Holy cow, it is Thanksgiving week! Somehow the holidays just crept up on me this year. For retailers, this is of huge importance, as Black Friday is almost here. While I will probably do some shopping that day, I will avoid the craziness of Best Buy, Walmart and Target and focus on non-tech Christmas shopping at stores like Kohls.

So how will I save money on tech gifts then? Uhh, the Internet. Yes, I will look for deals online while preserving my sanity and avoiding long lines. According to Microsoft, leveraging Edge, Bing, and Cortana can help you save. Will you try?

My smartphone is my most-used computer. When it comes to getting work done, I chose an iPhone for its reliability, security, and most importantly, app availability. I do not have time for roadblocks, such as the app-gap found on Windows Phone.

To enhance my productivity on Windows, Linux and iOS, I leverage the wonderful Dropbox for my cloud-storage needs. The company is constantly improving its service and introducing new features. Today, the company announces a partnership with Adobe to enable easier PDF editing on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. This is just the latest example of Dropbox focusing on its customers.

Hey, Satya Nadella, you are doing a pretty good job at Microsoft. Windows 10 is a darn good desktop operating system, although you need to work on those confusing privacy settings, bro. Office 2016 is great too, as always, and your cross platform apps are wonderful. Hell, even Bing continues to get better.

We need to have a heart to heart about Windows 10 Mobile, otherwise known as the continuing of Windows Phone, though. Here's the thing -- nobody wants it. Other than some Microsoft fanboys and beat-writers like Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley, it's about as wanted as diarrhea. Yes, Satya, I am comparing your mobile operating system to loose stools. While that sounds a bit extreme, it sadly actually isn't. It's time to give up on mobile. Free your fanboys from their mental prisons.

If you are still running your operating system from a traditional hard drive, I want you to slap yourself in the face. Why? You are doing your computing wrong. Sure, a mechanical hard drive is great for storage, but your OS will absolutely fly with a solid state drive. While they used to be expensive, the prices have dropped so dramatically in recent years, there is no excuse not to upgrade. It has become a cliché, but an SSD is the best upgrade you can make.

Recently, I have been testing the Toshiba Q300 SSD. The particular model I have been using is 480GB. Keep in mind, capacity can impact performance, so your mileage may vary based on the size you pick. This is a SATA variant, so performance won't be mind-blowing, but with that said, SATA will remain the most-used connection type for the near future, and for folks upgrading older machines. Is the Q300 a smart choice?

Windows 10 is arguably a success. True, not everyone loves it, but many -- according to Microsoft -- have downloaded it. A huge benefit of having large adoption of the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, is that more people have access to the Windows Store. As a result, more and more quality apps, games, and other content should be made available in it.

To celebrate Windows 10, Microsoft is doing something incredible for its fans. Over the next ten days, the company will be selling music, games, movies, and apps for ten cents each. Yes, for a single dime, you can score some awesome stuff. Heck, you can't get much for such a little amount, nowadays.

While Intel and Nvidia produce some amazing hardware, I always have a place in my heart for AMD. True, the company often lags behind Intel for raw power and efficiency, plus its Linux driver support can be iffy, but from a value perspective, its products are great. You get a lot of power, often for less money than competitors.

AMD's 300 series cards have been really popular with the gaming community, yet many people have not upgraded. In a tough economy, this is understandable. Today, however, AMD officially announces a card that is not only powerful, but affordable too. The R9 380X may be the perfect balance. Will you upgrade?

While pundits talk up declining tablet sales, I bought a new iPad mini 4 this year and love it. True, larger smartphones are probably cannibalizing tablet sales, but I still find value in having a small iPad despite owning a large iPhone 6S Plus. I am sure I am not alone.

If you are still a tablet-lover like me, you are probably always on the look-out for a quality case. Today, one of the best companies for such accessories, Logitech, announces new offerings for the Apple iPad mini 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. If you own either of these wonderful tablets, you should definitely take notice.

Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, are still a huge issue. Unfortunately, many young people no longer fear HIV because they see people, like Magic Johnson, living normal lives with the disease. While I am happy that Johnson has continued to survive and prosper, not everyone is as lucky. Safe sex is still extremely important. Charlie Sheen is just the latest high-profile victim. Many more non-famous people are getting HIV, herpes and more.

In an effort to drive this issue home, Durex, the condom maker, is calling for safe sex emojis to be created. Before you call it unnecessary or silly, remember -- young people are communicating with emojis more and more nowadays. Maybe there is some value here. What do you think?

I'm a Gmail user. You are probably a Gmail user. Hell, I bet your dog uses Gmail. Here's the thing though -- unless you are really young, you probably didn't use Gmail as your first-ever email account, right? Right.

If you are like me, you probably pre-date web-based email, and got your messages from an email client. In fact, many people -- especially in businesses -- still do, using such software as Thunderbird, Outlook or Evolution. The unfortunate thing, you see, is that those old emails aren't available and searchable in your Gmail account. But what if they were? What if you could import your archaic email archives (if you were smart enough to save them), saved on zip disks in a closet, into Gmail? That would be neat, right? Well, with the power of open source, you actually can -- maybe.

Google+ is a big joke, right? No one uses it, right? Wrong and wrong. The search-giant's social network is actually quite good and has many active users. I would argue that it is the best such network, superior to both Facebook and Twitter, but I digress. True, it does not have as many active users as the aforementioned competitors, but its focused purpose arguably makes it a better resource. It is brilliant for meeting like-minded individuals by using the "Communities" feature.

With all of that said, the Google+ interface was a bit clunky and confusing. Heck, it was very heavy too, causing web browsers -- in my experience -- to use a lot of resources. Today, Google announces that it is refreshing the service -- a new coat of paint and improved interface. Will this lead to increased usage?

Apps on both Android and iOS can be great, although the ones for Apple's operating system are often better in design and performance. Even Google apps on iOS are sometimes better than their Android counterparts. This probably contributes to iOS users spending far more money on apps than Android users.

If you are an Android user, I have some good news for you -- the apps you buy in the future may soon be cheaper. You see, Google is lowering the minimum amount that developers can charge in the Play Store. Will this cause you to buy more apps?

Users of Linux-based operating systems often buy Windows-powered computers, format the hard drive and install their favorite distro. This can sometimes be a fine experience, although, quite often, it comes with annoyances such as non-working hardware (usually Wi-Fi). Not to mention, the keyboard will likely house a "Windows" key, which taints the experience.

The holy grail for many Linux users -- besides building their own computer -- is to get a desktop or laptop that comes pre-loaded with a Linux-based operating system. One of the most popular such manufacturers, System76, sells computers pre-loaded with Ubuntu, including a lifetime of telephone tech support. Obviously the company has accumulated many fans over the years, so this past Thursday and Friday, it held its first-ever superfan event. Fans were flown to its Denver headquarters. I was honored to be given the opportunity to cover it (airfare and hotel provided by System76)

The Internet is one of the most significant inventions in all of humankind. It has enabled the world to easily communicate across borders -- both literally and figuratively. More importantly, however, it allows the free movement of information and ideas. Your location shouldn't  have to limit your mind.

Sadly, a lack of money can block access to the Internet for poor communities globally. There are many people on this planet that do not have access to a service that you and I probably take for granted. In other words, social inequality impacts people in technological matters. Today, Microsoft announces a new fund -- as a part of its Affordable Access Initiative -- in hopes to deliver affordable Internet to people in underserved locations.

Convergence is a hot topic nowadays, and for good reason -- our smartphones and tablets are very powerful. It is understandable that consumers want one device to rule them all. While Microsoft has had some success with its Surface computers, for the most part, they prove to be poor tablets and mediocre laptops. They are too expensive, big and unwieldy to be used as a tablet for relaxing, while the keyboard is not ideal for typing. Hell, you can't even type with it on your lap. Don't get me wrong, I love my Surface Pro 3 for its portability and power, but don't enjoy using it.

When it comes to enjoyment and emotional relationships with technology, Apple is second to none. While many have wondered why there is not yet a touch-screen MacBook, or a tablet running OS X, the company has wisely kept both separate. If you were wondering if Tim Cook would reverse course on this, the answer is no. The Apple CEO recently pooh–poohed the idea of an iPad and Mac convergence. Is that a good thing?

Like many of you, dear BetaNews readers, I use various operating systems throughout the day, such as iOS, Windows and Ubuntu. On the desktop, Linux is my true love. While Ubuntu is the reliable friend that is always there for me, I love other distros too, such as Fedora.

One of my favorite distros, however, is not particularly popular, but it should be. Netrunner is a brilliant KDE-focused operating system that works well for beginners and experts alike. Despite KDE's arguably confusing settings, I really like it as an operating system for someone transitioning from Windows. It feels familiar, is very polished, and comes loaded with great software. The latest version of its Manjaro/Arch-based rolling variant is now available and it looks great. Beginners should sit this out, however, and stick with the more-stable Kubuntu-based variant.