Brian Fagioli

Other World Computing (also known as OWC) is a very Apple-centric company. Its products are typically designed for Mac computers, such as the iMac, Mac Pro, and MacBook to name a few. Hell, the company's website is MacSales.com -- what does that tell you? Despite primarily focusing on Apple products, its offerings aren't exclusive to Mac. Many of its storage, memory, and docking products are compatible with Windows and Linux computers too.

OWC's latest storage product is sure to be cross-platform, as it is merely a solid state drive. The SSD is a very fast M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe variant, but that isn't what makes it so exciting. Actually, it is the capacity -- an insane 4TB! And yes, as you can expect, the 4TB Aura P12 M.2 NVMe SSD (S3DN3P2T40) is quite expensive.

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Ubuntu 20.04 was released this past Friday, and Linux fans around the world were understandably excited. However, "when it rains, it pours," as they say, because not only is Fedora 32 right around the corner, but today, yet another top-tier distribution gets a new release. This time, it is the Arch Linux-based Manjaro 20, which is code-named "Lysia."

The newest version of the wildly popular operating system can be had with your choice of three desktop environments -- Xfce, GNOME, and KDE Plasma. All three are great, but Xfce is the default for Manjaro. In version 20 of the OS, Xfce gets bumped up to 4.14. Manjaro 20 "Lysis" also gets Linux kernel 5.6 and a new ZFS installation option in Architect. Pamac 9.4 package manager gets support for both flatpaks and snaps by default -- very cool.

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Bluetooth headphones are no longer the future of portable audio — they are the present. Since Apple courageously killed the 3.5mm audio jack on the iPhone, and many Android manufacturers followed suit, wireless headphones have exploded in popularity. And yes, Apple AirPods are leading the trend.

The thing is, while AirPods are very popular, they aren’t necessarily the best. In fact, if you are an Android user, you should absolutely look elsewhere. Today, Audio-Technica launches its newest in-ear Bluetooth headphones, and they put Apple AirPods to shame. Called “QuietPoint ATH-ANC300TW,” they feature 4.5 hours of listening time, but the USB-C charging case adds 13.5 more. You even get replaceable tips so you can find the most comfortable fit.

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Apple Music and Spotify are both great streaming music services, but the former is just a bit better than the latter. Apple’s offering has a much more intuitive user interface, and its curated playlists are second to none. Apple Music is now available on most platforms too, such as iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux — thanks to the new web client.

Starting today, Apple Music is now available on many newer Samsung smart televisions as well. This is quite remarkable, as Apple and Samsung are fierce competitors in the smartphone market. As Apple becomes more and more focused on services, however, the company is apparently becoming more open to working with former “enemies.”

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There are many desktop Linux distributions these days, but only a handful are significant enough to cause widespread excitement. None have the mainstream attention that Ubuntu does, however -- it is undoubtedly the most popular desktop Linux-based operating system on the planet. Hell, what other distro got mentioned on the wildly popular TV show The Big Bang Theory?

But why is Ubuntu so popular? Despite what some critics may say, Ubuntu's popularity and admiration are absolutely warranted -- there's a reason the distro has been trusted by so many people over the years. Not only is the operating system beautiful, easy to use, and very stable, but there are countless packages and repos available for it, making it a wise choice for both beginners and experts alike. Not to mention, it has a very large online community, making it is easy to find help if needed. Plus, these days, it uses the overall best desktop environment -- GNOME.

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Back in the day, external storage drives were great for portability, but were typically very slow compared to internal storage drives. Nowadays, however, thanks to PCIe solid state drives that interface with either USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3, the convenience of external storage doesn’t mean having to sacrifice performance. There are some very fast portable SSDs out there, and they are typically quite small too.

Today, Patriot launches its latest external SSD, and it is a fast little beast. It is essentially an internal M.2 PCIe NVMe drive housed in a sleek enclosure. The diminutive drive connects via USB-C and provides both read and write performance up to 1,000MB/s. Its aluminum body doesn't just look good, but should lend to extra durability too. It even comes with both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables in the box.

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Windows 7 and Windows 10 aren't bad operating systems. In fact, they are both quite good. Unfortunately, since Windows 7 is no longer supported, some of its users are stuck in a conundrum. They have to decide whether to use an unsupported Windows 7 or upgrade to Windows 10 that is full of telemetry and other "spying" that passes their information to Microsoft's servers.

Well, I am happy to say there is another option -- switch to Linux. Yes, modern Linux-based operating systems will be supported (unlike Windows 7) and most will run great on aging hardware (unlike Windows 10). Linux Lite is one of the best Linux distributions for Windows-switchers, as it is lightweight, modern, and familiar. Today, the first release candidate of Linux Lite 5.0 becomes available, and it is based on the bleeding-edge Ubuntu 20.04. It even comes with modern software, such as Linux kernel 5.4.0, Gimp 2.10.18, Thunderbird 68.7.0, Firefox 75.0, and VLC 3.0.9.

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Dynabook's Portégé X-Series laptop line is one of my favorites. While they are primarily aimed at business users, they make superb consumer notebooks too. The elegant magnesium alloy bodies feel premium -- it is very pleasing to touch. They also have great keyboards with well-spaced keys, accurate trackpads, beautiful touch screens, and they can be configured with some very cutting-edge specifications too. They even have that classic pointing nub that some folks really love.

Today, the company announces a trio of new models of its thin and light Portégé X-Series Windows 10 laptops that come with bleeding-edge 10th Gen Comet Lake Intel Core processors -- i5-10210U or i7-10510U, depending on configuration. CPU aside, you also get Thunderbolt 3 and Wi-Fi 6 -- two very modern features. In addition, you can choose between 8GB or 16GB of RAM and either a 256GB or 512GB SSD for storage. Best of all, all three laptops are certified as "Secured-core PCs" by Microsoft, meaning they feature enhanced security.

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Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C are both great interfaces, but there is a problem -- they share the same connector. While Thunderbolt 3 computers can interface with USB-C devices, computers that only have USB-C cannot interface with Thunderbolt 3 devices. While this is easy for technology enthusiasts to understand, it can cause confusion for the average consumer. When wanting to buy a docking station, for instance, a shopper may accidentally choose the wrong one. Thankfully, there are docks these days that can work with both.

Today, popular company Plugable launches its latest such product. Called "TBT3-UDC1," this docking station is optimized for both Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C computers (on both Windows and macOS). This isn't just helpful to unsure consumers, but also, it can be great for businesses and families that are utilizing both computer types. Since the host port is on the front, users can very easily plug in without having to worry about compatibility. It has all the ports you need too, such as Ethernet, 3.5mm audio, USB-A, USB-C and dual DisplayPort. While it does lack an SD card reader, you can easily add a dongle such as this one.

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When it comes to gaming mice, there are some very funky designs out there. Quite frankly, it isn't uncommon to have a gaming mouse resemble alien technology rather than a pointing device. Hell, some gaming mice even feature things like a dozen thumb buttons! Look, some people like crazy-looking mice with tons of buttons, while others value simplicity.

Today, Logitech unveils a "new" gaming mouse that focuses on simplicity and affordability, but at the same time, it oozes style. Called "G203 LIGHTSYNC," it appears to be nothing more than a rebrand of the existing "G203 PRODIGY" mouse. From what I can tell, specifications and designs are identical. Hell, even the price is the same. With that said, there are new model and SKU numbers, so it is technically a new product.

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Nowadays, smartphones are getting ridiculously expensive, with some flagships far exceeding $1,000. Worst of all, these pricey phones are still quite delicate -- if you drop it, there is a good chance the screen will shatter or it will become damaged in a different way.

Today, Samsung launches a new Android 10 smartphone that isn't just rugged, but affordable too. You see, the "Galaxy XCover Pro," as it is called, is priced at less than $500. It is IP68 rated and MIL-STD 810G certified, making it ideal for frontline workers that do physical jobs. These are people like construction workers or even medical professionals helping to fight COVID-19. It even has Microsoft Teams integration, including a dedicated button for the Walkie Talkie feature. Plus, Samsung promises three years of security updates too, providing peace of mind.

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LG smartphones are often great -- not always, but usually. The company's Android devices are typically chock-full of cool features and respectable specifications. LG's V series of smartphones, in particular, have been very revolutionary. The V60 ThinQ 5G, which we reviewed recently, is one of the best Android phones in years -- as long as you also buy the useful second screen. Despite all the notable specs and features, there is a small problem with LG phones in recent years -- they look a bit dated. And yes, the design of a smartphone does matter. Look, phones aren't just handheld computers nowadays, but in addition, they are a fashion accessory and status symbol.

For LG's success in the Android market to continue, a rethink of design style was necessary. Well, the company has done just that, as it now looks to wow the world with the all-new LG Velvet Android smartphone which uses a new branding scheme. Rather than use letters and numbers to name their devices, it will use words instead -- "Velvet" instead of "V60," for instance. This is reminiscent of the automobile industry, where Ford and Chevy use bold names like "Mustang" and "Blazer" while Infinity and Volvo use cold names such as "Q50" and "XC40." The company first spoke of the upcoming device earlier this month, but now, it has released an official YouTube video as well.

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My favorite streaming music service is Apple Music. As an iPhone user, this was a match made in heaven. As a regular desktop Linux user, however, this was very problematic. You see, for the longest time, you needed iTunes to listen to Apple Music on desktop. This wasn't a problem when using Windows 10 or macOS, but as soon as I signed into, say, Ubuntu, I was out of luck, as there is no iTunes for Linux.

Thankfully, late last year, Apple finally brought its streaming music service to the web. In other words, all you needed to listen to Apple Music was a compatible web browser. This meant that users of desktop Linux could finally listen to the streaming service by simply firing up a web browser, such as Firefox. Despite being a feature Spotify offered for many years, it was still a really big deal. The problem? Apple Music for the web was merely a beta. Today, this changes.

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If you are an iPhone user, and you want a tablet, you should absolutely get an iPad. Why? Because not only do they share the same App Store (meaning you can often buy an app once and have it on both devices), but also, they can be linked so you get text messages and phone calls on the iPad. The problem? Most of the world uses Android smartphones -- not iPhone. Unfortunately, quality Android tablets are becoming increasingly more rare.

Thankfully, some companies are still making Android tablets consumers will actually want, and today, a new one is announced by Samsung. Called "Galaxy Tab S6 Lite," the tablet runs Android 10 and comes with an S Pen included. This device is designed with a focus on media consumption, so it has a big beautiful display and dual AKG-tuned speakers with Dolby Atmos 3D surround sound. It even comes with complimentary access to YouTube Premium for four months.

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RGB lighting rules -- it's a fact. It has the ability to make a great product even better. True, some people decry the inclusion of RGB in so many products nowadays, but to them I say, either buy a different product or simply turn the lighting off! You see, many of these products allow you to turn off the lighting effects entirely, so there is really no downside.

Today, ADATA announces its latest memory, and yes, it features RGB lighting! Called "SPECTRIX D50," these DDR4 modules carry the company's XPG branding, meaning they are intended for gaming. With that said, even non-gamers can enjoy the performance and good looks of these sticks.

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