Brian Fagioli

I recently converted my home from Amazon Alexa to Google Assistant. Why did I do this? Well, after comparing them both, I found Google's results were better. Not to mention, there are many nuances that make me prefer the search giant's offering. For instance, if I ask for a baseball score, it also shares the sound of a crowd cheering and the crack of the bat hitting a ball. I even prefer the confirmation sounds it makes. When I ask Google to turn off my lamp, for instance, it responds with a more pleasant tone than Alexa does. And so, my Echo devices were replaced with Nest speakers.

Sadly, there was a huge hole left in my life by ditching Amazon for Google -- SiriusXM. You see, with Alexa, you can ask her to play a SiriusXM channel and she does (as long as your account is linked, of course). This convenient feature simply wasn't possible on Google Assistant. Today, however, this changes -- Howard Stern and the rest of SiriusXM are finally coming to Google's Nest speakers! There are even plans to eventually bring video to some Nest devices.

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Google recently launched its latest home Wi-Fi product -- Nest Wifi. It looks like a great networking solution for those that want to utilize mesh to extend coverage in their home. Hell, it even has Google Assistant built in! You know what it doesn't have though? Wi-Fi 6.

What exactly is Wi-Fi 6? It is the official name for 802.11ax -- the latest and greatest wireless networking standard. Despite Wi-Fi 6 devices being fairly rare, it is still strange that the search giant chose to not include it. Oh well. Google isn't the only game in town. TP-Link, for instance, recently announced some affordable 802.11ax routers. If you want both Wi-Fi 6 and mesh, however, today, you have a new option -- the Linksys MX10 Velop. Before you get too excited, please know the price is rather high.

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Is Fedora popular? Well, is any desktop Linux distribution truly popular in the grand scheme of things? I mean, look, Windows holds an insurmountable lead in the desktop operating system space -- it cannot be denied. Amongst Linux distributions, however, yes, Fedora is very popular comparatively. Why do people choose it over other distros, such as Ubuntu, MX Linux, or Manjaro? It's simple -- Fedora is a no-nonsense operating system with a genuine focus on free and open source software. Not to mention, it is fairly bleeding edge while remaining stable.

So, yeah, Fedora is wonderful. Today, however, the Linux distribution gets even better. You see, following the beta period, Fedora 31 is now available for download. Is it an exciting release? No, not really. Sure, enthusiasts will find themselves thrilled withe inclusion of the GNOME 3.34 desktop environment (with Qt Wayland by default), Linux 5.3 kernel, and Mesa 9.2, but otherwise, it is fairly boring. You know what? That's not a bad thing. In 2019, Fedora is simply a mature and stable operating system that only needs to follow an evolutionary path at this time -- not revolutionary. It stands alone as the world's best desktop Linux distribution.

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Most people love their children, but hey, I guess there are some folks that don't. If you hate your young child, I have some great news -- Microsoft has a new Surface Go Kids Bundle that is perfect for you. You know how most kids want an iPad for all of the great apps? Well, rather than buy them what they actually want, you can instead get them an under-powered Windows 10 tablet.

Yeah, Microsoft has decided to push the Surface Go to children for some reason by dressing it up in a clown suit. You see, the Surface Go Kids Bundle is just the tablet in a colorful case plus some colorful headphones. Truth be told, the Gumdrop FoamTech Case does look very durable, but it is hilariously over-the-top in its design. I suppose the colors will appeal to young children, but beyond that, what little kid is clamoring for Windows?

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Despite being wildly popular (largely for fashion purposes) Apple AirPods are a terrible product. Yeah, they have some nice technology inside, and they sound pretty good, but holy cow, they are extremely uncomfortable. Seriously, how can a company worth many billions of dollars not come up with a better design than a rock-hard piece of plastic that you shove in your ears?

Well, today, Apple announces that it has finally fixed the AirPods. No, it is not revising the product, but instead, it is launching a more comfortable version. Called "AirPods Pro," these new wireless earbuds are apparently designed for professional music listeners. Nah, I am being facetious -- they are designed for all users -- but the "Pro" branding is absurd. But thankfully, they do have replaceable ear tips, allowing the user to find the best fit. In other words, the one-size-fits-all approach taken with regular AirPods was, in fact, stupid. AirPods Pro offer more than just increased comfort, however -- noise cancellation is the real selling point here.

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Kingston Technology's gaming brand, HyperX, is mostly known for catering to PC gamers. Today, however, the company is launching a new product for console gamers. To be more specific, the new wireless headset, called "CloudX Flight," is designed for the Xbox One.

Truth be told, it is not an entirely new product. It is simply an Xbox version of the existing Cloud Flight headset -- notice the lack of "X" after Cloud? But hey, it is still cool. You get the same specs and 30 hours of battery life, but this time, it has a stylish green paint job.

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New is good. It is nice to have the newest technology with modern designs. But that doesn’t mean old is bad. In other words, sometimes a retro design can be appreciated too. In some cases, retro and modern can be merged into a single product. This often happens with automobiles. Hey, people love nostalgia. It sells.

TP-Link has some new smart light bulbs that fit into that modern/retro hybrid category. The KL50 and KL60, as they are called, are Wi-Fi enabled, don’t require a hub, and can connect to voice assistants like Alexa and Google. Despite being LED, they are made to appear vintage with a filament look. In addition, TP-Link is also launching a new multi-color light strip.

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For some people, it makes sense to store your data on someone else's drives -- that's what cloud storage is, after all. For others, they want full control of their data by storing it locally on their own storage devices. Keep in mind, just because you are storing data yourself, doesn't mean it can't be accessed remotely or by other machines on the same network. By using network-attached storage (NAS) you can easily access your data on your own terms.

Today, Western Digital unveils new WD Red NAS storage drives, and it is very exciting. You see, the WD Red NAS line no longer just includes mechanical hard drives -- there are solid state drives now too! Called WD "Red SA500," there are two types of the NAS SATA SSD available -- 2.5-inch and M.2.

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If you have a desire to use your laptop as a makeshift desktop, you should absolutely invest in a docking station. Thanks to USB-C, this is easier than ever, as there are many great docks from which to choose. You can then connect, say, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to the docking station and then plug your laptop into the dock with a single cable. Some models may even charge the laptop too.

But what if you want to cut out the middleman? Rather than buy a dedicated docking station, you can opt for a monitor with an integrated dock. Philips has a beautiful new such display, with a built-in USB-C docking station. Called "Brilliance 272P7VUBNB," the 27-inch display can do 4K at 60Hz while also charging your computer. In addition, it has many useful ports, such as gigabit Ethernet and dual USB-A. Plus, the monitor is very versatile, allowing height adjustment, tilt, and the ability to rotate vertically.

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In the classic story The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, a bird is bullied and tormented by a bunch of mean ducks -- simply because his appearance is different, and he is perceived as ugly. Spoiler alert: he grows up to be a beautiful swan and has the last laugh. Take that, mean ducks! In many ways, Linux users have been like that bullied bird -- made fun of for being different, but as time marches on, it is clear that they are the true swans of the computing world.

And so, how appropriate that MX Linux 19, which is released today, is code-named "Patito Feo," which is Spanish for ugly duckling. Yes, following some beta releases, the increasingly popular Debian 10 Buster-based distribution is finally here. The operating system features kernel 4.19 and uses the lightweight Xfce 4.14 desktop environment. It even features a patched sudo, so you don't need to concerned about that nasty security vulnerability that had some folks worried. Of course, there is a bunch of great software installed, such as Firefox 69, Thunderbird 60.9, LibreOffice 6.1.5, VLC 3.0.8, GIMP 2.10.12, and more!

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A week ago, Logitech launched some new products -- the K580 wireless keyboard and M355 mouse for Chrome OS. While it made sense that the K580 with its specialized Chrome OS keys was designed for Chromebooks and other Chrome devices, many were quick to wonder how a basic mouse could be designed for Google's desktop operating system. It turns out, that was only marketing -- obvious to most seasoned computer users.

To highlight this, today, Logitech announces the exact same mouse in three additional colors -- blue-grey, rose, and off-white. The trio of mice, called "Pebble M350," will work with pretty much any operating system -- including Chrome OS. Just like the M355 (which is a graphite-colored M350, really), these mice offer both Bluetooth and USB dongle wireless connectivity.

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Believe it or not, there are people still running computers without a solid state drive. With prices so low nowadays, there is really no reason for your operating system to be installed on a mechanical hard drive. Seriously, folks, an SSD is one of the best -- and most cost effective -- upgrades you can make.

Today, Kingston unveils its new line of solid state drives. Called "KC600," the drives are designed for upgrades, as they feature a 2.5-inch form factor and SATA connectivity. In other words, it should be a simple drop-in when removing the old hard drive. Best of all, it is very affordable, with pricing starting under $50!

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I'm an Apple iPhone user -- a rather satisfied one at that. More specifically, my regular day-to-day smartphone is the iPhone 8 Plus. Why haven't I upgraded to a newer model? Well, I didn't want to give up the Touch ID fingerprint reader, and I am not a fan of the notch. Not to mention, the iPhone 8 Plus is a great device that is still receiving updates. And so, I have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for Apple to convince me to upgrade -- the company has yet to do so.

When I got the opportunity to test Google's Pixel 4 smartphone, I was excited, but also, rather concerned. While I was glad the Pixel 4 didn't have a notch, I was worried about it not having a fingerprint reader. The more glaring issue, however, was the operating system -- moving from the iPhone 8 Plus to the Pixel 4 would be quite the culture shock.

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A little over a year ago, HyperX launched the Cloud MIX gaming headset. What made this model particularly cool was its ability to work both wired and wireless. In other words, you could use it as a Bluetooth headset when you wanted, but also, using the included cable, you could hard-wire it into your computer or other device.

Today, HyperX launches a new "Rose Gold" edition of the Cloud MIX headset. What new features does it have? Absolutely zero. It is virtually identical to the normal Cloud MIX except it has a new rose gold color. Now, the entire headset isn't rose gold -- it is mostly white. The namesake color is more of an accent. Regardless, it looks quite pretty.

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I recently sold my MacBook Pro for a few reasons, but probably most importantly, macOS just wasn't wowing me anymore. While Apple's desktop operating system is good for basic users, it is far too limited for the more hardcore. Ultimately, I found my productivity was negatively impacted by macOS -- my workflow with Windows 10 and various Linux distributions was simply better.

Of course, with all of that said, macOS is much prettier than Windows 10 -- even Microsoft would confess to that. But is it more attractive than desktop Linux distributions? Well, that depends on the desktop environment. While there are plenty of beautiful DEs and launchers for Linux, only one really surpasses macOS in the looks department -- deepin.

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