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BEST MOBILE OS
GOOGLE ANDROID 10 (Q)
FREE EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllh
This year, both Apple and Google made privacy the centerpieces of their respective mobile OS
updates, with mixed success. Google has an inherent disadvantage here, but its strides in
securing Android and giving users tools to protect their privacy even from Google itself (to an
extent) is admirable. While iOS continues to shine (it’s also an Editors’ Choice), what
impressed us about Android 10 was the apparent willingness to change and adapt, keeping
the world’s most popular mobile OS fresh. Perhaps more important is that during a time of
fading internet freedoms, the two biggest mobile juggernauts tried to outdo each other in
privacy. That’s a win for the rest of us.81
BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN SOFTWARE
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
$19.99 PER MONTH EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllh
Adobe’s vector graphics illustration program continues to earn its place as the industry
standard. Updates for 2019 include path simplification, spell check, the improved Properties
panel, the Puppet Warp tool, custom sizing for anchor points, and performance
improvements. On top of those, the program now sports an improved, context-sensitive
Properties panel; support for Multiple Master (MM), TrueType, OpenType, and Variable fonts;
and an improved spell-checker.82
BEST PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
$9.99 PER MONTH EDITORS’ CHOICE Lllll
The software that created the genre of digital photo editing remains the one to beat. Adobe’s
nearly magical image tech continues to outpace the competition. The latest whizbang
features use Adobe’s Sensei AI to select a photo’s subject and convincingly replace objects. It
now offers Cloud Documents, so you can work on images anywhere, including on the new iPad
version. The once intimidating program has been updated with lots of context-sensitive help
and tutorials as well, making it appealing to novices as well as experts.83
BEST PHOTO PRINTING SERVICE
Mpix
$19 CENTS PER 4-BY-6 PRINT EDITORS’ CHOICE Lllll
Photos on a screen are all well and good, but a photograph is still something printed on paper
and suitable for framing. By far the best service for turning your digital images into
photographs is Mpix. The company charges a little more than better-known services such as
Snapfish and Shutterfly, but the results are worth it. You get great options including giclee and
metallic-looking prints, and the service has one of the clearest ordering interfaces, with great
control over the final product. It tops all this off with speedy processing and delivery.