Brian Fagioli

Mesh networking systems are all the rage these days, and it isn't hard to see why. Traditional wireless routers can be deficient in large houses, failing to reach all of the rooms. It can be quite frustrating to experience dead zones in your home, and fiddling with range extenders can be annoying. Mesh networks blanket your home in glorious Wi-Fi by utilizing several well-placed access points.

Today, ASUS unveils its latest mesh networking system. Called "Lyra Trio," it is comprised of three AC1750 access points. The 802.11ac devices are pyramid-shaped and contain vertical 3x3 MIMO antennas. If you don't have experience with setting up a home network, don't worry -- you can use a special smartphone app (Android and iPhone) to do so easily.

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For 2018, I decided to take stock in my finances to see exactly where my money is going each month. I found many ways to cut costs, such as making my own lunch instead of buying something from a deli each day. In New York, a sandwich, bag of chips, and a Snapple can easily run you $13! Food aside, there was one thing in particular that was really destroying my budget -- cable.

When I say cable, I am referring to the traditional "triple play" service, where you get television, internet, and phone. For this, I was paying over $200 a month! This was without any premium channels -- no HBO, Starz, or Showtime. The most ridiculous part? I was being charged monthly rental fees for the cable boxes and modem. Well, enough was enough. Thanks to YouTube TV, I "cut the cord" and I couldn't be happier.

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The concept of printing out your photos and putting them in an album is pretty much dead. Yeah, some folks probably still do this, but thanks to smartphones, tablets, and smart televisions, there is no reason to do so. There are much better ways to share and enjoy your precious memories these days. In other words, the digitization of photos has created a superior experience.

But OK, it can be fun to print out photos at a party or family get-together, where the images are essentially disposable -- kind of like a Polaroid. After all, not everything is worthy of framing. Today, Canon launches a new portable printer called "IVY Mini" that can do exactly that.

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The voice assistant hardware market is exploding in popularity lately, with devices running software from Amazon, Google, and to a lesser extent, Apple. We can pretty much leave Cortana out of the conversation despite a very good hardware offering from Harman Kardon.

As Apple's HomePod fails due to a still-disappointing Siri, Google and Amazon's offerings remain the cream of the crop. Which of those two you prefer is a matter of personal preference, although I prefer Alexa having tried both. Today, Alexa is getting a unique new feature that sets it apart from Google even more. Called "Alexa Skill Blueprints," you can easily create custom Skills without any programming experience.

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Solid state drives are in the future of computing, while hard disk drives are the past. With that said, despite being destined for the history books, HDDs are still a big part of the present. In other words, despite being older technology, mechanical hard drives definitely have their place these days. Why? Well, they offer huge capacities at affordable prices. True, solid state drives are dropping in price, but they still aren't financially feasible for data centers, for instance. SSDs will get there eventually, but for now, hard drives live on.

Amazingly, some manufacturers are still pushing the HDD envelope, delivering ever-increasing capacities. For instance, today, Western Digital -- one of the most respected storage companies -- announces a new 14TB HDD called "Ultrastar DC HC530." While that storage capacity has been done before, this is the first 14TB drive to use conventional magnetic recording (CMR).

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Both Thunderbolt 3 docking stations and bus-powered USB-C hubs are nothing new. But what about bus-powered Thunderbolt 3 docking stations? Ah, that is a much more rare product. In fact, today, StarTech is launching two bus-powered portable Thunderbolt 3 docking stations that it claims are an "industry first." If you aren't familiar, "bus-powered" means there is no need for an AC adapter -- the port on your laptop powers the dock. This is great because, without a power adapter, you have one less thing to carry.

Why are there two models? Well, while they are both similar, they are are also quite different. The TB3DK2DP features two DisplayPort connections, a USB 3.0 Type-A port, and gigabit Ethernet. The TB3DKM2HD in comparison has two HDMI ports, gigabit Ethernet, a USB 3.0 Type-A port and a USB 2.0 Type-A port. Both portable docks can push two 4K monitors at 60Hz, but only the DisplayPort variant can do 5K at 60Hz. Neither feature female USB-C ports.

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If you still haven't made the leap from HDD to SSD, what the heck are you waiting for? OK, true, mechanical drives are more affordable when capacity is considered, but come on -- the speed makes it totally worthwhile. It's not like you need a fancy NVMe drive either -- for most consumers, an inexpensive SATA-based solid state drive is more than adequate. Let's be honest -- outside of benchmarks and bragging rights, a blazing-fast PCIe SSD is probably overkill for the majority of consumers.

Today, Kingston unveils a new line of SATA-based SSDs. They are available in three form factors -- 2.5-inch, M.2 2280, and mSATA. Capacity ranges from 120GB to 1920GB depending on which of the aforementioned styles is selected. For instance, the mSATA model maxes out at 480GB, while the M.2 goes up to 960GB. The 2.5-inch takes things to another level, as it features capacities up to a massive 1,920GB! Best of all, they feature 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption.

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If your laptop has Thunderbolt 3 -- and you want to connect it to a keyboard, mouse, and display -- a TB3 dock is a worthwhile investment. This allows you to both charge and connect your peripherals with a single cable. Don't have Thunderbolt 3? That's OK -- you can still utilize a USB dock. While it won't charge your machine, it will still offer much convenience.

While my MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt 3, my family and I have Windows and Linux notebooks that still use USB 3.0. For these computers, I have been testing a new USB 3.0 dock from VisionTek called "VT1000." Not only does it serve as a 3-port USB 3.0 hub (two Type-A on front, one on rear), but it also provides gigabit Ethernet, audio, and the ability to push two displays. For this, it offers very versatile connection options -- HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA.

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For better or worse, the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) initiative seems to be moving full steam ahead. There are some very respectable distributions available in the Microsoft Store, such as Debian, Ubuntu, and Kali to name a few. Not to mention, Microsoft is trying to encourage even more maintainers to submit their distros with a new tool.

Apparently, some Windows 10 users have been clamoring for the ability to copy and paste both from and to WSL consoles -- a reasonable request. Well, as of Insider Build 17643, this is finally possible.

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Intel and AMD both make great processors, but the latter is more about value than raw performance. Don't get me wrong, AMD's products are plenty powerful, but they tend to be easier on the wallet compared to Intel. That is why I, and many other PC builders, choose AMD -- wonderful performance/price balance. It's Ryzen line in particular offers fabulous multi-core performance at a great price, making them excellent choices for all types of computer users -- including both gamers and video editors.

Today, AMD unveils the second-generation of Ryzen processors, and the company has managed to do something quite remarkable. You see, not only are these 12nm chips more powerful than their 14nm predecessors, but they are less expensive too! On top of that, the entire line of second-gen Ryzen processors come with high-end Wraith coolers -- enough for modest overclocking. The coolers that comes with the Ryzen 7 models even feature LED lighting.

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System76 has long been a huge champion of both Linux and open source. If you aren't familiar, the company sells premium computers running the Ubuntu operating system. Recently, the company decided to create its own Ubuntu-based distro called "Pop!_OS" which uses the GNOME desktop environment.

Today, Denver, Colorado-based System76 takes its commitment to GNOME even further by becoming a Foundation Advisory Board member. It joins other respected companies on the board such as Google, Red Hat, and Canonical to name a few.

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Home consumers probably own just one desktop computer -- if they don't instead have a laptop. Enthusiasts and professionals, however, can own two or more (workstations, servers, etc.). Managing them all can be a pain in the butt, as you must own several keyboards, mice, and monitors -- a costly and messy affair. Of course, alternatively, you can own just one set of peripherals and constantly switch them between the machines -- a hassle that also puts wear on the ports.

The best alternative, however, is to utilize a KVMP switch, which allows you to easily switch one set of peripherals -- including USB, audio and video -- between several machines. Today, IOGEAR launches two new high-end KVMP switches with dual 4K video-out. One supports two computers, while the other handles up to four. And yes, the 4K video is at 60Hz.

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Thunderbolt 3 is awesome. The connection is blazing fast, and for convenience, it uses the same connector as USB-C. It allows a computer user to expand the functionality of their laptop with ease. Keep in mind, however, while USB-C devices will generally work with all Thunderbolt 3 ports, TB3 devices won't work on normal USB-C ports. Ultimately, Thunderbolt 3 is the superior standard. Best of all, it is supported on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

StarTech is no stranger to Thunderbolt 3 adapters, and today, it unveils two new products. The company's motto is "hard-to-find made easy" and both of these offerings match that. One product is a Thunderbolt 3 to eSATA adapter -- quite niche these days. It also offers a USB 3.1 gen 2 Type-A port. The other new product is a Thunderbolt 3 to USB 3.1 controller, which is sort of like a USB hub on steroids.

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No matter the product, a manufacturer should take pride in what it produces. In a world where technology is largely disposable, it is appreciated when a company creates something that is designed to last. If you go on Amazon these days, and you look to buy, say, a cable, you will be presented with countless unrecognizable brands with inexpensive low-quality offerings. And yeah, saving money is cool, but if you are buying crap, have you really saved anything?

I say all that because I have discovered a new USB-C cable from a company called Nomad that promises to be extremely rugged. Do you need a durable cable? Well, if you travel, absolutely. People that are constantly "on the go" will find themselves often pulling cables out of their bag and then shoving them back in. Not to mention, when you are in an airport or coffee shop, for instance, you may find yourself in awkward positions where the cable faces extra strain on its connectors while charging.

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Ubuntu Linux 18.04 "Bionic Beaver" is almost here -- it is due on April 26. In the interim, today, the second -- and final -- beta becomes available. Bionic Beaver is very significant, as it is an LTS version, meaning "Long Term Support." This is important to those that prefer stability to bleeding edge and don't want to deal with the hassle of upgrades. In other words, you can install 18.04 and be confident that it will be supported for 5 years. In comparison, non-LTS Ubuntu versions get a mere 9 months.

There is plenty to be excited about with Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS 'Bionic Beaver' Beta 2, including the GNOME 3.28 desktop environment -- Beta 1 did not include GNOME at all. Of course, all the other DE flavors are available too, such as KDE and Xfce. The kernel is at 4.15, which while not the most current version, is still quite modern. Also included is LibreOffice 6.0 -- an essential tool that rivals Microsoft Office. Wayland is available as a technical preview, although X remains the default display server -- for now.

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