Brian Fagioli

As a Linux desktop user, you'd think I'd be a big Android proponent. Actually, I rather detest Google's mobile operating system lately. Other than Nexus devices, most Android devices fail to get regular updates, leaving users exposed to vulnerabilities. That is unacceptable! It is why I own an iPhone now, but I digress.

Sadly, yet another set of vulnerabilities have been discovered for Android. Dubbed 'QuadRooter', all Qualcomm devices are affected. In other words, this is really, really, bad, folks. You see, 900 million phones and tablets are impacted, and most of them will probably never be patched. The Android sky is falling!

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In the technology market, there are many types of manufacturers. Two such examples are those that make devices and those that make accessories for those devices. This works quite well, you see, as not only do consumers love gadgets, but they love customizing them with cases and other things too.

Speaking of accessory makers, Griffin is well known for its quality offerings. Apple users in particular have long been buying that company's products, but it makes accessories for non-Apple devices too. Today, popular case-maker, Incipio (which also owns Incase and Braven), announces that it has acquired Griffin for an undisclosed amount of money. Is this good or bad?

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Regardless of your stance on guns, I think everyone can agree that firearms deserve to be treated with respect. Even staunch 2nd amendment proponents will tell you that the weapons are not toys. Proper training and understanding of their potential danger are key for safety.

Understandably, however, some parents don't want their children -- or themselves -- to have guns in their lives at all. Thanks to emoji, guns are sort of unavoidable nowadays. While parents can refuse to buy toy guns for their children, pistol symbols in communications are now a thing. Well, except on iOS 10 beta, that is. Apple has chosen to go against the tech world and Unicode consortium by using a water gun to represent the pistol emoji. Are Tim Cook and company right or wrong in this decision?

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There are many reasons why solid state drives are better than mechanical hard drives. Obviously, they are very much faster -- an upgrade to SSD can make an older PC feel new again. Also, they are silent, meaning you don't have to listen to a grinding-like seek sound.

One of the forgotten aspects as to why SSDs are better, however, is energy savings. Since they use less electricity, they can save money and allow batteries to last longer. Today, Seagate announces a new enterprise SSD that it calls 'energy-efficient'. But aren't they all?

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The Raspberry Pi line of computers are wonderful for many things. If you are a builder or maker, it can be great for projects. If you just want a low-energy media computer, these little devices are a godsend.

The most powerful version is the Raspberry Pi 3, and earlier this year, I bought it. Recently, I even purchased the super-cool Kodi Edition case for it. The problem? I am not a maker or builder, and I mostly use my Apple TV as a media player. I simply do not have a need for my Pi 3 anymore. My problem can be your gain, however, as I am giving away both the computer and case. Interested? Read on to enter the giveaway.

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Android phones are rarely exciting nowadays, save for a few flagships from the major players. No manufacturer of devices running Google's mobile OS is more popular or celebrated than Samsung. It is not hard to see why -- the company listens to users and creates elegant devices to meet needs.

Some of that company's most popular such smartphones are the Galaxy Note line of productivity-focused phablets. The company recently announced the Note7 and it looks downright amazing. If you choose to purchase it, however, you will probably want to protect it with a case. Luckily, today, Ballistic unveils its new line of cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note7.

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Many people know that I am a Linux proponent. With that said, I am not a stereotypical Microsoft hater. While I regularly use operating systems like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Chrome OS, I also use Windows 10. Truth be told, I actually love the newest Microsoft desktop operating system -- Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Folks like me that use both Linux and Windows will often setup multiple partitions on a single drive or across multiple drives. This method allows you to easily choose between various operating systems at boot. Unfortunately, there are apparently reports that upgrading to Windows 10 Anniversary Update could delete all Linux partitions in the process. Scary!

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Dropbox is my favorite cloud storage service. I am such a fan, that I actually put my money where my mouth is -- I pay for it annually rather than use a "free" alternative. Why do I open my wallet? Besides being cross-platform and offering a Linux client, I respect the company's consistent improvements and innovations. I also like that its business is mostly focused on storage -- it isn't just one tentacle of a much larger octopus-like creature, such as Microsoft or Google.

Today, the company opens up the beta-testing of its all-new Dropbox Paper apps for Android, iOS, and web. If you are interested in participating in testing the collaboration tool, please read on.

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Let's be honest, folks -- Windows 10 Mobile is not a popular phone operating system. Compared to Android and iOS, Microsoft's OS is largely insignificant. In fact, many people -- including my colleague Mihăiță Bamburic -- consider it a dead platform without a future.

Today, however, Windows 10 Mobile gets a significant app, showing that maybe it isn't dead after all -- Starbucks. While you may not view it as a big deal, many people depend on the coffee chain's app to pay for drinks and find locations. The fact that Starbucks put resources towards the app should make Microsoft fans very happy.

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Even though solid state drives are all the rage nowadays from a performance standpoint, mechanical hard drives still reign supreme for capacity. While SSDs should eventually catch up to HDDs in this regard, that is not going to happen any time soon. Even when SSDs do reach capacity parity, their prices will not. In other words, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an affordable 10TB solid state drive.

Speaking of 10TB hard disk drives, today, Western Digital announces a datacenter HDD with that capacity. This is the company's highest-capacity 'WD Gold' drive ever.

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Football (not soccer) is one of the most popular sports in the United States. Whether it is college or professional, Americans love to spectate it. Not only do they watch the games, but plan their days around them too -- choosing the right snacks and beverages is very important.

Also wildly popular lately is Snapchat. Millennials are absolutely gaga over the app, and last year, the National Football League began utilizing it. Today, the NFL announces that it will be leveraging the 'Discover' feature for the upcoming season. While this extended partnership is certainly a 'touchdown' for Snapchat, the National Football League could benefit greatly too.

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Linux Mint 18 has been available for a month now, and the latest version of the operating system has received much praise. Quite frankly, when you base a distro on Ubuntu, it is hard to go wrong. Both of the default desktop environments -- Cinnamon and Mate -- are brilliant, making the entire package a home run for many.

Of course, not everyone loves the aforementioned environments, and that is OK. One of the arguably wonderful things about Linux-based operating systems is the ability to change the DE. Today, the Linux Mint Team releases the Xfce version of 'Sarah'.

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Tim Cook has been pushing the iPad Pro as a desktop/laptop replacement. You know what? He isn't wrong. Well, depending on a user's needs, of course. For many people, it just won't work -- Windows, Ubuntu, or OS X would be better. If all you do is surf the web, go on social media, or leverage a word processing app, it can be quite brilliant. Heck, it can even succeed at editing both photos and videos if your expectations aren't too high.

With all of that said, the tablet on its own is hardly a productivity workhouse without an important accessory -- a keyboard. Can you buy Apple's keyboard cover? Yeah, and it is pretty good, but many consumers prefer Logitech's Logi CREATE variant instead. Unfortunately, the backlit keyboard is only available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Today, this changes, as the company releases the keyboard for the 9.7-inch variant too.

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If you hate emoji, I am sorry to tell you that they do not seem to be a fad. In other words, the little pictures are here to stay. Just accept it, y'all -- emoji are fun!

Today, Apple announces that over 100 emoji are being added to the upcoming iOS 10 operating system. The company is putting a lot of thought and care in these new characters, you see, as it is focusing on diversity in both families and gender, plus the latest epidemic of gun violence.

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The Apple Watch is seen by some as a misstep for Apple, but in reality, it outsells Android Wear smartwatches by a lot. Quite frankly, in my travels, I see far more of Apple's smartwatch than ones based on Google's operating system.

While the Apple Watch is very stylish, many of the bands can be very expensive. Luckily, there are many lower-priced third-party bands on sites like Amazon. Unfortunately, many of the aforementioned bands are of low quality, harming the premium Apple Watch experience. Today, X-Doria looks to change this. It releases a new stainless steel 'Mesh Band' that offers high quality for less than $50.

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