Brian Fagioli

You know what, folks? Sometimes, the best updates are the ones that don’t try too hard. That’s exactly the case with MX Linux 23.6. There’s no nonsense to be found here -- just a strong Linux distribution that continues to get better.

While Microsoft continues to push AI distractions and questionable design changes in Windows 11, MX Linux sticks to what matters: speed, stability, and letting the user stay in control. In fact, MX Linux 23.6 could truly be the Linux distribution of your dreams!

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Sony has once again bumped up the price of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition across several markets (Europe, Australia and New Zealand), citing economic challenges like inflation and unstable exchange rates. Starting April 14, gamers in some regions will have to pay more to get their hands on the digital-only version of the console. The price of the standard model with the disc drive is also going up in some countries, though not all. Curiously, despite Donald Trump’s confusing tariffs, one major country isn’t affected at all -- the United States.

In certain regions, the PS5 Digital Edition now costs €499.99 or £429.99, depending on where you live. Other places are seeing even steeper prices, hitting figures like AUD $749.95 or NZD $859.95. The standard version with a disc drive is also being adjusted in those same areas, sometimes hitting nearly NZD $950. The PS5 Pro, on the other hand, remains untouched. For now, at least.

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Are you tired of the constant updates, ads, and restrictions in Windows 11? Well, folks, you’re certainly not alone. Thankfully, SparkyLinux 7.7 “Orion Belt” just dropped, and this open source operating system might be the escape hatch you’ve been looking for. Built on Debian 12 “Bookworm,” this is exactly the kind of no-nonsense Linux distro that gives users freedom, speed, and stability without all the Microsoft bloat.

Unlike Windows 11, SparkyLinux doesn’t shove AI assistants in your face or lock you into a Microsoft account. Instead, it quietly gets the job done. Quite frankly, that’s what makes it a solid choice for folks who just want their computers to work.

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Google’s Pixel 9a is officially available starting today, and if you’ve been waiting for a solid Android phone that won’t break the bank, now’s your chance. But with President Trump’s tariff policies bouncing between on and off like a light switch, you might want to buy sooner rather than later.

Priced at $499, the Pixel 9a brings a new design and meaningful upgrades to Google’s A-series. It features the brightest display ever in a Pixel A phone and comes in four colors: Iris, Peony, Porcelain, and Obsidian. Photography gets a boost too, thanks to a 48MP main camera paired with a 13MP ultrawide lens. You can read more about it here.

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PNY is targeting consumers who need serious reliability from their storage media. You see, the company just rolled out its new PRO Elite High Endurance microSD cards, and these things are designed for folks using dash cams, security cameras, body cams, and more.

Unlike regular microSD cards that can wear out over relatively quickly, these are designed for the long haul. The top-tier 512GB model is rated for up to 137,600 hours of Full HD recording. That’s more than 15 years of writing and rewriting video -- assuming you’re pushing it to the limit. Even the smaller capacities can handle thousands of hours of use.

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In a move that is sure to make longtime PC users do a double take, the Library of Congress has added two very unexpected sounds to its National Recording Registry. No, it’s not another classic rock album or jazz staple. Believe it or not, it’s actually the “Reboot Chime” from Windows 95 (that played when the operating system started) and the soundtrack from Minecraft! I kid you not, folks. Both of these are linked to Microsoft, a company more known for software than symphonies.

If you ever booted up a Windows 95 machine, chances are you’ve heard that memorable chime. That short, ambient tone was composed by a man named Brian Eno. Microsoft asked him to create something brief, and he delivered a now-legendary 3.25-second sound that played every time the operating system came to life. And now, it’s being preserved forever as part of the nation’s sonic history -- how wild is that?

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Umm… something very strange is happening in the world of Linux Mint, folks.

You see, the developers are adding OEM support to Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 (LMDE 7) -- a version of the operating system that’s allegedly nothing more than an emergency fallback. Based on the upcoming Debian Stable release, LMDE 7 will soon be able to be pre-installed on machines sold or donated around the world. That might not sound like a big deal on the surface, but let’s cut through the bull crap -- this could be a sign of something much bigger.

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Framework just pulled a couple laptops from its US store, and sadly, it’s for political reasons. You see, thanks to new tariffs launched by President Donald Trump, shoppers in the United States can no longer buy two base models of the company’s Laptop 13. The two impacted models are powered by Intel’s Ultra 5 125H and AMD’s Ryzen 5 7640U.

No, folks, this is not due to a supply chain issue or a production delay. Make no mistake -- according to a tweet, it’s simply economics fueled by government policy. In other words, Donald Trump’s tariffs are breaking the laptop market.

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Google may be the current king of search, but thanks to competition from artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT and Grok, its continued dominance is becoming less guaranteed. In other words, Google can no longer rest on its laurels with search -- it must either evolve or dissolve.

In an effort to keep up with the times, Google is delivering its AI Mode feature to more users in the U.S. today. This essentially adds new capabilities that combine visual search with the Gemini AI model. Originally limited to Google One AI Premium subscribers, the feature is now available to millions through the Labs program, accessible in the Google app for both Android and iPhone.

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Blackmagic Design has launched the public beta for DaVinci Resolve 20, and folks… it’s a big one. This massive update to the video editing software adds more than 100 new features, and it’s available right now for folks using Windows, macOS, and Linux. And yes, there is even a Windows ARM version too!

This time around, the company is leaning into artificial intelligence pretty hard. After all, AI is all the rage these days -- it must be crammed in. All joking aside, the AI functionality actually seems useful. In other words, it shockingly doesn’t seem to be a gimmick.

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Google is once again leaning into its Gemini brand, this time with a focus on cybersecurity. You see, the search giant has announced Sec-Gemini v1, an experimental new AI model. It is designed to help security professionals fight back against cyber threats using real-time data and advanced reasoning. Because AI makes everything better, right?

Look, folks, attackers only need to get lucky once, while defenders have to be right every time. That unfortunate imbalance has made cybersecurity a nightmare for many organizations. Google is hoping AI might change that, giving defenders a slight edge.

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Oh, thank heaven. Mozilla is finally doing something about the horribly messy (and sometimes confusing) data consent experience in Firefox extensions. If you’ve ever installed a Firefox add-on and been hit with some clunky, homemade data collection prompt, you’re not alone. Now, Mozilla is stepping in to cure the insanity. You see, the organization will be adding a standardized data consent system into the installation process.

This new system, expected to arrive later this year, will thankfully eliminate the need for developers to write their own data consent screens. Instead, extension creators will just declare what data the add-on collects in the manifest file. And just like that, Firefox will handle the rest.

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Lexar has officially launched its PLAY PRO microSD Express card. This launch seems quite perfectly timed with today’s announcement of both the Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing and availability.

The PLAY PRO microSD Express card utilizes the SD 7.1 specification, which integrates both PCIe 3.0 and NVMe 1.3. The card can achieve read speeds up to 900MB/s and write speeds up to 600MB/s. These impressive speeds are particularly beneficial for gaming applications, as they can potentially reduce load times.

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Three months after officially announcing the long-rumored Switch 2, Nintendo has revealed when you'll be able to buy the follow-up to its hugely popular hybrid game system -- and the good news is you won't have long to wait.

Nintendo Switch 2 will hit store shelves in the United States on June 5, priced at $449.99, and it’s coming with a bunch of changes that might surprise longtime fans.

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Today (April 2, 2025) has been declared “Liberation Day” by President Donald Trump. This makeshift holiday will apparently mark a rebirth for the USA by celebrating new tariffs. Whether you think this a brilliant move or simply political foolishness, you must admit there’s something to be said about the idea of breaking free from bloated systems. And no, I’m not just talking about foreign trade deals -- I’m talking about your operating system too!

If you’re still using Windows 11 in 2025, you must ask yourself, why the heck is that? Why punish yourself by dealing with unpredictable updates, AI features nobody asked for, and Microsoft collecting your data? I am happy to say there’s a much better way -- you should celebrate Liberation Day by declaring your independence from Windows with Linux.

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