Brian Fagioli

HyperX -- Kingston's gaming brand -- is most well known for high quality RAM. With that said, it has expanded over the years to include gaming peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, headsets, and more. Still, despite a more diverse product offering, memory remains the crown jewel of its business.

To highlight just how important RAM is to HyperX, today, the company makes a shocking announcement. You see, the company has achieved an impressive milestone -- more than 60 million memory modules shipped since 2002!

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Ubuntu Touch never lit the world on fire as many Linux fans had hoped, but to be honest, most mainstream consumers didn’t even know it existed. So when Canonical canceled it, not many people cared. Luckily, since the project was open source, it was easy for another organization — in this case, UBports — to grab the torch and run with it.

Back in August, UBports surprised many with the Ubuntu Touch OTA-4 release, which breathed new life into tablets and smartphones that ran the Linux distro. Now, OTA-5 is here to take it up yet another notch. The new version gets a new web browser called Morph which is based on QtWebEngine. Best of all, OTA-5 gets improved adaptive scaling for a better experience regardless of screen size. From a superficial standpoint, there are new wallpapers based on community submitted artwork.

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Windows 10 has been a dumpster fire lately, but thankfully, Microsoft's OS stranglehold on the consumer PC business is dramatically diminishing. These days, many consumers would be better served by purchasing a MacBook or Chromebook rather than a laptop running the less-secure Windows. True, Apple's computers are expensive, but luckily, laptops running Chrome OS can be quite affordable. Chromebooks are shockingly capable too -- especially since Android app support was added.

Just as Samsung manufactures excellent smartphones running Google's Android operating system, it also makes quality laptops running the search giant's Linux-based Chrome OS. The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is one of the nicer Chromebooks, and today, the company unveils a new variant. The hardware stays the same, except for one addition -- LTE compatibility. In other words, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 (LTE), as it is called, is fully functional without Wi-Fi -- just add a mobile data plan!

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A couple of days ago, Google unveiled its 3rd generation of Pixel phones. And you know what? Many consumers don't really seem to care. Let's be honest, the search giant's flagship devices are usually reserved for only the most hardcore Android lovers -- most consumers prefer Samsung. Sadly, even the Google faithful seem unimpressed by the terribly ugly Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. These devices are beyond uninspired, and the notch on the XL variant is shockingly large.

Thankfully, there is another phone that should wash the filthy Pixel 3 taste out of your mouth -- the Razer Phone 2. Yes, the popular gaming company is back with a second generation phone. The device is still focused on gaming, and this time it has a faster processor which delivers an impressive performance boost. It also gets a glass back which helps enable Qi wireless charging -- a must in 2018. And since this is a gaming device, it now has customizable RGB lighting -- for the rear Razer logo.

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Microsoft is having a terrible time lately. Sometimes it feels like the company wants to sabotage itself. The most recent debacle is its flagship product -- Windows 10 -- deleting user files. Even worse, the company ignored user feedback that it was happening! Quite frankly, after such a scary thing, I am not sure how people can trust Microsoft's operating system with important data.

Thankfully, you do not have to use Windows. These days, it is easier than ever to use Linux instead. There are plenty of great apps available for operating systems like Ubuntu, Fedora, and more. Canonical's containerized Snap packaging makes it even simpler to both install Linux apps and keep them updated. Today, a very popular app, Plex Media Server, gets the Snap treatment. In other words, you can install the media server program without any headaches -- right from the Snap store!

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Google's Chromecast is a curious product. It solves a major consumer need -- getting media content from a smartphone's small screen to a larger television screen. And it accomplishes that goal fairly well. When it was first released in 2013, its biggest selling point was its low price. These days, the $35 asking price is far less impressive. For instance, for just $5 more, you can get a 4K Roku box with a remote.

Realizing that the Chromecast was in desperate need of an upgrade, Google today launches a new model. The $35 price remains, but the hardware gets a significant refresh. The processor is apparently 15 percent faster, enabling 1080p at 60fps -- a big upgrade from the 720p found on the prior generation. Sadly, it is apparently not capable of doing 4K. Also of significance, it now supports 5GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

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If you are knowledgeable about home networking, and you have experience with wireless routers, I am sure you are not scared by setting one up. If you have never done it before, or aren't tech savvy, configuring a Wi-Fi router can be quite the daunting task. Sure, they are easier these days than they were years ago, but still, they can be rather overwhelming to the average consumer -- especially mesh.

Famed company Ubiquiti Networks has been trying to make setting up a home wireless network a simpler task, and it has largely succeeded with its excellent AmpliFi mesh router system. The company is not ready to rest on its laurels, however, as today, it launches a new affordable mesh router that makes configuration even easier. In fact, according to Ubiquiti Networks, the "AmpliFi Instant," as the new product is called, can be configured in less than two minutes. Seriously, folks, that is not a typo -- the average consumer can set up quality 802.11ac (aka Wi-Fi 5) mesh wireless in under 120 seconds using an Android or iOS device!

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For many PC gamers, wired accessories are preferable to wireless. Why? Well, besides potential lag with keyboards and mice, there is a fear of having batteries die during a match. When gaming, nothing is worse than having your mouse, keyboard, or headset stop working. To lose because of such nonsense is utterly maddening.

What if you want the reliability of a wired headset, for instance, but crave the wireless freedom a Bluetooth model offers? Today, HyperX unveils a new headset that is both wired and wireless -- the best of both worlds. Called "Cloud MIX," the headset can achieve up to 20 hours of battery life when in Bluetooth mode.

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With the exception of extremely low-cost budget models, all modern computers (laptops and desktops) should have Thunderbolt 3 these days. Why? Because TB3 is simply amazing -- it uses the USB-C connector, but is much faster than USB 3.1 Gen 2.

With Thunderbolt 3 being so fast, many consumers -- including yours truly -- have been waiting for external PCIe NVMe TB3 drives to begin hitting the mainstream. I am happy to say I have been testing one from VisionTek with my 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, and as you can imagine, it is super quick.

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While many people are familiar with popular Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mint, there are far more open source operating systems available. There are probably too many, but I digress. Please know, just because a distro isn't very well known, doesn’t mean it's bad.

One such quality Linux distro that isn't super popular is Mageia. It is a fork of the once wildly popular Mandriva operating system. Today, Mageia 6.1 becomes available for download. It features LTS Linux kernel 4.14 and updated Nvidia drivers.

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The Nintendo Switch is much less powerful than both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, that being said, Nintendo’s offering is arguably the best of the three. Why? Well, it serves double duty as both a home and portable console. Not to mention, it has Nintendo exclusive games, featuring iconic characters like Mario and Link from Zelda. Let’s be honest, Nintendo’s own games are top shelf.

Today, Nintendo announces a special Fortnite edition of the Switch. No, the hardware is not different. The "Fortnite -- Double Helix Bundle," as it is called, simply features some exclusive content and bonus in-game currency. For fans of the wildly popular Fortnite game, this is sure to be quite enticing.

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Traditional cable TV providers should be very worried. These days, it is easier than ever to cut the cord. Thanks to streaming media, a small box, dongle, or stick can deliver high-quality movies, TV, and music over the internet. Using myself as an example, I leverage YouTube TV, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix for all of media needs. The local TV provider no longer gets my money -- except as my ISP, that is.

Believe it or not, 4K content is becoming more and more common, and lately, 4K streaming devices have become very affordable. Last month, for instance, Roku unveiled new 4K devices starting at just $39.99 -- $10 more if you want the voice remote. Not wanting to be left out, today, Amazon unveils the Fire TV Stick 4K and it looks like an insane value. Not only does it come with an all-new Alexa Voice Remote, but it features Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+ too -- all at a rock-bottom price.

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For tech savvy consumers, buying a wireless router or adapter is a fairly simple affair. For the majority of shoppers, however, it can be very confusing. Let’s be honest, it is impossible to know that 802.11ac is better than, say, 802.11n without first researching it. I mean, hell, how is the average consumer supposed to know what the letter designation following the 802.11 really means? It is simply nerdy jargon.

Apparently the Wi-Fi Alliance wants to make it easier to decipher. Starting with the 802.11ax, numbers will be used instead. For instance, ax will be Wi-Fi 6, while n and ac will retroactively be called Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 respectively.

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Gaming is a huge business these days, and no, I am not just talking about PC and consoles. Believe it or not, many people are playing legit games -- such as Fortnite -- on mobile devices too. Regardless of platform, there is one common theme -- online gaming. Yes, these days, gaming online is probably more popular than playing with one's self offline. And so, having a quality Wi-Fi router is a must.

Today, popular company Razer announces its own router (designed with Design Labs, maker of the "Portal Mesh Wi-Fi Router") and it is sexy as hell. Called "Sila," it leverages an impressive nine internal antennas. The design is basic -- a rectangle, more or less -- but there is beauty and elegance in its simplicity. It will look great in a teen's bedroom next to an Xbox, for instance, but also, it will fit perfectly in a family living room.

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If you want a Windows 10 laptop, you can do much better than Microsoft's buggy Surface devices. Companies such as Dell, Lenovo, and HP make some excellent notebooks these days. I mean, look, Microsoft's homegrown computers aren't totally bad, but they are a bit overpriced and historically have had terrible bugs and driver issues. For a while, the much-respected Consumer Reports refused to recommend the computers -- something on which they've recently done a "180."

Today, with surprisingly little fanfare in New York City, Microsoft unveiled some new Surface devices, including the Surface Pro 6 -- a tablet with a floppy keyboard that needs to die already. The true star of the Surface line these days is the unimaginatively named Surface Laptop -- a surprisingly decent computer. Microsoft has upgraded the laptop's internals, given it a new color (black), and put the number 2 at the end of its name. Unfortunately, Surface Laptop 2 is a tragically boring upgrade -- very slight evolution instead of revolution.

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