Brian Fagioli

As the battle between iOS and Android rages on, it can be said that both operating systems are wonderful. True, Apple's offering allows more timely updates, but Google's mobile OS is available to many manufacturers for various device types. It is clear why Android is the most-used mobile operating system in the world -- it allows affordable devices, while Apple simply doesn't.

Today, Google shocks the tech world by releasing the first official Developer Preview of Android N -- the successor to the wonderful Marshmallow. It is available for many Nexus devices, and you can install it now. Google even shares a handy how-to guide below.

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Video conferencing and remote collaboration are hugely important for modern businesses. As more and more employees choose to work from home or at off-site locations, it is imperative that they can interface in a meaningful way. Conference calls and email just won't cut it.

While Microsoft's forthcoming Surface Hub looks great, let's be honest -- it will be expensive and could be a hard sell to company decision makers. Small businesses in particular could be priced-out of that hardware. Today, Microsoft announces Project Rigel -- a way to deliver a similar Skype Meeting-based experience, as shown on Surface Hub, but without the super-expensive hardware.

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One of my favorite things to do each year is go on a cruise. Since I am not wealthy, it is a great way to take a vacation without breaking the bank. While the trip itself is great, knowing that a holiday is on the horizon keeps me happy and motivated to work hard during the rest of the year -- a light at the end of a tunnel, if you will.

Planning a cruise can be simple, but more in-depth vacations can be much more difficult. Deciding on travel, hotels, rental cars, food, and more can be dizzying. Luckily, the always-helpful Google wants to make your vacation-planning easier. If you want to make your plans using a mobile device, the all-new 'Destinations on Google' should make you very happy.

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If you live in the suburbs, such as on Long Island, you pretty much have to own a car. Without a vehicle, getting around in a reasonable amount of time can be downright impossible. Sure, taxis are available, but that is way too expensive.

City dwellers, however, can get by without owning a car. Quite frankly, having a vehicle can be more trouble than it's worth, with hard-to-find parking and frequent dents and dings. Instead, public transportation is the wiser choice -- it is fairly affordable and dependable. Unfortunately, buses and trains are not always modern -- especially in NYC. Luckily, this is changing a bit, as NY Governor Cuomo announces an initiative to introduce free Wi-Fi and USB charging to 2,042 new buses.

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When Microsoft released the first Surface tablets, many consumers -- including me -- were dubious. Windows on a tablet was not ideal, and it made lap-typing damn-near impossible. Worst of all, Surface RT confused consumers, tainting the Surface branding entirely. A detachable laptop/tablet was a massive failure, right?

Wrong. Microsoft persevered, and wisely maintained course, eventually making the Surface an honest-to-goodness success. If you can afford it you really can't go wrong with a Surface Pro or Surface Book. Heck, Google has even copied Microsoft's concept with its atrocious Pixel C, while Apple has seen success with its beautiful iPad Pro. Microsoft was the leader, and it is apparently paying dividends, as detachable tablet sales are predicted to increase leaps and bounds. Sorry, haters, Microsoft was right all along.

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It is becoming a cliché, but the best upgrade you can make is moving from a mechanical HDD to an SSD. In 2016, however, all solid state drives are not created equal. While it used to be that having any SSD was awesome, this is simply not the case anymore. As higher capacities become less expensive, and interfaces become speedier, that SATA SSD you bought a few years ago may not be so great anymore.

Case in point, today, Seagate shows off what it claims is the fastest SSD ever. How fast is it, you ask? 10 gigabytes per second! Yes, that is gigabytes, folks, and not gigabits. It utilizes a 16-lane NVMe PCIe interface. Oh. My. Gosh.

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Linux Mint is a good operating system. The problem, however, is that it really doesn't need to exist. Mint is based on Ubuntu, which is a wonderful OS on its own. Ultimately, the biggest reason for Mint's existence is the Cinnamon desktop environment, and that is certainly no reason for an entirely new OS. One of the things keeping Linux behind on the desktop is the sheer number of unnecessary distributions, such as Mint, but I digress.

When Linux Mint forums and ISOs were compromised, many of its users felt betrayed. After all, Linux is supposed to be safe and secure -- this hack was a major blemish to the community overall. Of course, this is unfair -- the kernel was not hacked, only Mint's servers. Today, as a reactionary response to the hack, Mint is changing password policies.

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Many consumers have a love/hate relationship with their cell providers. On the one hand, these companies provide us with our much-needed data -- allowing us to access the Internet from almost anywhere. On the other hand, where the hate comes in, is high prices and data caps. By limiting data, these companies are arguably impeding technological progress -- users shouldn't have to be mindful of data usage.

It is for this reason that Project Fi has been a godsend for some. Google's cellular service -- piggybacked off of Wi-Fi, T-Mobile, and Sprint -- offers affordable tiered data plans. The big catch, unfortunately, was the invite system. You see, you had to have a special invite to sign up, meaning many of those that wanted to, simply couldn't. Today, this changes as Google kills Project Fi invites, making it available to anyone in the United States. I am very happy to say 'RIP' to the invite system!

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This may blow some peoples' minds, but both OS X and Windows 10 are great operating systems. True, Microsoft's latest offering has some major annoyances such as privacy concerns, but overall, it is solid. One major way the two OS experiences differ is with touch screens. Microsoft has embraced touch and drawing with its operating system, while Apple has not. In fact, the fruit-logo company has failed to manufacturer a touch-enabled laptop (some would argue wisely).

If you do not need a touch experience, or stylus, not having those things won't really matter. If you do need those things, however, a Windows 10 computer such as the Surface Book could be the smarter choice. To highlight this, Microsoft is straight-up attacking Apple's MacBook Pro in a series of new videos. Quite frankly, Microsoft seems a bit like a bully -- sort of like Donald Trump -- by attacking Apple in this way. Is the Surface Book truly better than Apple's offering as the videos suggest?

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In the year 2016, you would think videoconferencing would be very prevalent in business offices. Unfortunately, many solutions are expensive and confusing -- audio-based conference calls are still quite popular. In order for video conferencing to truly take off, it must be both easy to setup and use.

Today, Logitech announces the ConferenceCam Kit -- a video conferencing bundle powered by the powerful, and diminutive, Intel NUC. Will it prove popular with businesses?

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The inventor of email, Ray Tomlinson, has passed away at the age of 74. Yes, the man who changed the way we communicate, is no longer with us. His invention was revolutionary, essentially killing the written letter and causing heartache to the United States Postal Service.

As great as his invention was, and continues to be, it is starting to get long in the tooth. In other words, alternative communication services, like text messaging, iMessage, Slack, Telegram, and more, could possibly lead to the death of email. Will email soon leave our lives?

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It is snowing once again in New York today -- won't the winter madness ever end? This dreary weather has largely kept me indoors; reading magazines, watching TV, and enjoying the occasional movie. Nothing's better than getting cozy on your couch with a warm blanket and cup of tea to watch a good film.

With that said, this weekend is looking like a good candidate for some movie watching. Unfortunately, picking a movie can be daunting -- there are so many to choose from. Even worse, paying to rent a movie that ends up being bad can make you feel like you've been robbed. If you share my concerns, I have good news -- you can score a Google Play movie rental for 50 percent off. It is a limited offer, however, so you must act fast.

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Here's the deal folks -- I am scared of some amusement park rides. Put me on an intense roller coaster and I will fill with anxiety and probably weep like a baby. I know I am not alone in this regard -- I see other fearful men and women at these parks.

Today, Samsung announces a partnership with Six Flags that could make some roller coasters even more exciting. You see, Six Flags will be leveraging the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR for virtual reality roller coasters. The big question is, will wearing a VR mask while on a roller coaster make it even more scary for those with ride-anxiety, or could it alleviate the problem?

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Computers and sports have historically been viewed as separate -- at least from a stereotypical point of view. It used to be perceived that there were jocks and nerds, and that computers were reserved for the latter. Over time, however, computers have gone so mainstream that they are ubiquitous in pretty much every sector. Hell, Microsoft's awesome Surface computers are seen on the sidelines of NFL games.

Today, Microsoft and the NCAA announce a partnership to further marry sports and computers with the Bing-powered March Madness basketball bracket experience. The NCAA is also releasing a new universal Windows 10 app! Sports fans -- and bracket gamblers -- should absolutely love the experiences created by this partnership.

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Friends and colleagues often tell me I am a bit of a hypochondriac. As soon as a virus makes its way to the news, I am convinced I have it. Hell, I even bought respiratory face masks from Amazon in case Ebola somehow spread to Long Island! Ultimately, I end up looking foolish -- my fears were for naught.

The Zika virus has me worried, however, and this time, sadly, my fears are warranted. Carried by mosquitoes, the virus itself is usually fairly harmless to the infected, but can spread globally. The true devastation caused by Zika is birth defects for babies, such as microcephaly, caused by virus-infected mothers. Luckily, Google is working to fight the Zika virus by contributing money and resources and, more good news, the resulting platform will be open source.

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