Brian Fagioli

Back in July, the YouTube app finally returned to the Amazon Fire TV platform. This was great news for both Google and Amazon, but more importantly, consumers were the big winners. Owners of Fire TV devices finally had an official app for watching YouTube.

Google and Amazon had promised that YouTube TV -- the search giant's live television service -- would come to Fire TV too, but for whatever reason, it did not debut with the return of the regular YouTube app. Thankfully, starting today, Fire TV owners can finally access YouTube TV on their devices -- as long as they have a compatible model.

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There are many gaming mice on the market these days, so it can be hard for a single model to stand out. I mean, look, there are only so many ways to make a mouse unique. And yet, today, HyperX launches such a product, and it is actually quite special.

Called "Pulsefire Dart," this looks like an ordinary wireless gaming mouse, but it has a pretty cool feature -- Qi charging. Yes, you can charge the mouse using one of those cool wireless charging mats -- the same ones used for Android devices and iPhones. In addition, it features RGB lighting, so you can customize the appearance to your liking.

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I am a big fan of YouTube. Not only do I watch videos on the site daily, I am also a paid subscriber to YouTube TV -- I love the service and happily part with my $50 each month. YouTube Music, however, is an entirely different story -- I kind of hate it. When testing it against Spotify and Apple Music, YouTube Music failed miserably. The user interface is just unnecessarily confusing. Quite frankly, I am not sure how Google got it so wrong. Sigh.

That's why I was rather bummed out by the news that Google will be pre-loading the YouTube Music app on all Android 10 devices, plus some new ones that will ship with Android 9. Yep, it will be foisted upon many unsuspecting customers. This includes buyers of Google's own devices, such as the upcoming Pixel 4.

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Happy Friday, dear BetaNews readers! The weekend is nearly here, meaning you can take some time to do the things you want to do, rather than the tasks your boss assigns. For some, that means spending time with family, watching movies, or simply catching up on some rest. For others, it is the prime time to test a Linux distribution!

Today, Canonical releases the official beta for the upcoming Ubuntu Linux 19.10. Code-named "Eoan Ermine," it features Linux kernel 5.3. There are several great desktop environments from which to choose too, such as KDE Plasma, Budgie, and the default GNOME. Ubuntu 19.10  is not a long term support (LTS) version, sadly, so support for the stable release will only be a mere 9 months.

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Food delivery services are all the rage these days. Apparently, people are so averse to leaving their home, that they are willing to pay a premium to get meals driven to them. But wait, is that really a new trend? Pizzerias, for instance, have been delivering pies for years. Yeah, but that was driven by an employee of the restaurant. These days, services like Grubhub and DoorDash allow pretty much anyone with a car to be the go-between -- there is no vetting by the restaurant. Do you really want your food in the hands of a stranger? Lord knows what he/she could do to it.

If you are a DoorDash user, the suitability of your delivery driver is not what you need to be worried about today. Actually, your concern should be focused on your privacy, as the delivery service has suffered a massive data breach. Yes, hackers have infiltrated DoorDash, and the number of impacted people is staggering -- nearly 5 million. That doesn't just include customers but DoorDash drivers and merchants too!

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Long gone are the days where playing video games on a console was a simple affair. You used to just plug in a cartridge, turn the game system on, and begin playing. These days, consoles are constantly making you install both game and system updates, making the "pick up and play" concept a thing of the past. Not to mention, since they often double as media players, the interfaces are clunky and confusing. I really miss the 80's and 90's in this regard.

Thankfully, voice assistants are seemingly making the game console experience a little simpler. By allowing you to use your voice, you can potentially avoid the confusing interfaces. Today, Microsoft announces that Google Assistant support is now available for Xbox One -- in beta, at least. The search giant's offering joins both Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa. It is doubtful that this move will help the Xbox One's struggles against the more popular PlayStation 4.

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Earlier today, Amazon unveiled a bunch of new Echo devices. As a hardcore Alexa user, I am sort of excited about this new hardware, but at the same time, my house already has enough of them -- I am not at all in the market for more.

In addition to Alexa-focused hardware, Amazon today also launches a new eero mesh Wi-Fi system. In case you forgot, yes, Amazon owns eero now. While this new mesh Wi-Fi system looks fine enough for the average consumer, it is quite underwhelming. Its speeds are hardly top of the line, and there is no WiFi 6 (802.11ax) to be found. For the most part, these 802.11ac access points are fairly basic, but I do like that each has two gigabit Ethernet ports. The cute devices are powered by USB-C as well, which I also appreciate.

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Quality computer hardware doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Sure, some gamers and enthusiasts will gladly spend over $100 on a mouse or headset, for example, but many consumers wouldn't. After all, computers are quite inexpensive these days. A quality device used to cost thousands of dollars, while today, a decent machine can be had for less than $500. It would be quite foolish to spend $100 for a keyboard if your PC cost, say, $300.

Today, Logitech launches a keyboard and mouse combo for the "everyman." The "MK470," as it is called, is comprised of a slim keyboard and elegant mouse -- both are wireless and are designed to be quiet. They use a single USB dongle between them, meaning only one USB-A port will be taken up. Both are powered by AAA batteries, but Logitech promises they will last a very long time -- a year and a half for the mouse, and an insane three years for the keyboard! That will vary based on usage, of course. Best of all, it is ridiculously affordable.

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If you want a Windows gaming laptop, there are many from which to choose. If you want a thin Windows 10 gaming laptop, however, your options are much more limited.

One of the more popular maker of such svelte gaming laptops is Razer, and today, it upgrades the Blade Pro 17 with an eye-popping new feature -- a 17.3-inch 4K, 3840 x 2160 display with 400 nits brightness! Yes, seriously.

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Apple recently launched its Arcade service -- a monthly games subscription for iOS. For just $4.99 a month, you get access to a bunch of titles without advertisements or in-app purchases. The first month is free, so I have been testing it on my iPhone 8 Plus. You know what? It is just OK -- not great. Many of the games are garbage that I wouldn't have bought in the first place. In other words, while $5 a month seems like a good deal, you have to actually find value in the games for it to be worthwhile.

Today, Google launches its version of Apple Arcade, and it seems like a much better deal. While it carries the same $4.99 monthly cost, and it too includes games, it also provides access to something Arcade doesn't -- applications. Quite frankly, as an adult, a buffet of productivity apps is more interesting to me than a collection of mobile games. Having both, however, is really cool, though -- I hope Apple follows Google's lead.

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If you need external storage, you should always try to get a solid state drive -- if you can afford your needed capacity, of course. Not only is an SSD much faster than a mechanical hard disk drive, it can be more reliable too. You see, since an SSD doesn't have moving parts, it is less likely to become damaged from jostling. An HDD, by comparison, can become corrupted by bouncing around in your bag or luggage.

Another benefit of an external solid state drive over a hard disk drive is its physical size -- an SSD can be much smaller, which is superior for traveling. Today, ADATA launches a new USB-C SSD that is tiny and adorable. Called "SC680," it is thin, light, and pretty fast.

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Earlier today, Huawei unveiled five new phones as a part of the Mate 30 series -- the Mate 30, Mate 30 5G, Mate 30 Pro, Mate 30 Pro 5G, and the Porsche Design Mate 30 RS. They are absolutely gorgeous smartphones with high-end specifications. They are even running the latest and greatest Android 10 operating system. Quite frankly, the beautiful design shows how Apple should have laid out its rear cameras on the iPhone Pro. In fact, while the Mate 30 has a triple camera system like the iPhone 11 Pro, the Mate 30 Pro has four cameras! I guess we can really see which phone deserves its "Pro" moniker!

All models of Mate 30 have a notched display, with the notch being a bit bigger on the Pro and RS models. The Pro and RS models have a 6.53-inch screen (OLED FHD+ 2400 x 1176), while the regular Mate 30 is a bit bigger at 6.62-inch (OLED FHD+ 2340 x 1080). All are powered by the same octa-core processor (2 x Cortex-A76 Based 2.86 GHz + 2 x Cortex-A76 Based 2.36 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 1.95 GHz), 16-Core Mali-G76 GPU, and 8GB of RAM -- with the exception of the RS, which has 12GB of RAM. The Mate 30 comes with 128GB of storage, while the Mate 30 Pro has 256GB. The high-end RS gets an insane 512GB. And yes, they all feature an in-screen fingerprint reader!

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Earlier this month, Apple had a big product unveiling, where it showed off a new iPad, Apple Watch, and three new iPhone 11 models. You know what it didn't reveal? A new Apple TV. This was very surprising, as the company is planning to really push its upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service. You would think an upgraded device for Apple TV+ would make sense, but no, the company laid an egg in that regard.

Thankfully, Roku is happy to keep pushing the envelope and releasing new hardware. Following the previous announcement of the innovative Roku Soundbar, today, the company unveils upgrades to two of its most popular devices -- Roku Ultra and Roku Express. The Ultra is its top of the line device, while the Express is a budget offering for the masses.

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All Linux users are the same, right? Oh, hell no! Linux users are a diverse bunch, with differing opinions, tastes, and personalities. In fact, that is probably a contributing factor to the fragmentation of the Linux community. Linux users have lots of options between distributions, desktop environments, and more -- they are not stuck in a box like Windows 10 users.

To highlight how different Linux users can be, Canonical has released some data about the installation of snaps, categorized by distro. It chose six of the most popular Linux-based operating systems for its analysis -- Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Arch Linux, and Manjaro. It then shared the top five most popular snaps for each distribution.

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Want to know a secret? Most people probably don't need an unlimited data plan on their smartphone. And yet, many folks will happily overpay for the peace of mind -- worrying about data overages can be stressful. You know what? That's not so crazy. Look, I am all for saving money, but at the same time, I don't want to concern myself with anything other than consuming media and surfing the web when on my phone. So, yes, I crave unlimited even though I don't need it, and I am not alone.

Today, Google Fi launches an unlimited plan for the first time ever. This is significant, as Google's service (which utilizes T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular networks for enhanced coverage) was historically marketed as a way to save money by only paying for the data you use. With that said, this new unlimited plan is surprisingly very affordable -- I find myself quite intrigued. As an extra bonus, until September 18, Google will give 50 percent off a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3XL. Yes, I know, the Pixel 4's release is imminent, but if you don't need the latest and greatest, this could be a great way to save some money.

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