Brian Fagioli

The Xbox One S is probably the best media device on the market from a value perspective. Not only does it play top-quality video games and offer streaming video apps, but it comes with an integrated 4K Blu-ray player too. Quite franky, many standalone UHD disc players cost more than Microsoft's game console, making it a no-brainer.

Today, Microsoft sweetens the deal even further, by bundling two free games when you buy from the company directly. These two games are in addition to the ones that may already be included. In other words, starting at $299, you can get the Xbox One S and at least three games!

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Today is the first official day of spring. With that said, Google wants us to look towards the following season -- summer. You see, starting today, application entries are being accepted for Google Summer of Code 2017.

If you've never heard of this program, please know that the search giant pairs students with organizations to get real-world experience working on an open source project during summer break. Google even pays them some money -- it is not an unpaid affair. Pay, experience, and knowledge aside, participating will look excellent on a résumé.

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I shop at Amazon a lot. Is it because the prices are the lowest? No, actually. Quite often, I pay a bit more at Amazon compared to other online retailers. Why would I choose to spend more money? Shipping time. As a Prime member, I get guaranteed free two-day shipping. For a few extra bucks, I can get one-day shipping. In other words, the guaranteed delivery is worth the premium for me. Saving a few bucks but not knowing when my order will arrive is simply a bad deal -- for me at least (and I am guessing many others too).

eBay might be feeling the pressure from Amazon, as today, the company announces that it will be introducing "Guaranteed Delivery" this summer. eBay promises that certain products can be received in 3 business days or less. It is not available for all items, however, but more than 20 million products will be eligible.

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Huawei isn't a very well known brand in the USA, but it should be -- and probably will be. The Chinese company makes very elegant products, such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs. In fact, its MateBook portable was my pick for best Windows 10 device of 2016. Why? It is beautiful, fanless, and affordable. Seriously, it is an amazing machine with a gorgeous screen.

Today, Huawei announces some big price cuts for the MateBook, but the savings don't stop there. In addition to its Windows 10 portable, the company also shares some great deals on its MediaPad Android tablets too. Best of all, the sales can be had at quality retailers, such as the Microsoft Store, Newegg, and Amazon.

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Google is one of the biggest champions of open source. Not only does the search giant use open source software in its products, but it contributes to the community too. There are many projects made open source by the company, which helps the greater good.

Today, Google releases yet another open source project. Called "Guetzli," it is a JPEG encoder that aims to produce even smaller image file sizes. In fact, the search giant claims a whopping 35 percent improvement over existing JPEG compression. If you are wondering why smaller file sizes are important, it is quite simple -- the web. If websites can embed smaller images, users can experience faster load times while using less data.

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Mechanical keyboards are all the rage with gamers nowadays, and it is easy to see why. Not only are they usually solidly built, but they provide a satisfying typing and clicking experience -- arguably better than cheaper membrane variants.

Today, CORSAIR launches a new tenkeyless (no number pad) mechanical keyboard, called K63. This product features CHERRY MX Red switches and is quite affordable. It even has both dedicated media and volume buttons, plus a Windows Start button lock -- no more accidentally clicking "Windows" and exiting a game. Best of all? It is available now!

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AMD has already launched its Ryzen line of processors, starting with the 7 series earlier this month. Those were its top of the line models, offering high performance at a fraction of the price of Intel's offerings. It was also the launch of AMD's AM4 platform, which saw the company utilizing DDR4 RAM for the first time. It has been quite the exciting time to be a PC builder.

While the 7 series of AMD's newest processors are quite affordable, some folks don't necessarily need the top models. In fact, some people prefer targeting the midrange as a way to save money without buying more power than they need. Well, next month, AMD will be launching the Ryzen 5 processors, and they will surely disrupt the midrange PC building market, as pricing starts at $169!

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A common complaint against the censorship of vulgarity on the web to protect children is that organizations are doing the work of parents. In other words, parents should instead be monitoring the activities of minors -- not the government or other organizations. Yeah, that is a fair point, but easier said than done. Nowadays, children are often more tech savvy than their guardians, making it a tough affair. Not to mention, many modern parents are overworked and tired -- they simply do not have the tools to stay on top of it.

Today, Google launches early access to a new app which helps parents to track and manage their child's Android usage. Called "Family Link," it is designed to be easy to use, while not ruining the experience for the minor user. Unfortunately, there is one big catch -- it requires Android 7.0. This is a problem, as most Android devices are running older versions of the mobile operating system.

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While this might be surprising to millennials, not everyone grows up with computers. It wasn't until I was in high school that my family was able to afford a PC. While I learned quickly, I was already many years behind my more well-off peers. Nowadays computers are much less expensive, enabling more folks to own them, but there are still many people around the globe, in places like Africa, that can't afford one. This means they will fall behind the rest of the world on essential skills, such as using the web.

Google was not satisfied with this, however, so it set out to teach more people how to use the web. Last year, the search giant set a goal of training one million African people to use it. Today, the company announces that it has finally met the goal!

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If you need to transfer money, there's no lack of options nowadays. Of course you can always use dinosaur-like methods, such as ACH or wire transfers from an old-school bank, but in 2017, there are many apps and services that can move the funds too, such as PayPal.

Today, Google introduces yet another way to move funds, but no, it is not a new app or service. Actually, it is an existing app that is already installed on most Android devices -- Gmail. Yeah, you can now send and receive money using the email client on Google's mobile operating system, just as you already can with the web version.

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On April 25th, Ubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS will no longer be supported by Canonical. Why? That is the 5 year anniversary of the release, which is the amount of support time given to an LTS (Long Term Support) version of the Linux distribution.

For many home users, this really doesn't matter, as they have probably already upgraded to a newer version. Unfortunately, some businesses do not upgrade as regularly. In fact, some organizations may not be ready to move on from Ubuntu 12.04. Tough luck? Not at all. Today, Canonical introduces Ubuntu Linux 12.04 ESM. This "Extended Security Maintenance" release is not free, however -- organizations must pay for the extended support.

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Happy Pi Day, dear BetaNews readers! What, you've never heard of the holiday? Well, it is a nerdy play on Pi, which is 3.14 (and so on). In other words, since Pi is 3.14, Pi Day is on March 14th, or 3/14. True, it only really makes sense in countries, such as the USA, that use MM/DD date formatting, but everyone around the globe can still celebrate.

In recognition of Pi Day, we here at BetaNews are giving away a Raspberry Pi 3 and a really cool case from Eleduino. Get it? A Raspberry Pi for Pi Day? Yeah, we are very witty! You can see the prizes in the video below. Not only can you use the Linux-friendly System on a Chip (SoC) for neat projects, but it can even be made into a media player thanks to Kodi.

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Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux-based desktop operating systems. With that said, did you know there are two versions of the OS? No, I am not talking about the multiple desktop environments, such as Cinnamon, MATE, and KDE. There are actually two entirely different operating systems that share the Mint name. The normal version of Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, while a lesser known version, LMDE, is based on Debian. Is it confusing? Absolutely. A waste of resources? Probably. But hey, that's the state of Linux on the desktop nowadays.

Linux Mint Debian Edition 2 'Betsy' launched way back in 2015, and hasn't needed a major base upgrade. Instead, LMDE has received a steady stream of updates over the last two years. The problem? The ISO images were very outdated, meaning a fresh install required a lot of updates. As a way to improve the experience, the Linux Mint team has decided to refresh the installation media. Today, refreshed stable Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 2 'Betsy' ISO images become available, with the choice of either Cinnamon or MATE.

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For many, March is just another month in the calendar year. For basketball fans, however, it is significant for one big reason -- the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as "March Madness." Only the best college teams make the cut, making it an exciting elimination tournament. It is a great way to see future professional players in a pressure situation -- some of them will play in the coveted NBA.

Watching basketball aside, another fun aspect of the tournament is the bracket challenges. You see, many people like to predict who will win each matchup, and ultimately, which team will become the champion. If you think that sounds easy, trust me, it is much harder than you think, with quintillions of possibilities. Heck, some of these folks bet real money on it. Today, Microsoft announces that its Bing Predicts service can help people create "smarter" brackets. In other words, using the power of data, you could possibly increase your chances.

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Despite being based on the very secure Linux kernel, Android isn't necessarily a very secure operating system. Unlike iOS which does a great job of shielding its users from installing apps from outside Apple's own App Store, it is far too easy to do so on Google's mobile OS. Also, there is nothing requiring manufacturers to issue device updates, meaning many users are forced to use outdated and vulnerable versions of the operating system.

For the most part, however, Android users can remain safe by acting intelligently, such as only installing apps from the Play Store. Well, that might not be so true anymore. You see, it has been discovered that many models of Android smartphones -- from manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, and even Google's own Nexus line -- are being sold with malware pre-installed. This is particularly bad malware, as it can steal user information. Some devices even came pre-loaded with ransomware!

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