Here are the 20 best travel apps for vacations and trips

Travel agents? Who needs one when you have a smartphone. Planning a trip can be a pain, but it’s 2018 and you have all the necessary tools to make mapping out your vacation a breeze. From the App Store to Google Play, we’ve rounded up some of the best travel apps to keep stress to a bare minimum.

Are you going on a trip abroad? One of the best things to do for your internet safety is to subscribe to a good VPN service, and also to make sure you can get to all your favorite websites and bypass any blocks in the country you’re visiting. We tested them all and picked the best VPNs available.

Booking a trip and getting around

Finding the most affordable flight and hotel, while making sure you’ll have plenty of spending cash during your trip, can be a little tough. Check out these travel-booking apps to be a master planner. Once your trip is booked, you can use the best flight-tracking apps to make sure traveling is as seamless as possible. You’ll also need some directions once you’ve arrived to make sure you get to your hotel and see everything that you want to see.

Skyscanner

Flights, hotels, rental cars — Skyscanner has got you covered. The app searches for the most affordable and best options via its travel partners. Similar to Google Flights, you can see the cheapest dates to fly, and you can also get alerts when prices change. If you’re not sure where exactly you want to go, Skyscanner offers a category that lets you explore “Top Deals” from your nearest airport, as well as a curated list of destinations at affordable prices.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Kayak

For many, Kayak has been the go-to trip planning destination for quite a while — and for good reason. Like Skyscanner, Kayak searches across various travel sites for rental cars, hotels, and flights. Kayak often has exclusive deals you won’t find on other sites, and you can set price alerts and use Price Forecast to see whether you should buy now or wait. Kayak also acts as a trip planner, offering up important details at a glance like your hotel confirmation number or gate number. You can also access these details in real time, and on other devices such as the Apple Watch.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Hopper

If you’re really looking to get the cheapest possible price for a plane ticket, you need to download Hopper. Like Kayak and Skyscanner, you can look at the cheapest dates to fly, but Hopper prides itself on telling you when to buy your tickets via push notifications. The company claims it can save you up to 40 percent on your next flight by analyzing and tracking billions of flights. The user interface is simple, and Hopper says you can book a flight in 60 seconds or less. Apple added it to the App Store’s Best of 2015 list, and Google made it a 2016 Google Play Award winner.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Airbnb

Whether it’s legal in the city you’re visiting or not, Airbnb is a household name. The app undercuts hotels by offering far cheaper prices, and a more authentic experience by allowing you to stay with a local, or in their home. The app also offers a feature called Trips, which offers Experiences to choose from during your stay — these are curated events you can partake in with local guides. Eventually, the app will become an all-in-one travel app that lets you plan your day, book a car, and more.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Hotel Tonight

Did your Airbnb plans fall through? Did your flights get delayed at your layover? You never know what will happen with your booking, and Hotel Tonight is a reliable service that thrives on last-minute deals. The company partners with hotels to offer discounts on empty rooms, and you’ll be able to book one in under 10 seconds. You also get 24/7 customer service from the Hotel Tonight team, in case something goes awry.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Uber

Active in about 84 countries and more than 800 cities, Uber is the global king of ridesharing apps. The app pioneered on-demand services, and it can be particularly handy when you’re abroad. You can quickly request a car directly within the app after perusing an assortment of differing vehicle rates and fare quotes. Afterward, you can connect with your personal driver, track the approaching car’s location, and securely pay your fare using a credit card — no cash needed. Rather than trying to find a taxi or a taxi stand, just bring one straight to you.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Google Maps

Google Maps is widely regarded as the best navigation app around. It offers directions for travel by car, on public transit, on foot, by cab, or on bicycle. You’ll find it fairly reliable in offering up local public transportation options in many countries, and you can also download specific areas for offline use. You can also use Maps to find out when places like museums or restaurants close, and check to see how busy a place is in real time.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Citymapper

With a growing list of countries under its belt, Citymapper is one of the best tools to find and use public transportation. It connects with a few ridesharing services, offers the fastest way to arrive at your destination, and best of all, lets you check out subway and train times offline for a number of cities. You can subscribe to specific train or bus lines, and the app can even alert you when you need to get off the bus, which is handy when you’re riding for the first time in a new country.

Download now for: 

iOS Android

Are Android apps coming to your Windows laptop? It’s in the works

At Microsoft’s October 2 event, the company showcased some of the latest and greatest parts of its Windows 10 October 2018 Update. But a never-before-seen feature was also demoed that would let you use Android apps right on your computer. As noted by ZDNet, the new ability, being dubbed as app mirroring, lets you continue apps from an Android phone right on your PC.

During the brief on-stage demo, Microsoft reps quickly showcased how you can continue a Snapchat conversation without the need to open the app on an Android phone. Snapchat was mirrored over on the PC, and Microsoft reiterated that you can type out a full Snapchat conversation using just your Windows 10 PC. However, it was not made clear if the mirroring would be automatic or if it needed to be manually initiated.

This new app mirroring feature is reportedly an upcoming part of Microsoft’s Your Phone app, which currently allows you to transfer and edit photos and continue your SMS texts from your Android phone on your PC. Unfortunately, since that app just shipped out with the October 2018 Update, it wasn’t made clear when the app mirroring feature will be released to the general public. The upcoming Windows 10 19H1 update seems like a possibility, though, and Windows Insiders are likely to be the first to test it out.

Android is the key word in this story, and it is not likely that this will be open up to iOS due to the nature of Apple’s locked down ecosystem. However, Microsoft still offers up iPhone owners the chance to continue webpages on their PC via the Microsoft Edge app.

A little while ago, Microsoft had previously shown interest in bridging Android apps to Windows 10 with a project known as “Astoria.” The firm gave up that project in 2016, citing their iOS app bridging technologies as a reason for that decision.

With features like Continue on PC and Microsoft Launcher Windows Timeline integrations now considered, it definitely looks as though Microsoft is playing it serious with Android. Since Microsoft gave up on its own smartphone platform, it’s building the foundation for more and more of your smartphone activities to happen on your PC.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Windows 10 update adds support for continuity functions via Your Phone app
• Microsoft confirms Redstone 5 as Windows 10 October 2018 Update
• Windows’ October 2018 update wants to be best buds with your phone
• Microsoft will take charge of your Windows 10 device in a monthly lease
• How to install the Windows 10 October 2018 Update right now

Worried about your screen use? These glasses block them out wherever you go

There are plenty of reasons to be worried about the length of time we spend staring at screens each day. While companies like Apple introduced features like iOS 12’s Screen Time counter, a new Kickstarter campaign offers a more radical way for screen-addicted folks to kick the habit: Block them out altogether.

Inspired by the superpowered, ad-blocking sunglasses from John Carpenter’s 1988 cult movie, They Live, IRL Glasses promise to turn LCD and LED digital screens black. They do this by using horizontal polarized optics. By flattening and rotating the polarized lens 90 degrees, light emitted by these screens is blocked, thereby making it look like the TV or computer in front of you is switched off. At present, this effect works with the majority of televisions and some computers, although it won’t help with with your fancy new OLED smartphone or on digital billboards. That may change in the future, though.

“My good friend and head of product, Scott, was waiting at a food truck back in May 2017, and it had a giant screen blasting Fox News as people waited in line for their food,” creator Ivan Cash told Digital Trends. “He had a strike of inspiration based on an article he had recently read in Wired magazine about polarizer film that blocked screens. Soon after he made a rough mockup. Meanwhile, I’d been thinking about a collective called IRL that would empower people to control tech, not the other way around. We flirted with the idea of collaborating for about six months before I finally decided the idea of screen-blocking glasses was sticky enough to go all-in on. A year later, here we are!”

Cash said that the glasses have already undergone multiple rounds of prototyping. He’s also received interest from some fairly big names, which may dictate the direction the project goes in the future. “We’ve already spoken to optics engineers at Waymo, NASA, and Snap,” Cash continued. “[Our hope is to eventually] develop an advanced pair of IRL Glasses that block all screens, including OLED and smartphones. This is a mission we are dedicated to.”

As ever, we offer our usual warnings about the potential risks inherent in crowdfunding campaigns. However, if you want to support Cash’s mission, head over to the IRL Glasses project page to pledge your, err, cash for a pair of the first-gen glasses. Prices start at $49, with an estimated delivery date of April 2019.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Samsung’s 34-foot Onyx LED TV looks to change movie theaters forever
• Felix Gray gears up for summer with blue-light filtering, stylish sunglasses
• The best iPhone XR screen protectors
• The best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 screen protectors
• The best home theater projectors of 2018

Honor 8X vs. Honor 7X: Battle of the beautiful budget phones

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Honor 8X has finally been released, and Honor’s latest affordable phone is looking like it’ll appear on our list of the best budget phones, thanks to an upgraded processor, slimmed-down bezels, and a spruced-up camera.

But its predecessor, the Honor 7X, is still a solid choice if you’re looking for a great Android phone that won’t break the bank. Which do you buy? We’ve put these two great budget phones head-to-head to help you decide.

Specs

Honor 8X
Honor 7X

Size
160.4 x 76.6 x 7.8 mm (6.31 x 3.02 x 0.31 inches)
156.5 x 75.3 x 7.6 mm (6.16 x 2.96 x 0.30 inches)

Weight
175 grams (6.17 ounces)
165 grams (5.82 ounces)

Screen size
6.5-inch IPS LCD
5.93-inch IPS LCD

Screen resolution
2,340 x 1,080 pixels (396 pixels per inch)
2,160 x 1,080 pixels (407 pixels per inch)

Operating system
Android 8.1 Oreo (under EMUI 8.2)
Android 8.0 Oreo (under EMUI 8.1)

Storage space
64GB, 128GB

32GB, 64GB

MicroSD card slot
Yes, up to 400GB
Yes, up to 256GB

Tap-to-pay services
In certain markets
No

Processor
Kirin 710
Kirin 659

RAM
4GB, 6GB
4GB

Camera
Dual 20MP and 2MP rear, 16MP front
Dual 16MP and 2MP rear, 8MP front

Video
Up to 1080p at 30 frames per second
Up to 1080p at 30 frames per second

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth 4.1

Ports
3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB
3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB

Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes

Water resistance
No
No

Battery
3,750mAh
3,340mAh

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
T-Mobile, AT&T
T-Mobile, AT&T

Colors
Black, Blue, Red, Pink
Black, Blue, Gold, Red, Gray

Price
Around $280
$200

Buy from
Honor

Honor, Amazon

Review score
Hands-on review
4 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

You won’t find flagship-level performance in either of these budget phones, but they still possess good specs. Both are equipped with a Kirin processor, with the Kirin 659 in the Honor 7X and the newer Kirin 710 in the Honor 8X. The Honor 7X’s Kirin 659 proved to be a capable processor in our review, providing solid performance across a variety of apps. The upcoming GPU Turbo update will likely make gaming performance even better. The Honor 8X’s Kirin 710 is the more powerful processor, though, with four of its eight cores being the same as those found in the powerful Kirin 970 chip that graces the Huawei P20 Pro.

The Honor 7X comes with a 3,340mAh battery that lasts a day — but it’s not the equal of the huge 3,750mAh battery found in the Honor 8X. Even with a bigger screen, we’re expecting the 8X battery to last a little longer. Charging speed is much the same on both phones sadly, with outdated MicroUSB ports on both. There’s no wireless charging, but that’s no surprise at the budget end of the market.

While the Honor 7X is a good performer, the Honor 8X represents an upgrade in every way.

Winner: Honor 8X

Design and durability

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Honor 7X was a breath of fresh air in the budget market last year, and it brought the latest bezel-less trends to a $200 phone. It looked modern, and that was one of the phone’s strongest elements. So it means a lot when we say the Honor 8X has definitely managed to top the 7X.

The first major change is the 8X’s glass back. It’s the first time Honor has used glass in its budget X-range, and the 15 layers of glass refract light in a similar fashion to the gorgeous Honor 10. Let the 8X catch the light and you’re in for a show. Honor hasn’t slacked off elsewhere either — the bezels have been slimmed down even further from the 7X, to the point where the Honor 8X can claim an incredible 84.3 percent screen-to-body ratio. That’s higher than the iPhone XS.

It’s not all good news. Thanks to the fragility of glass, you can expect the Honor 8X to be more breakable than the metal-bodied Honor 7X. The airbags in the Honor 7X’s corners also aren’t present in the Honor 8X, so you’ve probably got a more fragile phone. Neither phone has any water-resistance, so keep a tight grip around water.

Winner: Honor 8X

Display

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

You’ll find low-cost LCD displays in both of these phones, but that’s more or less where the similarities end. The Honor 7X has a 5.93-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a 2,160 x 1,080-pixel resolution. The Honor 8X’s display is even larger — a 6.5-inch display in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio with a 2,340 x 1,080-pixel resolution. A larger screen doesn’t mean a better screen, and you’ll find the Honor 7X’s screen is actually slightly sharper than the 8X’s stretched-out screen. It’s a very slight difference, though.

The Honor 8X comes with blue light-busting tech built-in for a more comfortable experience over a longer period, but unless you’re using your phone at night a lot, then you’re unlikely to see much of a difference.

Winner: Tie

Camera

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Honor 7X’s camera was a welcome surprise, and the 16-megapixel lens and secondary 2-megapixel lens work extremely well together to provide some very good images. The two lenses provide bokeh background blur, and the camera produces images you won’t be ashamed to share on social media — though the background blur effect has a tendency to miss the mark sometimes.

The Honor 8X has improved on this further. The secondary 2-megapixel lens remains, but the main lens has been upgraded to 20-megapixels, and the bokeh mode has seen some improvements, too. Like many of Honor’s new phones, there’s been an emphasis on A.I. assistance in the 8X’s camera. Effectiveness varies, but it’s worth playing with — especially the A.I.-stabilized Night Mode.

Video capabilities are much the same in both phones, but the Honor 8X definitely has an advantage in terms of selfies with a 16-megapixel lens. The 7X is only packing an 8-megapixel front lens.

Winner: Honor 8X

Software and updates

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Bad news for stock Android fans — both phones come with the Emotion UI skin (EMUI), and it’s about as far from standard Android as you can get. Still, it’s not the worst skin to use, and it has improved a lot since it first came out. If you’re coming from a more usual Android phone, expect a few differences — but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

You’ll find Android 8.0 Oreo on both of these phones. Don’t expect timely software updates on either — EMUI is heavily customized and it takes time to make updates. Both phones are likely to get Android 9.0 Pie — but it’s likely that only the Honor 8X will be upgraded to Android Q. If you care about getting the latest updates, then it’s usually worth buying the newer phone.

These are going to offer similar experiences, being as they’re both from the same manufacturer — but the Honor 8X will be more likely to be updated for longer than the Honor 7X.

Winner: Honor 8X

Special features

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

You’ll find a fair few shared special features on these phones. Both phones will benefit from the extra gaming performance offered by the GPU Turbo mode, the option for facial unlocking, and EMUI’s built-in Phone Manager app that helps keep your phone running smoothly. But the Honor 8X is part of Honor’s drive to integrate more artificial intelligence into its phones, and you’ll find more A.I. smarts in the newer model.

There’s the aforementioned A.I. in the camera, but it doesn’t stop there. The Honor 8X’s onboard A.I. will also make your phone calls a little bit clearer by trimming out background noise with A.I. noise cancelling, and we expect to see even more software added as the 8X ages. Unfortunately, neither phone comes with NFC as standard, so there’s no Google Pay.

Winner: Honor 8X

Price

The Honor 7X is currently available, and you can pick it up for just $200. It was never officially released in the U.S. though, and like most Honor phones,you’ll have to import it. The Honor 8X has been released, but pricing for the U.K. and Europe hasn’t arrived yet, and we don’t know whether it’ll see a full U.S. release. Judging by prices in other regions, we’re expecting the Honor 8X to cost a bit more than $200.

All Honor phones have problems working with CDMA networks, so neither the Honor 8X or 7X will work on Verizon or Sprint — it’s T-Mobile and AT&T only.

Overall winner: Honor 8X

It’s a win for the Honor 8X, and the upgraded camera, design, and processor are enough to mark the phone as a clear upgrade to the Honor 7X. But it’s not a complete whitewash, and the Honor 7X put up a valiant fight until the end.

If you’re already using the Honor 7X, the 8X isn’t enough of a reason for an early upgrade — but if you’re trying to decide between the two, then the Honor 8X is clearly superior.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Honor 8X hands-on review
• Honor 8X: Everything you need to know
• Honor Play review
• Honor Note 10: Everything you need to know
• The Honor Magic 2 is so tantalizing, it will have you spellbound

A modular Surface Studio could make for easy upgrades in the future

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

While Microsoft only announced more modest under-the-hood upgrades to its Surface refresh at its October 2 event, the company may be working behind the scenes to plan for a bigger upgrade. According to Surface chief Panos Panay, Microsoft is considering a modular Surface Studio, which would allow users to upgrade certain components inside the all-in-one desktop. An upgradeable desktop would make it more affordable to get better performance down the road by swapping in a newer processor, graphics card, or more memory without having to purchase an entirely new system.

When asked by The Verge if Microsoft is considering a modular Surface Studio, Panay said, “Probably, you look at it and you see what’s the evolution and how do we make it better for our customers. Yeah, there’s still so much more to do, and while I won’t tell you what it is you can put stories together.”

Going modular on a future Surface Studio wouldn’t be an entirely new approach for Microsoft. A week ago, the company unveiled a modular Surface Hub for enterprise customers at its Ignite 2018 partners conference. The Surface Hub 2S comes with a swappable cartridge design that allows certain features to be serviced over time, and a similar strategy could be used on the Studio.

In addition to a modular design, the Surface Hub is also giving Microsoft other ideas to port to its consumer systems, including a webcam. “Look at the camera on Surface Hub 2, note it’s a USB-C-based camera, and the idea that we can bring a high fidelity camera to an experience, you can probably guess that’s going to happen,” Panay said. “Is it completing an experience or bringing the next level of an experience to something that you wanted, even if it’s not Surface? I’ve been looking at all of that. While I won’t announce a new product, I think that’s important. I really think the completing of experience is our design from Microsoft that’s hardware and software.”

While some PC manufacturers have opted to build the webcam into the hardware designs of some of their all-in-one and monitor designs, an external USB-C webcam could allow consumers to more easily upgrade the camera as resolutions change in the future. An external camera that could be stowed away when not in use could also help alleviate privacy concerns as well.

While the Surface experience began with two tablets — the Surface RT and the Surface Pro — Microsoft has quickly expanded the lineup to include more PCs and more accessories in recent years. Microsoft also recently entered the headphone market with the Surface Headphones. The product will compete with household brands and established names like Apple’s Beats, Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Sony, and others.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Surface Pro 6 hands-on review
• Microsoft Surface Pro 6 leak shows similar design, new Intel processors
• Is this amateur hour? Surface Pro 6 and Laptop 2 ship with Windows 10 Home
• Moto Z3 review
• Pentax K-1 II review

Surface Pro 6 vs. Surface Go

If you’re looking to buy a Surface-branded device from Microsoft today, you can choose from either a Laptop, a Book, a Pro, or the ultra-portable and affordable Surface Go. Each of those devices are great, but with the recent addition of the Surface Pro 6, you might be wondering how it stacks up against the Surface Go.

In this comparison, we’ve put the two devices up against each other to help you get the best bang for your buck.

Design

Rich Shibley/Digital Trends

In terms of design and build, the Surface Pro 6 and the Surface Go are on similar footing. Both are built with Microsoft’s magnesium material and sport a sturdy articulating kickstand with movement of up to 165 degrees. This makes them hard to tell apart from a far, but there is still one way to compare the two: Size.

With a 10-inch screen, the Surface Go is more of a compact iPad-like device. Meanwhile, the 12.3-inch screen on the Surface Pro 6 is bigger, more like a traditional PC. Keeping the Go in mind, that display is at a resolution of 1,800 x 1,200 with a pixel density of 217. On the Pro 6, the 12.3 inches accounts for a resolution of 2,736 × 1,824, with a pixel density of 267. Both displays look great, but for long periods of use, the bigger display on the Pro is the more comfortable option.

Just like with the display, the keyboards on the accompanying Type Covers are also different between the two models. The keyboard on the Go is impressive, but the 10-inch form factor is just not as comfortable over long periods of time, and the layout is a bit cramped. The Surface Pro 6 is the better option if you need to type a lot. In both cases, the detachable Type Cover doesn’t come bundled in, and neither does the Surface Pen stylus.

Performance

The difference in performance between the two Surface devices comes down to chipsets and pricing. The Surface Go starts at $400 and sports an Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y dual-core processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. On the other hand, the entry-level $900 Surface Pro 6 comes with a quad-core  8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor and 128 GB of SSD storage. There’re also options for an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB or 16GB RAM, or 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, but those are more expensive.

For the extra $500 with Surface Pro 6, you get a more powerful processor, which is good for more demanding tasks like photo and video editing, or running a multiple-monitor workstation. The Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y dual-core on the Surface Go is impressive for what it is, but you’ll be limited to more basic computing tasks.

Bear in mind, the Surface Go ships with Windows 10 Home in S mode, so you’ll initially be limited to using apps on the Microsoft Store, but you can always switch back to Windows 10 Home for free via the Microsoft Store. The Surface Pro 6 ships with Windows 10 Home, so there’s no worries about app limits there.

Portability

Rich Shibley/Digital Trends

The Surface Go comes in at 9.65 x 6.90 x 0.33 inches and weighs about 1.15 pounds. That’s significantly smaller than the Surface Pro 6, which is 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches and comes in at 1.71 lbs. The Go is noticeably lighter and makes it a far better tablet. Unlike the Pro, it can easily be used in one hand.

Since you’re using the devices while out and about, we’re also going to warn about battery life. The Go falls very short there, as we got between 2-5 hours of battery life. On the other hand, Microsoft promises you’ll get up to 13.5 hours with the Pro 6. We haven’t tested it yet, but if you want to use the device all day, that will be the better option.

As for the connectivity on the devices while you’re on the go, the differences between Go and Pro 6 boils down to USB-C. The Surface Pro 6 comes with mini-DisplayPort, and a classic USB-A 3.0 port. That is somewhat aging tech to most. But if you’re all about living a dongle-less life and are not yet feeling ready for USB-C, it’ll be more convenient. On the other hand, the Surface Go comes with a single USB-C port on board, for both charging and data. This is great for when you’re looking to charge up the device on the go or use those dongles to extend your connectivity range.

Both devices also include Microsoft’s Proprietary Surface Connect port, a microSDXC card reader, and headphone jack.

Bigger is better: Buy the Surface Pro 6

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

If you’re considering both devices, the better option is the Surface Pro 6. The two might look similar, and prices might be higher, but the specs and the hardware trump the Surface Go. You’ll be sacrificing USB-C and some portability, but the larger display, beefier processor, better battery life, and spacious keyboard make it the go-to option for Surface tablets.

The Surface Go is the perfect device for a small demographic of people, primarily those who need an affordable, portable option. For everyone else, the Surface Pro 6 is the way to go.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Surface Go vs. Surface Pro
• Microsoft Surface Pro 6 vs. Surface Laptop 2
• Microsoft Surface Laptop review
• Microsoft Surface Go review
• Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) review

Is this amateur hour? Surface Pro 6 and Laptop 2 ship with Windows 10 Home

Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro will feature a slight downgrade out of the box compared to its predecessors, but most consumers might not notice the change. Since the original Surface Pro was introduced, Microsoft has always included the professional version of Windows; however, Surface Pro 6 devices will now come pre-installed with Windows 10 Home. On the flipside, Surface Laptop 2 users will enjoy an upgrade from the limited edition of Windows 10 S to a more full-featured Windows 10 Home.

Quite appropriately, Microsoft has always included the professional version of its latest operating system with the Surface Pro, but it now seems that the company doesn’t feel the inclusion is necessary. The general consumer version of Surface Pro 6 will include the standard Windows 10 Home edition, while the enterprise variation will include Windows 10 Pro. With no price drop to compensate for the change, businesses will find themselves paying an additional $100 more for the software upgrade.

It is likely that the majority of consumers won’t notice that their operating system has been downgraded, with most Windows 10 Pro features aimed at enterprise environments. Some abilities exclusive to the Pro version of Windows include the capacity to join network domains, access group policy management, access remote desktop, and secure your drive with BitLocker encryption — the last of which is beneficial to all users.

However, an operating system downgrade isn’t the only difference between the consumer and enterprise versions of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 6 as the latter packs a bit of extra technology under the hood. Beneficial for IT management, the Surface Pro 6’s enterprise variation will feature a slightly different CPU variant that supports Intel’s vPro platform.

While the Surface Pro 6 is seeing a downgrade, the new Surface Laptop 2 will be seeing an upgrade. Microsoft previously included Windows 10 S with the original Laptop, a stripped-down version of the operating system only able to run apps from the Windows Store; however, that changes with this year’s upgrade. The Surface Laptop 2 will now come with Windows 10 Home out of the box — you won’t need to upgrade the machine just to run your favorite legacy applications.

From a consumer standpoint, most Surface Pro 6 users typically won’t notice the downgrade, but Surface Laptop 2 owners will see the expandability that Windows 10 Home offers over the Windows 10 S variation. In the end, the situation is a bit of a losing case for businesses and power users who will now find themselves dishing out an extra $100 to get features back that were previously standard.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Microsoft Surface Pro 6 vs. Surface Laptop 2
• Microsoft may go back to black with 2018 Surface Pro and Surface Laptop
• Microsoft Surface Laptop review
• Microsoft patent filing hints at wireless charging for future Surface PCs
• Refreshed Surface Pro 6 could arrive at Microsoft’s October 2 event

Drop that iPhone! Researchers suggest limiting kids’ screen time to 2 hours a day

Apple’s late co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs controlled how much his kids used screen-based technology. So did Microsoft’s Bill Gates. But how much of our concern is well-founded, and what impact does screen usage really have on the younger generation? Researchers from Canada have attempted to answer that question with a recent analysis of lifestyle data from questionnaires by 4,520 American kids, ages 8 to 11. It concludes that, at least as far as good cognitive health may be concerned, parents may do well to limit their offspring to two hours of screen time per day, while ensuring that an additional hour is spent being physically active. That should all be topped off by a good night’s sleep of 9 to 11 hours.

“The main findings from this study were that, [firstly], children who met all three of the recommendations had significantly higher measures of cognition compared to children who did not meet any recommendations,” Jeremy Walsh of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottowa, Canada, told Digital Trends. “[Secondly], meeting the sleep and screen or the screen-only recommendations had the strongest favorable relationship with cognition. [Finally], only 5 percent of the children in this sample met all three recommendations, whereas nearly 30 percent of the children did not meet any of the recommendations.”

The study isn’t perfect. Notably, it doesn’t break down what kids are doing with their screen time. There may be (and, we’d guess, probably is) a big difference between playing Call of Duty and using educational apps, but this is not examined by the researchers. Not yet, at least. “The next steps for this research will be to investigate the relationship between screen type and screen content — [for example] educational versus video game versus social media — in these children,” Walsh said.

Ultimately, this snapshot study is just one more piece in a much larger, more complex puzzle concerning the relationship between kids and technology. It’s by no means the definitive study, although conclusions like the ones reached by the researchers will certainly be helpful for later follow-up work. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to get some exercise and an early night’s sleep!

A paper describing the study was recently published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Robots can peer pressure kids, but don’t think for a second that we’re immune
• There’s a new use for the failed Google Glass: Helping kids with autism
• Fitbit heart rate data shows which people have the best cardiac health
• Women may be immune to brain damage from cosmic rays, study finds
• How Netflix and Disney are fighting for the future of streaming: Kids

Drop that iPhone! Researchers suggest limiting kids’ screen time to 2 hours a day

Apple’s late co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs controlled how much his kids used screen-based technology. So did Microsoft’s Bill Gates. But how much of our concern is well-founded, and what impact does screen usage really have on the younger generation? Researchers from Canada have attempted to answer that question with a recent analysis of lifestyle data from questionnaires by 4,520 American kids, ages 8 to 11. It concludes that, at least as far as good cognitive health may be concerned, parents may do well to limit their offspring to two hours of screen time per day, while ensuring that an additional hour is spent being physically active. That should all be topped off by a good night’s sleep of 9 to 11 hours.

“The main findings from this study were that, [firstly], children who met all three of the recommendations had significantly higher measures of cognition compared to children who did not meet any recommendations,” Jeremy Walsh of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottowa, Canada, told Digital Trends. “[Secondly], meeting the sleep and screen or the screen-only recommendations had the strongest favorable relationship with cognition. [Finally], only 5 percent of the children in this sample met all three recommendations, whereas nearly 30 percent of the children did not meet any of the recommendations.”

The study isn’t perfect. Notably, it doesn’t break down what kids are doing with their screen time. There may be (and, we’d guess, probably is) a big difference between playing Call of Duty and using educational apps, but this is not examined by the researchers. Not yet, at least. “The next steps for this research will be to investigate the relationship between screen type and screen content — [for example] educational versus video game versus social media — in these children,” Walsh said.

Ultimately, this snapshot study is just one more piece in a much larger, more complex puzzle concerning the relationship between kids and technology. It’s by no means the definitive study, although conclusions like the ones reached by the researchers will certainly be helpful for later follow-up work. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to get some exercise and an early night’s sleep!

A paper describing the study was recently published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Robots can peer pressure kids, but don’t think for a second that we’re immune
• There’s a new use for the failed Google Glass: Helping kids with autism
• Fitbit heart rate data shows which people have the best cardiac health
• Women may be immune to brain damage from cosmic rays, study finds
• How Netflix and Disney are fighting for the future of streaming: Kids

8 high-capacity power banks for the traveling techie

Given today’s power-hungry phones and tablets, any power pack under 20,000mAh shouldn’t be considered high-capacity. While the majority of these beefier backup batteries aren’t suited for storing in your pocket, they’re still compact enough to toss in a backpack, suitcase, or laptop bag for a quick charge when you need it. Check out these power banks that provide enough battery to keep up with the most demanding tech-lover.

Top pick

Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD

The Anker Powercore+ offers a whopping 26,800mAh capacity and is only 7.1 x 3.1 x .9 inches in size. This is a power bank that you probably can fit into your pocket, and it has a 30-watt USB-C port that’s capable of charging laptops, like a Chromebook or MacBook.

$130 at Amazon

Best value

EasyAcc Monster 26,000mAh Power Bank

If you’re after more than just a pair outputs to keep your phones and tablets charged up, the $50 EasyAcc Monster packs a 26000mAh capacity and provides four USB ports as well as two Micro-USB inputs on the side that can work in tandem decrease recharge time up to 50%.

$50 at Amazon

Best mid-range option

RAVPower USB-C 26,800mAh

The USB-C RAVPower 26800 can output 30 watts through its USB-C port and has two “regular” USB ports that feature its iSmart technology, which charges at up to 2.4 amps each. RAVPower says that its iSmart 2.0 system will automatically sense the correct charging current so that your devices that don’t use a fast-charging standard will still charge as fast as they are able.

$80 at Amazon

Great options

ZeroLemon ToughJuice V3.0 30,000mAh

This beastly backup battery rocks an impressive 30,000mAh capacity that’s able to provide power to phones, tablets, and even laptops. It has a total of five USB ports, three standard 1-amp outputs, one Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 output, and one USB-C output, so it’s compatible with almost everything that can take Quick Charge or fast charging.

$65 at Amazon

For more than phones

EcoFlow Tech River 412Wh

This behemoth packs a wallop and comes at a steep price (about $600), but it’s your source for power when you wanna go totally off the grid for a while. This is the charging station you need for everything you take with you anywhere. It houses a 412Wh (that’s watt-hour) battery and features 11 independent outputs: 2 AC plugs, 4 USB ports, 2 USB-C ports, 2 DC ports, and a car charger.

$589 at Amazon

Devices old and new

Aukey 30000mAh USB-C

Go future-proof with this Aukey portable charger, which houses a 30000mAh battery. It has one USB-C port and two USB-A ports for other devices and will charge one Android phone roughly five times, depending on usage. Aukey threw in a USB-A to USB-C cable, and there’s even a 45-day money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied.

$60 at Amazon

Portable high capacity

Maxoak 50,000mAh

Maxoak’s high-capacity power bank is portable, but it’s also about the size of a paperback novel. That’s what you get when you cram 50,000mAh into a portable battery bank, and this one should last you days if you’re out and about. Headed out of town on a camping trip for the weekend? You’ll likely be able to keep your phone charged the whole time with this and then some.

$136 at Amazon

Budget pick

Be-charming 24,000mAh

Be-charming’s charger sports three USB ports and a built-in solar panel, so if you’re not able to charge it in a wall outlet, the sun can do the job for you (albeit incredibly slowly). This one’s perfect for camping, hiking, or any other outdoor activity where a charged phone might come in handy. It also has a super bright LED flashlight.

$30 at Amazon

A note on air travel: What you need to know

While traveling in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration allows you to carry a device (like a power bank) with up to a 100 Wh capacity. You are also able to carry a limit of two spare batteries between 101 Wh and 160 Wh with prior approval from your airline. All lithium batteries must be in your carry-on bag and can’t be stowed with checked luggage.

Most power banks list their capacity in mAh (milliamp-hours) and not Wh (watt-hours). Let’s do some conversion using a 3.7-volt average. You can calculate from Wh to mAh using this formula:

(mAh)/1000 x (V) = (Wh)

After some rounding off, that means you can bring a 26,800 mAh power bank on your flight. With approval, you can bring up to two 43,240 mAh (again, some rounding is used) along as well. Just be sure not to put them in your checked luggage!

Other countries may have different regulations, so you should check before you travel outside the U.S.

Having a portable power bank with you is the best way to keep all of your devices charged wherever you go, and for the money, Anker’s reliable 26800mAh charger is your best option, with USB-C PD for fast charging everything that’s compatible.