Brian Fagioli

If you like to travel internationally, you know that language differences can be a huge pain point. English speakers are lucky, as that language is often spoken as a second language. That isn't always the case, however, so communication can be a huge barrier. This isn't just an issue for those that travel for pleasure, but for business travelers too.

Luckily, technology has minimized this pain. Software allows convenient translation, making both communication and the consumption of foreign language media much easier. Microsoft Translator is one such great solution, and today, it gets a dozen new languages and dialects!

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Nowadays, professional photographers with high-end camera equipment are embracing CFexpress storage cards more and more. The problem? Those cards are quite expensive. Not to mention, many photographers can get by without the latest-and-greatest. And so, for many photographers -- amateur and professional alike -- good ol' SD cards are still more than fine.

Thankfully, companies are still putting out new SD cards, and today, ADATA launches its latest. Called "Premier Extreme," this SDXC SD 7.0 Express Card comes in two capacities -- 256GB and 512GB. What's most notable about the card, however, is its insane read and write speeds.

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Want to feel really old? The original Xbox was released nearly 20 years ago! Yes, way back on November 15 of 2001, Microsoft officially joined the console wars, competing with companies like Sony, Nintendo, and Sega. While the Xbox consoles have not been a huge success in Asia, they are wildly popular in the USA. Many people doubted Microsoft could succeed with its gaming consoles, but the Windows 11-maker is still going strong two decades later.

To celebrate the upcoming anniversary of the Xbox brand, Microsoft is launching a very special product that is sure to be a hot commodity this Christmas shopping season -- the 20th Anniversary Special Edition Xbox Wireless Controller. This beautiful controller mixes nostalgic designs with modern hardware to create something truly special.

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Windows 11 is officially here, but not all new Windows computers will ship with that version of Microsoft's desktop operating system. Understandably, for a little while at least, some machines will still come with Windows 10... they will have the ability to upgrade to Windows 11, however.

Today, ADATA unveils such a laptop under its XPG gaming brand. Called "XENIA 15 KC," it comes with Windows 10 Home, but you can absolutely install Windows 11 when you want to. This gaming notebook is downright drool-worthy. It is powered by a very modern 8-core Intel Core i7 11800H CPU and super-powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. The other components are impressive as well, including 32GB of DDR4-3200MHz RAM, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, RGB optical mechanical keyboard, and a 15.6-inch display with 165Hz refresh. It's a beast!

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Today is October 5, which is particularly significant as it is the official Windows 11 release date. This is even more special as Microsoft's latest desktop operating system isn't just good... it's great. Yes, this is probably the best version of Windows ever, and if you are a Windows user, you should absolutely upgrade if your computer is compatible.

Unfortunately, that is a pretty big "if" this time around. You see, Microsoft is quite strict with the system requirements, meaning many computers will not be compatible or officially supported. Even though Windows 10 will continue to be supported for a while, understandably, some users will want to jump ship immediately knowing their PC has no future in Microsoft's eyes. Thankfully, these users have a wonderful alternative to Windows 11 -- Linux!

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Portable hardware authentication dongles are pretty darn cool -- they can be a great way to secure access to various devices, applications, and services using hardware. Google offers its own Titan security keys, for instance, but the search giant likely isn't the first company that comes to mind for these products. Actually, Yubico is probably the name most associated with authentication dongles.

Believe it or not, Yubico's popular YubiKey devices have not yet been offered with biometric support. Thankfully, this changes today. You see, the all-new YubiKey Bio features a fingerprint reader for an added level of security. Not only must you physically have possession of the YubiKey Bio to use it, but you must prove you are its owner by scanning your finger.

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Remember mouse pads? If you are an older computer user you surely do, but younger folks may have never seen one before. You see, back in the day, mice had a little rubber ball in the bottom that made it work. A mouse pad was a piece of material that went on your desk (and then under your mouse) to make the ball roll better and possibly help keep it clean.

With the invent of optical and laser mice -- and the ultimate death of the aforementioned rubber ball -- mouse pads largely became unnecessary. After all, the new mice often worked perfectly fine on the surface of a desk without such a pad (except, maybe, for glass).

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Back in July, we shared with you that Linux Mint 20.3 would be released around Christmas. Unfortunately, that was pretty much all we knew about the upcoming version of the Ubuntu-based operating system. Thankfully, today, the developers give us some more details.

Not only do we now know the name of Linux Mint 20.3, but the moniker of the upcoming Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5 too. Following Mint's tradition of only using female names, the former will be named "Una," while the latter shall be called "Elsie."

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When it comes to Mac accessories, OWC is one of the most respected makers out there. With that said, the company's products are not limited to Apple devices. In other words, if you have a Windows computer, for instance, many OWC offerings will work without issue.

Today, OWC launches a really cool new adapter that converts a single Thunderbolt 3/4 port into dual DisplayPort. This will enable a compatible Mac or Windows computer to output video to two external displays for optimal productivity. Sadly, due to a limitation of Apple's M1 processor, its newest MacBooks powered by that ARM chip will be limited to a single video output. Hopefully the next generation of Mac laptops with the rumored M1X processor will offer better multi-monitor support.

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Linux does not belong to any specific country -- the open source kernel can be enjoyed by people all over the world. This includes China, a great ally of the United States. We depend on China to manufacture many of our goods, but also, developers in that country contribute to open source projects.

Case in point, deepin is a Linux-based operating system from China that is both beautiful and elegant. For some, it could be a nice alternative to Windows 11. deepin is a miraculous Chinese gift to the open source community. Today, the wonderful deepin developers release version 20.2.4 of the Linux distribution. Based on Debian, it uses Linux kernel 5.13.13 and has a new global search feature.

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Number pads are pointless. Don't get me wrong, I am sure some older folks use them out of habit, but I -- and many other consumers -- never do. Quite frankly, since you can buy a dedicated number keypad if you truly need it, why burden everyone with them just to please a small group of people? As a result, many keyboards are longer than they need to be. While that doesn't sound so bad, it is an annoyance since it takes up valuable desk space -- especially with more and more people working from home these days.

Today, Logitech unveils a slim wireless keyboard without a number pad. Called "MX Keys Mini," it is notable for more than just being compact. The backlit keyboard can fast-charge using USB-C, and Logitech promises up to 5-months of battery life with backlighting off. With the lights on, you can expect up to 10 days of usage.

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Today is finally the day many of us have been waiting for -- Fedora 35 has officially reached Beta status, and you can download the pre-release operating system immediately. For many Linux users, Fedora is considered the best distribution based on that open source kernel. Why? Well, the distro focuses on truly free and open source software -- a pure Linux experience. It is also fairly bleeding edge, while at the same time, remaining stable enough for daily use.

What makes Fedora 35 Beta so exciting? This pre-release version of the upcoming operating system uses the brand-new GNOME 41 as its default desktop environment. GNOME 41 is notable for having significant performance improvements when using Wayland. Speaking of Wayland, Fedora 35 Beta will run faster when using it with an NVIDIA GPU. Plus, version 35 Beta gets NVIDIA with XWayland, for an improved experience when using apps that aren't designed for Wayland.

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The C-SPAN television channels are for nerds, and no, I don't intend for that to be a disparaging statement -- quite the contrary. What I mean to say is, viewers of C-SPAN are brainy types that would rather watch the U.S. Congress than reruns of South Park. You know what? Good for them. While I find C-SPAN to be mind-numbingly boring, I have true respect for those that care about the tedious bureaucracy that keeps the USA chugging along.

And now, fans of C-SPAN have a new way to consume the dull video programming they oddly enjoy. Called "C-SPAN Now," it is a new mobile app for both Android and iOS. You can watch coverage of the U.S. House and Senate -- plus other political content -- right on your smartphone. While the app is free, you do need to log in with your TV provider credentials in order to access some of the programming.

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YouTube TV is one of the best internet-based television providers, as it offers many channels at a reasonable (albeit ever-increasing) price. Not to mention, it comes with unlimited DVR storage, so you can record as many things as you'd like. Best of all, it can be used on many platforms, such as Android, iOS, and the web -- you can watch YouTube TV pretty much everywhere.

Unfortunately, YouTube TV suffers from some of the same issues that plague traditional cable television providers. For instance, from time time, TV providers and channel-owners run into tough negotiations that sometimes spill out publicly.

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Happy Friday, dear BetaNews readers! The weekend is almost here, so hopefully you can take some time to do the things you want to do, rather than the tasks your boss or teacher makes you do. For some, that means spending time with family, watching movies, or resting up. For nerdier people, it is an excellent time to test a Linux distribution!

Today, Canonical releases the official beta version of the upcoming Ubuntu 21.10 Linux distro. Code-named "Impish Indri," the operating system features Linux kernel 5.13. Also notable, the Firefox browser that comes with Ubuntu 21.10 is a Snap rather than a typical deb -- this may prove controversial for some.

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