If you found the Tablet PC a bit hard to swallow, a swivel-screen netbook could be the answer. Tablet PCs seem like a great idea but, with the exception of a few niche markets, they never really took off. The first Windows-based Tablet PCs were very underwhelming - bulky, expensive and underpowered compared to the equivalent notebook of the day. They certainly failed to deliver the futuristic user experience that I think many people were hoping for. Read more…

The Apple tablet, if it arrives, is an extension of a design that already has mass appeal--and does not require a leap of faith to believe it will succeed. The Apple iPhone and iPod are arguably small tablets--and consumers have demonstrated unmistakably that they love these devices. So, a larger, more versatile version of the iPod makes perfect sense. And some not-so-small companies like Qualcomm and Intel are pushing tablet-like devices for their next-generation silicon. So this isn't just Apple (if the Apple tablet rumors are indeed true). Read more…

For over 20 years, Microsoft and Intel have partnered to grow the PC industry. Now, Intel is launching a netbook that will use the Linux operating system and not Microsoft. Could it be the economy and the need for more revenue? Or could it be such a huge revenue opportunity for Intel that they can not let the high price of an operating system slow them down? Read more…

Is the world finally ready for the mobile minitablet? It's become quite clear over the last several months that Apple is ready to bridge the mobile computing gap, with plans to develop a device that fits somewhere in between the iPhone and the MacBook. Read more…

The growth of the thin, Internet-centric computers known as netbooks has been a mixed blessing for computer and chip makers, as the low-cost devices are challenging already dismal profit margins. But some companies are enjoying the emergence of this new category of computers. Read more…

Resourceful companies help others become more efficient. Read more…

It sounds crazy to use processors designed for tiny netbooks in datacenters, with their potentially massive computing requirements, but Microsoft is experimenting with doing just that – and finding it many lead to cost savings. Read more…

PCs may disappear from your desk by 2033. But with digital technology showing up everywhere else--including inside your body--computing will only get more personal. Read more…

With breakthroughs such as faster multicore processors on the way, raw PC muscle is about to return with a vengeance. And it will come in more shapes and sizes than ever. Read more…

The ultimate in machine translation is the gadget that translates what you say and speaks it in a foreign language. I am certain that the smart money has long since bailed out of these projects. Read more…

When I think about the perfect notebook I often think back to the Science Fiction series Earth: Final Conflict. This series, created by Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, did not envision people carrying notebook computers. People carried a device called a Global Communicator, which was a blend of a global phone, a tablet computer, a GPS, a video camera and a thin client device. Perhaps Rodenberry had the right idea and the Global Communicator is exactly what we will get within a few years. Read more…

With PCs disappearing from desks but technology showing up everywhere else, computing will only get more personal in the coming decades. Read more…