I routinely ignore new iPhone features. I cover technology for Wirecutter, and I’ve owned an iPhone since the original launched in 2007, but many of the latest features that Apple has added to the iPhone—augmented reality, App Clips, Force Touch—just don’t make a difference in my life.
Live Text, on the other hand, is life-changing.
By the time kids are 5, they’re developing skills and more-specific interests that open up new gift-giving possibilities. Many 5-year-olds are starting kindergarten, and they’re exploring new subjects and ideas in school for the first time. Toys and kits that let them engage in project-based inquiry—such as performing simple science experiments and exploring nature—can help them make connections between what they’re exposed to in the classroom (be it virtual or in-person) and what they experience out in the world.
Any vacuum can clean hardwood floors—this is the simplest possible task for a vacuum cleaner. You don’t need anything special to get dust, hair, crumbs, or anything else off your wood, tile, or laminate floors. But some vacuums do it a little better than others. To avoid scattering debris or possibly damaging sensitive flooring, look for a model that either lets you switch off the spinning brush roll or has a special soft-fabric brush roll or no brush roll at all.
Buying a plug-in vacuum is like saving for retirement or sorting your laundry—a boring but sensible endeavor that should pay off in the long run. Cordless sticks and robot vacuums are convenient, but the best plug-in uprights and canisters clean better and last longer. We’ve tested dozens of plug-in vacuums over the years, and the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 has been our favorite since 2014.
Handheld vacuums can go where bigger vacuums can’t. They make it easy to ferret out crumbs from between couch cushions, or dirt from under car seats. We’ve looked at 167 different hand vacuums over more than 100 hours of research and testing since 2013, and we think the Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Pivot BDH2000PL is the best hand vacuum for most people.
The inexpensive Yoozon Selfie Stick is a tripod, selfie stick, and camera remote all in one. A few years ago, I might have told you that selfie sticks deserved to stay in 2014 with the Ice Bucket Challenge and the series finale of How I Met Your Mother. But then I came across the Yoozon Selfie Stick while I was researching Wirecutter’s guide to tripods for smartphones, and I had to admit how wrong I was.
Sure, it happens every year on the second Sunday in May. And, sure, every Rite Aid in the country has been teeming with cards, warning you about its impending occurrence. But, hey, we get it: Sometimes Mother’s Day sneaks up and finds us unprepared. Fret not, dear procrastinator! We’ve rounded up the best gifts that can be delivered to your mom’s door in fewer than two days—or that can appear in her inbox in under 10 seconds.
