Brian Fagioli

It used to be, when you bought a computer, you could upgrade or repair parts when needed. Running out of storage? Upgrade the hard disk or solid state drive. Not enough memory? Add some RAM. Laptop battery no longer holding a charge? Just replace it. Over time, however, manufacturers have increasingly turned to soldering in components, making them virtually impossible to upgrade or replace.

Of course, we largely have Apple to blame for this trend, but other manufacturers are guilty too. We also must take a look at ourselves for enabling this customer unfriendly behavior. Hell, I bought a Mac mini recently that can't be upgraded at all. If the SSD, RAM, or other component fails, I will pretty much have to toss it in the trash. So, yes, I am personally guilty of this landfill-filling behavior.

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Kingston is a legendary company in the computing market, providing quality memory products for many years. Over time, it branched into the gaming business with its "HyperX" branding, expanding into products like mice, keyboards, headsets, and more. You know what? Gamers liked what HyperX was putting out, and it became a successful part of Kingston's business.

Fast forward to 2021, however, and Kingston is apparently ready to cash in on that success. You see, the company has agreed to sell HyperX to HP for $425M. Kingston seems to have won this deal, as HP will not get any of Kingston’s memory business, such as RAM and SSDs. In other words, HP spent damn near a half billion dollars on a gaming accessories business, while Kingston retains its longtime bread and butter.

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PC gamers usually come to a fork in the road when needing a new gaming rig -- build one or buy one. While building a PC can be rewarding, sometimes there are pre-built machines that are worth considering instead -- particularly when they are beyond what you can reasonably do yourself.

As an example, today, MSI launches the MEG Aegis Ti5 gaming desktop and it takes things to another level. It is powered by either an Intel Core i7-10700K or i9-10900K CPU and either a GeForce RTX 3070 or 3080 graphics card. What makes this computer unique, however, is its gorgeous chassis -- it looks futuristic. The case even has a special LED dial on the front for quick and easy tweaks.

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Here at BetaNews, we report on many Linux distribution releases, because, well, there are a lot of them. Not all of these operating systems are great, and only a handful are legitimate replacements for Windows 10. With that said, Microsoft's operating system is very good, so if you are happy with Windows, you should probably just stick with it. Don't switch for the sake of change, folks.

Unfortunately, some people strongly dislike Windows 10, and they are eager to move onto a Linux-based alternative. If that is you, I have some great news. One of the best Windows alternatives, Netrunner, has a new version. The Debian-based operating system, which uses the excellent KDE Plasma desktop environment, now sits at version 21.01 and carries the moniker "XOXO."

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Linux users are more knowledgeable regarding computer maintenance than Windows users, right? Maybe. That is certainty up for debate. With that said, Linux user may not be very responsible computer users. Well, Linux Mint users, at least.

You see, in a stunning development, it turns out Linux Mint users are often very behind in installing both operating system and application updates. In other words, Linux Mint users are often running outdated software, which could be no longer supported, or even worse, it could contain exploitable vulnerabilities. For example, a surprisingly high number of these users are running Linux Mint 17.x, which is unsupported since 2019!

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Buying a cable should be an easy task, but believe it or not, it isn't always. In fact, with USB Type-C and Thunderbolt cables, consumers often buy the wrong things. Even worse, many of these cables are out of spec, meaning they can damage your devices or malfunction. This is why you should avoid "no-name" brands, although even some reputable brands have been known to sell poor cables.

OWC is a brand that I trust very much, and apparently, it has had enough of the nonsense surrounding these cables. You see, the company has launched a high-quality universal Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C Cable that should work with all devices that use the USB-C connector. In other words, you can buy it without worry -- it has full certification for both power and data.

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Microsoft Office is the best software in the world. If I was running a company, I would choose it over any other solution. While free alternatives like LibreOffice are pretty good, they are all inferior to Microsoft's class-leading office suite. Any spreadsheet power user, for instance, knows nothing compares to Excel. These are indisputable facts.

Today, Microsoft announces that Office 2021 is coming to both Windows 10 and macOS later in the year. And yet, I am not excited about that, nor would I recommend anyone buy it. Why? Because Microsoft 365 exists.

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The Apple TV+ streaming service is hot garbage. Just how bad is it? I think I've had it free for over a year now, and I almost never watch it. It came gratis when I bought an iPad, but then Apple kept extending that free period. It's a very bad sign that the company is continuing to give it away -- it clearly signals people aren't opting to pay for it.

I have gone to the service a few times to see if anything looked good, but I typically opt for something on Netflix instead. What I did choose to watch, however, didn't hold my attention. As the owner of two Apple TV devices (4th gen and 4K) I am probably one of the users Apple expected to embrace TV+, but nope. And now, Apple TV+ is coming to Google TV devices. The big question is, who the heck owns a Google TV device and cares about Apple TV+?

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The pandemic has taken its toll on a lot of businesses, as both leadership and workers struggle to adapt to this new remote-work world. Despite what the doom-and-gloom pundits say, however, the physical office is not dead. Sure, there may be a permanent increase in hybrid situations, but many employees will be back to workplace cubicles soon enough.

One thing a lot of people probably don't miss about being in an office is in-person PowerPoint presentations. They are boring and awkward for both the presenter and the viewers. Thankfully, today, Satechi launches a new Bluetooth presentation remote called "R1" that will make presenting a slide-show more comfortable by allowing you to move around the room. In addition, the company is releasing the "R2" Bluetooth multimedia remote -- for those that want to control their music and videos wirelessly.

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Investing has gotten much more popular lately, thanks in part to the monumental rise of stocks like GameStop. Sadly, popular trading app Robinhood upset many of its users when it temporarily suspended trading of that stock. As a result, some of its customers jumped ship to competing services, such as Public.

Highlighting just how much Public has benefited from recent events, today, the company announces it has reached a major milestone -- 1 million users.

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I love smartphones, but I hate how expensive they have gotten. If you can afford to spend $1,000 or more on a phone, more power to you. However, for most people, that is simply way too much money. Not to mention, companies pressure you to upgrade the phones every year or two, leading to waste. Landfills are likely overwhelmed by "obsolete" devices.

A company called Teracube has had enough of sky-high pricing, lack of software updates, and wasteful marketing tactics. Today, the manufacturer finally begins selling its latest model. Called "Teracube 2e," this $199 Android phone has the potential to change the world thanks to it’s focus on the environment. It even comes with an impressive 4-year warranty and the promise of at least 3 years of software updates.

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When Apple revealed its own ARM-based M1 processor, it changed everything. You see, Apple Silicon performance didn't just meet consumer expectations, it exceeded it by far. Yes, the M1 processor is a magic-like chip that is shockingly capable while sipping electricity -- battery life on M1 MacBook laptops is impressive. Apple deserves major props for its willingness to cut ties with Intel and forge its own path.

With all of the hype surrounding the M1 processor, I decided to buy my own Mac mini powered by the chip. It was quite inexpensive, priced under $700, so I felt comfortable diving into this new Apple Silicon world. After all, I am primarily a desktop Linux user -- I wasn't interested in spending thousands of dollars on my own curiosity.

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As more and more computer users sour on Windows 10, they are increasingly turning to Linux as an alternative. They aren't just choosing traditional desktop Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Manjaro, but Chrome OS too. Yes, folks, Chromebooks run a Linux-based operating system. Make no mistake, Linux is a threat to Microsoft's desktop stranglehold.

Unfortunately, there are way too many Linux distributions nowadays, making it hard for curious Windows users to pick one. My advice to Linux newbies is to start with Ubuntu -- or a variant of it -- such as Mint or Pop!_OS. As you get more comfortable, you can then begin distro-hopping, starting a quest to find the best Linux-based operating system to meet your needs.

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Back in the day, computer builders would often buy sound cards for their rigs. This was because on-board audio used to be terrible. Going even further back, some motherboards did not even offer integrated sound, making a sound card a must.

Nowadays, however, most computers have on-board audio that isn't just passable, but quite good. Sure, there are still dedicated sound cards on the market, but they are usually reserved for audiophiles and/or gamers. These days, most computer users would be better served by a USB DAC -- a digital to analog converter. These offer superior audio for both laptops and desktops, and can reduce electrical interference and noise too.

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Windows 10 is actually a really great operating system. The problem? It is actually quite expensive at its normal retail price. Amazon sells Windows 10 Home for a whopping $130! Not to mention, Microsoft's desktop OS is quite resource intensive, making it a bad choice for those with aging hardware. For those with older computers, Linux-based operating systems are often a better option.

While many people associate Linux distributions with "free," the truth is, some can actually cost money. There is nothing wrong with paying for a Linux distro either -- it is a fine way to support the development. One such operating system, Linspire (formerly known as "Lindows") recently hit a major milestone -- version 10. Starting at just $29.99, the Ubuntu-based operating system is far cheaper than the expensive Windows 10.

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