Brian Fagioli

When standard definition TV was being replaced by HDTV, there were rumblings that it wasn't needed. After all, SDTV is "good enough". Good enough. Two words, that when combined, are extremely dangerous. For a company or industry to rest on its laurels can be disastrous. Anybody who declares something to be "good enough", is standing in the way of innovation and should probably step down if they are in a position of power. Today, it feels like almost every home in the USA has at least one HDTV. When these widescreen TVs were released, people complained that their precious I Love Lucy episodes would have black bars on the side -- god forbid. As time progressed, of course this new wide-screen high-definition format was embraced, Lucille Ball be damned.

Now, the 4K UltraHD revolution is afoot and the same rumblings of "good enough" are being regurgitated. While this new format is less dramatic than the jump from SDTV to HDTV, it makes 4K no less amazing. No, 1080p is not good enough -- we need to keep pushing the envelope. Luckily, Dell is on the forefront of these displays and delivers the amazing, yet expensive, UP3214Q. But is it worth the money?

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When I think of road trips, I think of traveling with friends or family to far-out destinations. I usually do not associate it with sitting in my house, talking to the President of the United States over a webcam.

However, one thing is for sure, a chat with President Obama trumps a car trip to see the Grand Canyon with my family. Thanks to Google, a chat with the president may be a reality for some lucky people. You see, the search giant is making Obama available on Google+ Hangouts, for what it calls "the first-ever Presidential Hangout Road Trip".

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When it comes to TV, it feels like there is nothing ever on. An easy remedy for this is to buy a media box like a Roku or Apple TV. This allows you to add streaming services to your traditional "dumb" television.

Sadly, choosing such a box can be quite the ordeal -- there are too many options and prices. Ideally, you want to get the most functionality for the lowest price. A good option is to choose one that utilizes Android, as this empowers the user with access to a great deal of software such as XBMC. Today, Satechi announces an elegant Android-based solution, called the Smart TV Box.

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Windows Phone 8 smartphones are wonderful devices -- except for the underlying operating system. While I actually like the OS, it still has a long way to go (notification center, hello!?).

Sales have been decent in some European countries, mostly due to the low cost. However, these things are hardly flying off the shelves. With that said, one user has found a way to make them fly -- literally, like...in the air.

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The concept of selling your old electronics to buy newer ones is not new -- console gamers have been trading in the previous-generation for the newest for years. However, when it comes to cell phones, the desire for the latest and greatest was really escalated by the iPhone. Sure, before Apple's iconic phone, there was a desire for some new feature, such as a polyphonic ring-tone, but for the most part, consumers weren't pining for the newest flip-phone with the same manic desire.

There are a plethora of businesses that will offer you money for your old smartphone or tablet. However, many of them are online-only affairs. While stores such as Gazelle.com or Amazon.com have fine reputations, some consumers would prefer to do their trading-in with a brick-and-mortar store. Luckily, Staples announces that it will immediately begin offering the ability to do just that.

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When it comes to sports, I am a born loser. As much as I love my favorite New York teams, they aren't exactly winners -- Mets, Knicks, Jets and Islanders. Following these teams is a quick path to depression. As bad as I am at picking teams to root for, I am probably worse at picking things to invest in.

A good example is Bitcoin -- I thought about buying some bitcoins as an investment a few years back, but convinced myself it was foolish. After all, it was risky and lacked legitimacy. While hindsight is 20/20, had I bought some, I would have made a substantial profit. Not only that, more and more legitimate businesses are accepting the virtual currency as a payment option. Today, the NBA franchise Sacramento Kings announces that it too will soon begin accepting it.

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Some coffee aficionados might dislike my taste in coffee. I consume trendy drinks like Skinny Vanilla Lattes from Starbucks when on the go and Keurig coffee pods at home -- hardly a French press. While the Starbucks drinks are expensive, this is my only vice -- I do not drink alcohol or smoke, so I justify the cost that way.

Whenever I am at the famous coffee chain, I see a lot of people using Apple devices. One of the coolest things about this, is that Starbucks offers an iPhone app which makes it possible to make purchases using the smartphone. Sadly though, it has come to light that there is a vulnerability in the software. While security weaknesses in the Java programming language are nothing new, one regarding java the drink is.

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Fans of cinema may recall seeing the Godzilla films. No, I'm not talking about the 1998 abomination starring Matthew Broderick, I am referring to the classic films from the 1950s and 60s. The films focused on a giant lizard, named Godzilla, who terrified Tokyo.

Besides Godzilla, another memorable character from the films was a monster called Mothra. This monster looked like a moth or butterfly and was able to fly. Thanks to Google, you too can fly through Tokyo, plus other Japanese locations, just like Mothra -- well, virtually at least.

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While many of our young readers may associate Saturday Night Live with people like Andy Samburg, I remember a greater cast -- John Belushi, Jane Curtin and Bill Murray to name a few. One of my favorite sketches, was called "The Thing that Wouldn't Leave". In it, Murray and Curtin play a married couple, who want nothing more than for their guest, played by Belushi, to leave. The wife screams in agony as the guest keeps finding reasons to stay.

Well, sometimes true life imitates art, as Windows XP becomes "The Thing that Wouldn't Leave" for Microsoft. While the world has been preparing for XP's 2014 death, Microsoft today throws a curve-ball and announces a reprieve (at least partially).

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The BetaNews team is quite diverse, hailing from various places around the world. While this can lead to subtle nuances, such as extra U's in some words or unknown slang, a larger (playful) dispute is what is true Football. After all, in Europe, "football" is what we American's call soccer -- we view football as the NFL -- pig skin, helmets and pituitary cases.

With this in mind, EA did a smart thing by not putting the word "football" in the title of its soccer game, FIFA 2013. This causes neither side of the pond to feel alienated. However, there was a group that may have felt slighted -- non-Nokia Windows Phone 8 owners. Sadly, the game was an exclusive to the Finnish company's handsets, until today. Yes, more Windows Phone users have access to the game, but there is a catch.

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I'm going to let you in on a secret, something Google would love to know -- I'm a really hot guy. While my sexiness is debatable, what I mean by hot is, I tend to be sweaty. Because of this, I utilize central air conditioning to cool myself down. Apparently, this is extremely sensitive data, as the internet is in an uproar over Google's purchase of a company called Nest. The acquired company specializes in internet connected home devices, such as thermostats, and some people are scared that the search giant has crossed a line.

Yes, Google knowing how users use their thermostats is apparently the straw that broke the camel's back. While the company already has access to your emails, Google Maps data, and more, for some odd reason, this has become a rallying point. OK, so maybe the uproar is more than just thermostat data. I understand the fear of Google infiltrating your home. Guess what? You don't have to invite it in. In other words, no one is forcing you to buy an internet-connected thermostat. You can continue to work your thermostat manually, like a cave man. However, for people who want the convenience, perhaps their data is a fair trade. Nothing in life is free.

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The concept of a thermostat is pretty simple. If you are cold, turn the heat up and if you are hot, do the opposite -- a no-brainer. However, as the internet of things continues to expand, enhanced capabilities and internet connections are introduced to previously simple devices.

If you aren't familiar, Nest Labs was founded by two ex-Apple employees, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers. The design of the company's products makes that apparent. The first product released by the company, a thermostat has a round, clickable interface that is reminiscent of the iPod Classic. It can be connected to the internet, to allow networked control. Today, Google announces the acquisition of the company for $3.2 billion -- a surprising announcement to say the least.

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Jerry Lee Lewis famously sang "there's a whole lotta shakin goin on". Lately, it feels like there is a whole lot of hacking going on. While the world is still reeling from the Target hack, it seems that Microsoft and Twitter have unwillingly joined the retailer as victims.

Today, one of Microsoft's Twitter accounts, @MSFTnews was infiltrated by The Syrian Electronic Army -- a group that claims to be supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. But who is at fault, Microsoft or Twitter?

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Google is a technology juggernaut. Barely a day goes by without the company making some sort of news. After all, it has its fingers in so many things -- search, ads, software. Most recently, the company drew the ire of the technology community by integrating Google+ with Gmail.

However, not all news from the search giant is Google+ sadness. Today, the company announces that it has been working to improve FFmpeg -- a cross-platform multimedia library and program solution. In fact, Google has fixed a massive one thousand bugs.

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When I bought my iPad Air at Target on December 13, 2013, it was supposed to be a happy moment. People that know me, know that I am extremely frugal. The old adage is that a fool and his money are easily parted. Well, I am certainly no fool in this regard. With that said, Target had a really good deal on the tablet and and I uncharacteristically decided to treat myself for Christmas. I took my new Apple device home and I was in heaven -- until I heard about the Target breach.

Truth be told, I wasn't too worried, as I paid for it with a credit card and not a debit card. In other words, my money was safe as long as I paid attention to my credit card bill for any oddities. While Target initially said 40 million people were affected, and that is a lot, I accepted it as something that happens and didn't hold any grudges with the retailer. The hack was acknowledged on December 19th and I have shopped there since. However, my forgiveness and understanding may be short lived. Today, Target announces that it wasn't 40 million customers affected -- it was 70 million! Not only that, but more types of information was stolen than originally reported.

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