Brian Fagioli

The Surface line of computers are absolutely wonderful. If you want one of the best experiences for running Windows 10, it is hard to beat Microsoft's self-made PCs. Heck, they recently beat Apple's iPad tablets in overall satisfaction. Not only can they serve as laptops and tablets, but desktops too. By connecting the Surface Dock to the Surface Pro 4, for instance, you can easily connect a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. The problem? That dock costs $199.99.

If the thought of shelling out two "Benjamins" for the dock gives you pause, I have great news. Starting today, Microsoft is giving away the Surface Dock when you purchase the Surface Pro 4! To get the deal, you must make the purchase from the Microsoft Store.

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Spring is officially here, and for many people, that signals the start of cleaning their homes. "Spring Cleaning," as it is typically called, sees people throwing out unused items, donating old clothes, and rearranging clutter.

If you aren't in the mood for cleaning, Microsoft is offering a less responsible alternative -- shopping. The company's "Spring Sale" starts tomorrow and offers amazing deals on video games, apps, music, TV shows, movies, and hardware. There is great content to be had for Windows, Xbox One, and even Xbox 360. If you need a Windows PC, Microsoft will be offering 33 percent off select models too.

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When you want to play media in your living room, there are countless options nowadays. You can buy an Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku, or something else. Of course, for some people, a self-built home theater computer is a more rewarding experience. Thanks to Linux and solutions like Kodi, it can be easy to build a very capable media center machine.

Today, popular Linux distro OpenELEC reaches version 8.0 stable. This operating system leverages Kodi to provide a well-rounded media center experience. Not only are there images for PC, but for Raspberry Pi and WeTek boxes too.

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When it comes to Linux on the desktop, I am primarily a Fedora user. Sure, I like trying out other distributions for fun, but I always return to the wonderful Fedora. Heck, I even mess around with Ubuntu on occasion, although I am not a huge fan of Unity -- I love GNOME. With that said, when Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu founder, recently announced that he was killing the Unity desktop environment and embracing GNOME, I was quite happy. It signaled less fragmentation and division in the Linux community.

My happiness was short lived, however, as Mark Shuttleworth has been insulting the free software community on social media. Over on Google+, he even goes so far as to compare the hate for the MIR display server to the debates on gun control and climate change. Really, Mr. Shuttleworth? In his vulgarity-laced rant, he even calls members of the free software community "deeply anti-social types." Gee, thanks a lot.

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I'm a huge fan of LG's second screen phones, the V10 and V20. These are Android smartphones that are well designed with outside-of-the-box thinking. The company's "G" series of flagships don't conjure the same excitement in my heart. Don't get me wrong, they can be great phones too, but they are sort of, well, boring. The LG G5, in particular, was rather terrible -- a largely panned device. It felt cheap, and provided an underwhelming experience. LG really needs to sell a new model to wash away the bad taste of that device.

I have been testing that new phone, the LG G6, and I can definitely say that it is better than its predecessor. Here's the problem -- LG isn't only competing against its past self, but with other manufacturers, such as Samsung, HTC, and even Apple. There is one question you probably have -- is the LG G6 worth buying over all other flagships, such as the Galaxy S8?

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Turning on a lamp or other light fixture with your voice can feel like magic. I use the feature every day with my Amazon Echo and WeMo smart outlet. At the end of the evening, when heading to bed, I verbally tell Alexa to turn off the lamp. If I need to get up at night for, say, a drink of water, I can easily turn it back on the same way. It is great.

WeMo is not the only game in town, however, as there are plenty of smart outlets an bulb manufacturers. TP-Link is a popular manufacturer of smart devices, and its bulbs are compatible with Alexa voice commands too. Today, the company's color-changing bulbs are gaining a new Alexa skill. Using your voice, you can easily change the color or white balance with ease.

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Smartphone cameras are wonderful nowadays, making dedicated cameras an unnecessary purchase for many. With that said, some folks still buy them when they want even better quality photos thanks to things like larger sensors and high-quality lenses. Not to mention, for the most part, smartphones do not offer optical zoom. If you need to capture photos and videos in the distance, a dedicated camera is a must.

Today, Canon announces an all-new fairly compact camera with a monstrous 40x zoom. The PowerShot SX730 HS, as it is called, features 20.3 Megapixels and a 180-degree tilting rear LED screen -- perfect for vloggers and selfie-addicts. It even has integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connecting to both PC and mobile devices. Best of all, it is rather affordable.

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According to a recent J.D. Power study (2017 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction), Microsoft's Surface tablets have beaten Apple's iPad in overall customer satisfaction. This is significant, as it is the first time it has ever happened. The Windows-maker had not been able to topple Apple in this regard, so surely there is some champagne-popping going on at Microsoft headquarters.

While high satisfaction is definitely something to be proud of, the study is arguably flawed. Why do I say this? The Surface tablets are an entirely different product class than the iPad. True, they are both "tablets" as they are rectangular and feature touch screens, but Microsoft's offerings are desktop and laptop replacements -- Apple's tablet products are primarily secondary devices. It simply doesn't make sense to compare them.

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When it comes to gaming, there are often three types of consumers -- budget, hardcore, and those that fall in between. Being a budget shopper doesn't necessarily mean you can't afford the best, although that is sometimes the case. Some people just respect money and do not want to buy more power than they need. Heck, some hardcore shoppers put the most expensive offering on a credit card, paying interest just for bragging rights -- foolish.

Today, NVIDIA unveils the latest card for those that want the absolute best. The TITAN Xp is insanely powerful (12 TFLOPs), but there is a big catch -- the cost. Seriously, folks, you won't believe how much you have to spend for this beast! Strangely, it offers Mac support, but no modern Apple computers can accommodate it. The last legit Mac that can run this card is the Mac Pro (Mid 2012). Is NVIDIA catering to the "Hackintosh" crowd?

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Solid state drives are absolutely brilliant when installed inside a PC. You know where else they work well? Outside the computer too. As an external storage drive, an SSD offers great speed, but, more importantly, added durability too. Unlike a mechanical external hard disk drive, an SSD does not have moving parts. This makes it a much better option for those that need to take an external storage drive with them when on the go.

Today, Western Digital announces a beautiful new external storage drive. Called "My Passport SSD," the diminutive drive has a single USB-C port for both power and data. Featuring up to 1TB of capacity, it would be an excellent tool for content creators, or anyone that needs additional storage.

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Everybody deserves a quality wireless router in their home, but understandably, not everyone can afford the latest and greatest. If you opt for a no-name budget offering, you may be in for a world of pain -- dropped connections and needed reboots. Luckily, there are plenty of affordable routers from reputable manufacturers that can get the job done. Sure, they may not be loaded with features, but they can be dependable.

One brand that you can often depend on for quality routers is Linksys. Its best models can be a bit expensive, but they are well worth the money. Today, the company launches a new 802.11ac wireless router that has high end features, such as tri-band wireless and MU-MIMO, but doesn't break the bank. Called "Max-Stream EA8300," it has a rather unique feature -- Amazon Alexa support!

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Unity is a fine desktop environment, but many users of Ubuntu hate it. In fact, due to how much negativity there is towards the DE, Linux Mint has experienced popularity thanks to Cinnamon and Mate. Quite frankly, maintaining Unity has been somewhat foolish for Canonical -- a waste of resources and money when there are plenty of wonderful existing environments.

Today, the company admits that it is throwing in the towel on Unity, as well as its vision for convergence with devices like phones and tablets. Starting with Ubuntu 18.04, the wonderful GNOME will once again become the default desktop environment!

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SATA Solid state drives are pretty much all the same nowadays from a speed standpoint. They are as fast as they are going to be, as the SATA interface is saturated and maxed out. With that said, there are ways to improve on these SSDs, such as the type of memory used, the controller, and durability of materials.

Today, Sony unveils the G Series Professional SATA SSD. Designed for video content creators, it comes in two capacities -- 960GB (SV-GS96) and 480GB (SV-GS48). It is meant to be connected directly to certain video cameras, and then connected to a PC. The company claims the drives can last for an impressive 10 years of regular use, and for added durability, the SATA connectors are rated for 3000 insertions and removals. This is apparently six time stronger than the typical SATA connector, which can be rather delicate, actually -- I have cracked a few in my experience.

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Fedora is my absolute favorite Linux distribution. While it may not be the most popular such operating system, many in-the-know users ultimately choose it. Heck, Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, famously uses the distro. It's not hard to see why many advanced users select it -- it is rock solid while being fairly bleeding edge. Also, for those that are fans of open source and FOSS, there are no proprietary packages, codecs, or fonts included "out of the box." It is just a refreshingly smooth and straightforward experience.

Today, Fedora 26 gets an Alpha release. While you might expect a pre-Beta release to be full of bugs and issues, that is absolutely not the case. I have been using the operating system all day today, and despite the "Alpha" tag, it is totally rock solid. I have yet to encounter a bug or issue. Of course, my experience won't necessarily be the same as yours. In other words, tread cautiously, and avoid installing this on a production machine.

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Back in 2013, Apple released a seemingly revolutionary desktop computer -- the cylindrical Mac Pro. It was beautiful and powerful, although it did resemble a garbage can. The problem? Apple neglected the computer, letting it stagnate. Then, in 2016, it released new MacBook Pro laptops, but many professionals panned the device for being under-powered. Ultimately, it seemed like Apple didn't care about professionals.

Not so fast. Apple not caring about professionals? Blasphemy. True, the company's profits largely don't come from "Pro" machines nowadays, but it historically has catered to creative professionals, such as hardcore photographers, videographers, and designers. Today, John Gruber of Daring Fireball shares an interesting interview with Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, who drops a bombshell -- the Mac Pro is getting a redesign! The company is even looking to release a new dedicated display -- a good idea after the LG monitor fiasco.

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