Technologies

19 Great Gifts for $50 or Less

Great deals on everything from speakers and headphones to tech and small kitchen appliances — all for $50 or less.

The holiday season can quickly sneak up on you before you know it, and you don’t always have a sizeable stack of money saved up to spend on everyone. Thankfully, there are great gifts for $50 or less that are sure to please the people in your life.

From an affordable weighted blanket to handy tech that will simplify your life, this year you can buy a perfect gift for the holidays for under $50. Note that several Black Friday deals and Cyber Week discounts are still available throughout the month of December.

Some of our favorite gifts are just a little more than $50 — but often you will find these items discounted at close to or under $50. So keep your eye out for deals and decide if you’re willing to put a little bit of cash with that gift card to grab one of these indulgent finds, which could be a great option as a gift or for yourself.

More holiday picks

Technologies

iPhone 20th-Anniversary Edition Could Bring Major Design Overhaul

Apple’s iPhone will turn 20 in 2027. Bold changes may be ahead.

Apple is reportedly planning a significant redesign for the 20th-anniversary edition of its iPhone lineup, expected to launch in September 2027.

A special Pro model featuring more glass elements to mark the iPhone’s two decades of existence is in development for the anniversary, says a Bloomberg report. Apple is also expected to launch a foldable iPhone alongside the redesigned Pro, but it’s unclear if this would be the first or second iteration. (Reports currently point to a 2026 launch for a foldable iPhone.) Apple remains the only major smartphone manufacturer without a foldable device.

This 20th anniversary-focused strategy could also help reinvigorate iPhone sales, which have been sluggish in recent months and may suffer under the Trump administration’s new 125% tariff on China, where most components and iPhones are imported from.

In the meantime, the upcoming iPhone 17 is now expected to more closely resemble previous Pro models. The iPhone Pro lineup has looked largely the same since the iPhone 12’s debut in 2020, when Apple introduced 5G compatibility, with changes over time mostly limited to color updates and a metal switch to titanium on the iPhone 15 Pro.

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Bloomberg said that although the iPhone 17 Pro will still resemble the 16 Pro, it will likely feature a redesigned rear camera layout. The camera module is expected to maintain its three-lens setup but be placed on a new panel that spans the entire width of the device with a single-tone finish.

Apple is also expected to introduce a notably thinner model, rumored to be called the iPhone 17 Air.

What will the 20th-anniversary iPhone be named?

It’s unclear how Apple will name its 20th-anniversary iPhone, given that the 2027 release would technically fall in line with an iPhone 19 label. The cadence of the numbers shifted over time as Apple experimented with the names, such as launching the iPhone 4S in 2011, rather than calling it the iPhone 5 (the iPhone 5 launched in 2012).

The company has previously adjusted naming conventions for milestone moments, such as skipping the iPhone 9 and unveiling the iPhone X to mark its 10th anniversary — so in keeping with Roman numerals, the 20th-anniversary model could potentially be called the iPhone XX.

The risk in waiting to redesign the iPhone

Dipanjan Chatterjee, vice president and principal analyst at market research firm Forrester, called a redesign a «double-edged sword,» considering the iPhone’s design hasn’t undergone any meaningful change for awhile.

«A bold redesign for its anniversary model sounds like a wonderful idea until you realize that it is still two years away and Apple has struggled to trigger the upgrade supercycle that will revive the stagnant iPhone growth the company has experienced lately,» he said.

Chatterjee acknowledged Apple Intelligence still hasn’t fulfilled its promise of converting older iPhone owners into later compatible hardware.

«The temptation to wait even longer for a vastly improved 2027 design is likely to further extend the upgrade cycle,» he added.

The other risk, he said, is that some customers might go for the cheaper iPhone 16E now and wait a few years to buy the premium phone they really want.

Technologies

Verum Messenger introduces Verum Mail integration in the latest update

The Verum team continues to expand its ecosystem of secure digital solutions. The latest update of Verum Messenger brings full integration with Verum Mail — a tool for instant and fully anonymous email communication.

Now, users can generate temporary email addresses directly within the messenger — no registration, no passwords, no extra steps. The integration enables real-time message delivery, attachments, receiving and composing emails, and automatic deletion of emails after 1 hour.

What’s new:

Verum Mail integration in the messenger interface
One-tap temporary email creation
Real-time email delivery and viewing
Reply to emails without leaving the app
Full privacy: no account linking or data storage
File attachments: Send and receive files

Verum Mail compatible with all major email services — send and receive emails from iCloud, Gmail, Proton Mail, etc.

Verum Messenger + Verum Mail means a new level of privacy, where your messages and emails work together — fast, secure, and truly private.

This update is now available for all Verum Messenger users.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 12, #201

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 201, for Saturday, April 12.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition is still the toughest NYT puzzle for me every day. Sometimes, the topics feel like a bit of a reach as far as sports go, and today’s yellow group is a good example. The purple group is a good reminder that some athletes have names that are also regular words, so they can trick you. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Think Nike.

Green group hint: En garde!

Blue group hint: Wonderboy in The Natural.

Purple group hint: Hoopster stars.