Brian Fagioli

The photos and videos coming out of Puerto Rico following the devastating Hurricane Maria have been heartbreaking. The little island has been destroyed -- the people have no electricity, but even worse, food and water are scarce, and tensions are running high, leading to very dangerous conditions.

Unfortunately, government aid has not been coming fast enough, with President Trump blaming the fact that Puerto Rico is an island for his poor performance in this regard -- seriously. Luckily, the private sector is stepping up to help their fellow US citizens. People and organizations are donating money, and today Microsoft announces that it is enabling free Skype calls to Puerto Rico area codes 787 and 939.

Continue reading →

Many people are passionate about Twitter -- including President Donald Trump. It is not hard to see why, either -- it allows you to quickly share a communication with the world in 140 or fewer characters. While some people see the character limitation as stupid and unnecessary, others would argue that it forces the user to get to the point. Heck, limitations can breed creativity too -- getting a message across in 140 characters can be a fun brain exercise.

Unfortunately, Twitter seems intent on potentially ruining its service by literally doubling the number of characters from 140 to 280. Before you run to the service to test this out, please know that it is only available to a small group of testers for now.

Continue reading →

When I bought my MacBook Pro last year, I knew I would end up buying some dongles. Since the laptop only has USB-C ports, I would need adapters to complete some tasks. If I want to use a traditional USB-A flash drive, for instance, I need a dongle. What if I need to plug into Ethernet? Yep, another dongle.

Truth be told, I very rarely connect to Ethernet or access flash drives these days, so those dongles are almost never needed. With that said, there is one big limitation of my MacBook Pro that impacts me regularly -- lack of video out. For this, I need to use a USB-C adapter (or a docking station). I've learned that not all of these dongles are created equally, however. While many can do 4K, they often max out at 30Hz. Thankfully, I found a really great USB-C to HDMI 2.0 adapter from a company called ACCELL that can do 4K @ 60Hz.

Continue reading →

Back in July, we reported that USB 3.2 was on the way. With USB being so popular nowadays, this was big news, despite the fact that it was merely an incremental update. While the average computer user probably has no reason to care, computer enthusiasts (aka nerds) will understandably be excited.

Today, USB 3.2 finally becomes official, as the USB Implementers Forum publishes the new standard. While it wasn't considered complete when it was announced in July, it is now properly finalized.

Continue reading →

Today, Apple releases macOS 10.13 High Sierra to the public after a series of beta releases. It has some cool new aspects, but for the most part, its is a very boring release. Don't get me wrong, the new APFS file system and the ability to use an eGPU, for instance, are both very big deals, but let's be honest -- the average user probably won't care.

Overall, the apparent differences are few and far between -- mostly in applications such as Safari and Photos -- and you know what? That is a good thing. The fact that High Sierra is largely uneventful for end users just shows how mature and refined Apple's Unix-like operating system is. Heck, this is probably why the operating system barely got a new name, only going from Sierra to High Sierra.

Continue reading →

The Kodi media center is facing a lot of scrutiny in the media lately. Some people feel that the negative coverage is "fake news." It is important to remember that Kodi is not illegal. With that said, it can be made so with piracy-related addons. Since Kodi is open source, even if the developers removed the ability to install addons, other people could easily fork the code to add it back. Pandora's box cannot be closed.

Many people that use Kodi do so with a dedicated Linux-based operating system, such as the excellent LibreELEC. You see, these distros exist only to run the open source media center, meaning there are no resources wasted on unnecessary things. Today, LibreELEC (Krypton) v8.1.2 BETA sees release. You can install it immediately, and don't worry -- your addons like Exodus and Covenant will work fine.

Continue reading →

AMD has been making big moves lately, releasing the Radeon RX Vega graphics cards and its Ryzen 3, 5, 7, and Threadripper desktop processors. The company now has a very diverse portfolio that can meet the needs of many consumers with various budgets.

Intel is not content to be out of the spotlight, however. After all, the company has long been the market leader for consumer desktop performance. Today, Intel announces its much-anticipated 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors. Believe it or not, pricing is quite reasonable. This line ranges from Core i3 to i7, meaning regardless of your budget or needs, there should be a product for you. Gamers and enthusiasts in particular should be very excited. As per usual, overclockers can have a field day with the unlocked "K" variants.

Continue reading →

President Donald Trump seems to enjoy calling any news organization that isn't favorable towards him "fake news." He has overused the term to the point that it is a parody of itself -- when it leaves his lips, at least. With that said, fake news is a legitimate concern. There have been cases where organizations have shared news that was either untrue or misleading. Sometimes this is caused by bad reporting, but in other cases, it could be intentional -- such as spreading fake news and advertisements on Facebook to help someone get elected, for instance.

Today, TVAddons -- a Kodi community website/group that focuses on addons -- announces that it is fed up with fake news about Kodi. In fact, it even calls out some news organizations and specific articles that it argues spread falsehoods about the open source media center. It is a great read, and the group shares explanations as to why each news story is "fake news" or "clickbait."

Continue reading →

Fedora is my favorite Linux distribution, but I don't always use it. Sometimes I opt for an operating system that is based on it depending on my needs at the moment. Called "Korora," it adds tweaks, repositories, codecs, and packages that aren't found in the normal Fedora operating system. As a result, Korora deviates from Red Hat's strict FOSS focus -- one of the most endearing things about Fedora. While you can add all of these things to Fedora manually, Korora can save you time by doing the work for you.

Since Korora is based on Fedora, it always lags from a version perspective. For instance, Fedora 26 was released in July, but Korora 26 is only seeing a release today. With version 26 of Korora, the big news is the fact that it is now 64-bit only -- 32-bit development for the operating system is dead. It is also the first version of the OS created with "Canvas" -- a new tool designed to simplify the process of creating the Korora operating system from Fedora.

Continue reading →

If you are building a new PC these days, you should definitely check out AMD processors. Its Ryzen chips are an amazing value, while the Ryzen Threadripper variants are multi-core beasts. There's nothing wrong with Intel, but now is clearly the time for AMD to shine.

If you need RAM for such an AMD build, compatibility can sometimes be a bit of a pain, so you should always consult with your motherboard manufacturer's list of compatible sticks. Of course, you can never go wrong with G.SKILL, and today, the company unveils new memory kits for both regular AMD Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper. These Trident Z sticks aren't standard, however -- they feature RGB lighting to make your build look pretty! I mean, everything is better with lights, right?

Continue reading →

I recently reviewed the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock for Apple MacBook Pro and came away very impressed. This device essentially converts your Apple laptop into a desktop with great results. The problem? It needs to be plugged into a wall for power, and it is not intended to be taken on the go.

Today, OWC announces a product that is meant to be taken with you in your laptop bag. Called "USB-C Travel Dock," it features many of the ports you may need, such as HDMI, USB Type-A, and an SD card reader. It even has a USB-C port for power pass-through, so if you only have one such port, you can charge your laptop while using it too. Best of all, it is quite affordable.

Continue reading →

Virtual assistants are changing the way people organize their lives. With the help of Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana, or Siri, you can easily access information in a more natural way. Using your voice, you can set reminders, alarms, and more. It really is like having a human assistant by your side helping you manage your life.

Today, Google and Bose announce a new set of headphones that take the virtual assistant out of your phone and put it in your ears. You see, the Bose QC35 II wireless Bluetooth headphones have a dedicated Google Assistant button, meaning you can summon it by pressing on the ear cup -- your phone can remain in your pocket. The headphones are compatible with both Android and iPhone.

Continue reading →

With the Windows 10 Fall Creators update coming next month, Microsoft is obviously working very hard to get the operating system in a good state. There have been plenty of Insiders builds, which at this point, are mostly focusing on bug fixes and stability.

Today, Microsoft pushes out Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16294 to the Fast ring. While the change log lists fixes, it strangely does not list any known issues. Surface Pro 3 owners should be happy, as this build finally fixes the dreaded non-boot issue.

Continue reading →

There have been rumors for a while now that Google was going to buy the struggling HTC. This seemed like a wonderful idea, as HTC makes great smartphones, which is good for the overall health of the Android market.

Today, a deal finally happens, but Google didn't buy HTC outright. Strangely, as the deal is laid out, the search giant has seemingly bought HTC employees. Yes, for $1.1 billion, the search giant has sort of purchased human beings -- plus it gets access to some intellectual property. HTC gets a much-needed big influx of cash.

Continue reading →

The horrible natural disasters keep coming, folks. Regardless of what is causing them, one thing is certain -- the victims need help. Thankfully, people and organizations seemingly have deep pockets this year when it comes to helping their fellow man. Heck, some companies have also offered complimentary products and services too.

One of the most recent tragedies is the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked Mexico. If you haven't seen any footage, please know that it is bad. Like, really bad. Buildings have collapsed on people, including children, and the death toll is expected to climb very high. If you have any loved ones in the affected areas of Mexico, and you need to reach them to be sure they are safe, Microsoft has your back. It has enabled free calls using its Skype service.

Continue reading →