Brian Fagioli

Streaming media is more than just TV, movies, and sports. If you are more interested in real events -- as opposed to just mindless fiction -- there are plenty of news, lifestyle, and public interest options too. Heck, even Hollywood gossip can be a nice escape from the stresses of daily life.

Today, Roku gains access to the PEN channel. Not familiar with it? Neither was I, but it is actually very cool. It is a joint partnership between two major media publications -- People and Entertainment Weekly. This looks to be a match made in heaven, as they both offer entertainment news and fairly light public interest stories. It should prove brilliant for relaxing and temporarily getting your mind off your daily responsibilities.

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Solid State Drives are not the exciting products they once were. Having an SSD is so commonplace nowadays, that there are far fewer opportunities to 'wow' someone with an upgrade from a mechanical hard drive. SATA variants in particular are underwhelming in performance compared to faster NVMe models.

With all of that said, there is a place for SATA SSDs on the market, as not all computers offer compatibility with NVMe drives. If you are still clutching to an old HDD, or maybe needing to replace an existing SATA SSD, Toshiba has a new drive that may interest you. What the OCZ VX500 SATA SSD lacks in speed (550/515 MB read/write is expected for SATA), it makes up in potential longevity with MLC as opposed to TLC.

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As someone on the go, I have always craved the ability to listen to audio books in my car. Whenever I research getting them, however, the high prices always scare me away. Look, I understand a lot of time and effort goes into creating versions of books that are read aloud, but with current pricing, it is simply not reasonable for an average person to truly take advantage.

Today, this changes as Amazon delivers audio-focused benefits to members of its Prime service. Users can now access 50 audio books for free, meaning consuming them is an affordable reality. In addition, Prime members are getting free access to the company's 'Audible Channels'.

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Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus smartphones hit stores this Friday, and many people -- including yours truly -- want one. Unfortunately, the phones are not free, meaning those without sufficient funds cannot get in on the party. Not to mention, if your current phone is working fine, it would be wasteful to buy another -- having two smartphones makes no sense, right?

What some folks do in this situation, is sell their current iPhone or Android smartphone, and then put the proceeds of the sale towards the purchase of the newest iPhone. Unfortunately, selling a phone can be stressful and sometimes dangerous. If you meet someone from Craigslist, for instance, they could end up hurting or stealing from you. If you opt for an online 'for cash' service, they could prove to be unreliable or maybe even a scam. Today, eBay launches a service called 'Quick Sale', designed to take the pain out of getting cash for your current phone.

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While the iTunes software on both macOS and Windows 10 is currently in need of some tender loving care, there is no denying that the overall platform changed the world. In a time when music piracy was rampant, Apple legitimized downloadable music, arguably saving that industry. It later introduced movie downloads too, making iTunes a brilliant media market.

Today, iTunes Movies celebrates 10 years of existence. To mark the occasion, Apple is selling some $10 movie bundles (technically, $9.99) that are seemingly a great value. In a world where everything is streaming and rentals, the iPhone-maker is giving you an opportunity to purchase and own a collection of films for a very low price. In other words, these are not rentals, folks!

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The exploding Galaxy Note7 is no overblown situation. These phones are really exploding and catching fire. Property is being damaged, and even worse, people are getting hurt. There have been reports of a hotel bed being burned, and a Jeep being engulfed in flames. Yes, Samsung is to blame for the faulty product, but at what point is the consumer at fault for knowingly using a dangerous recalled product?

Today, we learn that a six year old boy was burned in Brooklyn on Saturday while playing with a Samsung Galaxy Note7. He was holding it in his hands when it exploded. While I won't blame the child's family entirely, I do wonder why they let him use a dangerous product. That is worth a discussion. It is almost impossible to be unaware of the recall, as it has been covered ad nauseam in the news -- print, online, TV, and radio.

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Self-driving cars are undoubtedly the future. With that said, the future is definitely not now. The automotive industry has a lot of work to do before autopilot technologies become the norm. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if that is decades away. The technology as it stands won't work well in conditions like snow, while city infrastructure and insurance industries will have to be radically refreshed.

Some companies, such as Tesla, are banking on driver-assisted autopilot (not entirely autonomous), where the driver must be awake, alert, and ready to take the wheel if something goes wrong. Unfortunately, people have died from malfunctions or deficiencies in that company's technology. Today, Tesla announces a major change to its Autopilot in upcoming version 8.0. By increasing the utilization of radar, the company hopes to decrease fatalities when the Autopilot technology is in use.

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The iPhone 7 looks to be the best Apple smartphone ever, and later this week (September 16), it will officially go on sale in USA retail stores. If you didn't already pre-order it from Apple directly, don't panic -- you will get your chance to buy it eventually, albeit maybe not on launch day. While getting it on "day one" is possible, it will probably require waiting on a very long line -- maybe even camping out the night before.

If you plan on getting the new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you will likely want to buy some new apps for it. Those entirely new to iOS -- maybe switching from Android or the terrible Windows 10 Mobile -- will be pleasantly surprised by an App Store full of high-quality apps. You will actually want to spend money on them! To help you get started, we here at BetaNews are giving away one $15 iTunes gift card. It can be used for apps and games, plus music and movies too. To enter, just complete the form below.

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There are too many Linux distributions nowadays. While many people feel that there is no such thing as too much choice, I respectfully disagree. Quite frankly, the Linux developer community is spread too thin, leading to wasted resources and slow movement on projects. For end users, it can be hard to find the best operating system for them, as there are far too many from which to pick.

With all of that said, there is plenty of room for some distributions -- when they make a substantial impact, that is. Elementary OS (stylized as elementary OS) isn't the most popular Linux distro, and it certainly isn't the best. However, this Ubuntu-based operating system is focusing on something that some competitors do not -- user interface, which ultimately contributes to the overall user experience. It is because of this that Elementary is so important to the Linux community -- it matters. Today, Elementary 0.4 (code-named 'Loki'), achieves stable status.

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Regardless of your feelings about the iPhone, you cannot deny that this week belongs to Apple. The company is certainly dominating much of the world's attention. With that said, there is certainly more going on in the technology world than a new version of a popular smartphone. Some desktop Linux users for instance, would probably be more excited about a new version of a distribution, and today, a significant OS sees release.

What is the desktop OS of which I speak? Linux Mint 18 'Sarah'. True, that distribution is not really new, but this variation is -- KDE. Yes, a new version of Mint -- featuring the Plasma desktop environment and associated apps -- is available today. Could the open source operating system be a good alternative to Windows 10?

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Yesterday, Apple announced that it was removing the 3.5mm audio jack from its upcoming iPhone 7 and 7 Plus smartphones; some people are still comically reeling from the news. Understandably, not everyone can see the benefits of Apple's forward thinking subtraction now, but the world will catch up eventually -- as usual.

While killing the outdated decades-old audio port was the correct choice, understandably, not everyone is ready to invest in Apple's AirPods. Some folks will prefer wired headphones. Luckily, Apple is bundling both a 3.5mm dongle and Lightning audio wired earbuds with the iPhone 7 (and Plus). While that partly solves the dilemma, some folks will hit a roadblock -- they cannot listen to wired headphones while charging their iPhone devices. Today, Belkin creates a solution for that problem with the all new 'Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar' adapter.

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Uber is considered the king of ride-sharing in the USA by many. Why is this? There are many likely factors, but ultimately, its brand got an early boost. There is definite name recognition, and the company's marketing keeps the brand on consumers' minds. In other words, "Uber" is to ride-sharing, as "Band-Aid" is to bandages. Many people do not consider alternatives.

But what if consumers did not need to be aware of the alternatives? What if they were instead shown multiple brand options -- including pricing -- next to Uber? This would not be good for Uber. There would be very visible alternatives -- with potentially lower prices -- which could take business from the aforementioned leader. Today, Google Maps is slowly enabling this very thing by expanding on its initial ride-share options, adding some significant choices when searching for a ride -- Lyft nationwide, and Gett in NYC. While Uber should be worried, consumers should be absolutely thrilled.

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People with diabetes have to check their blood sugar often. Not only do they have to worry about high glucose levels, but low levels too. Having blood glucose outside of normal levels can cause long term health risks, but in the short term, it can cause symptoms like dizziness and confusion too.

Unfortunately, many glucose meters are fairly low-tech -- a far cry from modern devices. Luckily, there are newer meters that can connect to smartphones for improved blood sugar tracking. Dario Health offers an iPhone compatible model that leverages the headphone jack. The problem? Apple killed that port today. If you are upgrading to the iPhone 7, do not panic. Today, Dario Health announces a new meter that utilizes the Lightning connector.

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Can you believe it is almost four years since the PlayStation 4 was initially announced? Since then, the video game console landscape has been wild. Nintendo totally dropped the ball with the Wii U, while Microsoft has been giving Sony consistent competition with its Xbox One. Actually, the Windows-maker recently released a more svelte version if its console, making the PlayStation 4 look a bit dated.

Today, Sony sort of follows Microsoft's lead by announcing a slimmer version of its existing PS4. The company refers to this refresh as the 'standard' version of its console. This is important to note, you see, as Sony also announces the PlayStation 4 Pro -- a more powerful version of the console. Even with the added CPU and GPU horsepower, that naming convention seems a bit silly -- how the heck is a video game console professional?

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When Apple does something, markets react. The company is not the first to remove a 3.5mm headphone jack from a smartphone, for instance, but it will be the only one to cause the headphone industry to pivot. The decades-old audio port was just begging to die, and today, with the iPhone 7, the jack's death-clock officially starts counting down.

Further burying the 3.5mm jack and wired headphones overall, Apple today introduces its new AirPods to the world. These are no mere wireless headphones, but a total reinvention. Chocked full of ground-breaking technology, they are poised to be wildly popular with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac users.

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