Android Wear devices are hardly lighting the world on fire. Heck, smartwatches in general are not particularly popular. With that said, some consumers find real value in more basic wrist-worn wearables such as the fitness-focused Fitbit. Still, there are fans of more advanced smartwatches, such as Apple Watch, too.

While Samsung has created Android Wear devices in the past, its new focus is Tizen-based "Gear" wearables that work with its Galaxy devices -- and other smartphones running Google's mobile OS. Today, Samsung announces iOS support for three of its Tizen-based Gear devices -- Gear S2, S3, and Fit2. Will iPhone users really pick this over the Apple Watch, though?

Chinese New Year 2017 starts on January 28th, and this time, the Rooster is the representative animal. On that date, there will be parties all over the world, and many collectibles featuring that fowl will be sold.

To celebrate the upcoming new year, Apple releases five free "Nianhua" folk art-inspired wallpapers for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. All of the images were created by Chinese artists using Apple hardware, such as the MacBook Pro, iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple Pencil. The software used for the creations? Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Savage Interactive Procreate.

LaCie's external drives are iconic -- especially in the Apple community. While the USB storage drives will work with Windows and Linux-based operating systems too, the designs are often more in line with Mac computers.

Last year, Apple released new MacBook Pro laptops which only have USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. Naturally, LaCie needed to refresh its products to accommodate these modern ports, and it has done so with two of its most popular  -- the "d2" and "Rugged".

Huawei has been working very hard to make an impact in the USA, and its efforts are paying off. Its products are well-received, offering elegance and power at affordable prices. Quite frankly, the company's MateBook was my favorite Windows 10 computer in 2016.

Now, the company is bringing its Mate 9 flagship to the USA -- starting tomorrow. While the previously announced 5.9-inch 1080p smartphone looks impressive, there is a software aspect that is arguably more exciting -- support for the Amazon Alexa voice assistant is coming.

Another day, and yet another version of Linux Mint with a different desktop environment. The operating system uses Mate and Cinnamon environments by default, but also offers KDE and Xfce editions as well.

While some people -- such as yours truly -- think the project should redirect its focus by supporting fewer desktop environments, that apparently won't be happening any time soon. Case in point, today, Linux Mint 18.1 'Serena' Xfce Edition reaches Beta status. Will you download it?

Just yesterday, Kingston announced the world's biggest capacity flash drive -- the DataTraveler Ultimate GT 2TB. While that storage device can hold a lot of files, the company did not share the drive's speed -- which could (maybe) indicate it isn't particularly fast.

If you don't need two terabytes of storage, and would rather have a flash drive that is very fast, SanDisk has a new USB drive that may excite you. The Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive is insanely fast, although the 3.1 in its name refers to generation 1 -- not "true" USB 3.1 which is generation 2. In other words, the 256GB drive is really USB 3.0. Also, rather than leverage the more modern Type-C connector, the drive uses the older (and not reversible) Type-A.

Chrome OS is a very polarizing Linux distribution. While some people very wrongly call the operating system nothing other than a glorified web browser, in reality, it is actually very secure and capable. Many home users do all of their computing in a web browser nowadays, making Google's desktop OS an excellent choice.

Laptops running the Linux-based OS are called "Chromebooks". For many consumers, these computers are attractive for no other reason than cost -- they incorrectly think the platform is all about being inexpensive and low quality. Unfortunately, many manufacturers perpetuate that stereotype. As Google's wildly expensive Chromebook Pixel showed, however, Chrome OS devices can be elegant. Today, Samsung is taking aim at elegance with the all-new Chromebook Pro and Plus.

Gaming headsets are quite the hot products nowadays -- HyperX unveiled a beautiful new variant just yesterday. While that headset looks nice, for some consumers it has one big flaw -- it is wired. Of course, choosing between a wired and wireless headset is more of as personal preference.

If you desire a cord-free headset, I have good news. Today, Logitech announces a beautiful new rechargeable wireless model. The G533, as it is called, looks fairly conservative, and I like that. Look, not all gaming products have to look childish -- adults play PC games too. Best of all, it is surprisingly affordable.

Do you game on your PC, bro? Of course you do. With so many great video games available for PC nowadays, it is hard not to get caught up in it. For many titles, wearing a headset can enhance the experience, allowing you to communicate with teammates or opponents.

HyperX is known for producing excellent headsets, and today, it unveils a new variant -- sort of. You see, the company is packaging its existing Cloud Revolver headset with a Dolby Headphone-capable USB sound card dongle / DAC and giving it an "S" moniker.

Chromebooks are wonderful computers -- if they meet your needs. Look, if you do hardcore video editing, or have a need for programs that only run on Windows or macOS, then yeah, Chrome OS will stink -- for you. However, if you live in the web browser and are always online anyway, why not a Chromebook?

Laptops running Chrome OS are particularly wonderful for education, as they are inexpensive, easy to manage, and very secure. Today, Acer announces an affordable model -- aimed at schools -- that it calls Chromebook 11 N7 (C731). Best of all, it is very durable, making it less likely to break in the hands of careless children.

As more and more people embrace cloud storage, USB flash drives are becoming less essential. This is unfortunate, as it can be empowering to store your own data locally -- not needing an internet connection to access things like family photos and movies.

Today, Kingston announces a product that may get people excited about flash drives again. The company has created a 2TB pocket flash drive (also available in 1TB), called DataTraveler Ultimate GT (Generation Terabyte). This is now the world's largest capacity USB flash drive.

When buying a wireless router for your home, there are several things to consider. First off, you must determine your budget. Then, it is wise to target a reputable brand, such as Linksys, Netgear, Belkin, or TP-Link. Lastly, you should figure out how much range you need, based on the size of your home.

If your home is particularly large, mesh router systems, such as Google WiFi, can be a godsend. Rather than leveraging a single router, multiple access points work together to blanket your home in glorious Wi-Fi. Today, Linksys unveils its mesh offering, and it looks amazing. Dubbed "Velop", it is not only chock-full of solid specs and features, but it is very pretty too. Heck, you can even set it up easily using Bluetooth and a mobile app!

If you are a fan of KDE, I hope you are aware of Netrunner Desktop. If not, please know that it is one of the most polished Linux distributions available. If you haven't tried it, you definitely should -- it is a wonderful "out of the box" experience. It is a great choice for those looking to switch from Windows too.

Today, the operating system reaches version 17.01. Code-named "Baryon," it is based on the upcoming Debian 9 "Stretch." Users can choose to either run the OS as a stable release or opt for a more bleeding-edge rolling release.

If you need a Windows 10 laptop, you really can't go wrong with the Dell XPS 13 -- it has great specs and exceptional battery life. Heck, the company even sells a version pre-loaded with Ubuntu, making it a popular choice for Linux users too.

While you could configure the laptop with a touchscreen, there was no option for a convertible 2-in-1 version, sadly. This was particularly disappointing, since Windows 10 works wonderfully on both a laptop and a tablet. This is soon to change, apparently, as Dell has leaked a new version of the laptop -- seemingly by accident -- on its website.

Today is New Year's Eve, and while all the cool kids are out partying, I am sitting here reflecting on my favorite tech products of the year. Yeah, I'm a nerd.

Believe it or not, 2016 saw me getting deeper into Apple's ecosystem (I still love Linux and Windows 10, though). I continue to love the iPhone 6s Plus, iPad mini 4, and Apple TV I bought in 2015, but this year, I added AirPods and a MacBook Pro. One of those Apple products was quickly returned, while the other is my overall favorite. Can you guess which is which?