its known accounts earlier this year.

While the tool is a valuable step toward understanding the scope of Russia’s actions, it sadly doesn’t tell the full story. While you can view a list of accounts you yourself have liked or followed, it doesn’t highlight any specific content you have may interacted with or any content that may have wound up in your news feed courtesy of shares and likes from others in your network.

Given the speed with which content moves through people’s social networks, showing the public exactly what kind of content was crafted by Russian provocateurs would be highly informative. According to Recode, Facebook has said in the past that the prospect of informing everyone who has ever encountered any post or ad created by a Russian agent would be “challenging” — an understatement to be sure, especially considering some 80,000 divisive posts were known to be making the rounds.

That’s not to say we don’t know anything about these posts. The House Intelligence Committee offered a number of ads paid for by Russian agents that offer a taste of the kinds of rhetoric used — some pushed staunchly liberal causes while others equated Hillary Clinton with Satan. For now, though, most of the specifics are available only to Facebook and Congress.

Source: Recode

Insider Build 17063 shows Paint is gearing up to depart for the Microsoft Store

Microsoft unleashed Build 17063 into the Windows Insider program’s Fast Ring earlier this week, and participants are now reporting the fate of the company’s “classic” Paint program. It became a hidden feature with the recent release of Fall Creators Update, accessible only through the Cortana search function. With Build 17063, Paint still remains, but warns that it will eventually pack its bags and head to the Microsoft Store.

As of Build 17063, Paint will display a “Product alert” icon next to a new “Edit with Paint 3D” tool button on the ribbon. Click on the alert icon, and Paint will produce this pop-up message: “This version of Paint will soon be replaced with Paint 3D. Classic Paint will then become available in the Store.”

Microsoft Paint — now apparently called Classic Paint — is an original member of the Windows built-in tool portfolio. Technically, it’s a traditional Win32 desktop program with its required components spread out in the Windows folder. Meanwhile, Paint 3D components are stuffed into a single package, making it more secure than its older sibling. Moreover, it can be used on any Windows 10 device whereas Paint can only run on machines with Intel and AMD-based processors.

But Paint 3D is also more advanced, bringing 3D creativity into the Paint fold, thus making the older version obsolete. Microsoft warned of Paint’s fate in July, throwing the program on its depreciated list. Paint’s functionality will reside in the new 3D-enhanced version while the program itself will be removed from the operating system, and served up as a “classic” app on the Microsoft Store.

As of Build 16299 released to the public, “classic” Paint still functions, but it will no longer receive new features and updates. Currently, Microsoft has not officially indicated when it plans to rip Paint out of Windows, but the next big feature update for Windows 10 is expected to take place in the spring of 2018. This is likely when the original Paint program exits the platform, and reappears as a Universal Windows Platform app on the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft’s first Creators Update for Windows 10 unleashed earlier this year focused on creating 3D content. That included overhauling the original Paint foundation with the ability to easily create 3D objects and scenes. With this new, separate “3D” version came an integrated online platform called Remix3D where you can upload your 3D objects and/or scenes to the community, or download content created by others. The Windows 10 update essentially enabled all customers to become 3D content “creators.”

Outside the 3D aspect, there’s a huge difference in presentation between the original Paint and the new Paint 3D app. That’s likely one of the reasons why Microsoft will never outright kill off the original Paint knowing full well that longtime customers simply may not want 3D and/or don’t want to learn a new tool.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Need to uninstall a program in Windows 10? Here’s how to do it
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Bad habits? This tech predicts impulsive behavior, zaps your brain to stop it

Whether it’s having that extra drink when we shouldn’t, a momentary burst of anger that we later regret, or something else, plenty of us have had “moments of weakness” when we’re temporarily overcome by some burst of impulsive behavior. How good would it be in that scenario to have someone looking out for your best interests, so that you don’t make a potentially damaging mistake? Well, move over Jiminy Cricket, because researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine may have come up with the perfect solution — and it’s a quick jolt of targeted electricity to the brain.

In a study, Stanford researchers found that there is a characteristic electrical activity pattern in a certain part of the brain that predicts impulsive actions just prior to them occurring. This electrical activity pattern is the same in the brain of both a mouse that has learned to binge eat fatty food or a human anticipating a large cash reward, as they would if they were gambling. In an experiment with the mice, the investigators found that giving a small electrical pulse to the brain region known as the nucleus accumbens — the hub of the brain’s reward circuitry — immediately after the electrical signature has manifested is enough to stop the mice from overindulging. It did not affect their ability to eat food regularly, their social behavior, or any other physical activity.

“This is the first example in a translatable setting that we could use a brain machine interface to sense a vulnerable moment in time and intervene with a therapeutic delivery of electrical stimulation,” Dr. Casey Halpern, assistant professor of neurosurgery, told Digital Trends. “This may be transformative for severely disabling impulse control disorders.”

Going forward, the researchers think the technology could be used effectively for human subjects. It might, Halpern said, be useful for dealing with issues such as “obesity that has failed all treatments, including gastric bypass surgery, and life-threatening addictions.” While it’s not clear how many people would be happy to have their brains electrified at frequent intervals, so-called responsive neurostimulation devices are already being used for people partial-onset epilepsy. That treatment similarly involves sensing specific electrical activity signatures and then zapping it with electricity.

According to Halpern, the researchers are currently waiting on National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in order to carry out a first in-man study.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Alcatel Idol 5 review

Research Center:
Alcatel Idol 5

The midrange handset business is heating up. Alcatel has made plenty of attempts to offer decent phones at excellent price tags – but more often than not it seems like there are better options out there. After recently reviewing the Idol 5S, for example, we found that you were better off going for the Lenovo Moto G5S Plus or Huawei Honor 6X, both excellently-reviewed phones, and top of their price range.

Now, Alcatel is back again with the Alcatel Idol 5, which, unlike naming conventions suggest, was released after the Idol 5S,  and brings a slightly different design along with a few new features – all at the same $280 price tag. Better yet, it’s on sale right now for as little as $150. Even at that price, though, there’s some serious competition – like the Lenovo Moto G5S, and the excellent Honor 7X. We put the Idol 5 to the test, to see if it can lure budget smartphone fans away from Motorola and Huawei.

Good design with a few quirks

While flagship phones often place an emphasis on beautiful design, midrange devices are generally more functional than beautiful. Thankfully, however, the Alcatel Idol 5 isn’t a bad-looking device – though there are a few design quirks preventing perfection.

The display comes in at 5.2-inches with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution, and in general use it looks pretty good. It’s quite bright, which means it’s legible, even in direct sunlight. It’s sharp, too, so during day to day use you won’t notice any pixelization – though we’ll take a deeper look at that when we examine the phone’s VR capabilities.

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

The design of the Idol 5 is unique, and in this case that’s not a bad thing. It’s unique because of things like the metal frame, which curves over the top and bottom of the phone and houses components like the loud, clear dual front-facing speakers. It’s the same overall look you’ll find in the Idol 5S and the Idol 4S before it – and we like it.

Unlike the Idol 5S, the phone is made largely from metal. That means that in a battle against the pavement the phone is likely to fare a little better than its glass-backed predecessor, though we did like that the glass back helped give the Idol 5S a little more sheen and prestige. Also on the back is a camera and flash, both in the top left-hand corner, and the Alcatel and Cricket Wireless logos, along with two antenna lines that curve around the top and bottom of the phone, iPhone-style.

The Alcatel Idol 5 isn’t a bad-looking device – though there are a few design quirks preventing perfection.

Buttons and ports are somewhat uniquely placed as well, and that presented a mixed bag of experiences. On the left of the phone is the power button, and the downside of it being placed there is that it’s easy to accidentally hit the volume rocker with your thumb while you press the power button with your pointer. You’ll also get Alcatel’s programmable “Boom Key,” which was previously only found on the Idol 4S, and can be programmed depending on what you want to use it for.

On the bottom is an off-center USB-C port and a headphone jack. The port being off-center looks slightly awkward and actually presented some functional issues – like the fact that the port was covered up when in my car phone mount, so I couldn’t plug it in. Having the port on-center may not be unique, but sometimes there are good reasons for everyone doing the same thing.

There is one thing missing here and that’s a fingerprint sensor. Unlike other great phones in this price range, you’ll have to use your PIN code to access the phone, which may be a little frustrating for some.

Alcatel Idol 5 Compared To

Moto X4 Android One

Lenovo Moto G5S Plus

HTC U11 Life

Sony Xperia XZ1

LG X Venture

Moto X4

Alcatel Idol 5S

Lenovo Moto G5 Plus

ZTE Axon 7 mini

Meizu Pro 6

Nextbit Robin

Huawei Honor 7

Motorola Droid Turbo

Sony Xperia Z3

LG G2

Overall, the phone looks good. It’s not flagship-quality design, but it’s also not an ugly device by any means. Still, we would have liked the power button to be in a more helpful location, and the USB-C port to be centered along the back.

A fingerprint sensor would have been nice too – and the lack of one puts other midrange phones, like the Moto G5S Plus and Honor 7X, ahead. There’s also no water-resistance – though that’s to be expected in this price bracket.

Decent specs to handle the day-to-day

Under the hood, the Idol 5 offers a MediaTek MT6753 chip coupled with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage – specs that may be a little limited, but are powerful enough to handle most every-day tasks with ease. It is interesting that Alcatel has chosen to go for a MediaTek chip here – the previous Idol 5 and the Idol 4S both offered processors from Qualcomm, and most competitors also stick with the Qualcomm 600-series, save for the Honor 6X which uses a Huawei-built Kirin 655 chip.

In any case, the phone’s Android 7.0 operating system is generally responsive and smooth. The basic user interface is quick and snappy, and while there were some stutters and even an app crash when playing Asphalt 8, in general issues were uncommon.

Now, day to day use is more important than benchmarks – but benchmarks still serve a purpose in indicating how long a phone might last. Just because a phone can handle apps now, that doesn’t mean it’ll be able to handle them tomorrow. Here are the results it achieved in benchmark tests:

• AnTuTu: 62,869
• GeekBench 4: 807 single-core, 3,605 multi-core
• 3DMark Slingshot: 730

These scores aren’t going to take out a flagship chip, but they’re certainly not bad by any means. They’re more or less on par with the Lenovo Moto G5S Plus, which scored slightly better on AnTuTu’s test, but slightly worse on GeekBench 4 and 3DMark Slingshot. The Honor 7X also managed a slightly higher AnTuTu score of 63,311.

Simple software with some bloatware

Specs aside, the overall software experience on this phone is pretty good – though you will have to put up with some annoying bloatware. The phone ships with Android 7.0 Nougat, and while things like icons have been changed a little by Alcatel to better suit Alcatel’s design, in general everything is pretty much where it would be on a Google Pixel.

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

One cool feature that we enjoyed was the pre-loaded Color Catcher app, which allows you to take a photo of your surroundings, after which the device will change the color of all your apps to match that color-scheme. Everything from app icons to wallpaper are changed – including the icons of third-party apps.

As mentioned, there are quite a few pre-loaded apps on the phone that you may not want. Thankfully, many of them can be uninstalled if you so choose.

Virtual reality features leave a little to be desired

A big part of what makes this handset so interesting is that you can get an optional VR headset with it, and while it’s nice that there’s such a low-cost option for basic virtual reality, the experience isn’t great. Alcatel has quite obviously attempted to create an environment like Google Daydream – but don’t expect the same quality. The display isn’t good enough to offer a solid experience, and moving your head will result in quite a lot of image blur. There’s no remote either – you control the experience through two buttons on the top of the headset.

What does make the headset unique, however, is the fact that it incorporates some mixed reality features. There’s a pass-through camera mode, which basically just uses the camera to see your surroundings. There is some lag, so you should probably still take things slowly when you’re using it – but it was an interesting experience.

Safe to say, you won’t buy this phone solely for its VR features – but if you’re getting the phone anyway then it may be a nice bonus.

Decent camera but lackluster battery life

When we reviewed the Lenovo Moto G5S Plus, one of our main issues was that the camera left a lot to be desired – and that’s an area where Alcatel seems to have picked up a lot of slack. It’s not going to blow any minds, to be sure, but in this price range it’s not a bad camera at all.

When taking basic photos, colors were bright and vivid, and detail is pretty good – provided there’s enough light for those shots. We found that the camera struggled in low-light situations, and often those situations provided at least slightly blurry shots.

The camera app is very capable. It offers a manual mode with the ability to tweak things like exposure and ISO, and even save photos in RAW JPG, though if you’re intimidated by all the options you can simply use auto mode, which provided decent results most of the time.

Video recording was fine too – though again, not overly exciting. Video can be recorded at 30fps, though there’s also a slow-motion mode and a panorama mode to capture 360-degree photos.

The battery life on the phone is fine, but it could be a lot better. It was able to get us through a day of medium-heavy use – but only just, and some might find that they need to charge the device before the day is over. Thankfully the phone supports MediaTek’s Pump Express 2.0, which should help charge your phone relatively quickly.

Pricing, availability, and warranty

The Alcatel Idol 5 has been available for some time now, but it’s only on Cricket Wireless. The phone comes at $280 – though for the holiday season it has been put on sale for a tiny $150 if you transfer over your old phone number, or $170 if you don’t.

When it comes to warranty, the phone is covered for a year for manufacturer defects. In other words, if you accidentally drop the phone in the bath, you won’t be covered.

Our Take

The Alcatel Idol 5 is an excellent option for those looking for a good phone under $200. Unlike some of its competition, the device offers a decent camera – a feature that most budget handsets seem to ignore in favor of things like battery life. It’s also VR-compatible, and while the virtual reality experience here certainly isn’t the best, it’s a nice bonus nonetheless.

Of course, there’s some serious competition here. The Lenovo Moto G5S Plus, for example, offers a better battery, larger display, and a more stock software experience. At the same price, we would argue that it’s the better option.

Is there a better alternative?

That depends. If you’re looking for a more well-rounded phone that should get anyone through the day, then the Lenovo Moto G5S Plus is the best option. If, however, the camera is the most important feature for you and you’re on a budget, then the Alcatel Idol 5 may be right for you.

If you’re willing to shell out a bit more cash, then we strongly recommend the $350 HTC U11 Life, which offers plenty of modern features, IP67 water-resistance, and better performance. The Honor 7X, at just $200, is also a worthy competitor.

How long will it last?

The Alcatel Idol 5 should last a two-year upgrade cycle, but you will want to be careful with it. There’s no water resistance to speak of here, and a case is always a good idea for those accidental drops.

Should you buy it?

No. There are better phones for the same price – like the Moto G5S Plus or the Honor 7X.

The best postcard apps to help you embrace snail mail

When’s the last time you sent a postcard? If you’re like most people, you probably rely on email, text or social media as your primary modes of communication; but if you’re looking for something a little more personal, a postcard may be the perfect option.

Technology has made it dead simple to create and send the perfect postcard, even if you don’t have stamps. There are dozens of postcard apps available online that allow you to create, sign and send a postcard to anyone in the world. Since each of these apps have their own strengths and weaknesses, we compiled a list of the five best postcard apps for iOS and Android.

TouchNote

iOS and Android (free)

TouchNote allows you to create postcards and cards for any occasion. Available on iOS and Android, TouchNote is incredibly simple to use. Postcards start at $2.99, but you can get a discount if you purchase a package. There’s a decent selection of font for the back of the postcard and you can even create a custom stamp.

iTunes Google Play

Postgram

iOS and Android (free)

At $1.99, Postgram is one of the more affordable postcard apps around. There are plenty of backgrounds and templates available for any occasion; the option to adjust colors is a nice touch too. While the app works well on both iOS and Android, we wish you had the option to see the back of the card before shipping.  

iTunes Google Play

Popcarte

iOS and Android (free)

Available on for Android and iOS, Popcarte has some spectacular features.  Postcards start at $1.80 without a stamp; if you want to actually send the card, you’re looking at another $1.50 for shipping. Even though it’s slightly more expensive, Popcarte offers a ton of attractive templates for any occasion. The option to add a custom signature is an added bonus.

iTunes Google Play

Postsnap

iOS (free)

Like Postcare, Postsnap offers no shortage of great templates. It’s easy to choose images for your postcard since you can select images from Facebook and Instagram. Effects, similar to Instagram filters, let you easily refine your images. We also loved the QR Code that is printed on the back of the card, allowing your recipient to easily reply.  Two size postcards are available at $2.75 or $3.25.

iTunes

SnapShot Postcard

iOS (free)

SnapShot Postcard is a very basic, but capable, postcard app. Available only for iPhone and iPad, SnapShot Postcard, is one of the cheapest options we found. Postcards are only $1.80. While there aren’t a ton of templates available, you can easily upload your own custom artwork. For us, the biggest benefit was the availability to add your own return address to the card.

iTunes

Editors’ Recommendations

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