Motorola’s Droid Is Smart Success for Verizon Users
The new Motorola Droid phone is best super-smart phone Verizon offers, writes Walt Mossberg.
Personal Technology
Sort by: Newest First | Oldest First 1-15 of 46 Results
A Windows to Help You Forget
Walter S. Mossberg calls Windows 7 a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use — Microsoft’s best operating system yet.
Gadgets Show How Much Power Your House Eats
By Geoffrey A. Fowler
An array of gadgets is vying to help homeowners cut energy spending. The devices provide real-time information about how much electricity is used across a home in terms that are easy to comprehend: cost per hour.
The Latest Kindle: Bigger, Not Better, Than Its Sibling
While the larger Kindle DX performs its promised tasks adequately, its size and weight make it awkward and tiring to hold for long periods of reading.
Little Laptops With Linux Have Compatibility Issues
The companies behind Linux netbooks have made great strides in improving user interfaces, but until they can achieve similar breakthroughs in how the machines work with other devices, Windows netbooks are still a better deal.
Verizon Now Sells Subsidized Netbook With Cell Service
Verizon’s H-P Mini netbook is an adequate light-duty computer for a low price, but the charge for Internet service is high if used as a main online connection.
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.
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.
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.
Apple’s iPod Touch Can Act as Remote For Music System
With an iPhone or iPod Touch, Apple’s new program Remote can convert an MP3 player into a sophisticated remote control for digital-music collections.
Newer, Faster, Cheaper iPhone 3G
Smart-phone shoppers who have been waiting for a cheaper iPhone that runs on faster cell networks might want to take the plunge on the iconic device’s latest iteration, but service costs have risen and battery life has dropped.
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.
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.
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.
Apple Daydreaming: Report Predicts Move Toward Home Devices
Forrester Research imagines the Apple products of 2013 in a new report. Their conclusion: While much of Apple’s great successes have been mobile products, the company will seek to colonize rooms throughout the home.
Guest columnist Nick Wingfield is filling in this week for Walt Mossberg, who returns June 5.
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.
