If you live in the Northeastern United States like me, there's a very good chance you are snowed-in right now. For instance, my town on Long Island got nearly two feet of snow dumped on it, so I am stuck indoors. While I have been passing the time by watching movies and playing old-school video game ROMs, I am starting to get a bit bored.

Thankfully, there is a new Linux-based operating system version to play with! You see, version 2.0.0 of the Debian-based Nitrux distribution is finally available. The distro comes with KDE Plasma 5.23.5 as the desktop environment, MESA 21.3.5, and the XanMod-modified Linux kernel 5.16.3 by default.

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When TV-maker TCL broke into the smartphone market, many pundits and consumers were dubious that the company could be successful. Time has shown that TCL isn't just capable of making quality phones, but the company has been able to price them quite competitively too. Quite frankly, TCL phones and tablets are tremendous values.

TCL recently announced a Verizon-exclusive smartphone called "TCL 30 V 5G." As the name implies, it offers 5G connectivity. While many Android fans were excited about the phone, there was something missing in the initial announcement -- pricing. Well, folks, as of today, we now know how much the device will cost -- $300! Well, technically, it will cost a penny less than that at just $299.99...

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The vast majority of consumers don't own a computer with PCIe 4.0 support, so almost no one is currently reaping the benefits of a PCIe 4.0 solid state drive. Hell, most consumers don't really need anything more than a meager SATA SSD these days. Enthusiasts that desire the "latest and greatest" are the only ones truly clamoring for hardcore PCIe 4.0 SSD performance -- mostly just for bragging rights.

Of course, the computer industry will continue to push boundaries in an effort to avoid being stagnant. And so, PCIe 5.0 is on the horizon -- even though it is largely unnecessary. TEAMGROUP is happy to manufacture such an SSD, and today, it teases exactly that. Under the company's T-FORCE gaming brand, a PCIe 5.0 NVMe 2.0 SSD should hit stores later this year.

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African-American history is American history. The USA would not exist as it is today without the contributions made by countless black people -- that is a fact. And so, every February, we all collectively celebrate Black History Month by recognizing many great Black Americans such as Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, and Barack Obama to name just a few.

Today, Apple announces a new product designed to let consumers show their love and respect for black people. You see, the Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop is a beautiful new watch band that uses colors from the Pan-African flag and looks quite stylish.

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Should all PC gamers own a mechanical keyboard? No, not all of them. If they take their video games seriously, however, and they are focused on winning their competitive matches, such a keyboard can be a wise investment. These days, a quality mechanical offering can be had for under a hundred dollars, making it a no-brainer.

Today, Logitech announces its latest mechanical keyboard. Called "G413 SE," it will be offered in two variants -- a standard model with a number pad, and a tenkeyless (TKL) version without one. What I really love about this keyboard -- besides its affordable pricing -- is its subtle design. There is no wacky RGB lighting, instead using classy white backlighting. There are no gimmicks or nonsense either -- just a quality keyboard from a well-respected manufacturer.

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When it comes to computers, there are two things that really get my motor running -- AMD processors and Linux-based operating systems. So when I learned MINISFORUM had begun selling a diminutive AMD Ryzen-powered desktop that comes with Manjaro Linux pre-installed, my heart skipped a beat. It is very exciting to see yet another computer being offered with Linux rather than Windows.

Called "DeskMini UM700," the mini Linux desktop PC is being offered in three configurations -- all powered by the very capable Ryzen 7 3750H APU -- with pricing starting at less than $500. In other words, the tiny computer isn't just capable, but affordable too.

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Thank God for streaming live television services, which have freed us all from cable TV's stranglehold. While streaming isn't always more affordable than cable, it is absolutely beneficial to have more options. My household uses YouTube TV, for instance, but there are many other streaming TV options too, such as fuboTV and Sling TV.

Speaking of Sling TV, today, consumers get a new platform on which to watch that service -- VIZIO SmartCast. Yes, if you own a compatible smart television from that company, you can watch Sling TV without the need of an external media box, such as a Roku. How cool is that?

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The transition to PCIe 4.0 is in full effect, with more and more computers and motherboards having the new standard. Whether or not the user truly needs the benefits of PCIe 4.0 is debatable, but it is still cool regardless. After all, it is important to continually push boundaries.

One of the best aspects of PCIe 4.0 is faster solid state drives. For instance, today, Patriot launches a new such SSD. Called "P400," the M.2 drive uses the 4th-gen PCIe interface to deliver fast speeds while its graphene heatshield will keep things cool.

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It used to be, people would scoff at the idea of switching to a Linux-based operating system due to a lack of software. While that is still true for some folks -- especially business users -- it is less of a concern these days. Why? Well, so many things are done through the web browser nowadays, lessening dependence on Windows software. For many consumers, just having the Google Chrome browser on, say, Ubuntu, is more than enough to accomplish their wants and needs. Not to mention, there are many quality Linux apps like GIMP and DaVinci Resolve.

But OK, lets say you really want to use a Linux-based operating system, but there's some Windows-only software that you absolutely cannot live without. Thankfully, you may still be able to ditch Windows and upgrade to something like Fedora or Linux Mint. How? Thanks to the excellent Wine! This compatibility layer (don't you dare call it an emulator), can sometimes enable you to run Windows software on Linux. Today, version 7.0 is released.

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Debian is a great operating system in its own right, but also, it makes for an excellent base for other Linux distributions as well. For example, Ubuntu is probably the most well-known Linux distro and it is based on Debian. There are countless other operating systems, such as Netrunner, that stand on Debian's figurative shoulders.

The prettiest and most exciting Debian-based operating system, however, is deepin. This Chinese-developed Linux distribution is probably the most beautiful desktop operating system on the planet; it is arguably better than both macOS and Windows 11 in the style department.

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Chromebooks may not be the most powerful or useful computers, but they do excel in one specific area -- simplicity. The Linux-based Chrome OS operating system is streamlined and secure, making it a dream for system administrators and IT departments. Sure, a Windows computer may have more possibilities, but it also has a greater chance of malware.

Because Chromebooks are so simple to use and maintain, the computers have been very popular for education. Of course, the low hardware costs are often a contributing factor as well. Many new Chromebooks have touch screens, and for those machines with CCI stylus support, Logitech has a new such product to make compatible Chrome OS laptops (and tablets) even more useful in the classroom.

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When using a Linux-based operating system, you should always use the most recent kernel, right? Actually, no. While new kernels do add fixes and support for new hardware, they can also be less stable and cause bugs.

Unfortunately, if you have extremely new hardware, sometimes you must use a newer kernel in order to boot, as older kernels do not yet support some of your devices. For instance, Linux Mint 20.3 "Una" was released recently and it comes with Linux kernel 5.4. If that older kernel does not support your computer, it may not boot.

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Do you need a PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive? Probably not. I mean, nobody really needs the insane speed these drives offer. However, the drool-worthy performance is certainly nice to have. Look, if you can afford such an SSD and your computer supports it at full speed, you might as well get one. I mean, why not?

Today, Silicon Power announces its latest such PCIe 4.0 SSD. Called "XPOWER XS70," it features blazing fast speeds and capacities up to 4TB. It even has a nice-looking heat sink that the company says is inspired by sharks.

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Back in the 1980s and 1990s, when you wanted to play your music publicly, you had to lug around a huge boombox powered by C or D batteries. It was a costly and tiring ordeal, but it was well worth the effort; it allowed friends to simultaneously enjoy music on the street, at the beach, or in the park. The boombox became a big part of Hip-Hop culture too and was immortalized by fictional character Radio Raheem in the classic Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing.

These days though, kids don't really need a big boombox anymore. Smartphone speakers can get pretty loud, and if you need some extra volume, a small Bluetooth speaker can often get the job done. But what if you really want to blast your music? Like, maybe you want to play some Hip-Hop music at a basketball court or crank some rock and roll loudly at a party. Well, the all-new "Blaster 3.0" Bluetooth boombox from Monster should hit the mark.

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If you are a content creator (like a Twitch streamer or YouTube vlogger, for instance), you probably already have the necessary equipment, such as a high-quality camera and microphone. But no matter how great your gear is, there is something that can have a huge impact on your video quality -- lighting. Any photographer or videographer will tell you that having proper lighting is extremely important.

And now, Logitech has released a new device to help streamers and other creators improve their content. Called "Litra Glow Premium Streaming Light," this light source is powered by USB and can be controlled by Logitech's G HUB software on Windows and Mac. Linux users can enjoy it too, however, as there are hardware controls (brightness and warmth) on the rear of the light as well, making it operating system agnostic.

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