Brian Fagioli

Anime is quite popular nowadays, not only with children, but adults too. Actually, some of the cartoons can have grown-up themes, making them inappropriate for kids. The Japanese animation is not just seen in TV shows and movies, but the characters are featured on merchandise and in video games too. The wildly popular Pokémon, for instance, is anime. Fans of this genre buy items such as figurines, clothing, and, sometimes, creepy body pillows too. Microsoft has even designated July to be "Anime Month" in its online store.

To celebrate the art of anime, popular Amazon-owned steaming service Twitch has partnered with American content-distributor Crunchyroll for a special viewing marathon. For five straight days, users will be able to watch anime content while chatting with others about what they are viewing. In other words, Twitch is making the act of watching anime communal, rather than private.

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Summer is in full force, meaning many of you are hanging out with friends and family outside. Nothing beats having a good time outdoors with loved ones -- especially when listening to good music.

While playing your favorite tunes through your smartphone's speaker is passable, it doesn't make for a good party. That's why a Bluetooth speaker is a wise investment. Short on funds? Don't worry. We here at BetaNews are giving one away -- the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM (Blue/Red). Not only is the wireless speaker waterproof, but it actually floats on its own!

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While GNOME is my favorite desktop environment, I don't hate KDE. Actually, I rather love Plasma when it is done right. Case in point, I absolutely adore Netrunner -- the best KDE-focused Linux-based operating system. Technically, there are two versions of the OS -- the "regular" variant based on Debian and a rolling release based on Arch/Manjaro.

Today, after more than a year, Netrunner Rolling gets a refreshed ISO. This time, we have Netrunner Rolling 2017.07. Some highlights include SMPlayer becoming the default music and video handler, while SUSE Imagewriter is replaced by the KDE Neon variant.

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Always-listening home virtual assistants can be absolute privacy nightmares, but they are oh so convenient too. Whether you select Amazon Echo or Google Home, you have to decide if you trust the company behind the assistant that is monitoring your home. Look, having a microphone or camera in your living room or bedroom can be scary, but if you are OK with it, you are rewarded with some great functionality, such as controlling IoT devices and getting instant answers to all of your questions. I am privacy-conscious, but I love Alexa too -- such a quandary!

If you live in Australia, and wanted Google Home, you have been out of luck. This is changing, however, as the standalone assistant hardware is coming to that country. If you want to ask questions about, say, The Perth Mint or the great actor Yahoo Serious, you will be able to buy the search-giant's hardware to do so. In addition, the Google Wifi router system is coming to the land down under too.

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There are a lot of Linux-based operating systems in the wild, and I suggest trying as many as you can. Think of it like fruit -- apples are great, but you shouldn't stop after just tasting it. The world is full of different choices, such as mangoes, bananas, and oranges. The more you try, the more your knowledge expands. The same can be said of Linux -- even if you really like, say, Ubuntu, you should also test Fedora, Mageia, and more. Expand your mind!

Today, yet another distro hits a major milestone; SparkyLinux achieves version 5.0. Called "Nibiru," it is a rolling release operating system that is based on the popular Debian (using modern testing repos). It aims to be lightweight, with choices of three desktop environments that are easy on resources -- LXQt, MATE, and Xfce. In other words, Sparky can breathe new life into aging computers. If you have meager hardware, you should definitely give it a look.

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USB-C is the future, and if your computer doesn't have the connector, I feel sorry for you. While it isn't a necessity at the moment, it will be eventually. Luckily, you can sometimes leverage adapters and cables to connect a Type-C device to a machine that is Type-A only.

Speaking of USB-C devices, ADATA has a new 3D NAND External SSD that uses that connector. Called "SE730H," it is the successor to the company's diminutive "SE730." Not only does the new model offer higher capacities, but the 3D TLC NAND should lend to improved longevity. While it uses 3.1 gen 2, the drive tops out at 500MB/s for both read and write. The "H" variant retains the same good looks and MIL-STD-810G/IP68 water and dust proofing as the prior model too.

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If you are dissatisfied with Windows 10, there is no shortage of Linux-based operating systems to install as an alternative. In fact, some people -- including yours truly -- think there are too many distros, but I digress. While Ubuntu is always a fine choice, it is not the only game in town. If you are interested in becoming a Linux desktop user, you shouldn't be scared of exploring different options.

A fairly popular operating system with in-the-know Linux users (that doesn't get enough attention) is Mageia. After a long time, the newest version of the community-driven distro is finally here. Mageia 6 can be had today with your choice of several excellent desktop environments -- GNOME (3.24.2), KDE Plasma (5.8.7), Xfce (4.12.1), Cinnamon (3.2.8), MATE (1.18), and LXQt (0.11). It comes with a fairly modern version of the Linux kernel, 4.9.35, and LibreOffice 5.3.4.2. Since it is impossible to please everyone, there are two web browsers included by default -- Firefox 52.2.0 ESR and Chromium 57.

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While Windows 10 is arguably successful from a market share perspective, it is still failing in one big way -- the user experience. Windows 8.x was an absolute disaster, and Microsoft's latest is certainly better than that, but it is still not an enjoyable experience. Quite frankly, the people clutching to Windows 7 aren't so crazy.

The most glaring issue is the privacy aspect, or lack thereof. Look, telemetry is a good thing for the development of the operating system, but users shouldn't be forced to participate. Hell, I don't even totally mind if it is opt out rather than opt in. But if a user wants to remove their computer entirely, that should be their right.

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If you are a big music fan like me, you know how hard it can be to keep up with the latest tunes. Back in the day, it seemed like there were far fewer releases of which to keep track. You bought a copy of Rolling Stone magazine or maybe followed a blog that listed upcoming releases and you were golden. Nowadays, the music comes fast and furious -- it can be a chore to track. Apple Music, my platform of choice, highlights some new releases (usually only popular artists) but not all -- it is easy for some albums and singles to slip through the cracks.

Lately I have been trying to leverage technology to keep up with new releases, especially from my favorite genre, Hip-Hop/Rap. There is a free app called "Record Bird" that alerts me to some new music -- it is OK, but it is not perfect. If you are a user of Google Play Music, however, I am happy to say that there is a new tool for discovering the latest tunes. Called "New Release Radio," it will create a specialized playlist of new music that you might like. Since this is Google, it works by tracking your listening habits, of course.

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While Apple iPhone smartphones are rather expensive, I am willing to pay a premium for one. After all, I like the build quality, and more importantly, I love the iOS operating system. With all of that said, it is getting harder and harder to justify that premium. You see, there are some very impressive Android phones for super-low prices that could make you think twice. Even if you aren't a fan of Google's operating system, it is hard not to be tempted.

Case in point, today ZTE announces a beautiful smartphone running the latest Android 7.1.1 for $99. No, that is not a typo. For under $100 you can score a truly sweet device for AT&T prepaid service. Called "Blade Spark," it has a 5.5-inch display, 3140 mAh battery, a fingerprint reader, and expandable storage via micro SD. OK, sure, the 1.4GHz QualComm Snapdragon 425 processor isn't top of the line, and the 720p screen is a tad disappointing, but it should be good enough for many consumers -- especially at this price.

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When people think of Amazon Alexa, they probably just associate it with asking questions or playing music. For me and many others, however, the assistant is much more than that. She (Alexa is female) controls my lights, thermostat, and even my television by integrating with my Harmony Hub. While relaxing on my couch, I no longer need to reach for a remote -- I just tell her what to do. Is it laziness? I suppose, but it is very cool too.

While Alexa and Harmony work very well together, there is one big issue. When I call upon Alexa, I can't just tell her what to do -- I must first say "Tell Harmony to" followed by the command. For example, when I want to watch TV, I must say "Alexa, tell Harmony to turn on the TV" rather than just "Alexa, turn on the TV. Today, this changes, as Logitech Harmony gets simplified Amazon Alexa voice controls. In other words, the pesky "tell Harmony to" is no longer needed. Finally!

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AMD is making big moves lately. While the company never really went away, for a while it was clearly struggling to match up to Intel on both performance and value. Slowly but surely, the consumer-friendly company has become much more competitive. Its Ryzen 5 and 7 processors are excellent multi-core performers, while its Radeon RX 500 series of graphics cards offers amazing performance at a low price. Heck, its GPUs are very popular for cryptocurrency miners too.

Today, AMD reveals more about some upcoming Ryzen processors -- both on the high and low end. The company is sharing details on the budget-friendly Ryzen 3 and the awe-inspiring Threadripper chips for enthusiasts and professionals. We now have some specifications, pricing, and release dates.

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Chromebooks are great for many scenarios, but they really shine for education. Why? Well, they are often inexpensive, and best of all, they are very secure thanks to the Linux base and restrictive software design. ASUS has a new such laptop called "Chromebook Flip C213." The 11.6-inch notebook is designed to be very rugged so that if a student abuses it, it should hopefully survive. ASUS even promises an impressive 12+ hours of battery life.

This convertible laptop is powered by a 2.4GHz Intel processor and features 4GB of RAM. This should run Chrome OS very well. Besides the traditional camera at the top of the screen, there is an additional camera above the keyboard. When the laptop is folded to a tablet, that second camera becomes a "rear" camera. Cool, right?

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If you are a student or teacher, I hope you are having a fun and relaxing summer vacation. It can be very rewarding to just shut your brain off for a couple of months. Unfortunately, the new school year will be here before you know it. If you need new technology for the upcoming semester, such as a laptop or tablet, now is the time to start looking.

When shopping for technology items, it is always wise to look at Apple. The company's hardware is second to none, and both its iPad and MacBook products come with free iWork software for word processing, editing spreadsheets, and creating presentations. This software suite is brilliant for education. Best of all, for a limited time (until September 25), if you purchase a compatible tablet or computer from Apple, you can score some free Beats headphones!

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While internal hard drives are great if you are OK with data remaining in a computer 24/7, sometimes you want to physically secure data at the end of the day. No, I don't mean encryption; I am talking literally locking a hard drive or solid state disk in a safe or desk drawer. This is essential for some businesses, where theft of a drive could be catastrophic.

Today, Startech unveils a clever new product that makes this practice easy. It is a 2.5-inch drive enclosure that plugs into a bay adapter on the front of a PC. The adapter itself can fit in both 3.5- or 5.25-inch openings thanks to the included accessory. While the drive connects to the adapter via SATA, the enclosure also has a micro-B USB 3.1 port. In other words, it can be easily removed and then connected to a PC that doesn't have the bay adapter.

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