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.
Personal Technology
Sort by: Newest First | Oldest First 16-30 of 39 Results
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.
Two Laptops Travel Light, but Flaws Weigh Them Down
Walt Mossberg tries out two laptops that weigh 3 pounds or less. They are worth considering for frequent travelers, but each has its own flaws.
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.
The TouchSmart Has Improved–But Not Enough
Hewlett-Packard is rolling out a new TouchSmart, a desktop computer with touch-controlled software. The hardware and software are better. It’s attractive, more versatile and fun to use. But the latest effort still has some problems.
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.
Apple Polishes Popular MacBook for a Higher Price
Apple’s MacBook laptop, the company’s low-end portable computer aimed at average consumers, isn’t just any old product. It’s the best-selling Macintosh in history, at a time when Mac sales are growing much faster than sales of PCs in the U.S. overall. And, according to the sales-research organization NPD Group, the midrange model of the MacBook has been the single best-selling laptop of any brand in U.S. retail stores for the past five months.
Shopping for Basics and Saving Money on Your Next PC
In his annual fall PC buyer’s guide, Walt focuses on computers and laptops for consumers whose budgets have been shrunk due to the global economic slowdown.
Netbooks Come Into Their Own
Walt reviews the latest entrants in the “netbook” category–devices that are between a laptop and a smart phone in size and versatility–and finds some compelling choices.
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.
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.
Clickfree Backs Up Your Files Easily, So You’re Not Toast
If you got a new computer over the holidays, you’re probably focused right now on enjoying all its cool features, or savoring how much faster it is than the old warhorse it replaced. The last thing you want to dwell upon is the chore of backing up your data. Still, backing up your files is important.
Network Hard Disk by Western Digital Offers Easy Backup
Western Digital’s My Book World Edition is a new networkable hard disk that is simple and effective for anyone with a modern operating system.
Computer Buyers Have to Consider System Upgrades
This year, with Microsoft and Apple set to upgrade operating systems, Walt Mossberg’s spring computer buyer’s guide focuses on buying a machine for the new OS you may soon want.
Dell Aims for Style With New Laptop and Family Model
Dell’s new Adamo laptop and Studio One 19 desktop are attractive and functional, but neither is ground-breaking, says Walt Mossberg.
16-30 of 39 Results
Latest Personal Technology Videos
api-video/find_all_videos.asp&fields=all&site=atd&count=40&doctype=128&type=allthingsd-subsection&query=Personal+Technology
View All Jobs | Post a Job Job Listings
A sponsored service from SimplyHired
Personal Technology Articles by Date
Personal Technology Articles by Category
Click below to browse or search past editions of Walt and Katie's columns.
Personal Technology »
Walt's main column, written since 1991, in which he reviews hardware, software and web sites, and comments on technology issues.
Mossberg’s Mailbox »
Walt's weekly column in which he answers readers' questions.
The Mossberg Solution »
Edited by Walt and written by Katie Boehret, this is a guide to gadgets, web services and other consumer technologies.
Ethics Statement
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
