Alan Buckingham

Is the smartwatch the future? It's hard to say, although Pebble, Android, and Apple are all proving successful. It is a handy product. Receiving a phone call? Glance at your wrist -- no need to fish the phone out of your pocket only to find it's someone you don't wish to speak with.

The latest in the line of smartwatches from Pebble is called Pebble Time and it improves on the original model by adding more features and a better screen. With version 3.3 of the firmware things improve even more.

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There are significantly more spoken languages than countries, but the problem is that the internet frequently doesn't speak them all, leaving many users out in the cold. There are some ways around that, as both Google and Bing will try and translate things for you.

Now Google News is expanding its language options to become accessible to more of the world. Available languages will now include Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Bulgarian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Thai.

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When it comes to DVRs there are many choices. Most come from cable and satellite service providers. While these have improved over time, like Dish Hopper and DirecTV Genie, they aren't perfect, although they are getting more usable.

Now TiVo is readying it's own new device. The company produces what some feel is the best DVR you can get. The latest version is called Bolt and it's just cleared the FCC.

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Do you want to hear music chosen by President Barrack Obama? If you use Spotify then you'll be in luck. The company is one of the leading music streaming services in the increasingly competitive market. Now it has scored a big win, landing one of the world's most well known leaders.

Spotify announces the arrival of POTUS and seems quite excited about the arrival. You can't really blame them, it's not everyday that the President adopts your service.

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If you haven't used a Harmony remote then you're missing out. The device can control almost any object in your home theater. Lately it's been adding more home automation features as well, and the latest update enhances that aspect of the universal remote.

"We’re proud to celebrate the continued expansion of our smart home compatibilities with the integration of four great new partners into the Harmony ecosystem, and we hope you’re excited about the new possibilities coming your way. Now, homes with Harmony can control even more devices and create brand new Activities combining smart home devices in unique ways", Logitech announces.

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Adobe has had endless problems with security vulnerabilities. There seems to be another one all the time. So, it comes as no surprise when news of one is announced. Now is no different as yet another security bulletin has been posted.

This one is APSB15-19, which unsurprisingly allows for a remote user to take control of your system. This one affects all systems.

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In the growing online music streaming industry, Rdio has become one the major players. But it's a cutthroat business, and you have to innovate to stay near the top and keep customers happy or they'll flee to another service.

Now Rdio has come up with something new -- streaming broadcast radio stations. The company is diving in big too, with 500 stations, all owned by Cumulus Media.

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Home automation has become the wave of the future, for better or worse. Not everyone trusts it, but many others embrace it. However it seems to be here to stay now, with websites and podcasts dedicated to it, as well as an ever growing number of products hitting the market, including some rather odd ones.

However most people jump into this endeavor with lights. They seem to be the drug that gets people hooked. And now you can incorporate Amazon Echo into this, as it is quite capable of controlling a growing number of such products.

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The release of Windows 10 spelled the end for Media Center. It wasn't unexpected, users have known it was coming for a while, as Microsoft had ceased developing the service. That didn't make the loss any easier for the loyal following of HTPC users.

From Microsoft's abandonment, other businesses grow. MediaPortal, which has been a solid solution for quite some time now is one. Though, other options for Media Center refugees also exist.

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Google's Chromecast continues to grab new features as well as remaining a popular item on places like Amazon. But customers continue to ask for the ability to do new things, and now Google is responding to customer feedback.

The latest update brings HBO NOW, Food Network, Travel Channel and even Pokemon TV. There's also gaming like FitFlap and CatchPhrase. These require use of a phone or tablet.

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Since receiving Amazon Echo, Alexa, the name Amazon gives these devices, and I have grown to know one another. We mostly get along, but occasionally argue. It (she?) has learned my habits, but began playing the news the other night while I was watching TV, rather annoyingly. I'm looking forward to testing its home automation features with Nest thermostat and GE Link bulb in the near future. Hopefully Alexa won't decide I no longer need heat or lights!

But what can't Echo do? That's an open-ended question with many answers, depending on what the user wants. However, I'm only asking for one small thing, at least for now.

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The Internet of Things can be a blessing and a curse. We all want devices that work for us, and home automation has become big business. Lights, among many other things, can be set or simply controlled from a phone or tablet, and thermostats are going that way as well.

The problem is security, as IoT devices can have all sorts of problems that people haven't faced before. Nest can change your home's temperature on its own and a hacker could, potentially, do the same. That's part of what this update is designed to address, though there are other features as well.

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Windows 10 has been officially out for less than a week and the news it has generated doesn't seem to stop. From download numbers to new devices, things keep pouring in. Now HP is heading in a different direction, one aimed at businesses.

HP is announcing a full suite of products geared towards the enterprise market. "HP, a Preferred Provider of Microsoft cloud productivity and mobility solutions, now offers the most comprehensive portfolio of services available for the Microsoft enterprise ecosystem which includes Enterprise Services for Office 365, Readiness Workshop for Office 365, Enterprise Mobility Suite, Skype for Business and the new Windows 10 enterprise suite of services", the company states in the announcement.

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In today's television market Comcast is the bully -- the 600 pound gorilla. The cable provider owns NBC, which arguably should not have been allowed, but what's done is done. The carrier also doesn't seem to be above using it's status to fight off rivals, especially those in the new TV market that it knows is coming, but would prefer to prevent.

That is apparently the case recently with Sling TV, a service that works just like cable, but comes in over the internet, which turns Comcast into a bandwidth provider and takes away that lucrative TV business. With that in mind, Comcast-NBC has begun blocking Sling's ads.

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The smartphone market moves along at a fast pace, with a new device seemingly every day. Unfortunately for customers, upgrades from providers move at a much more sedate pace. You'll get one every two years unless you pay extra. That's generally fine, though most people end up longing for one before that magic date rolls around.

That brings us around to those who are set for that upgrade now. The latest flagship handset comes from LG, no stranger to this market. And, for the most part, it's an excellent piece of hardware. But let's take a closer look.

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