Rob Pegoraro

Many phones tout themselves as "smart" these days, but not all these gadgets exhibit the same IQ. Let's set a few standards to weed out the unworthy: A smartphone should display a normal Web page, easily synchronize your contacts and calendars, make it simple to add or remove a wide range of add-on programs, serve as a... media player, not require a stylus, and include a usable miniaturized keyboard.

Something wonderful has happened in the world of high-definition video over the past few years: Flat-panel HDTVs have become everyday, relatively risk-free purchases. If only the same thing could happen for another category of high-def devices -- Blu-ray players.

There's been a fair amount of chatter among journalism types this week about the possibility of News Corp. -- whose chief executive Rupert Murdoch seems to have a visceral hatred of Google's ability to make money off Web-search advertising -- blocking Google from indexing its properties and inste...

There's been a fair amount of chatter among journalism types this week about the possibility of News Corp. -- whose chief executive Rupert Murdoch seems to have a visceral hatred of Google's ability to make money off Web-search advertising -- blocking Google from indexing its properties and instead letting Microsoft pay it for the privilege....

I never got around to doing this when the concept was somewhat cool and not completely over-exposed. But as a card-carrying member of the traditional media, I'm allowed to latch onto trends months after the rest of the universe. Herewith: 1. I have no academic credentials for my job...

If you spend enough time in front of a computer at home or the office, you can expect to hear one or more relatives make this request over the Thanksgiving weekend: "Hey, do you mind taking a look at my computer to make sure it's working alright?" So for the past few years, I've been trying to ea...

If you spend enough time in front of a computer at home or the office, you can expect to hear one or more relatives make this request over the Thanksgiving weekend: "Hey, do you mind taking a look at my computer to make sure it's working alright?" So for the past few years, I've been trying to ease that task by suggest...ing tools to fix current problems and prevent future ones....

Q: I am thinking of replacing my four-year-old Garmin GPS unit with a newer Garmin that includes free lifetime traffic data and MSN Direct. Would that ease my holiday drives?

If you've been wondering why some people have started walked around while holding a smartphone a foot in front of their face, today's column may explain the phenomenon. My story covers something called "augmented reality." That might sound like something you experience after knocking back a few b...

If you've been wondering why some people have started walked around while holding a smartphone a foot in front of their face, today's column may explain the phenomenon. My story covers something called "augmented reality." That might sound like something you experience after knocking back a few beers, but in the realm ...of smartphone software it can be a lot more useful....

The cameras on some new phones don't show the world as you've known it.

Earlier today, Google gave a detailed presentation about Chrome OS, the open-source, Web-centric operating system -- built around its Chrome browser -- that it announced in July to general excitement among tech types. During an event at their Mountain View, Calif., campus, Google developers and e...

Earlier today, Google gave a detailed presentation about Chrome OS, the open-source, Web-centric operating system -- built around its Chrome browser -- that it announced in July to general excitement among tech types. During an event at their Mountain View, Calif., campus, Google developers and executives outlined the ...basic structure of this operating system, intended for use on small, lightweight netbooks: * It will, in fact, feature only one conventional program,...

All of my recent reviews of phones running Google's Android software have had to include one yes-but line, words to the effect of: Yes, this is a smart little device, but you can't sync it to an iTunes music library. That's as much Apple's fault as it is Google's or individual phone manufacturers...

All of my recent reviews of phones running Google's Android software have had to include one yes-but line, words to the effect of: Yes, this is a smart little device, but you can't sync it to an iTunes music library. That's as much Apple's fault as it is Google's or individual phone manufacturers'....