When the Google+ Photo app was released as a Pixel exclusive in June, many Chromebook loyalists (including myself) were dismayed. Since the Pixel was so expensive, it felt as if non-Pixel users were being punished for buying inexpensive devices. Surely my $249 Samsung Chromebook can handle a photo app!

Today, Google announces that the app is available for all Chromebooks -- including us in the cheap seats.

Today, the MHL Consortium (Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony and Toshiba) announces that the MHL 3.0 specification has been finalized. According to the consortium, "MHL technology is optimized for mobile and it allows you to send uncompressed high definition video and up to 8 channels of surround sound from your MHL smartphone or tablet to any digital TV or display, all while charging your device."

"With double the bandwidth compared to the previous specification, MHL 3.0 delivers 4K (Ultra HD) resolution and a wider color gamut to create a more brilliant visual experience, solidifying MHL’s growing presence in the living room. By using a bi-directional channel that’s significantly faster than MHL 2, the new specification enables concurrent 4K video and high-speed peripheral support of mass storage and input devices such as a touch screen, keyboard and mouse", says the group.

My relationship with Windows 8 is very tumultuous; sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. However, this is due to the inherent problem with Windows 8 -- depending on what you are doing with it or what hardware you are using it on, the experience is different. I have used Windows 8 devices that are wonderful and others that are horrible. I often ponder, what if there was a device that could change based on what I was doing? I am happy to say, such a device exists and its called the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S.

The name "Yoga" is very appropriate as the convertible laptop offers multiple positions. No, I am not talking about the downward-facing dog -- this device can be a laptop, tablet and desktop. Lenovo calls these modes "Laptop", "Tablet", "Tent" and "Stand". However, "Tent" and "Stand", in my opinion, have duplicate functionality -- I refer to both of these as "Desktop Mode".

The American consumer is very indecisive when it comes to cell phone size. From the iconic "Zack Morris Phone" to Samsung's diminutive "Juke", the trend in size runs the gamut.

This continues with the smartphone craze as two new Android devices are announced for the USA -- the HTC One Mini and the Samsung Galaxy Mega. Both devices aim to fill a need and are defined by their size.

I am typically not a fan of hardware convergence. My first computer, a Packard Bell, had a combination sound card and modem -- I kid you not. When I decided to upgrade the modem, I lost sound. What I learned that day so many years ago, is that it is better to have individual components.

When the opportunity to test the new Logitech All-In-One TK820 arose, I was excited. Logitech is known for quality hardware; but a combination keyboard and trackpad? I was dubious to say the least.

A few weeks ago, I discovered a product on Kickstarter called the NFC Ring. It is an interesting concept -- you unlock your NFC-enabled smartphone by tapping it with a ring worn on your finger. Today, Motorola announces a very similar accessory for the Moto X which is called Skip. However, this product is not a piece of jewelry.

According to Motorola, "Skip is a thin, thumb-sized clip that pairs with your Moto X and unlocks it with a simple tap. Wear Skip on your shirt sleeve, shirt hem, belt loop -- wherever it feels most comfortable. It's fast, easy and secure. It provides all the benefits of a PIN without the hassle".

Google forced a Microsoft fumble yesterday by blocking the new YouTube app for Windows Phone 8. While this was a major blow to users of Microsoft's mobile operating system, they may have scored a touchdown with the new and improved NFL Mobile app.

For readers living outside of the USA, NFL stands for "National Football League". This is American Football not the football as it is known around the rest of the world. In other words, helmets, tights and an oval ball; not short-shorts, high-socks and a round ball!

When I first got my Nokia Lumia 928, the YouTube app was already unavailable at the request of Google, so I never got a chance to try it. However, the Windows Phone community was quick to tell me how great it was. Sadly, it was replaced with a different "app" that only served as a shortcut to the mobile YouTube site.

Yesterday, the full version of the app returned to the Windows Phone Store so I excitedly downloaded it. However, the app never worked for me. Coincidentally, this was during the Outlook.com outage so I assumed it might be related. Today, I learn that they were not related -- Google has actually disabled the video sharing app!

It was only six months ago that Steam officially launched for Linux as a direct result of Valve's dissatisfaction with Windows 8. Company co-founder Gabe Newell famously called the controversial operating system "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space". As a result of Steam, Linux is finally getting taken seriously by game developers.

For the first time, the popular football management simulation franchise Football Manger is coming to Linux by way of Steam. My fellow Americans, this has nothing to do with the NFL, but instead true football, which we stateside call soccer.

There are many things that make an email provider good -- features, spam blocking and of course, reliability. The latter is currently an issue, as the Outlook.com service is down.

As of 12:50pm EST, the web-based email service displays the following message: "We're having a problem accessing email. You might not be able to see all your email messages". It further states that, "We're working on the problem and will provide an update by August 14 2:00 PM. Thank you for your patience". This seems to be very widespread based on chatter around the Internet.

I'm a proud New Yorker -- I love my state. However, it has been a bit embarrassing lately with the scandalous Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer dominating the local and national news. Today, Governor Cuomo and Microsoft announce some much needed positive news -- New York State has selected Office 365 for its 120,000 employees. This is good news, as it will reportedly save New Yorkers $3 million per year!

"Our agreement with Microsoft [...] will make collaboration among state agencies easier and increase productivity, in addition to saving approximately $3 million annually for taxpayers. This agreement shows the progress we are making in our efforts to make state government more resourceful while delivering results for New Yorkers", says Governor Cuomo.

Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions. According to DistroWatch, it is the number two most popular, second only to Linux Mint (which is based on Ubuntu). So when Ubuntu makes a change to its default software, the Linux community takes notice.

There has been much speculation that Firefox would be replaced by Chromium as the default web browser on the next version of the operating system. However, Firefox fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Canonical announces the browser will remain as the default in the 13.10 version of the operating system.

I'm a big fan of Hip-Hop music -- underground rap in particular. For me, SoundCloud is a great way to discover new  artists (all music genres are represented though). However, it is also a great way to connect with musicians that I am already a fan of. Unfortunately, as great as the service is, sharing music from SoundCloud was never a great experience -- this is a shame, as music is meant to be communal. Today things are changing. SoundCloud announces that it has enabled Google+ music sharing.

"We're always excited to develop new ways to make it easy for you to share and hear sounds everywhere. So we're happy to announce today that we're working together with Google to make it easier than ever to reach your audience by sharing sounds to Google+", says SoundCloud.

Lately, it seems like Bitcoin is under attack. Only two weeks ago, Thailand outright banned the currency. Before that, it was discovered that Bitcoin-stealing malware was spreading through Skype. Sadly, today comes the announcement that Android has a vulnerability which can expose your precious Bitcoins to thieves.

According to Bitcoin.org, "a component of Android responsible for generating secure random numbers contains critical weaknesses, that render all Android wallets generated to date vulnerable to theft. Because the problem lies with Android itself, this problem will affect you if you have a wallet generated by any Android app".

I’ve never owned a Mac before, but I’ve secretly wanted one since the release of OS X. The first time I tried the operating system was at CompUSA where I was a salesman. I regularly sold iMacs, iBooks, PowerBooks, Mac Minis and eMacs. The people that came to the Apple section of the store always seemed very odd -- they dressed weird and were loyal to Macintosh as if it were a religion. However, as odd as the people were, they were also very computer literate -- the same could not be said for the average eMachines or Compaq buyer.

Sadly, like many people, Apple hardware has always been too expensive for me -- I live meagerly. And so, I had to settle for Windows. There was nothing bad about Windows per se, but it lacked the cool-factor that the Apple computers had. Plus, I like to build computers and upgrade them. Something like a Mac Mini was affordable but not upgradeable -- a major turnoff.