Brian Fagioli

In the USA, there are four major cell service providers -- Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Of that group, two are considered by some to be low-quality -- Sprint and T-Mobile. While that is absolutely true of the former, the latter is actually very good, offering affordability, solid coverage, and fast speeds. I swear by it these days.

It has often been rumored that T-Mobile and Sprint were discussing mergers, potentially forming a company that won't just compete with Verizon and AT&T, but potentially leapfrog them -- especially with the impending roll-out of 5G. Today, the rumors become reality, as T-Mobile and Sprint are officially merging in an all-stock transaction -- pooling resources to establish a stronger overall company. The name Sprint will be dropped entirely -- a smart move as it is the weaker brand.

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The MacBook Pro is proving to be quite disastrous for many folks, with a too-delicate keyboard being a common complaint. It seems that dust can get under the keys, causing them to malfunction -- a frustrating experience to say the least. Yours truly has been dealing with a defective display -- a costly and annoying failure.

One of the biggest complaints about the MacBook Pro, however, is a lack of ports. Apple went all-in on ThunderBolt 3/USB-C, leaving no traditional USB Type-A ports, video out, or card reader. Luckily, this is easily remedied by purchasing dongles and docks. Today, Satechi launches a new USB-C "Pro" Hub for the newest MacBook Pro laptops -- both 13 and 15-inch. Not only does it add two USB Type-A ports, but Ethernet, HDMI, and a micro SD card reader too. And yes, it offers pass-through power delivery.

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Gaming hardware and accessories often feature very over-the-top designs, making them look like futuristic alien technology. While this is cool for some folks, others prefer more basic products with more conservative designs.

Today, Razer launches the Abyssus Essential optical gaming mouse which features a classic design. Razer calls the mouse "no-frills" and this is quite correct -- because of its ambidextrous design, there are no side buttons.

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Windows 10 is a great operating system, but its app store? Not so much. Don't get me wrong, the Microsoft Store is a serviceable solution, but it is deficient in many ways. Most notably, there is a lack of quality apps, as many developers haven't truly embraced the store. The apps that are there, however, are often fakes/imitations and low quality. If Microsoft wants to legitimize its app store, it needs to score some major software.

I was in attendance at Build 2017 when Microsoft announced an impressive score -- iTunes was coming to the store. Believe it or not, that announcement elicited a gasp from the Build crowd. True, Apple's media program is in dire need of a UI refresh, and it is quite bloated, but many people still use it daily -- especially for Apple Music. Unfortunately, the promised iTunes never came to the Microsoft Store -- until today. Yes, damn near a year after the announcement, iTunes is finally in the store. Better late than never, I suppose.

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Ubuntu is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions -- if not the most popular. While it may not be everyone's favorite operating system, it is largely responsible for making Linux accessible for average consumers. It is fairly easy to install, simple to use, and has a convenient application center. Ultimately, it is a pleasure to use for both beginners and experts alike.

Today, following an extensive beta period, the latest version of Ubuntu -- version 18.04 -- becomes available for download. Code-named "Bionic Beaver," it features GNOME 3.28 -- the best desktop environment -- rather than the now-abandoned (and much-maligned) Unity. As per usual, there are other DEs too, such as KDE, Xfce, and MATE. The kernel is based on Linux 4.15 and LibreOffice 6.0 is included by default. Best of all, Bionic Beaver is LTS (Long Term Support), meaning it gets an impressive five years of support.

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These days, 4K televisions and monitors are becoming much more common. Operating systems support them well, and there is a lot of available UHD content -- including on Netflix and YouTube. Not to mention, prices have dropped dramatically -- these 4K monitors are finally achievable by the average consumer.

Philips has announced an all-new 4K display called "Momentum" (model 436M6VBPAB) that is downright breathtaking. First of all, it is huge -- a massive 43 inches. Size aside, it has Quantum Dot technology, an insane 1,000 nits max brightness, 10-bit color, and most impressive of all, it is HDR1000 certified.

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Apple's iPad tablets are beautifully designed, but let's be honest -- they are not durable. If you drop it, there is a very good chance the screen could shatter. Even if the display is unhurt, it could become dented or scratched, which can really destroy the resale value. Money aside, it can be depressing to use a device with cosmetic blemishes. Look, you spent good money on your iPad, right? Well, you should protect it.

The best way to do this is with a rugged case. This way, if you do drop your precious iPad, it should hopefully survive unscathed. One manufacturer that produces reliable cases is Urban Armor Gear. Today, that company announces the "Plasma" case for both the regular iPad (9.7-inch, 5th and 6th generation) and iPad Pro (12.9 and 10.5-inch). Not only is it very rugged, but it looks quite beautiful too. Apple Pencil users should love the integrated holder.

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Samsung solid state drives are the gold standard of storage. True, there are other brands that sell quality SSDs, but Samsung's offerings are not only blazing-fast, but very reliable too. If you can afford it, you shouldn't consider any other brand.

Today, Samsung announces its most impressive solid state drives yet -- the 970 PRO and 970 EVO, both of which are M.2 PCIe NVMe variants. The PRO model features capacities up to 1TB, while the EVO goes up to 2TB.

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Mesh networking systems are all the rage these days, and it isn't hard to see why. Traditional wireless routers can be deficient in large houses, failing to reach all of the rooms. It can be quite frustrating to experience dead zones in your home, and fiddling with range extenders can be annoying. Mesh networks blanket your home in glorious Wi-Fi by utilizing several well-placed access points.

Today, ASUS unveils its latest mesh networking system. Called "Lyra Trio," it is comprised of three AC1750 access points. The 802.11ac devices are pyramid-shaped and contain vertical 3x3 MIMO antennas. If you don't have experience with setting up a home network, don't worry -- you can use a special smartphone app (Android and iPhone) to do so easily.

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For 2018, I decided to take stock in my finances to see exactly where my money is going each month. I found many ways to cut costs, such as making my own lunch instead of buying something from a deli each day. In New York, a sandwich, bag of chips, and a Snapple can easily run you $13! Food aside, there was one thing in particular that was really destroying my budget -- cable.

When I say cable, I am referring to the traditional "triple play" service, where you get television, internet, and phone. For this, I was paying over $200 a month! This was without any premium channels -- no HBO, Starz, or Showtime. The most ridiculous part? I was being charged monthly rental fees for the cable boxes and modem. Well, enough was enough. Thanks to YouTube TV, I "cut the cord" and I couldn't be happier.

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The concept of printing out your photos and putting them in an album is pretty much dead. Yeah, some folks probably still do this, but thanks to smartphones, tablets, and smart televisions, there is no reason to do so. There are much better ways to share and enjoy your precious memories these days. In other words, the digitization of photos has created a superior experience.

But OK, it can be fun to print out photos at a party or family get-together, where the images are essentially disposable -- kind of like a Polaroid. After all, not everything is worthy of framing. Today, Canon launches a new portable printer called "IVY Mini" that can do exactly that.

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The voice assistant hardware market is exploding in popularity lately, with devices running software from Amazon, Google, and to a lesser extent, Apple. We can pretty much leave Cortana out of the conversation despite a very good hardware offering from Harman Kardon.

As Apple's HomePod fails due to a still-disappointing Siri, Google and Amazon's offerings remain the cream of the crop. Which of those two you prefer is a matter of personal preference, although I prefer Alexa having tried both. Today, Alexa is getting a unique new feature that sets it apart from Google even more. Called "Alexa Skill Blueprints," you can easily create custom Skills without any programming experience.

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Solid state drives are in the future of computing, while hard disk drives are the past. With that said, despite being destined for the history books, HDDs are still a big part of the present. In other words, despite being older technology, mechanical hard drives definitely have their place these days. Why? Well, they offer huge capacities at affordable prices. True, solid state drives are dropping in price, but they still aren't financially feasible for data centers, for instance. SSDs will get there eventually, but for now, hard drives live on.

Amazingly, some manufacturers are still pushing the HDD envelope, delivering ever-increasing capacities. For instance, today, Western Digital -- one of the most respected storage companies -- announces a new 14TB HDD called "Ultrastar DC HC530." While that storage capacity has been done before, this is the first 14TB drive to use conventional magnetic recording (CMR).

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Both Thunderbolt 3 docking stations and bus-powered USB-C hubs are nothing new. But what about bus-powered Thunderbolt 3 docking stations? Ah, that is a much more rare product. In fact, today, StarTech is launching two bus-powered portable Thunderbolt 3 docking stations that it claims are an "industry first." If you aren't familiar, "bus-powered" means there is no need for an AC adapter -- the port on your laptop powers the dock. This is great because, without a power adapter, you have one less thing to carry.

Why are there two models? Well, while they are both similar, they are are also quite different. The TB3DK2DP features two DisplayPort connections, a USB 3.0 Type-A port, and gigabit Ethernet. The TB3DKM2HD in comparison has two HDMI ports, gigabit Ethernet, a USB 3.0 Type-A port and a USB 2.0 Type-A port. Both portable docks can push two 4K monitors at 60Hz, but only the DisplayPort variant can do 5K at 60Hz. Neither feature female USB-C ports.

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If you still haven't made the leap from HDD to SSD, what the heck are you waiting for? OK, true, mechanical drives are more affordable when capacity is considered, but come on -- the speed makes it totally worthwhile. It's not like you need a fancy NVMe drive either -- for most consumers, an inexpensive SATA-based solid state drive is more than adequate. Let's be honest -- outside of benchmarks and bragging rights, a blazing-fast PCIe SSD is probably overkill for the majority of consumers.

Today, Kingston unveils a new line of SATA-based SSDs. They are available in three form factors -- 2.5-inch, M.2 2280, and mSATA. Capacity ranges from 120GB to 1920GB depending on which of the aforementioned styles is selected. For instance, the mSATA model maxes out at 480GB, while the M.2 goes up to 960GB. The 2.5-inch takes things to another level, as it features capacities up to a massive 1,920GB! Best of all, they feature 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption.

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