Brian Fagioli

Earlier today, I took a journey to New York City to attend Samsung's Unpacked 2017 press event. I expected to see the Galaxy Note8 unveiled, and unsurprisingly it was. Sadly, the press event was sort of ruined as the company released all of the device details online just as the presentation began. Oh well. Such is life.

Let's be honest though, due to leaks, there weren't many surprises to be had anyway. Still, I expected to be impressed by the new phone, and I am happy to say that I was not disappointed. I got the opportunity to have some hands-on time with the Galaxy Note8 and I can say that Samsung has seemingly done everything right. In other words, Samsung has not pulled a single boner. Did it blow me away? No, but it still seems to be a solid evolutionary device.

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There is no shortage of diminutive bus-powered portable USB storage drives on the market nowadays -- both SSD and 2.5-inch HDD variants. Unfortunately, these drives typically offer relatively small capacities. Some professionals (and home users) need an external drive with much higher storage possibilities and being portable doesn't always matter. In these cases, a 3.5-inch-based USB drive is preferable, as plugging into a wall outlet for power is not an issue, and more importantly, it is available in higher capacities.

Today, Western Digital unveils a new external desktop drive line that should meet the needs of many. Called "My Book Duo," it actually leverages two 3.5-inch mechanical hard drives in RAID-0 to offer capacities up to 20TB. For example, the top capacity offering is comprised of dual 10TB drives. It connects with the latest-and greatest USB-C connector. Making it even more useful, it even includes an integrated two-port USB-A hub. This makes the My Book Duo storage system particularly ideal for machines without USB-A, such as the newest MacBook Pro. It will not charge a connected laptop, sadly. The external drive also features 256-bit AES hardware encryption and comes with a respectable 3-year warranty.

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HyperX makes excellent hardware. While the company's RAM (memory) is already legendary, it has also branched out to other gear like keyboards, mice, and headsets. So far, anything that carries the company's branding has proven to be of high quality. In other words, you really can't go wrong when buying a HyperX product.

Today, HyperX unveils a new gaming headset and it looks amazing. It is compatible with multiple platforms, such as Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, smartphones, tablets, and of course, PC. It features a removable microphone for when you just need to listen, which you can always reattach for speaking. For added durability, the hinges are made of aluminum. The most intriguing aspect, however, is what HyperX calls "dual chamber technology." Believe it or not, despite the solid specs and features, it is surprisingly affordable.

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The Windows Insiders program is both cool and annoying. It is cool because it lets enthusiast users experience new Windows features and contribute feedback to make the operating system better. It is a bit annoying, as these testers aren't paid for their volunteer efforts. Even worse, the Insider builds will seemingly never end, meaning some users will forever be using an unstable operating system. Yes, that is their choice, but sometimes people can't help themselves. Hell, it can be argued that their feedback is tainted, as they are maybe never really experiencing the stable releases.

Microsoft has chosen to expand the Insiders program to Windows Server too. Today, the company pushes out Server Preview Build 16267, but there is something weird -- the company forgot to include any new features! In fact, the announcement literally says "There are no new features in build 16267." OK, yes, I am being facetious (and a bit snarky) when I say Microsoft "forgot" to include features, as technically updates and fixes alone are worthy of a new build. Still, for all the effort put in by the testers, a feature or two would be appreciated -- throw em' a friggin' bone!

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Kodi is such an amazing piece of software. The multimedia center gets a bad reputation due to some piracy "addons," but not everyone uses it for illegal purposes. Actually, it is a great way to consume legally sourced media content, including family photos and videos. While some addons like Exodus and Covenant may provide pirated content, there are useful legal addons too. In other words, just like with most things, the software is totally legit, but the users are responsible for any nefarious aspects -- not the Kodi team.

Today, Kodi 17.4 is finally here -- a major update. Since it is primarily bug fixes, all of your addons should work totally fine. This includes popular piracy streaming addons, but we do not endorse those at all. It is recommended to install this update due to the significant number of fixes.

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When you install Google Chrome Beta or Dev versions on your Windows computer, it overwrites and replaces the stable version. This keeps things fairly simple and neat, as home users won't have multiple versions of Chrome on their PC. The problem with that, however, is the Beta and Dev versions really aren't intended for home users -- even though some still use them. Those unstable versions are intended for testing, meaning having them run side-by-side, like with the Canary builds, would actually be preferable.

Thankfully, Google has now decided to change the default behavior on Windows so that Google Chrome stable can run side-by-side with both the Beta and Dev variants. This means a web developer, for instance, can easily test their page with all three builds at the same time. When you include Canary, that means you could have, in theory, four variants of Chrome at different development stages running at once. Unfortunately, macOS users are excluded from this side-by-side fun -- for now at least.

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Mechanical hard drives may not be fashionable nowadays, but they absolutely still have their place. For many folks, leveraging the cloud or a small solid state drive is passable, but for others, not so much. For gamers and professionals in particular, there may be a need to store a lot of data locally, such as games, images, and video files. Luckily, manufacturers are still cranking out affordable large-capacity 3.5-inch drives for these needs.

Today, legendary company Toshiba introduces a new 8TB capacity to its existing "X300" internal desktop SATA HDD line. This series is designed for both gamers and professional users alike. Toshiba's 8TB mechanical drive spins at 7,200 rpm and features a 128MB cache. The company is including a two-year warranty for the product.

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Routers are getting more powerful and elaborate nowadays. What was once a device that a person would set up and then never pay any mind (except when he/she needed to reboot it), has become much more. Ostentatious designs with multiple external antennas are not just for performance, but they can also make wireless routers focal points of a room. For some consumers, these routers can even be seen as works of art. While appearance is obviously good for sales and marketing purposes, it can actually benefit some users too. After all, if a wireless router is put in, say, a living room, it is important that it looks attractive too. It really does matter.

Today, Linksys finally begins taking pre-orders for a wireless router that we covered at the beginning of the year, called WRT32X. This router is quite intriguing for many reasons. For one, it is being listed as a "gaming" device, and thanks to the use of Killer Networking KPE technology, that could be more than just marketing. Another interesting aspect is the beautiful design -- it looks both angry and intimidating, and yes, that is a good thing. If this was put next to an Xbox or gaming PC, it would totally fit in. Most intriguing, however, is that theWRT32X is open source-friendly so you can flash alternative firmware, such as OpenWrt.

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The perfect Linux distribution doesn't exist. Take it from someone that does a lot of distro-hopping -- you will find yourself searching forever. Instead, it is wise to find a Linux-based operating system that meets your needs and try to stick with it. After all, constantly fiddling with various distributions will just drain your energy and steal your time.

With that said, Black Lab Enterprise Linux 11.0.3 is now available. Should you download it? Well, if you are not satisfied with your current Linux-based operating system, then maybe. I've got to tell you, this Ubuntu-based distro looks like a winner. It features modern versions of both Google Chrome and the Linux kernel, plus it offers support for many file systems. Despite being designed for organizations, it should serve as a great desktop OS for home users too.

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Look, we all knew Android 8.0 would probably be called "Oreo," and we now have confirmation. Today, Google releases 8.0 of its Android operating system and officially names it "Oreo" after the sandwich cookie. This is the search-giant's second time partnering with a brand for a dessert name, with the other time being "Kit Kat". Strangely, Google even used the solar eclipse to promote the Oreo name.

Truth be told, it does feel kind of cheap and commercialized to have a corporate product tie-in. After all, if Windows 10 was named "Slim Jim," for example, and Microsoft urged you to snap into its operating system, consumers would be up in arms. When Google does, it, however, people celebrate.

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Google is undeniably the best search engine for results -- concerns about privacy be damned. Alternatives such as Bing and DuckDuckGo aren't terrible, but the optimal experience still comes from Google -- for now.

Today, Google announces a cool new search feature for its Android operating system. When using either the Chrome web browser or the official Google app, you will now sometimes see video previews in results. In other words, rather than needing to click a video to load it entirely, you can instead see a brief snippet, allowing you to see if the video should meet your needs.

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The MacBook Pro is a wonderful laptop. It offers excellent performance, a sleek design, and one of the best keyboards on the market. There really isn't much to complain about, other than a lack of ports. You see, Apple went all-in with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports on its new laptop, meaning some users would need to rely on dongles for connecting legacy devices.

There are countless dongles, adapters, and docking stations on the market nowadays, all looking to provide a fix for this port pain-point. Today, a new such product from a company named "Seesaw" becomes available for pre-order on Kickstarter. The "DockCase," as it is called, intrigued me because of its unique design. You see, it is a protective leather sleeve for the MacBook Pro with a USB-C docking station built in. It sounds weird, I know, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

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Last year, Samsung had quite the disaster with the Galaxy Note7 smartphone. Some of the devices were deemed to be fire hazards, due to overheating and exploding batteries. While the company did ultimately recall all of the devices, the process was poorly handled which lead to even more negative experiences. Things got so bad that those particular Samsung phones were banned from airplanes.

The Note7 fire issue is far behind the company at this point, and the brand is as strong as ever. In fact, the Galaxy Note8 is expected to be unveiled next week in NYC. Unfortunately, there is a new battery controversy surrounding the Galaxy Note line. You see, batteries in one of the older models are now being recalled for being counterfeit. Even worse, they can potentially cause a fire. Yikes!

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Nokia doesn't make smartphones anymore, but the company will sell its name to the highest bidder. Case in point, the current Android devices carrying the "Nokia" branding are actually made by a company called HMD Global. In other words, you are buying an HMD smartphone with the Nokia name slapped on it. This keeps the Nokia brand in consumers' minds, while HMD gets to sell its phones under a name people actually recognize. It's win-win for the two companies.

Today, HMD unveils its newest such device -- the Nokia 8. What does the "8" signify? seemingly nothing. It is not an 8th generation device, nor does it have an 8-inch screen. It is just sort of random -- much like Microsoft and "Windows 10" (whatever happened to Windows 9?). The Nokia 8 looks rather impressive, however, with excellent specs and a gorgeous design. Branding aside, this could be an intriguing smartphone for fans of Google's mobile operating system.

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There is no shortage of ultra high definition (UHD) monitors nowadays. Prices for 4K displays have dropped dramatically over the last few years, making them affordable for many home consumers. Heck, there are even some monitors with even higher resolutions now.

While many manufacturers are producing lower-priced 4K displays, ViewSonic is apparently going in the opposite direction. Today, the company introduces a beautiful new 27-inch 4K display with professional features, such as 99 percent Adobe RGB and HDR10. It even has USB-C video connectivity, which is perfect for Apple's MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, the price is sky-high, putting it out of reach for most.

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