It was 20 years ago today that BitTorrent helped the pirates play! Yes, folks, it was July 2, 2001 when the BitTorrent protocol was officially released to the world.

For the past two decades, this genius protocol has allowed people all over the world to more easily download pirated content, such as software (warez), music, and movies. It was a real game-changer. Heck, it is how many people recently downloaded the leaked version of Windows 11. In other words, yes, BitTorrent is still relevant in 2021.

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Windows 11 looks quite beautiful, but let's be honest... it is pretty much just Windows 10 with a fresh coat of paint. Sadly, Microsoft is requiring some pretty strict hardware requirements for the upcoming operating system, meaning many people could find themselves unable to upgrade. Even worse, the company has provided confusing communications regarding TPM requirements.

Thankfully, even if Microsoft thinks your perfectly fine computer is obsolete, the Linux community doesn't think that. In other words, if your computer is incompatible with Windows 11 due to a lack of a TPM chip or other hardware issue, it can still run a modern Linux distro just fine. Case in point, one of the prettiest Linux distributions, deepin, just reached version 20.2.2 and it is the perfect option for those that are unable to upgrade to Microsoft's next desktop OS. It even supports Android apps like Windows 11!

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Just yesterday I went to the Verizon store to investigate upgrading my aging iPhone 8 Plus. The company was offering a promotion where I could get an iPhone 12 Pro for free if I switch. While finally having a 5G iPhone excited me, Verizon's service was insanely expensive, so I passed on the "deal." While getting a $1,000 phone for free was tempting, it got me wondering why anyone would actually spend so much out of pocket on a smartphone.

And now, today, T-Mobile launches a new 5G smartphone for only $199.99. Believe it or not, that is the retail price without any promotions. Called "REVVL V+," it is a 5G phone running Android 11 for less than $200. In other words, you could buy five of these phones for the same price as just one iPhone 12 Pro!

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Apple Silicon -- better known as the company's own "M1" processor -- is a game-changer. The new Mac computers (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini) powered by this new ARM-based processor have been very well received by critics and consumers alike.

I was personally fascinated by this new CPU, so I purchased my own 2020 Mac mini. Guess what, folks? The hype is real. The performance is exceptional while the fan almost never kicks in. It is a silent and powerful computing experience. It is a highly recommended computer.

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Yeah, COVID-19 changed the world -- we all know this. But nothing changed more than office work environments. Even as the pandemic slowly fades away, many employees are still working from home, with no plans to ever return to a physical office. And so, videoconferencing is more crucial than ever before.

With all of that said, if your webcam is of poor quality, it can reflect on you negatively. Look, it may not be your fault, but a grainy video feed is akin to going into an in-person meeting with a big stain on your shirt. In other words, investing in a high-quality camera can be very impactful on your perceived job performance -- it could literally have an affect on other peoples' perception of you.

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Hardware that is designed for gamers can be expensive. This is because gaming gear is often built to higher standards. Of course, it can also be artificial price increases, as manufacturers know gamers aren't afraid of disposing of their income.

Thankfully, not all companies are intent on taking advantage of gamers. Logitech, for instance, offers quality products at various price points, allowing gamers to have good gear without breaking the bank. Today, Logitech launches its latest wired gaming headset, and it is designed to be affordable. Called "G335," it is compatible with PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.

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The TCL 10 series of phones are some of my personal favorites. The company managed to break into the smartphone market with devices that were premium despite being very aggressively priced. In other words, TCL proved that even consumers on a budget can have a high-quality handset. Heck, the TCL 10 5G UW in particular was cutting-edge while being priced under $400.

And now, the follow-up to the TCL 10 series is coming to America. Yes, the TCL 20 series of smartphones are on their way to the USA market, and like its predecessors, they too are priced affordably. There is a trio of new smartphones -- TCL 20 Pro 5G, TCL 20S and TCL 20 SE.

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Apple devices can be literal life-savers. For instance, in an emergency, you can call 911 with an iPhone to summon help. Not to mention, there have been documented cases of Apple Watch detecting undiagnosed medical conditions. People ultimately go to the doctor to follow-up, and as a result, it ends up saving their lives.

As great as Apple devices are, they can also sometimes kill you. Like, seriously, some Apple products can possibly end your life -- if you have certain medical devices, that is, such as a pacemaker. And now, Apple is sharing a full list of its products that can interfere with medical devices and potentially lead to death. This expands upon its previously released list.

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If you have a cutting-edge PC with PCIe 4.0, you will probably want to get a compatible solid state drive to maximize your performance. True, PCIe 4.0 SSDs are largely for bragging rights and benchmarks -- you probably won't notice a difference in actual use -- but still, you might as well go for the best if the difference in price isn't totally obscene.

Today, TEAMGROUP unveils a new M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. Called "T-FORCE CARDEA A440," this speedy gaming-focused SSD comes with interchangeable heatsinks -- a very unique cooling option. Essentially, you can opt for the giant aluminum heatsink if it fits in your computer, or the graphene heatsink if space is tight

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The transition to PCIe 4.0 is undoubtedly 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, Seagate unveils a new M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. Called "FireCuda 530," this speedy gaming-focused SSD can be had with an optional aluminum heatsink -- for an added fee, of course. It offers a maximum read speed of 7,300MB/s and max write of 6,900MB/s.

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If you want the absolute best tablet computing experience, you have to get an iPad. Are there good Android tablets? Sure, but iPad is simply better than them all. There's a reason the Android tablet market has largely dried up -- consumers don't really care about them. Trust me, y'all; Apple created magic with the iPad.

While iPad can technically serve as someone's only computer without any added accessories, it does shine when you connect it to a keyboard case -- particularly one with a trackpad. With one of these cases, you essentially turn the iPad into a makeshift laptop. Like Microsoft's Surface Pro tablets, however, balancing the kickstand on your actual lap while typing on the keyboard might be a bit frustrating.

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Blender is one of the most important open source projects, as the 3D graphics application suite is used by countless people at home, for business, and in education. The software can be used on many platforms, such as Windows, Mac, and of course, Linux.

Today, Ubuntu-maker Canonical announces it will offer paid enterprise support for Blender LTS. How cool is that? Surprisingly, this support will not only be for Ubuntu users. Heck, it isn't even limited to Linux installations. Actually, Canonical will offer this support to Blender LTS users on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Wow!

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Thunderbolt 3 has been such a game-changer for consumers that enjoy turning their laptops into makeshift desktops. It is so empowering to connect a thin and light laptop to a big monitor, keyboard, and mouse with just a single wire. It is both convenient and elegant, and quite frankly, I personally love it.

The thing is, there are way too many Thunderbolt 3 docks on the market. Hell, some manufacturers produce so many models on their own, it can be downright confusing. Case in point, today, StarTech.com launches its all-new TB3CDK2DH dock. It looks absolutely lovely, but it lacks any features to make it stand out from the crowd.

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Solid state drives are wonderful, right? No one disputes that. SSDs are fast, compact, and energy efficient. The only real downside when compared to hard disk drives is capacity. HDDs typically offer higher storage capacity than SSDs.

But what if that wasn't the case? What if you could have the best of both worlds? Well, folks, Sabrent has a new Thunderbolt 3 external SSD that might make you forget about old-school HDDs entirely. Called "Rocket XTRM-Q," the SSD (SB-DXMQ-8X2) can now be had with an insane 16TB of storage! It even has a durable aluminum body.

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Chromebooks have been gaining in popularity lately, and it isn't hard to see why. As more and more people do their computing almost exclusively on the web, it makes no sense to spend big money on a Windows laptop you don't really need. Don't get me wrong, Windows definitely still has a place, and Microsoft's operating system is currently more useful than Chrome OS, but it simply overkill for many. Chromebooks are simple, safe, and getting better all the time. Google is giving the people what they want.

While Chromebooks don't typically have the most exciting hardware, there are some powerful models on the market. Today, Samsung shares details about an all-new 14-inch Chrome OS laptop, but sadly, it not at all exciting. In fact, is rather ho-hum. Called "Galaxy Chromebook Go," it is powered by a fairly anemic Intel Celeron processor. The screen resolution is an embarrassing 1366x768. Worst of all, it uses sluggish eMMC for storage, and the base model has a paltry 4GB of RAM.

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