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Personal Technology

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Friends and Family Have a New Way to Just Drop In

By Nick Wingfield

Digital-picture frames have started to take off as a way for people to show off their stashes of digital photos in rotating slide shows. A growing number of frames even connect to wireless home networks so they can easily be refreshed with photos stored online and on PCs.

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BlackBerry’s Storm Presses Into the Touch-Phone Fray

Walt reviews the hotly anticipated BlackBerry Storm, the first BlackBerry model without a physical keyboard. Typing and navigation require tapping on glass, just as users do on the iPhone. Verizon will be selling the Storm for $250 with a two-year contract, though a $50 mail-in rebate can bring the price down close to the $199 that Apple charges for the base model of the iPhone.

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Wi-Fi on Wheels Is Steady, but Has a Speed Bump

Wi-Fi wireless Internet connectivity has become nearly ubiquitous. Whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or even on some commercial airliners, you can get online with a Wi-Fi-equipped laptop, smart phone or portable game machine. Now, Wi-Fi is making its way into your car.

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Google Answers the iPhone

In the exciting new category of modern hand-held computers — devices that fit in your pocket but are used more like a laptop than a traditional phone — there has so far been only one serious option. But that will all change on Oct. 22, when T-Mobile and Google bring out the G1, the first hand-held computer that’s in the same class as Apple’s iPhone.

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Symantec Rewrites Its Security Suite To Curb Nuisances

Symantec’s Norton Internet Security 2009 isn’t perfect, but is fast, simple and unobtrusive.

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First Test of Google’s New Browser

Google’s new Chrome Web browser will make using the Internet faster and less frustrating, but this first version is rough around the edges and lacks some features, says Walt Mossberg in the first hands-on review.

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Xobni Can Make Good Old Email Even More Useful

Xobni is a new, free plug-in module for Outlook that has some flaws, but Walt Mossberg finds that it turns the email experience from one that was organized by messages and dates into one that is organized by people and relationships.

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Apple’s MobileMe Is Far Too Flawed To Be Reliable

After a week of intense testing of Apple’s new synchronization service MobileMe, Walt Mossberg says he currently can’t recommend it. It’s a great idea, but, as of now, it has too many systemic flaws to keep its promises.

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Internet-a-Gogo: Airlines to Offer In-Flight Access

This summer, Wi-Fi access will arrive in the passenger cabins of some commercial U.S. airliners with a new system called Gogo. For travelers who want to stay connected in the air, Gogo does the job, but it has its limitations.

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Samsung’s Instinct Doesn’t Ring True as an iPhone Clone

The parade of iPhone lookalikes continues, and the latest to arrive is the Samsung Instinct. While it isn’t a bad phone and has some features the Apple product lacks, it’s no match for the iPhone.

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No BlackBerry? Your Cellphone May Do the Trick

Here is a guide to checking your email, looking up information and updating your calendar, just by sending text messages. You can use any cellphone, but you’ll need a generous text-messaging plan.

Guest columnist Vauhini Vara is filling in this week for Walt Mossberg, who returns June 5.

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How to Avoid Cons That Can Lead to Identity Theft

The most insidious Internet security problems today rely on human gullibility, not tricky software. These types of attacks are called “social engineering” and can be used to steal your money and identity. Here are tips to help you avoid becoming a victim.

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Adobe Web Photo Site Is Great for Editing, but Lacks Some Basics

Adobe’s Photoshop Express offers the nicest set of Web-based photo editing tools I have seen. They are sophisticated for a consumer application, yet easy to use. However, it’s rough around the edges.

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Consider Your Needs, Then Use This Guide to Buying a Laptop

With laptops outselling desktop PCs, Walt Mossberg offers a quick guide to the key factors you should consider when buying notebook computers.

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KidZui’s Parent Plan Lets Children Explore in Safe Corner of Web

A new service called KidZui aims to offer kids a safe subset of the Internet where they can roam freely without triggering parental worry.

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