If you want a thin and light laptop, Apple is usually the way to go. Its computers are designed to be both durable and beautiful while also being very svelte. Windows laptops, however, have historically been more heavy and made of cheap plastic with a focus on affordability -- beauty and skinniness be damned.

Lately, computers running Microsoft's operating system have been much nicer -- sometimes giving Apple a run for its money. The Surface Book, for instance, is a work of art. Today, Samsung refreshes its Notebook 9 laptops with a focus on being extremely portable -- very thin and light. In fact, it is lighter than the 2016 MacBook Pro -- holy cow. Unlike Apple's newest laptops -- which run the older 6th generation Skylake processors -- Samsung's machines have the latest-and-greatest 7th gen Kaby Lake Core i5 and i7 processors.

Christmas is almost here, and I am so excited! My tree is decorated, and there are wrapped gifts underneath it. Soon, Santa Claus will come and add to the number of presents -- I'll have to leave some cookies and milk to thank the man.

If you haven't completed your holiday shopping, you should probably start panicking. All hope is not lost, however, as you do have some time left. Thankfully, Microsoft is offering some last-minute deals for procrastinators. The Windows-maker is offering special discounts on things like Surface Book, Surface Pro 4, and Xbox games.

Logitech is probably my favorite accessory maker ever and for good reason -- it makes great products. Not only does the company have forward-thinking designs, but its products often have excellent build quality too. From mice and keyboards to speakers and webcams, you can never go wrong with Logitech.

On a daily basis, I use Logitech's MX Anywhere 2 with my computers, running both Windows and Linux. It is a wonderful portable Bluetooth mouse, and now it gets two new color options -- navy blue and stone (gray). Those colors are not only limited to that portable pointing device, however, as the larger wireless desktop mouse -- Logitech's MX Master -- gets them too.

Say what you want about Google, but the company is clearly a major proponent of open source ideology. Some people criticize the search giant for making billions on the back of open source (such as with Android), but Google is a code contributor too. You know what? If a company can have success using open source code, that is a good thing -- as long as it is properly licensed, of course.

Today, Google announces that it has joined the Cloud Foundry Foundation as a gold member. This is yet another example of the search giant's open source focus. Google joins some other respected companies at this membership level, such as Verizon, GE Digital, and Huawei to name a few. For whatever reason, the search giant stopped short of committing as the highest-level platinum member, however.

Linux Mint is an operating system that I simultaneously love and hate. I love it because it makes Linux easy to use for home users. I sometimes hate Linux Mint because it is essentially just a tweaked version of Ubuntu -- I'd rather see users choose Canonical's OS as intended. True, Mint's tweaks are actually very good, but I am not sure it warrants an entirely different operating system -- even if the final product is rewarding.

But OK, if you love Linux Mint and use it regularly, I have very good news -- version 18.1 'Serena' is finally here. Yes, Santa Claus has delivered an early Christmas gift! There are two desktop environments from which to choose -- Cinnamon and Mate. Thankfully there is no KDE version to further confuse things, but I digress. Will you download Linux Mint 18.1?

Amazon is my favorite store. I don't just mean online either -- there is nowhere I'd rather shop, including brick-and-mortar retailers too. This is not just because of convenience either -- it has great product selection and competitive prices too. As a Prime member, I can even get my packages in two business days at no additional cost!

While I am totally satisfied waiting two days for my stuff, apparently some people aren't. Using drone technology, Amazon recently (December 7, 2016) delivered a package in a mere 13 minutes! This was the first-ever customer delivery using an Amazon Prime Air drone. Today, the company releases a video of the historic delivery, and it is pretty darn cool.

Here we go again. Friggin' Yahoo. Sigh.

Earlier this year, the company announced that 500 million Yahoo accounts were hacked in a massive breach. This was very upsetting, as it happened back in 2014, meaning users were not made aware for years. Today, an entirely different hack is brought to light. It is even worse than the previously announced breach, as it happened a year earlier (in 2013), and it impacts twice as many accounts -- more than one billion!

When people think of the technology behind video games and movies, they often just focus on the visuals. True, when creating an immersive experience, the video is probably the most important aspect from a technological perspective. With that said, audio quality is very important too.

Today, Microsoft announces that both Xbox One And Windows 10 will be getting Dolby Atmos support in future updates. If you aren't familiar, it is a surround sound technology with a focus on immersion. Don't have compatible audio hardware? Don't worry -- the Windows-maker is promising a "virtual" Atmos experience too.

If you are anything like me, you want to get into better physical shape. While it is easy to cover up your flabby body during the colder months, before you know it, summer will be here. No one wants to be seen at the beach with an embarrassing body. Heck, everyone wants to look good and be healthy -- am I right?

Today, Google announces a new way to more easily achieve that sexy body you desire. The search-giant is making it simpler to book fitness classes with "Reserve by Google". Surprisingly, the company is even offering pole dancing classes on its booking page.

Apple's Airpods are undoubtedly very cool technology. Whether they look fashionable is up for debate, however. While I think they make the user look futuristic and cool, others think they look nerdy -- like someone snipped the wires off a traditional pair of Apple EarPods.

If you did want to buy the AirPods, it has been a very bumpy road. After Apple announced them, they were delayed for mysterious reasons. Today, however, the iPhone-maker makes them available online for ordering. Unfortunately, if you have not already placed an order, they are essentially sold out. While you can still order them, the shipping date is currently four weeks from now -- well after Christmas. If you need them sooner, there is still hope, however. Here is how to get them as early as next week!

Mobile payments could one day be the death of cash. While many people will surely be anxious regarding the disappearance of paper money, it is really not the question of "if", but "when". True, that takes away privacy, but it also limits the possibilities of secret transactions for things like illegal drugs or unregistered handguns. Not to mention, it is very convenient!

Android Pay is Google's smartphone-based mobile payment system, and it has been growing in popularity in the USA. Today, Android Pay comes to yet another country -- Japan.

Data can be highly valuable, and no company knows that more than Google. It is constantly collecting a massive amount of it -- it is pretty much how the company butters its bread. Data only has value when it can be used, however, meaning it must ultimately tell a story. In other words, collecting it is only the beginning.

One of the best ways to digest and present data is with visualizations and dashboards. Not everyone is a data scientist, so how you tell a story matters. Today, Google is making a rather nifty data visualization tool an open source project. Called "Embedding Projector", it can show what the search giant calls "high-dimensional data".

Dropbox is one of my favorite services -- something I am happy to pay for monthly. There are many cloud storage solutions out there, but I chose it for a very specific reason -- cross-platform compatibility. On a daily basis, I use iOS, Fedora, and Windows 10. Heck, I just ordered one of those fancy new MacBook Pro laptops too. Regardless of the operating system I choose, I know Dropbox will work for me.

Today, Dropbox comes to another platform and it is rather exciting. The Xbox One gets an app for the storage platform, letting you view photos and videos. If you own Microsoft's console, and back up your family photos to Dropbox (as I do), you can now easily view them on your big TV screen. How cool is that?

There are too many dang Linux distributions and desktop environments nowadays. This is frustrating, as it spreads developer resources too thin. In other words, developers are often working on too many separate projects that further fragments the community. Linux on the desktop could be much further along if teams pooled resources and focused on a narrower field of development.

Today, Clement Lefebvre, Linux Mint leader, concedes that his team simply doesn't have the resources to meet its goals. You see, the team is finding it very difficult to maintain a KDE Plasma version of its operating system, so it has turned to the Kubuntu team instead. The question becomes, why bother? KDE users should simply use Kubuntu and the Linux Mint team should stay focused on Cinnamon and Mate. Am I right?

Over the years, some people have accused Samsung of copying Apple with its designs. While that criticism was certainly more valid early on, the Galaxy-maker has carved out its own design style in recent years -- silencing some pundits. Its smartphones are wildly popular, and for good reason -- they often have great build quality and are chock-full of many outstanding features. They are not mere clones or imitations.

One of Samsung's most popular smartphones is the wonderful Galaxy S7 edge. While you would never mistake it for an iPhone, today, the Galaxy-maker does seem to copy Apple just a little bit -- even if it is unintentional. How? By introducing a new color called 'Pearl Black' which is very reminiscent of the iPhone 7's 'Jet Black' option. While there may not be any proof, do you think there is any copying going on?