Your ultimate guide to Motorola’s 2018 smartphone lineup

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Another year, another Motorola upgrade cycle. With so many upgrades, Motorola’s lineup can get a little confusing, even for those of us who live and breathe in the mobile world. With Moto models ranging from E to G to Z, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d dropped into an episode of Sesame Street, rather than a list of Motorola’s latest and greatest.

But fear not, we’re here to help. We’ve delved deep into the details of each of Motorola’s latest phones to make sure that you know exactly what you’re getting in terms of budget, design, or needs. We’ll be going from the cheapest budget device, the Moto E5 Play, all the way to the assumed Motorola flagship, the Moto Z3.

If you’re looking for a Motorola phone from 2017, check out our guide on Motorola’s 2017 phones.

Moto E5 Play

Moto E5 Play Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Pricing: Around $130.

Who it’s for: Someone who needs a basic, cheap smartphone.

The Moto E Series has always been Motorola’s bargain budget tier of smartphone, but don’t let that put you off. The specs are modest, as you’d expect: A Snapdragon 425 or 427 processor (depending on the carrier you buy it from), as well as 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, with an optional MicroSD slot for more storage. The draw here is the upgraded looks and display — slim bezels and a 5.2-inch screen with a 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution — and though it does have a plastic back panel, it’s removable so you can replace the sizable 2,800mAh battery if needed. It ran decently during our limited time with it, and the 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera proved capable.

Unfortunately, Motorola has ruled out an Android P OS upgrade for this phone, so that’s something to keep in mind if you like to be up-to-date.

Moto E5 Play hands-on review

Moto E5 Plus

Moto E5 Plus Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Pricing:  Around $180.

Who it’s for: Someone who needs a lot of battery life, but isn’t bothered about processing power.

We loved the Moto E4 Plus, and it seems that the follow-up will include that phone’s greatest asset — the fantastic battery life. The Moto E5 Plus is packing an enormous 5,000mAh battery that will likely be able to last upwards of two days thanks to the energy-sipping Snapdragon 435, while still providing plenty of power and storage with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (with the option of MicroSD card expansion). Like the Play version, the looks have been upgraded, with slim bezels and a cool polymer glass back panel. It also has a huge 6-inch display with a 1,440 x 720-pixel resolution, as well as a capable camera suite — a 12-megapixel lens on the back and an 8-megapixel on the front.

Unfortunately, like the E5 Play, this phone will definitely not be receiving an Android P upgrade — which may be a deal-breaker for some.

Moto E5 Plus hands-on review

Moto G6 Play

Moto G6 Play Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends

Pricing: Starts at $200.

Who it’s for: Someone who wants a good-looking and cheap midrange device that covers all the bases.

The Moto G6 range comes to the U.S. in two flavors this year, and the Moto G6 Play is the cheapest of those models. You might not realize that at first glance, since Motorola has finally gotten around to fully embracing the bezel-less trend we’ve seen slowly taking over the entire mobile industry. Slim bezels surround a huge 5.7-inch LCD screen running a 720p HD resolution. It’s not the sharpest around, but it’s good enough for this price. The whole phone is clad in a polymer glass, which throws some really nice reflections when the light hits it. You’ll also find the fingerprint sensor around the back of the phone, which we definitely prefer to the front-mounted design Motorola has gone with before.

Moving inside the phone, there’s a Snapdragon 427 along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, but there will also be a model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. You can also expand that storage on either model of the G6 Play with a MicroSD card. Performance is fast, but don’t expect the G6 Play to keep up with you if you need power in your phone. Camera-wise, the G6 Play has the only single-lens setup in the G-range this year, and the single 13-megapixel lens held up well, though we suspect it may still suffer from shutter lag. Still, we’re expecting good things from this $200 phone.

Moto G6 Play hands-on review

Moto G6

Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends

Pricing:  Starts at $250.

Who it’s for: Someone who wants a great all-round midrange phone for under $300.

The Moto G6 is the next rung up on the midrange ladder, and it’s one heck of a rung. For $250, you get a phone that’s close to being bezel-less, a 5.7-inch screen running a full HD 1080p resolution, and some decent specs on the inside. The Moto G6 is wrapped in glass (Gorilla Glass 3), and it sits nicely in the hand. The performance is smooth, thanks to the Snapdragon 450 and 3GB of RAM. There’s 32GB of storage, but that’s upgradable by MicroSD card, and if that’s still not enough, there’s a model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

The fingerprint scanner is back underneath the display, like the previous Moto G models, which is good if you like that placement. There’s a dual-lens camera on the back — a 12-megapixel lens and a 5-megapixel lens — and these are primarily used to give a blurred “bokeh” effect to images. It did a pretty good job in testing, but there’s still a hint of that shutter lag that always seems to plague Motorola phones. In a first for the G-range, there’s also a USB-C port at the bottom of the phone.

Note: There is also a Moto G6 Plus with the faster Snapdragon 630 inside, a bigger battery, and a slightly larger 5.9-inch display, but it won’t be coming to the U.S.

Moto G6 hands-on review

Moto X5

Pricing: Under $400.

Who it’s for: Someone who’s after an upper-midrange phone and likes a notched display.

It used to be that the Moto X was Motorola’s flagship range — but it’s since been supplanted by the Moto Z range. That doesn’t mean that a Moto X doesn’t deserve to be your daily driver though, as there’s historically been a lot to love in a Moto X. The Moto X5 has yet to be officially announced, but the rumors surrounding its existence point to an iPhone X-style notch at the top of the screen. There are precious little details on the Moto X5 at this stage though, save a possible 5.9-inch screen.

We’ll let you know as soon as there are more details available on this device.

Moto X5 news

Moto Z3 Play

Pricing: $400 to 500.

Who it’s for: Someone who wants access to Moto Mods, but in a cheaper package.

The Moto Z3 range hasn’t been announced yet, but we have some ideas of what to expect from Motorola’s flagship range. From the rumors we’ve seen so far, it seems that a “Play” (read: lower spec) version of the Moto Z3 is planned, and it will most likely come with a 6-inch display, a power-efficient Snapdragon 636 processor, 4GB of RAM, and either 32GB or 64GB of storage. A 3,000mAh battery should provide plenty of stamina when combined with these slightly more modest specs, so we’re hoping this will be a great little lower-end flagship phone with great battery life — exactly what we got from the Moto Z2 Play. Moto Mods from previous phones are also rumored to work with this device.

Nothing has been confirmed on this yet, so watch this space for our updates as soon as we’ve got them.

Moto Z3 Play news

Moto Z3

Pricing: Around $600 to $700.

Who it’s for: Someone who wants the best flagship performance with their Moto Mods.

Like the Moto Z3 Play, the existence of the Moto Z3 is currently the stuff of rumor and whisper, but based on what we’ve heard about this device so far, you can expect the Moto Z3 (or Z3 Force — the name is up for speculation) will likely be Motorola’s next big flagship phone, with performance and specs to match. Current whispers say it’ll come with at least a 6-inch screen, but Motorola has been remarkably tight-lipped on specs. We suspect that the powerful Snapdragon 845 will be involved, and it’ll be packing at least 6GB of RAM. As with the Z3 Play, we expect the full range of Moto Mods to work with the Moto Z3.

Much like with the Z3 Play, information on the Moto Z3 is like dust in the wind — elusive and hard to catch. We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.

Moto Z3 news

Editors’ Recommendations

• Moto E5 Plus and Moto E5 Play hands-on review
• Moto G6 vs. Moto G6 Play: Is the G6 worth the extra cash?
• Moto G6 and G6 Play hands-on review
• Moto E5 Plus vs. E5 Play: Which budget phone is the better value?
• Here’s everything you need to know about the Moto G6 and G6 Plus

Google Tasks’ refreshing design will motivate you to complete your to-do lists

App Attack is a weekly series where we search the App Store and Google Play Store for the best apps of the week. Check out App Attack every Sunday for the latest.

Life can get busy. Sometimes the only way to keep track of what you have to get done is to scribble brief to-do notes here and there. But since we’re always on our smartphones, it only makes sense to compile your lists within the one place you’ll definitely see them. This week we have an app that will make organizing tasks much easier.

Google launched its new Google Tasks app for iOS and Android earlier this week. While there’s not much to it, the app is definitely useful for those who want easy access to an overview of their to-do lists within an app that has a clean, fresh design. It also syncs across all your devices and is integrated into Gmail and Google Calendar.

Creating a task is extremely simple — once you download the app, tap “Add a new task” and you’ll be prompted to fill in the small window with what you’d like to accomplish. While you can choose to simply add a line about the task, it also allows you to expand on details by tapping on the small blue plus sign underneath. This is where you’re able to fill in additional information like the due date for the task or sub tasks.

For those who like to be super organized, Google Tasks also has an option to create separate lists that you can switch between. Once you complete a task you can tap on the circle located next to each one and it will automatically check it off the list. You can refer back to them under the “Completed” tab at the bottom, where they permanently live. You can also sort the different tasks by date or the specific order you added them. You’re able to edit different tasks as well, by tapping on each one specifically and changing what you’d like.

What I like about Google Tasks is how refreshing the interface and design are. Even if you have a ton of different tasks, the app still keeps everything organized in a way that doesn’t look or feel too overwhelming. You have your main task, the small description listed underneath, the date, and then all your subtasks listed below, which you can quickly check off once it’s done. By tapping on the menu icon in the lower left-hand corner, you can also access the other task lists you made or move tasks from one list to another.

You can also access your tasks on both the desktop version of Gmail and Google Calendar (if you set a date on any of them). If you’re still on the older version of Gmail, you can pull up your tasks, but it won’t look as visually appealing — it will sit in the lower right hand corner of the screen within a small, outdated window. With the redesigned version of Gmail, your tasks are located on the right-hand side of your screen and have the same format and look as the app.

For those who use Google’s apps across the board, it’s helpful to have such a seamless integration — that way, you don’t have to constantly open the app on your smartphone if you’re at your computer. To make it easier, you can also drag specific emails into the Tasks app to automatically create a task to add to your to list.

While I really enjoyed the experience and ease adding new tasks and having them sync to my desktop, I do wish there were more customizability options. For instance, you can’t set different labels to color code or set a time under the due date. You’re unable to set recurring tasks if you have to complete the same task on a weekly basis. I also thought it was inconvenient situation when I accidentally checked off a task as completed and then unchecked it, and none of the subtasks were were put back along with it. Once I added the subtasks back in, everything was out of order and I had to delete it and start over again.

For those looking for an app that allows you to jot down quick notes — without having to grow accustomed to a confusing interface — Google Tasks is the one to download. Hopefully, Google will continue to update it with new features that allow for us to go more in-depth with our tasks and to-do lists.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google Tasks stand-alone app aims to help you to organize your life
• 100 awesome Android apps that will transform your tired tablet
• The 100 best Android apps turn your phone into a jack-of-all-trades
• Clear out your inbox with the 10 best third-party email apps for iOS
• Google launches Gmail Go, its latest lightweight app aimed at low-power phones

Twitter sold data access to researcher in Cambridge Analytica scandal

Facebook is clearly the company most affected by the Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal, but that doesn’t leave other social networks completely unscathed. Twitter has confirmed to Bloomberg that it sold public data access to researcher Aleksandr Kogan’s GSR, the firm whose quiz app collected data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. GSR paid for one day of access in 2015, Twitter said, and scooped up a “random sample” of public tweets covering a period between December 2014 and April 2015. Twitter added that it “did not find any access” to private information.

It’s not certain exactly what Kogan and GSR did with the info, although the short access window and random nature suggests that this was more about studying a general sentiment at a moment in time rather than a sustained or targeted campaign.

At first glance, this doesn’t appear to be a major privacy issue. Tweets and Twitter profiles don’t share much about you outside of what you wrote (even opt-in location sharing is generic), and GSR doesn’t appear to have been venturing outside the official boundaries like it did with Facebook. The most immediate concern is that GSR could theoretically have correlated Facebook and Twitter data. Still, this shows just how comprehensive the data collection was.

Source: Bloomberg

The best water fountain for cats and dogs

By Rebekah Valentine

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

A source of clean, running water encourages pets to drink—which can play an important role in long-term health, especially for cats. After researching 30 pet water fountains and testing nine, we found that the Catit Flower Fountain is easier to maintain and use than any other electric fountain we looked at.

Who this is for

Having your pet drink more is a good thing. Photo: Rebekah Valentine

If your pet is a reluctant or picky drinker, a filtering water fountain can help encourage healthier hydration habits by keeping water fresh and debris-free. It also reduces your workload because you need to fill it only once or twice a week as opposed to daily. Cats in particular can benefit from a water fountain, because they tend to like running water, and making sure your kitty stays hydrated can help keep its kidneys healthy later in life.

How we picked and tested

To find the best water fountains, we considered ease of cleaning and assembly, water-filter capabilities and the cost to replace a filter, capacity, noise levels, material, longevity, shape and size, and aesthetics. Based on these criteria, we selected nine models worth looking at more closely: four standard plastic models for small pets, three made of higher-end materials, and two designed for larger animals.

After unboxing each fountain, we assembled it according to the instructions. We soaked or rinsed components or filters as required, then set them out across the house for pets to use. We left the fountains running over the course of about two weeks, and for fountains that had multiple water flow or energy-use options, we split the testing period between them.

When a fountain ran low, we measured how simple it was to refill, and how much water the fountain required to work without noise. We tracked noise levels with the fountains full and running, low on water, and empty. After a week and a half, we took the fountains apart to clean them and checked the dirt levels, taking careful notes about how easy to process was. We also tested filtering capability by dumping increasing amounts of animal fur and dirt into the water, then waiting to see how well each filter caught the mess.

Our pick: Catit Flower Fountain

Photo: Rebekah Valentine

The Catit Flower Fountain excelled at almost every test we gave it. It’s simple to assemble, refill, and clean; it filters water and stays grime-free while running quietly, even when low on water. Plus, look at that super-cute flower!

The Catit Flower Fountain’s smooth, open surfaces were quicker and simpler to clean than its competitors’. Though the package does not state that the fountain is dishwasher-safe, we ran all parts except the pump through the dishwasher and found no visible damage, and reviews after long-term use indicate that regular dishwashing over the course of a year or more doesn’t harm the fountain. The Catit was also one of the easiest fountains to fill and assemble, and its filter catches dirt and grime before it can slide to the bottom of the bowl.

Runner-up: Pioneer Pet Raindrop Drinking Fountain

Photo: Rebekah Valentine

Though pricier, the Pioneer Pet Raindrop Drinking Fountain is a good choice if the Catit Flower Fountain is unavailable, if your pet suffers from chin acne, or if you are willing to spend more for a heavier, more aesthetically pleasing material. This fountain is quieter and easier to clean than the Catit but trickier to assemble, and it did a worse job of catching grime and floating gunk in the water.

The Raindrop’s higher price comes from its stainless steel body, which gives it a sturdy heft to prevent pets (or people) from knocking it over when it’s low on water. Aside from stability, nonplastic fountains can potentially reduce chin acne, if your cat is prone to it. However, the slick steel did make it more difficult to properly align the suction cups attached to the the pump while reassembling the fountain after cleaning.

Also great: Hagen Dogit Design Fresh & Clear Dog Drinking Fountain

Photo: Rebekah Valentine

Both fountains we’ve mentioned so far are perfect for cats and some small dogs, but larger dogs will lap them dry in no time. For a high-capacity fountain, the Hagen Dogit Design Fresh & Clear Dog Drinking Fountain proved excellent for many of the same reasons its Catit cousin did: It’s easy to clean and assemble, runs on the quieter side, and keeps a clean appearance. At 200 ounces, it’s big enough to need refilling only once a week for a couple medium-size dogs, or possibly one large one. That said, you may struggle to find replacement parts for it if needed, and its construction can result in an odd water flow if not assembled correctly.

Upgrade pick: PetKit Eversweet

Photo: Rebekah Valentine

The PetKit Eversweet is the most efficient, clean, and quiet fountain available, and is smart enough to stop pumping when the water runs low so the motor doesn’t burn out. If you’re adamant about having a quiet fountain, the expense might be justifiable. But at almost double the price of the Catit, and with the lowest capacity of any fountain we tested, it might not be worth the extra cost for everyone.

Most water fountains have pumps that use the passage of water for cooling, so if they run dry the pump will burn out. The Eversweet avoids this fate by automatically switching itself off. It was also easier to assemble and hand-wash than other fountains we tested, though it isn’t dishwasher-safe. The Eversweet is designed such that the top part of the fountain nudges dirt and debris to the outer edge and captures them there as the water cycles past. You can still see them, but they’re much easier to clean than in the other fountains we tested.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

France faces lawsuit for seizing France.com

When a country or company seizes a web domain, it’s frequently to kick out squatters who do little besides place ads and hope they’ll get a giant payout. However, France is taking on someone who was actively using a site — and it may have crossed a line. The country is facing a federal-level US lawsuit from ex-pat Jean-Noël Frydman after it seized France.com from him in March. Frydman had been using the domain as a “digital kiosk” for France-loving Americans ever since he bought it in 1994 and had even partnered with French government agencies, but his homeland sued in 2015 as part of a bid to take control. While an appeals court ruled in September 2017 that France.com violated French trademark law, there was no warning ahead of the seizure from either France or Frydman’s registrar Web.com.

The suit primarily targets the French government (including Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian), but it also names VeriSign, which currently handles .com domain registry. Web.com isn’t one of the targets and so far hasn’t responded to requests for comments.

Frydman might have a case. In the filing, he noted that the French government had explicitly acknowledged that it didn’t own the right to the word “France.” Officials also didn’t make any effort to buy or license the domain before trying to grab it — they acted as if they were “inherently entitled” to take it, according to the lawsuit.

Whatever happens, this could set an important precedent for domain ownership battles. On top of the basic trademark dispute, there’s the question of whether or not a country can seize a domain from a foreign resident simply because it believes it has a right to that internet address. If France wins, there’s a concern that other countries might use this as an excuse to grab other privately-held domains.

Source: Ars Technica

Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Today you can get big discounts on Dyson cordless vacuums, Fitbit Ionic smartwatch, LG USB-C monitors, and more! Don’t pass these up.

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Netflix offers a first look at Michelle Wolf’s weekly talk show

Netflix sure has a knack for timing — while Michelle Wolf was busy running the show at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the streaming service posted the first trailer for her weekly talk show The Break. The clip (which has Wolf fighting relegation to a tiny window on Netflix’s ‘Next Episode’ screen) gives a feel for what you can expect. It promises to be light-hearted, but not completely sanitized. The Daily Show veteran has hinted that her show will include the sort of jokes she “couldn’t do on TV.”

The half-hour comedy and variety series will premiere on May 27th.

The Break represents a step up in Netflix’s renewed talk show push, which began in earnest with David Letterman’s series and will include shows from the likes of Norm Macdonald and Hasan Minhaj (coincidentally, another Correspondents’ Dinner alumni). The company is at once competing directly with weekly shows (such as John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight) and venturing into a more TV-like format where it offers a steady flow of content instead of its usual everything-at-once strategy. This could give you reasons to come back to Netflix in between show marathons, the theory goes. That, in turn, could encourage you to watch shows that weren’t already on your radar.

Source: Netflix (YouTube)

Valve won’t release ‘Dota 2’ patches during major tournaments

Valve has learned a hard lesson about the importance of patience with game updates. The company recently switched to a rapid-fire two-week patch schedule for Dota 2, but has announced that it will delay patches when they coincide with major eSports tournaments. The most recent update arrived right in the middle of the Epicenter XL tournament, creating havoc for players who had less than a day to adapt to significant gameplay changes. Imagine if a football league suddenly changed the rules before the end of the season — it’d be alarming if your sports career depended on it.

This isn’t necessarily issue with other games used in eSports. Kotaku notes that some games have tournament modes that are deliberately a step or two behind the regular game in order to offer enough practice time for eSports players. Others, meanwhile, don’t update on frequent intervals and are less likely to create headaches as a result.

It’s an easy fix, but it highlights one of the lingering problems with eSports: developers have to balance the desires of both everyday gamers (who frequently crave constant tweaks and additions) and pro players (who value consistency), and they don’t always hit the mark. It may take a while before developers regularly take eSports into consideration for all their decisions.

For upcoming Majors where the Thursday patch would land during the tournament, we will instead be releasing the patch at the end of the event.

— DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) April 28, 2018

Via: Kotaku

Source: Dota 2 (Twitter)

Blue Origin completes its highest-ever test flight

Blue Origin’s first test flight of 2018 was a success, and then some. After last-minute weather setbacks, Jeff Bezos’ outfit completed its eighth New Shepard launch and landing, including a touchdown for the dummy-equipped Crew Capsule 2.0. More importantly, it represented a crucial milestone — the mission reached an apogee of 351,000 feet, which is both the highest altitude yet and the target for Blue Origin’s full-fledged service.

There are still more test flights to go. However, this increases the chances that Blue Origin will achieve its dream of launching a human-crewed flight later in 2018. It’s also a good sales pitch for customers, particularly those who may want to use the more powerful New Glenn (New Shepard users get first crack at it) when it’s ready in the 2020s. The mission shows that Blue Origin can meet key goals and may well provide a viable alternative to companies like SpaceX.

Source: Jeff Bezos (Twitter), Blue Origin (YouTube)

The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch and other fitness trackers are on sale for all-new low prices today

Choose the right color and size for you.

The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch and fitness tracker is down to $249.95 on Amazon. This is its lowest price ever and its first time dropping below $270.

There are several other Fitbit activity trackers on sale today, as well. Get the Alta or the Charge 2 on sale in a variety of configurations, colors, and sizes. You can find all these prices directly from Fitbit as well.

Read all about the Fitbit Ionic in this iMore review that said it beats the more expensive Apple Watch in a number of ways, including battery life. The Ionic has built-in GPS, heart-rate tracking, and fitness tracking. It can track your runs, swims, rides, workouts, and sleep with the four day battery life. You can use all that tech to create personalized workouts with step-by-step coaching. It can also store and play more than 300 songs and download playlists from music streaming sites like Pandora. The built-in NFC chip means you can pay on the go as well.

See on Amazon