Brian Fagioli

Smartwatches are curious products. Consumers are not flocking to the segment as they did for smartphones and tablets. Why? Some would say it is because the wearables duplicate the functionality of their existing devices. Fitness aside, many consumers seem to be awaiting some sort of "must have" aspect before jumping into the smartwatch waters. With that said, the Apple Watch seems to have the brightest future with its focus on medical conditions and overall well-being. It is not clear if health can drive segment growth, however.

Today, Samsung announces its latest smartwatches -- the S3 Classic (top right) and Frontier (top left). These Tizen-powered wearables feature a 1.3 inch circular Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360. The exciting aspect, however, is the always-on nature of the screen. Lifting your arm to see a blank screen is no longer a thing -- it will always display the time. The question becomes, which of the two will you pick? Keep in mind, the differences are not just skin deep.

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A lot of pundits like to put down the Linux-based Chrome OS for being deficient compared to more mature desktop operating systems. True, both Windows 10 and macOS are far more useful and powerful -- for now -- but the beauty of Chrome OS is its simplicity. It is arguably the most secure platform too, least likely to experience malware and vulnerabilities. Chromebooks rock, y'all!

With all of that said, Android app support is slowly being rolled-out to some Chromebooks, potentially making them much more useful. Hopefully this does not impact security, however. Today, Acer announces a 13.3-inch touchscreen convertible called 'Chromebook R 13'. While it will not have Google Play support out of the box, Android app support is being promised by the end of 2016.

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Nowadays, running more than one operating system on your computer is a breeze. Modern Linux-based operating system installers, for instance, take most of the hard work out of setting things up -- it used to be a much more difficult affair. It is not uncommon for people to dual-boot, say, Windows and Ubuntu. Heck, some folks even tri-boot with OS X.

A problem with running multiple operating systems on one machine is Bluetooth pairing. If you own a Bluetooth mouse, for instance, every time you switch the OS, you have to pair again. This becomes extremely tedious. Today, Logitech announces a product that alleviates that pain-point. Called the M720 Triathlon Multi-Device Mouse, it allows easy switching between up to three computers and/or operating systems.

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Fedora is one of my favorite Linux-based operating systems for multiple reasons. As a big GNOME fan, I like that the distro treats the desktop environment in a pure manner. It is also rock solid with regular updates -- including very modern versions of the Linux kernel. Plus, if you want a true "free" open source experience, it is not corrupted by closed source and other non-free packages. Of course, you can always add those types of packages through repos if you absolutely need them.

Today, Fedora 25 Alpha sees release. While the pre-release distribution is not ready for end users, it does give testers an early start at poking around.

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When people think of desktop computer speakers, their minds likely go to low-quality freebies that came with the machine. My first-ever PC, a Packard Bell, came with speakers that attached to the sides of the included CRT monitor. The sound quality was terrible (they hummed), but this was acceptable at the time; most folks didn't use their computer for listening to music or watching full length-films back then. It wasn't until the mp3 revolution that the PC became the central point of music and other media for some.

Believe it or not, over the years, generic OEM desktop computer speakers have remained fairly average. Of course, in-the-know audio enthusiasts could always upgrade to some quality gear from a company like Logitech. Speaking of that company, today it  announces its latest set of 2.1 speakers, the 'Z625 Powerful THX Sound'. Featuring both RCA and optical inputs, they should prove quite versatile. Whether it is for a desktop, laptop, or even a television. Logitech's latest looks like an affordable winner.

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As a New Yorker, I am, by default, a pizza snob. In other words, I can tell you if a slice or pie is good or garbage. Eating the food from a chain such as Domino's or Papa John's is a major faux pas. Why? Not only is it greasy, but it tastes horrible. Heck, eating food from those two chains often makes me feel physically ill. With that said, I have sinned by ordering it late at night when all other 'real' pizzerias were closed. It is always a regret.

If you hate yourself and want to punish your digestive system, I have good news for you. If you own the 4th generation Apple TV, you can now order Papa John's using an all-new app in the App Store.

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Intel is the undisputed king of desktop processors. Mobile is another story, but I digress. The company has chips available at various price points, meaning whether you are buying a budget notebook, or building a super-expensive gaming powerhouse, the company has something that will meet a consumer's needs. Yes, AMD makes great processors too (especially for those on a budget), but until its 'Zen' CPUs hit the market, Intel reigns supreme overall.

Today, Intel announces the upcoming 7th generation of its famed 'Core' processors. Code-named 'Kaby Lake', these chips will be found in many future consumer PCs. Are they worthy of excitement?

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If you are looking to buy a new computer for college or high school, there are many great options. In my shopping guide, I listed some choices, with one being the Huawei MateBook. Like the Surface Pro, it is technically a tablet, but when the keyboard attachment is connected, it is functionally a laptop too.

Unfortunately, having to buy the Portfolio Keyboard adds $129 to the overall price. Thankfully, this is no longer an issue. You see, for a limited time, Microsoft will give you that keyboard for free when you buy the Huawei Matebook. Best of all, this promotion includes the base model, meaning you can get the full Windows 10 experience for a steal!

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When buying a gaming monitor, there have historically been many things to consider, such as brand, budget, size, and resolution. Nowadays, however, there are even more features to investigate, like whether or not to buy a curved screen and deciding if you need AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC.

Today, Samsung announces some new gaming monitors that check many of the marks -- curved screen, AMD FreeSync, plus respectable resolutions and refresh rate. Stepping things up further, it also has Quantum Dot technology, which should produce remarkable colors.

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Verizon Wireless is what I consider to be the best cellphone carrier in the USA. Yes, it is expensive comparatively, but you get what you pay for. Both coverage and speed is top notch across the country, meaning you should have a solid experience in many places where you travel.

Today, the carrier announces that its LTE is getting much faster. In 461 cities across the USA, it switches on the speedier "LTE Advanced" (LTE-A). Best of all, many existing devices are compatible. Wondering if your phone, tablet, or hotspot can take advantage? Read on for the list.

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Have you ever been on an NYC subway? If not, let me tell you -- it is often horrible. Air conditioning can be broken, leading to high temperatures. Even worse, some people bring their food below ground, resulting in a stinky train car -- yuck! Don't even get me started on the performers -- people will sing or do acrobatics and then demand money. Heck, just last week a woman released live crickets on the subway!

Luckily, the NYC subway experience is getting better thanks to one thing -- Wi-Fi. Today, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York announces a new promotion, called "Subway Reads", which leverages that connectivity. This initiative will help straphangers get some relief from the other nonsense by enabling them to bury themselves in a free Penguin Random House e-book short or excerpt.

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The internet and web together are two of mankind's greatest inventions. Not only do they put an infinite amount of information at people's fingertips, but they connect the globe too. We may take it for granted, but being able to video chat with someone on the other side of the planet, for example, is downright amazing.

While the internet has the ability to bring out the best in humanity, it also shines a light on some of its worst, sadly. In other words, there is a lot of hate on the web, and it can be downright ugly -- just look at YouTube comments! Heck, some presidential campaigns are even based on hate, but I digress. Today, Microsoft announces that it is increasing its efforts to combat hate speech that is hosted on its own services.

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Linux celebrated a 25th birthday yesterday -- a spectacular open source milestone. For some folks, rather than eat cake, they reflected on how the kernel impacted their lives. For many, Ubuntu would be a big part of the picture -- the desktop OS is wildly popular in the Linux community.

Today, the first beta of Ubuntu Linux 16.10 sees release. Once again, a silly animal name is assigned, this time being the letter "Y" for the horned mammal, "Yakkety Yak". This is obviously a play on the classic song "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters. Please be sure not to "talk back" while testing this beta operating system!

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When images of the Xbox onesie from Australia hit the web, people went wild. Yeah, it is a silly product, but many fans of Microsoft's gaming consoles expressed desire on social media and web forums. Heck, you can have your gamertag embroidered on it -- how cool is that?

Believe it or not, the article of clothing isn't a hoax, but a real product. While Microsoft isn't selling them to the public, the company will be giving some away. Want to win one? You've come to the right place. Keep on reading for details.

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Today, Linux celebrates its 25th birthday. This is certainly cause for celebration in the open source community. Surprisingly, however, after all this time, many people don't understand that Linux is simply a kernel, and not an operating system. Yes, it is used as a component of operating systems, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Android, Tizen, and more, but a kernel alone does not an OS make.

Linux's longevity is a testament to the open source community as a whole, and not just one man, such as Linus Torvalds. True, he invented the kernel back in 1991 and maintains it to this day, but if he didn't have help along the way, it would have died long ago. Speaking of death, how much time does Linux have left to live? Some folks wonder if the kernel could meet its demise at the same time Torvalds does (or shortly thereafter). In other words, does the man have too much control with no real contingency plan?

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