Pixinote

It’s the return of snail mail with an app that creates cool postcards you send through the U.S. Postal Service.

>> What it does: The app prints and sends a card with a square image and three lines of text to the recipient within two to seven business days.

>> Available: In the App Store, requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

>> Cost: Free to download, $2.50 a card.

>> What’s hot: Pixinotes are printed on quality paper and look great. There’s also a cute airmail-themed envelope. The app simplifies sending a postcard because you don’t need a stamp (first-class “Forever” postage is included), keep track of addresses or even write a lengthy note about what you’ve been up to. My favorite feature was in the “Create Contact” tool: Start typing your recipient’s address and Google will finish it for you. The app keeps track of previous contacts (and Pixinotes) and lets you send the same note with the same message to multiple people.

>> What’s not: I hadn’t paid close attention to the card samples on Pixinote.com and in the App Store, so I didn’t realize my handle and profile pic would be on the card. If you’re sending a note from your family, you might want to choose a profile pic and handle that represent your group instead of one person. If we could save additional profiles and not switch the photos and name before each use, that would be a great feature.