In a bad economy, using a product for more than one thing is a necessity. In bad times, women have been known to reuse pantyhose as coffee filters. Today, my family reuses plastic Chinese-food containers as refrigerator food storage. Sadly, this is not always the case with technology -- electronics have become disposable due to low prices and a culture of always wanting the newest thing.

Today, accessory manufacturer ROCCAT bucks that trend and announces a public beta of its Power-Grid technology. This software allows a user to control games and other programs on their Windows PC with an iOS or Android device. In other words, it allows consumers to reuse existing technology for new purposes. Awesome.

The traditional telephone and email setup at many businesses is dying. This old-school approach is no longer efficient. As crazy as it is to call email "old school", that is exactly what it is. Many business users want the ability to reach out in real-time, with the option to escalate the interaction to voice or screen-sharing. Lync is the dynamic software solution which is trailblazing the corporate world.

If you aren't familiar, Lync is a business-focused instant messaging client for Windows. However, it is so much more than that -- it is a communication service that brings colleagues together. It provides VOIP, instant messaging, video chat and screen-sharing. The magic of the software is the integration with Outlook -- your status can be automatically updated to reflect your meetings and appointments. Today, Microsoft announces that adoption of the software is booming.

More and more business users are shunning a traditional desktop or laptop for tablets and smartphones. While tablets are great for consuming information, with the help of keyboard attachments, they are sufficient at creation too. However, tablets and smartphones are very personal devices; they are not optimized to handle a conference call for multiple users. Today, Logitech announces a product designed to solve this dilemma -- the Mobile Speakerphone P710e.

The company says, "with the Mobile Speakerphone, you can be more productive with hands-free access to your mobile device of choice and an integrated experience for video conferencing and conference calls. Whether you’re hosting your noon conference call using your mobile device in a hotel room or joining a call from a conference room in your local office with your PC, the Logitech Mobile Speakerphone is the ideal travel companion for the mobile employee or small business owner".

My relationship with Chromebook and Chrome OS has been rocky. When Google first announced the concept, I was highly dubious. After all, I had done all of my computing on Windows and Linux -- locally installed apps were all I knew. Ultimately, curiosity got the best of me and I bought the Samsung ARM Chromebook. The simplicity of the platform melted my heart and I became an enthusiast.

Sadly, I outgrew the Samsung model due to its poor performance -- it is slow on certain websites, like Google+. I decided to postpone the upgrade until the Haswell models would arrive. However, in the midst of the Haswell-Chromebook revolution, HP and Google threw a curve-ball and released the wonderful Chromebook 11, that has an ARM processor, which took an Apple approach to laptop design.

Google has an operating system for the desktop and laptop form-factors called Chrome OS. However, the company also has the Android operating system, which is designed for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This prompts many pundits to posit "why not just have Chromebooks run Android, as that OS can run the Chrome browser, and much more". And you know what? They are kind of right.

Sadly though, those people are mostly wrong; bless their hearts. You see, less is more in this case, and a lack of local apps breeds out of-the-box web app thinking, which is good. However, despite this, a number of manufacturers have released Android laptops but none of them took the world by storm. Today, Lenovo hopes to change that and releases the A10 -- an Android laptop with a 10.1-inch screen.

When Microsoft backpedaled on some of the features of the Xbox One, it signaled a lack of direction and leadership for some consumers. The used game and always-on fiasco, left a blemish on the manufacturer's reputation. While the Xbox One will still sell like gangbusters, Sony definitely benefited from Microsoft's missteps. For the most part, Sony came out smelling like roses and certainly gained pre-orders as a result (myself included).

Today, Sony joins Microsoft in the misstep-category and announces the delay of the important racing launch title, DRIVECLUB. "SCE Worldwide Studios and the team at Evolution Studios have made the difficult decision to delay the release of DRIVECLUB and DRIVECLUB PlayStation Plus Edition until early 2014. DRIVECLUB will be a truly innovative, socially connected racing game, but the team requires more time in order to deliver on their vision", says Shuhei Yoshida, President, SCE Worldwide Studios.

In the world of Linux, Ubuntu serves as a gateway for many. You see, the popular Linux distribution is very easy to install and use, so it makes an ideal first distro. While some users may choose to stick with the 12.04 Long Term Support version (which is supported until 2017), other users will prefer to have the latest and greatest.

Today, Canonical releases the freshest stable version of its operating system, Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander, which has 9 months of support. While this is big news on its own, the bigger news is that it is available for both desktops and smartphones at the same time.

The old adage is, "when it rains, it pours". All of a sudden, it seems that it is raining 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablets. Yesterday, Lenovo announced a Bay Trail-powered tablet and today Acer follows suit with the Iconia W4.

The company says the tablet is "equipped with the Windows 8.1 operating system and a 4th-generation Intel Atom processor, offering faster tablet performance as well as battery life up to 8 hours for video playback and up to 10 hours for web browsing".

The Android operating system and school of thought are undergoing a major change; a sea change brought on by the Motorola Moto X and its voice interaction. After using it, I remarked that specifications and benchmarks melted away and I was enveloped in the experience. However, not everyone wants to interact with their smartphone using voice. Some people, myself sometimes included, just want to touch a big beautiful display and have the best specs and most bragging rights... and that's OK. People are different as is their usage.

The LG G2 represents Android's old-school, previous school of thought. It is fast and flashy and will trounce the Moto X in speed. However, the phone infamously has a new trick up its sleeve by assigning the buttons to the rear. This feature stole the focus from the device in the media and rightfully so. After all, it is an out-of-the-box approach that people just haven't seen before. I have been using this smartphone for a couple of weeks now and I finally feel ready to share what it is and what is isn't. At the end of this article, you will find out whether I can recommend it or not.

Small tablets are very popular lately; the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini are two great examples of that. However, even though Windows 8 is designed for touch, a quality small (8-inch and below) tablet has eluded consumers. My experience with the Acer Iconia W3 was epically bad -- the screen and overall build quality were poor. Sadly, this device may have harmed consumer confidence in small Windows tablets.

Today, Lenovo aims to greatly improve the perception of reduced-size Windows devices as the company announces the Miix2 8-inch tablet. By combining the computer manufacturer's well-known build quality with the much improved Windows 8.1 operating system, the company should have a winner on its hands.

Children are the future and they all deserve a great education. However, as the world trends towards being digital and paperless, students are not always fully empowered with the right tools. Sadly, this largely comes down to cost -- while a student can download LibreOffice or use Google Docs for free, they are just no match for the perennial Microsoft Office.

Don't believe me? According to a new study by IDC, "the only software package called out within the top 20 skills across all occupations is Microsoft Office, explicitly required in 15 percent of high-growth, high-salary positions. Microsoft Office is No. 3 on the list of skills most required, and Microsoft PowerPoint and Word are No. 11 and No. 13 most required skills".

While Microsoft continues its onslaught to control your living room, the company has been slowly revealing features and aspects of the Xbox One. Social media and social sharing have become an expected feature for the console -- not an optional one. Today, Microsoft announces a new friends app for its upcoming gaming machine that brings people together socially.

Microsoft gaming-guru Major Nelson says, "designed around you and your friends, Xbox One will have plenty of room for all your favorite people in the brand new Friends system on Xbox One. Your Xbox 360 friends will automatically be added to your Friends list. With Xbox One you can have 1,000 friends, connect with people instantly by following them and have infinite followers yourself. You can also see all of your Xbox One and Xbox 360 friends and their activity in your Activity Feed".

When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, they usually come with compromise. If they have good highs, they often lack bass. If they have good bass, they often sound muddy and muffled. Finding the perfect one is quite laborious -- especially when you want it to be attractive too (which I do). However, I am no audio-snob, I prefer to find value rather than throw money at the problem. After all, in this current economy, disposable income can be scarce.

When I first saw the Logitech UE MINI-BOOM, I was mesmerized by the design -- and the $99 price tag. It appeared subtle and well-made and I just adored the small size. However, sound is the most important thing; even though they are important, beauty and durability are secondary. And so, I obtained two of the speakers for testing. Why did I get two? Read on for that.

As Google's involvement in our lives increases, monitoring any and all changes in the terms of service becomes important. For the most part, I am guilty of not reading long terms and conditions and other small print. I tend to base my trust in a company on experience. Largely, my experience with Google has been very good. However, since the company was named in the PRSIM scandal, I have been a bit less trusting of not only Google but online services overall.

Today, Google updated its terms of service and, by and large, it is innocuous. However, one aspect of it has given me a reason to pause, and I warn you to do the same. You see, Google plans to use your online activity to target advertisements at your Google+ circles. For example, lets say you use Google+ to like a product online with a +1. Google can then share your endorsement with your friends, family and co-workers. The search-giant calls this "shared endorsements".

When Windows 8 advertisements first started airing on TV, Fresh Paint was often shown as a way to highlight the touch capabilities. Not only is the app a good demo, it is also fun and functional. From amateurs to professionals, anyone can easily use the app to create art and use their imaginations. However, Microsoft is not resting on its laurels and announces a new version is coming this month.

"Today I'm excited to announce that the new Fresh Paint will launch in tandem with Windows 8.1 on October 18 and that we'll also have new features coming to the Windows Phone version on October 14. Best of all, Fresh Paint will continue to be free, and everyone who updates to Windows 8.1 will get the improved experience", says Brandon LeBlanc of Microsoft.