I admit it. As Samsung premium phones go, I prefer the S-series. I look forward to the annual reveal each winter, where the electronics giant takes the wraps off the new flagship phone, packed with all the latest features into an impossibly compact frame.

I also appreciate the Note-series reveal each summer. But after six months with the latest S-series model, I can’t help but notice that, to accommodate the integrated S Pen, the new Note is invariably a little thicker and heavier.

But not this year. Due to a perfect storm of timing and tech, the Note20 Ultra is actually thinner and sleeker than the S20 Ultra that preceded it.

Find out why – and why it’s not likely to happen again. Read my column in the Tech section of USA Today HERE.

Fitbit helped kickstart the fitness tracker market. And it’s done well in mainstream smartwatches since introducing the Versa family two-and-a-half years ago.

But premium smartwatches? That’s been rare air for Fitbit. Until, possibly, now. This week, the company unveiled the Sense, a new smartwatch that, at least on paper, seems ready to go toe-to-toe with premium market heavyweights Apple and Samsung.

Find out more. Read my column in the Tech section of USA Today HERE.

Call it The Three Stages of COVID.

Many face-to-face businesses have struggled to stay open and still meet safety guidelines. At first, they responded with short-term fixes, like lines of painters’ tape to keep shoppers at safe distances. But over time, owners and managers are coming to grips with the fact that COVID-19 will be impacting business for a long time. And they’re responding in kind, with longer-term investments in technology.

Find out what technologies different brick-and-mortar businesses are implementing. Read my latest column in the Tech section of USA Today HERE.

Samsung held Unpacked, the electronics giant’s semi-annual flagship product reveal, as a virtual event this week for the first time ever. But the products are very real: the latest Note phablet, the Tab S7, an intriguing earbud design and a premium smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch3.

The Watch3 is the first big-name smartwatch to kick off the fall selling season. How does it stack up? What should we expect from Fitbit and Apple? Should you upgrade?

Find out. Read my latest column in the Tech section of USA Today.