Thanks to the pandemic, more and more people are learning to enjoy their homes rather than go out. This makes sense, as TVs keep getting bigger and better -- you no longer need to go to an actual movie theater for a proper cinematic experience. Even though the COVID-19 virus is now fading away in the USA, it seems the home entertainment trend is here to stay.

Of course, a quality television is only part of the equation. To truly enjoy movies and TV shows at home, you will want to upgrade your audio gear too. And no, the speakers built into your TV are definitely not good enough. Thankfully, these days you can get by without investing big money into a giant bulky stereo system. Instead, an elegant soundbar can provide a high-end audio experience without cluttering your living room.

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Back in 2019, we told you about the beautiful Jaybird VISTA wireless earbuds. These in-ear headphones put AirPods to shame. VISTA didn't just look nicer than Apple's offerings, but they had more features and a better focus on both exercise and activities too.

Fast forward to 2021, and the sequel has finally arrived. The Jaybird Vista 2 True Wireless Sport Earbuds are here just in time for your summertime workouts. Whether you want to use them during exercise or relaxing on the couch, they should provide a great audio experience.

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Today at WWDC 2021, the folks at Apple talked. I mean, they talked a lot. Like, for nearly two hours, various Apple employees highlighted the company's plans for the future, including iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. While consumers are probably most excited about Apple's aforementioned mobile operating systems, other people (such as yours truly), are more intrigued by the newest version of the desktop OS. Called "Monterey," this once again looks to be the best macOS ever.

Despite Apple switching to its own ARM-based processors for the newest Mac computers, macOS Monterey will be compatible with Intel-based machines too. Notably, Shortcuts from iOS and iPadOS will be coming to Monterey. While Automator is still supported, it is unofficially on death-watch. Most interestingly, Apple is making it easier to work between iPhone, iPad, and Mac -- you can now do AirPlay to Mac and share your mouse and keyboard between devices with Universal Control.

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Apple AirTag is a very cool, albeit expensive, product. If you aren't familiar, it is a little battery-powered disc that is designed to track belongings. You can buy an accessory to turn it into a keychain, for instance, and then track your keys. As another example, you can buy a luggage tag accessory so you can track your bags when traveling. It is the dependence on accessories that makes the AirTag so expensive.

The problem, you see, is that not only can it be used to track things, but people too. Yes, creepy stalkers can secretly hide one of these AirTags inside something that belongs to another person and then track them. If the person being tracked has an iPhone, however, it will detect such behavior and warn them if it notices an AirTag (that they don't own) moving around with them.

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When Apple launched its now-infamous What's a Computer? advertisement for the iPad Pro, it was pretty much universally panned for stupidity. In it, a woman refers to a girl's iPad Pro as a computer, and the girl replies with the classic "what's a computer?" line. As we know, an iPad is a computer, and it's absurd to think the youth of America are unfamiliar with the term "computer."

But what if an iPad Pro wasn't just a tablet computer, but a desktop computer too? Well, with the Satechi Aluminum Stand and Hub for iPad Pro, that can be a reality. You see, this elegant new product transforms the Apple iPad Pro into a makeshift iMac-like, desktop computer.

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ARM processors have been around for a really long time. In modern times, they are found in most tablets and smartphones. These ARM chips have been used in Windows computers for years, but they really never caught on with consumers in that regard. In contrast, the newest Mac computers are powered by Apple's own ARM-based processors, and they have been universally praised as fast and efficient. Apple shows that ARM can succeed on the desktop.

Today, Samsung announces its newest Windows 10 laptop, and guess what? Like the new Mac computers, it too is powered by an ARM processor. Called "Galaxy Book Go," the 14-inch notebook can be equipped with optional 5G cellular connectivity -- something Apple's computers do not yet have. Believe it or not, Galaxy Book Go is shockingly affordable too, starting at just $349.

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For those of you that build your own desktop computers, you know that choosing the right brands can really matter. Why? Well, if you opt for an unknown company for your RAM, power supply, or storage, there is a very good chance you will run into problems. This is why I always recommend sticking with reputable brands -- saving a few dollars is never worth the headaches caused by troubleshooting crashes.

Patriot is a company that offers both reliability and affordability. While not as well known as some other brands, it is a company whose products have proven reliable for me. Today, it launches the ELITE II DDR4 RAM under its "VIPER," gaming brand. While this memory is designed for PC gamers, any enthusiast should appreciate its impressive specifications and good looks. I find the red aluminum heat spreaders to be quite pretty.

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There are many manufacturers of solid state drives, but in my experience, Samsung's SSD offerings are amongst the best. They are reliable, affordable, and quite often, blazing fast too. If your data is important to you, a reputable brand is a must, and you can never go wrong with Samsung in this regard.

How does Samsung continually provide excellent solid state drives? The enormous company is constantly pushing boundaries, likely due to large R&D budgets that other SSD makers can't come anywhere near matching. Today, Samsung unveils its latest groundbreaking SSD. Called "PM1731a," the 2.5-inch drive is notable for utilizing Zoned Namespace (ZNS) technology and the company's sixth-gen V-NAND flash memory.

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Earlier in the year, we shared some huge news with you -- Kingston was selling HyperX to HP for nearly $500 million. Shockingly, HyperX memory was not included in the deal, meaning HP pretty much only bought the accessory business -- keyboards, mice, and headsets -- and not RAM. Today, that acquisition is officially complete.

At the time, I was unsure how the branding would work moving forward. Would Kingston continue to use the "HyperX" name for its gaming RAM? Today we learn that will absolutely not be the case. You see, it seems like the name "HyperX" entirely belongs to HP. Going forward, "Kingston FURY" will instead be the new name of the gaming RAM. Yes, FURY was previously a type of HyperX RAM, but Kingston is simply reusing that name. There are three types of FURY memory kits -- Renegade, Beast, and Impact.

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If you are a PC gamer, you have reason to be very excited today. You see, following many leaks and rumors, NVIDIA has finally officially unveiled the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti graphics cards. These GPUs will be both expensive and undoubtedly very difficult to get due to extreme demand.

Popular company PNY is launching new GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti GPUs under its "XLR8 Gaming" branding. Both card types can be had in two body designs. Called "REVEL" and "UPRISING," each body style comes with three cooling fans for optimal cooling. The RTX 3070 Ti has 8GB of GDDR6X memory, while the 38080 has 12GB.

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There are so many great Linux-based desktop operating systems nowadays. Actually, there are arguably too many Linux distros, but I digress. For instance, if you are an experienced Linux user, you can opt for something like Debian or Fedora, while novices are probably better served by Ubuntu or Linux Lite.

One of the best operating systems for beginners and Windows-switchers, however, is Linux Mint. This is a no-nonsense Ubuntu-based Linux distro that looks good, is very stable, and ultimately "just works" for many users. All versions of the operating system are named after women, and today, we learn what the upcoming Linux Mint 20.2 will be called.

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Who knew that IRC (Internet Relay Chat) would be making big news in 2021? Look, I spent a good part of my childhood chatting on IRC, but I haven't seriously used it in well over a decade. Well, folks, people are talking about IRC again, but sadly, it is because of drama. You see, Freenode IRC was purchased recently, and the implications have the open source community in a tizzy.

What do people do when they are upset about a change? They wisely jump ship when possible. Yes, many people are running from Freenode as fast as they can. Two of the most popular Linux distributions, Ubuntu and Fedora, utilized Freenode for their IRC server needs, and now they have both switched to Libera Chat. Ubuntu made the switch first, with Fedora following shortly thereafter.

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Chromebooks have been taking the world by storm 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 10 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 is just overkill for many. Chromebooks are simple, safe, and getting better all the time. Google is giving the people what they want.

Acer has long been a Chromebook proponent, which makes total sense. Look, Acer is traditionally a value brand and Chromebooks have historically been affordably priced; it has been a marriage made in heaven. Today, Acer launches four new Chromebooks and three of them, which have 14-inch screens, are a bit ho-hum. None look bad... they are just more of the same. A fourth model, however, is quite special. You see, the Acer Chromebook 317 (CB317-1H), as it is called, has a 17-inch display! This is apparently the first Chrome OS laptop with such a screen size -- who knew!?

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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 consumers truly need the benefits of PCIe 4.0 today 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, of course. For instance, today, Western Digital unveils its latest NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD. Called "WD_BLACK SN750 SE," it is designed for both gamers and PC enthusiasts.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is slowly coming to an end in the USA. Thanks to Joe Biden's successful vaccination efforts, we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though businesses are starting to open back up, many workers are not planning to return to the office. In other words, working from home will remain popular even as the coronavirus fades away.

Working from home is quite feasible nowadays, but communicating over the internet is still far from perfect. To have a better communication experience, workers should invest in good hardware, such as PC webcams and microphones. Today, AVerMedia releases an intriguing USB conference speakerphone. Called "AS311," it utilizes artificial intelligence. Yeah, it is a speakerphone with AI -- how cool is that?

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