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.
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.
Two of the most important wireless earpiece makers are bringing out new models that attempt to make their products more attractive and functional. Both work well, despite some drawbacks.
A free cellphone service called ChaCha lets you ask any question answerable via a Web search, by simply making a voice call. In most cases, it gave fast, accurate answers. But it has a few weaknesses.
Internet phone network Skype is set to release a major software update and is introducing a new breed of compatible telephone handsets. This combination of hardware and software could propel the service into the mainstream.
Edited by Walt and written by Katie Boehret, this is a guide to gadgets, web services and other consumer technologies.
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