I am a huge gadget guy, and yet I have never owned an iPhone because it is too expensive and restrictive. Android is my mobile platform of choice for a number of reasons. It is a Linux-based operating system (sweet), it has an accessible file system (awesome), and the handsets can be affordable (woo-hoo). This is in stark contrast to Apple's rotten iOS ideology.

While the expensive (yet not restrictive) Nexus 6 is my current smartphone, I did consider a different, less costly model before I got it -- the OnePlus One. That Android phone is very affordable and powerful, but it had one fatal flaw -- a lame invite scheme. Whether invites were implemented due to strong demand or as a way to create perceived demand, it rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not into playing games when it comes to spending my hard-earned money. Luckily, this is changing. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of announcing the phone, OnePlus is killing the invite system for it. Yes, anyone can buy the One at any time (as long as there is stock). Unfortunately, not all of the news is good.

While many people focus on speed and capacity when buying storage devices, an often overlooked aspect is security. Of course, not everything necessarily needs to be encrypted and protected; while Aunt Edith's recipes and your family reunion photos are valuable to you, they aren't exactly the target of hackers or rogue government nations.

If you do need to encrypt and protect files, however, there are many options available to you. Today, Buffalo announces a unique drive, which offers NFC to securely access the hardware-encrypted drive. Rather than using biometrics or a password, an NFC smart card is all you need to unlock the rugged, water and dust resistant, military-grade MiniStation Extreme NFC USB 3.0 hard drive.

There are too many Linux distributions nowadays. Choice and variety are wonderful, but in this case, they spread resources very thin. Linux-based operating systems might be further along by now if more developers came together to work on projects. For someone new to Linux, finding a distro can be a daunting task. Many of the releases are simply noise, making it hard to find the quality operating systems.

KaOS is one of those quality operating systems. It is a wonderful Linux distribution that focuses on KDE. Quite frankly, if you are a KDE purist, this should be on your radar. To cerebrate the two-year anniversary of the distro, the team releases 2015.04. Whether you are a Linux noob, or even an an expert, you should give it a try.

Microsoft is a company that can do no wrong lately. It is wisely focusing on devices and services -- its cross-platform support is a total 180 degree turn from years past. Hell, the company is even embracing open source lately, showing that it is listening to customers and taking advantage of industry trends.

When Microsoft Open Technologies was founded as a subsidiary of Microsoft -- under Steve Ballmer's reign -- many in the open source community hailed it as a major win, and it was. Today, however, the subsidiary is shutting down and being folded into Microsoft. While some will view this as a loss for open source, I disagree; Microsoft has evolved so much under Satya Nadella, that a separate subsidiary is simply no longer needed.

When I was a young man, I loved video games more than anything. Not only did I play the games, but I bought magazines about them and had fun discussing them with friends. Back then -- in the 80s' and 90's -- things were much simpler. You put in your cartridge, started the system and were playing in seconds. Nowadays, however, games take forever to load, are super complicated and offer in-game purchases. It can feel like a huge money-grab. Hell, sometimes you spend more time installing updates than playing the actual games!

When Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries released Halo: Spartan Assault last year, I was in heaven. The game was a throw-back to the glory days of gaming -- pick up and play. You shot stuff and tried not to die; a wonderful concept! Today, the follow-up to that game, Halo: Spartan Strike, sees release. You can download the game now for Windows, Windows Phone, iPad and iPhone. The best part? A paltry $5.99 price tag (and no in-game purchases)!

Nowadays, computers seems to be trending towards more diminutive packages. It's not hard to see why -- people value having as much workspace as possible; an enormous tower taking up a desk can be an inconvenience. Just look at Apple's new MacBook; people are willing to trade performance for size while also paying a premium.

Unfortunately, this just won't do for gamers. This particular segment of consumers does not like compromise when it comes to performance. With that said, plenty of gamers also value style and size. Luckily, we are beginning to see more and more svelte gaming machines. Today, ASUS Republic of Gamers announces the GR6 desktop. If you are like me, the design alone will have you salivating. Beauty is more than skin deep here, however, as the specs are impressive too.

When Logitech announced that it was crowdsourcing a video game using Reddit, I was dubious to say the least. I knew the company could pull it off, but I was fearful that anonymous Internet users would ruin the "Together We Game" experiment.

Luckily, my fears were unfounded, as not only has the game been released, it is actually very fun and normal. In other words, the Internet did not spoil the game. Best of all, the tower defense game is free and available for Windows, OS X and iOS. Will you download PX57?

SATA based solid state drives are so 2014. We are already in Q2 of 2015, so it is time to step things up. While SATA drives will still meet the needs of many, enthusiasts are always looking for a new way to gain an edge.

PCIe NVMe PCIe SSDs are the future, and the market is starting to see more of these drives. With that said, NVMe PCIe drives have only been in the PCIe full and half-height form factors. Today, Samsung announces it is starting production on the world's first NVMe PCIe SSD to use the M.2 form factor.

Everyone loves a good movie or TV show. Not only are they entertaining, but an opportunity for you to forget about your troubles too. My favorite thing about TV shows and movies, however, is the ability to be transported into a different world. By watching the film "Gravity", I can travel to space. "Game of Thrones" allows me to travel to the fictional Westeros. You get the idea.

While these are very much a visual affair, the audio isalso important. Besides dialogue and natural noise, the soundtrack plays a huge role too. Star Wars for instance offers a beautiful score. Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability to see; some people are blind or visually impaired. For these people, the audio is even more important. Today, Netflix recognizes this important group of people with a new Audio Description feature, starting with the all-new "Marvel's Daredevil".

If you work in IT, you know how laborious it can be to get new computers up and running. The best way to do it is with a single image, so you do not need to manually; one by one. In other words, you install a disk image to multiple machines; the image not only has Windows, but other software and settings too

While this can be done in many ways, including over network or using optical media, a hard drive duplicator is probably the fastest. StarTech.com announces a new product that not only serves as a duplicator, but as 6-drive dock too. Offering USB 3.0 and eSata connectivity, it is sure to meet the needs of many businesses and some home users too.

When it comes to computing, small businesses can have unique needs. Unfortunately, many manufacturers ignore this segment, thinking that between Enterprise and consumer offerings, the small businesses can find a solution. To be honest, this isn't quite off base -- small business owners may find a decent machine at Best Buy or online somewhere that meets their needs. Still, how nice would it be if manufacturers actually focused on this market?

Don't worry, Toshiba has you covered. Today, the manufacturer announces the Portégé R30 laptop. This 13.3-inch offering may be perfect for both small and medium-sized businesses, as it is very compact for travel, while offering solid performance using Intel's dependable Haswell processors.

Not all solid state drives are created equal. Sadly, I have learned this lesson the hard way. In an attempt to save money, I have in the past purchased budget drives. The result? Early failures, causing data loss and headaches.

Nowadays, I only buy quality brands, such as Samsung and Kingston. While the former makes some of the best drives on the market, the latter is no slouch either. Quite frankly, I rather love Kingston for SSDs and flash drives due to their reasonable cost and high reliability. Today, the company announces that it is shipping a 960GB "business-class" SSD.

Linux is not an operating system, but a kernel. This is an important distinction, as not all Linux-based operating systems are equal. For example, Ubuntu, Android, and Chrome OS are all Linux, but hardly the same. What makes something qualify as being Linux, is simply the utilization of this kernel.

The father of Linux, Linus Torvalds, announces the latest version of the kernel, 4.0. While you may think this is a monumental release because of the number jump, you would be quite wrong. Actually, moving to 4.0 is mostly cosmetic and inconsequential. Despite the lackluster changes, this is a milestone moment for the open source community.

There is no such thing as the perfect Linux distribution. Try all you want, but your search will leave you fatigued and confused; perfection is impossible. With that said, you can definitely achieve happiness once you commit to a distro despite potential shortcomings. Ultimately, you must weigh the pros and cons and pick something that meets your needs.

For many people, Ubuntu is a smart choice, as it has many packages and a huge community for support. When I say Ubuntu, I also mean distros based on it, such as Mint and the distro du jour, elementary OS. If you are a fan of simplicity, elementary may be a great choice. The latest stable release, "Freya", is available for download now. It features a UI that I would call a Frankenstein-like marriage between GNOME and OS X's dock; it may appeal to Linux-newcomers and experts alike. Will you try it?

It is my favorite day of the week -- Friday. I've got my comfortable jeans on, while relaxing and listening to Rebecca Black on repeat (which seat should I take?). While the proximity to the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) makes this working day a treat, there are often additional things to brighten it up too, such as Linux distros.

Yes, a new version of a Linux-based operating system on a Friday is awesome, as I can play with it during the entire weekend for fun. Today, Linux Mint Debian Edition 2, dubbed "Betsy", sees a release. The big dilemma for me and my fellow Linux nerds will be deciding on the preferred desktop environment. Will you choose MATE or Cinnamon for LMDE 2?