Brian Fagioli

During the colder months, some folks look forward to the summer so they can have fun in the sun. Yeah, at first hanging out in the pool or at the beach can be totally fun. When hardcore heatwaves hit, however, and the temperature becomes too much to take, the summer novelty quickly wears off.

In many places this week, it has been sweltering -- my air conditioning has been cranked up in both my house and car. Today, Logitech announces a new way to cool down -- sort of. Well, not really. You see, the existing G933 Artemis Spectrum 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset is getting a fresh coat of white paint. The company is calling this edition 'Snow' which, from a psychological aspect, sounds pretty good to this sweaty gamer. Phew!

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The original Raspberry Pi sparked the creativity of many developers and students, but it was woefully underpowered. Through several iterations, however, it slowly became more powerful. While the most recent version -- the Raspberry Pi 3 -- has a much more capable processor, some developers will still want even more horsepower.

Today, Intel announces a maker board that puts the Raspberry Pi 3 to shame. The Joule system-on-module mini-computer features RealSense camera support and runs Ubuntu Linux Core. Best of all, its specs are very impressive for what it is.

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As a casual gamer, I don't necessarily need hardcore gaming accessories designed for professional eSports competitors. With that said, I place a high value on quality products. If there is a well-built mouse or keyboard that can improve my gaming performance, I am all for it.

The problem, unfortunately, is that many products designed for 'gamers' can look downright ridiculous. Look, just because a mouse, for instance, is designed for playing games, doesn't mean it has to look like an alien spacecraft. Today, Logitech G (as in Gaming) unveils its newest gaming mouse, called simply 'Pro'. Guess what? The wired mouse's design is both simple and elegant, while not being boring (you can customize the RGB lighting). Finally!

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USB-C is a total game-changer for the computer market. The most obvious benefit is that it is reversible -- you can't plug it in "wrong" like prior connector versions. The true magic, however, is that a single cable can be used for a quality docking experience -- including power. In other words, a compatible laptop or tablet can be transformed into a powerful desktop/workstation with ease.

Today, StarTech.com announces a 60 watt charging USB-C dock, with a very unimaginative name. Dubbed the 'USB-C Dual Monitor Docking Station with Power Delivery', it appears to be very useful for both home and business users. Unlike some similar offerings from other companies, it features DisplayPort in addition to HDMI.

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Video chat should be simple, but it is not. The biggest issue is fragmentation. On iOS, for instance, Facetime is a wonderfully easy solution, but there is no Android client. While there are plenty of cross-platform third-party options to solve this, they aren't always elegant. Skype is a good example of an app that should bridge the gap, but ends up being buggy and clunky.

Google is aiming to solve this dilemma with its 'Duo' video chat app. With it, the search giant is putting a heavy focus on ease of use. The offering is available for both Android and iOS -- the only two mobile platforms that matter (sorry, Windows 10 Mobile). Announced three months ago, it finally sees release today. There is no news about the Allo chat sister-app, sadly.

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While I am technically not a millennial, I border on the cut-off. Actually, I think I am considered Generation Y, but I digress. Still, I can understand some of these young folks' likes and behaviors. While I cannot grasp the popularity of Snapchat, for instance, I totally love emoji.

Speaking of emoji, Twitter recently introduced "Stickers" which are really just emoji overlays for photos. In other words, you can jazz up your pictures on the social network with virtual stickers. Yes, it is arguably millennial nonsense, but it is actually quite fun. Today, Twitter announces 'Promoted Stickers' -- a way to monetize the feature. The first partner is Pepsi -- a sugar-water seller which once billed itself as "The Choice of a New Generation".

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NFL pre-season football is in full swing, meaning regular season games will be here before you know it. It is a league where anything can happen. Injuries (which are prevalent in USA football) can change rankings in the blink of an eye. If you participate in Fantasy Football, for instance, you know how things can change from week to week.

While many folks compete in fantasy leagues and track their favorite teams using smartphones nowadays, nothing trumps a full-fledged PC experience. This is what Microsoft's Surface Pro line of tablets can deliver. If you do use a Surface Pro 3 or 4 computer, and you love the NFL, Microsoft has something that will make you giddy --  Special Edition NFL Type Covers. Yes, all 32 teams are represented. This includes my favorite team, the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!

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Connected-home technology and the Internet of Things are poised to explode in popularity over the next several years. My, how far humanity has come -- having our refrigerators, thermostats, and door locks connected to the internet. Huzzah! All joking aside, it is actually exciting stuff, folks.

Today, Logitech announces a very curious home device. Simply called "Pop", it is a switch, that when pressed, can perform an action. Actually, each switch can do three actions, depending on how the user interacts with it. It is looking like Logitech has hit a home-run with Pop.

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While 4K displays are popular nowadays, 1080p variants are still wonderful. Quite frankly, depending on your needs, a 1920x1080 display could even be preferable. Gamers, for instance, may not have the GPU required to game on 4K. Not to mention, on Windows 10, some legacy programs and settings can look pixelated and blurry when up-scaling above 100 percent. 4K with Linux is even worse, but I digress.

Today, ViewSonic announces an absolutely gorgeous 24-inch 1080p monitor. The "VP2468" display has incredibly small bezels and professional-grade color accuracy. This monitor should prove brilliant for both home and business users, not to mention gamers too. But is the price too high?

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The Android operating system is having its fair share of trouble lately. Not just one, but four nasty vulnerabilities (dubbed 'QuadRooter') have been discovered, affecting close to one billion devices. If that doesn't scare you, however, there are plenty of quality handsets to choose from.

Today, Kyocera announces an interesting smartphone that stands out among the others. The 'DuraForce PRO' is super-rugged, and has both an octacore processor and large 3,240mAh battery. The stand-out feature, however, is the integrated wide-angle HD action camera.

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When it comes to Twitter, I don't like change. Many folks likely feel the same way -- its users seem to be very passionate, as if the social network is sacred. Quite frankly, from an engagement standpoint, that is a good thing.

The social network's 'Moments' feature -- a curation of Tweets focused on storytelling -- annoyed me at first. I found it to be a waste of space -- something I only accessed by mistake. Over time, however, I learned to love it. It is a great way to keep track of trends and follow stories. Unfortunately, not all creators have access to contributing to it. Today, Twitter announces that it will be opening access to 'Moments' to more people, beyond the existing curators.

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Many people think the big selling point of Linux is that it doesn't cost money. Yeah, operating systems based on the open source kernel are largely free up front, but that isn't the whole story. True, home users can probably get by without paid support, but businesses can't always rely on Google searches and forum posts for help.

Enter Ubuntu Advantage. If you are a small, medium, or large business that is transitioning to the Ubuntu operating system, going it alone is not always wise. UA is a paid subscription offering from Canonical, which provides professional-level support. Today, the company makes it even easier for users to subscribe.

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Ride-sharing apps are all the rage nowadays. It is not hard to see why traditional taxi drivers despise the services -- it is extremely convenient and satisfying to reserve a car with a smartphone app. Standing in the street with your arms flailing in an effort to get a driver's attention is archaic and uncouth.

While Uber is undoubtedly the king of ride-sharing in the USA, its competitor, Lyft, is no slouch. Today, Lyft announces an upcoming new feature that looks rather useful -- 'extra stops'.

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Gaming headsets are rather curious products. As the name implies, they are designed for chatting during gaming, but in reality, they are so much more. Actually, many of them can be used for non-gaming communication, such as on Skype, plus listening to music or watching movies. Just because they have a microphone, doesn't mean they can't be used as headphones too. Am I right?

Today, SteelSeries announces a new gaming headset. Dubbed "Siberia 840", it builds on the company's existing Siberia 800 with the addition of Bluetooth. This means the headset should work brilliantly for PC, Mac, consoles (Xbox One and PlayStation 4), and mobile.

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If you are a Windows user, and want a really great computer, you should consider Microsoft's Surface line. Not only do they serve as wonderful tablets, but with the keyboard attachment, they can be solid laptops too.

While many Linux users dislike Microsoft, some of them undoubtedly envy Windows hardware. While it is possible to run Linux distros on some Surface tablets (I've done it), not everything will work flawlessly. Today, release candidate 1 of Linux Kernel 4.8 is announced, and it seems a particularly interesting driver has been added -- the Surface 3 touchscreen controller. Will Microsoft's lower-priced (starting at $499) hybrid computer become the ultimate mobile Linux machine?

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