Brian Fagioli

People may chastise American's use of credit cards; spending money on crap during the holidays. However, it is essential for the survival of retail businesses. Think your neighbor is stupid for buying a jet ski and a PlayStation 4 when he's already in hock? You are probably right; for him, it likely is stupid. But for the overall economy, it may be a good thing.

News of the economy always seems to be doom and gloom lately, so it is nice to hear good news every once in a while. Today, Amazon announces record-breaking Amazon Prime memberships and activity. This can mean that consumers have extra money to spend or are just adding to their debt like the previously mentioned neighbor with the jet ski. Either way though, it is good news that people have confidence and are spending.

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Besides girth, Oprah Winfrey and I have something else in common -- we both like to share our favorite things. At the end of every year, I like to reflect on some of my favorite tech products.

This was a very wild year for me as most of the things on my list changed the way I both interact with and think about computers. It contains both hardware and software. So, without further ado, please read on for my list.

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For a longtime, I was a last-minute shopper. You could find me on Christmas Eve, picking through the remaining greeting cards and scrambling to buy gifts. However, as I got older, I learned to finish my shopping early to avoid the stress.

Unfortunately, delays by UPS have caused some last-minute gift deliveries to miss their Christmas Eve deadline. But who is to blame, UPS or the last-minute shoppers?

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If Santa brought you a Surface 2 for Christmas, you will experience one of two emotions -- happiness or anger. If you asked or wished for the tablet, congratulations, you achieved your desire; be happy! Conversely, if you didn't ask for it, there is a good possibility that you are angry because it is not an iPad Air (controversial!).

If you fall into the latter category, you may be wondering what you did for Santa Claus to hate you. Well, I am here to tell you that Santa loves you and the Surface 2 is a wonderful tablet. Consider yourself lucky for scoring such awesome hardware. As someone who owns and loves a Surface 2, I am going to help you to have a great first-day experience with it.

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Throughout the year, I work pretty darn hard -- I wear multiple hats. Because of this, I decided to spend the holidays in sunny Florida as a working vacation. Sadly, the airfare was a bit too expensive, so I decided to drive there from New York.

Unfortunately, the place at which I am staying does not have WiFi or Television -- a nerd's worst nightmare. As a tech-writer, I was going to have to think smart about which devices I would bring and which would stay home. You may be surprised by my choices.

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Android is Linux; it utilizes Linus Torvald's kernel. However, for many, it is looked at as a bastardization of Linux -- not a true distribution. I get that; after all, Google's own Android apps are closed-sourced and many of the devices have locked bootloaders. These hindrances, whether the fault of Android or not, are not exactly in the spirit of the free and open Linux community.

Many users crave more -- to have a full-fledged Linux distribution on their mobile device. And so, Canonical, owner of one of the most popular distributions, Ubuntu has been trying to answer the prayers of those dissatisfied with Android, with Ubuntu Touch. While the software has been promising, it is not yet ready to replace Android. Today, Canonical announces an interim solution -- the Ubuntu and Android dual boot developer preview.

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Christmas is upon us and that means two things -- travel and guilt. While most Americans will be travelling for the holiday, a good portion of them will not be spending it with family. This ultimately leads to the aforementioned guilt. After all, for some, it may be the last Christmas they get to spend with older relatives before they pass away. These people are opting for alternative plans -- how cold! However, Microsoft has a solution -- Skype your family instead.

"According to a recent survey we conducted with Harris Interactive, not everyone will get to be home for the holidays. In fact, three-quarters (77-percent) of Americans will be traveling away from their homes this holiday season, and one in four say they aren't spending time with immediate or extended family this holiday because it's too far to travel. Another 20-percent blame the cost of travel from keeping them apart from their families", says Nicol Addison, Microsoft.

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When it comes to browsers, Firefox had long been the king of the customization. The browser revolutionized the usage of themes and extensions to allow the user to have a unique and personal experience. When Chrome was initially released, a lack of extensions caused many web users to turn their noses up at Google's browser. After all, if you want to release new product, it needs to at least surpass existing ones for people to notice.

Well, times have certainly changed -- Chrome has usurped Firefox in both customization and usage statistics. Google's browser has an amazing selection of extensions and themes. In fact, the browser has proved so important and popular, that it even spawned an operating system based on it -- Chrome OS. However, Google now announces that it is changing the policy regarding extensions in the Chrome Web Store. But, is this a good or a bad change?

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Domain names aren't exactly sexy. However, they are extremely important in daily internet life. After all, without domain names, you would instead be entering the IP addresses of the websites that you wanted to visit -- that would suck.

If you want to buy your own domain, it can be very affordable. A certain website which is advertised using a certain Indy and Nascar-lady, has low prices; if the domain you desire isn't already claimed. If it is already taken, and you still want it, expect to pay hundreds, thousands or beyond to achieve it. Today, Sedo announces the top 10 domain sales of 2013.

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The Nexus 5 is both beautiful and inexpensive. Even though the smartphone doesn't cost a lot, it is still a good idea to protect it with a case. However, finding a good case can be hit or miss. When I reviewed two such cases, I found that the official Nexus 5 case was poor, while the much less expensive Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit was great.

Sadly, neither of those two cases embody the true openness and hackability of the Nexus 5. After all, when you buy a Nexus device, you want people to know it. Luckily, Cyanogenmod Inc announces a partnership with Cruzerlite to create an official Cyanogenmod case. What better way to show off your Nexus device than with a case that represents (arguably) the most popular custom ROM?

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Chrome OS is primarily a laptop-focused affair. In other words, most users of the platform utilize Chromebooks. Sure, there have been mini-desktops called Chromeboxes, but they have been few and far between.

This is problematic for some consumers interested in Google's Linux-based, web-dependent operating system. Believe it or not, there are people that still enjoy sitting at a desk with a large screen, keyboard and mouse; myself included. Today, LG announces it is filling the gap with Chromebase -- a Chrome OS all-in-one desktop computer.

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As someone who has lived through a home fire, I am very anxious about it. Any time I smell a neighbor's fireplace, I will investigate. I am still haunted by the night that I lost all of my belongings -- standing barefoot in the street watching the brave firemen fight the blaze.

When Google stopped sales of the HP Chromebook 11 due to a faulty charger, I was faced with a major conundrum. I love using that computer, but now I was scared to charge it. Even though Google suggested charging it with any other microUSB charger, I was still too concerned to leave it charging unattended. Plus, when I did use a different charger, I got a warning message that the charger was underpowered and charging would take longer. Finally today, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announces an official recall of the dangerous charger.

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Many Linux users have been holding their breath in anticipation for the 20th version of Fedora Linux, codenamed Heisenbug. While not the most popular distribution overall, it is the distro of choice for one influential user -- Mr. Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel. Not to mention, many other users around the globe.

Sadly, version 20 has missed its deadline a couple of times. While those delays were disappointing, it was also appreciated. After all, you do not want a buggy operating system, do you? Luckily, Santa Claus came a little early to the Linux community -- the final version of Fedora Linux is here now!

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Despite their similarities, Android always seemed to exist to be the opposite of iOS. In other words, if Apple's mobile OS was popular culture, Google was a counter-culture. In the earlier days, Android had copy and paste, removable batteries, expandable memory, the ability to tinker, but many of those differences are virtually gone -- through Apple's additions and Google's subtractions. It was because of those differences, that I entered into the Google ecosystem with Android -- I have been rather happy. Lately however, I have been a bit unhappy with the direction of Android. Locked bootloaders, lack of SD card slots, non-accessible batteries. Sure, these things are technically not a part of the Android OS, but they are a part of the overall experience. While iOS doesn't offer these things either, at least Apple was upfront about that from the start.

When Apple announced the svelte, yet powerful iPad Air, I was immediately in love. The dark holo theme of Android is just utterly depressing. Conversely, the iPad Air is bright and beautiful, thanks to iOS 7. My problem though, was that I was deeply entrenched in Google's world -- I was worried about moving to a competitor's platform. I love Google services like Gmail, Google Maps, Chrome and YouTube. Quite frankly, I cannot live without those things. Despite these fears, I bought an iPad Air and couldn't be happier. Not only is the build quality better than any Android tablet, the overall experience is better thanks to the superior UI. Not to mention, all of my desired Google apps are on iOS and they look and work better on Apple's operating system too.

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Earlier this year, 4K televisions and monitors seemed unachievable for the average consumer. Some pundits wrote the technology off, as these displays would be priced out of reach for many people. While this was true initially, Black Friday brought some very affordable 4K televisions to market. And so, the technology seems poised to have longevity.

Unfortunately, 4K content is rather sparse. No matter how great the television or monitor is, without content, there is no point. I have been watching 4K YouTube content on the Dell UltraSharp 32 UltraHD Monitor (UP3214Q) and it looks great. However, puppy videos in 4K hardly justifies the investment! Luckily, Amazon is planning to remedy that.

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