Is Windows 7 cursed?

Almost everyone likes Windows 7. It's faster, cleaner and easier to use. But is paranormal activity wrecking the rollout?

Why iPhone and Kindle will continue to rule

The Apple iPhone rules the smart phone landscape, and the Amazon Kindle dominates eBooks. But the future of their leadership was called into question this week. Today's leaders will become tomorrow's losers, according to forecasters. Here's why they're wrong.

Is Microsoft Already Failing with Windows 7?

Windows 7 got off to a great start with positive word-of-mouth from beta testers. Windows 7 features a "painless install," said one. "Totally compatible," gushed another. "Almost as good as XP," exclaimed a third. But will Microsoft screw up the Windows 7 launch like it did Windows Vista? So far, it's not looking good.

Information Workers Want to Be Free

IT policies lock down company PCs, and dictate which browsers can be used, and whether or not IM is allowed. Corporate or management policies often ban sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other time wasters. But what if employees were allowed to do whatever they wanted using whatever software they wanted? Would productivity go up or down? Here's the surprising answer.

Why iGoogle's 'Social Gadgets' Should Kill Facebook

Google unveiled today new "Social Gadgets" for its iGoogle site. The gadgets transform iGoogle from a who-cares launch page into a culture-shifting social network, like Facebook or MySpace -- potentially. I'm not going to predict that iGoogle is a "Facebook killer." But I am going to argue that it should be.

Is the Netbook Dead? Ha! It Never Existed!

2008 was the "Year of the Netbook." It's only 2009, and already pundits are pronouncing the nebook dead.

Last year, netbooks were the hottest topic in tech. Today, new netbook introductions are met with a resounding yawn. Nobody cares about netbooks anymore. But is the netbook really "dead"?

The truth is that the netbook never really existed. I'm sorry, but it's true. There's no such thing as a netbook. But there will be. Next year. They're called smartbooks. You've gotta read this.

Is digital nomad living going mainstream?

Sell the house and the car. Put up all your possessions on eBay. Pack your bags and buy a one-way ticket to some exotic location. The plan? "Telecommute" from wherever you happen to be. Earn an American salary, but pay Third-World prices for food and shelter.

The digital nomad, location-independent lifestyle once seemed so impossible, exotic and unlikely that only a few people dared even attempt it. But now, a lot more people are doing it, and it seems like everyone else would like to. Could it be? Is the digital nomad lifestyle about to go "mainstream"?

Why Is Everyone Picking On Google?

The month of July has been horrible for Google. The Silicon Valley giant has suddenly become the Rodney Dangerfield of technology, and simply can't get any respect.

Bill Gates says "Google's honeymoon is coming to an end." Forbes.com columnist Lee Gomes warns that "Google won't last forever." And San Jose Mercury News columnist Chris O'Brien suggests that Google is suffering from an "identify crisis."

What's behind the sudden hate-tsunami hitting the world's biggest search engine company and washing away its aura of invincibility? Why is everyone picking on Google?

Haptics: The feel-good technology of the year

A transformational new generation of haptics technology is about to emerge from at least two Silicon Valley companies: Immersion and Apple. This new "high-fidelity haptics" will enable you to "feel" onscreen objects, and will transform touch PCs and PC video gaming. The revolution is coming. Can you feel it?

The iPhone Is a Disease

After months of struggling to understand the iPhone phenomenon, I have finally come to understand what makes the device so completely different from any other gadget. No, it's not a phone, a "mini PC" or even a portable media and entertainment system. The iPhone is a disease.

Does mobile tech breed narcissism?

Technology is dangerous -- at least according to a gazillion alarmist headlines published over the past 20 years. Yesterday's fears about carpal tunnel syndrome and cancer-causing cell phones give way to today's concerns over Internet addiction, texting that causes car accidents and laptop-induced infertility. While everyone's on the lookout for risks, such as a Wii controller to the face, or walking into an open sewer while texting, something subtler and more pervasive may be happening. Mobile technology may be transforming us all into raving narcissists.

Apple's October Tablet Changes *Everything*

A rumor is circulating that Apple will ship in October an $800 tablet computer with a 9.7-inch touch screen. Is the rumor true and, if so, will the tablet succeed in a market where no other tablet has? My answers to these questions are probably and definitely. Here's why.

How to become an iPhone Vulcan

Star Trek's Mr. Spock is one of the most compelling characters in all of science fiction. The attributes that made him indispensible to the captain and crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise (not to mention to the lucrative Star Trek franchise) -- his stoic attitude, mastery of logic, accelerated education and physical fitness -- also happen to be key ingredients of success right here on Earth. Like Mr. Spock himself, you can become a self-made Vulcan by acquiring the same set of attributes through training and hard work -- with a little help from your iPhone. Here are the Vulcan skills you can acquire to be more successful in your life and career, and the iPhone features, apps and content that can help you acquire them. (pic props to AndyC)

Why Software Piracy Pays

I don't condone software piracy, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But it sure has paid off for China. You and I pay more for some software as a penalty for obeying the law and honoring user agreements. Other countries, such as China, pay less as a reward for breaking the law and making illegal copies of software.

Who Killed Twitter?

As murder-mysteries go, this one is baffling, in part because the corpse is still breathing. The one-word answer is: Oprah. But the full truth is far more interesting. Twitter was the hottest, fastest-growing, most attention-grabbing social service for a while, but suddenly it appears that many of its users don't actually use it and its growth is no longer growing. What happened?

How cell phones will replace learning

"Can you fly that thing?" Neo asks Trinity in the original Matrix movie, referring to a nearby military helicopter. "Not yet," she replies. Then she whips out her cell phone, hits speed-dial and says, "Tank, I need a pilot program for a B-212 helicopter. Hurry!" Tank pushes a few buttons and starts downloading skill and knowledge into Trinity's brain. Seconds later, Trinity is flying like a pro. The idea of using a cell phone for prosthetic knowledge is precisely where we're headed. In fact, we're getting there fast.

Microsoft vs. the EU: When Antitrust is Anti-Competitive

EU antitrust regulators are launching new action against Microsoft like it's 1999. They're concerned about the unfair practice of bundling the Internet Explorer browser with Windows. No, I'm not kidding. It's not a misprint. And I'm not mistaking a report from ten years ago. The "victims" -- Google, Apple and Mozilla -- reads like a who's-who of the companies that are positioning themselves to own the future. (Digg it here.)

Bashing Bing, whacking Wave

Why I'm leery of Microsoft's new search engine and Google's new e-mail system.

Why the Palm Pre Will Fail

I'm not here to bash the Pre. Really! I think it's a fantastic phone, and for many users far superior to any other. It's just that no matter how much the power users love it, the Pre is not ready for business, can't top iPhone for consumers and is entering the market at the worst possible time. (Please Digg this story!)

Sleep: Gadgets giveth, gadgets taketh away

PCs and consumer electronics provide us with a gazillion things to do all night. Video games, TV, social networking, chatting with friends, catching up on work. These things are addictive, and they call to us. Getting a good night's sleep has become a challenge. But gadgets can help solve it, too. Electronic sleep helpers have been around for quite a while. But a new generation of products is better than anything that's come before. In honor of the month of May, which is Better Sleep Month (who comes up with these things?), here are some of the newest and most interesting electronic sleep helpers.

The Trouble with Real-Time Search

There are expectations in some circles that Google will soon embrace real-time search by offering results that it normally indexes -- i.e., everything -- but in a Twitter-style, just-posted-5-seconds ago frequency. I'm here to dash those expectations. It's not going to happen. And, to the extent that it does happen, it will be a bad thing. (Please go here to Digg this story!)

Cut your cable!

After canceling my cable TV subscription, I realized that online TV is actually much better!

Does Google's 'Recent Results' Feature Beat Twitter?

Google rolled out this week some of the best new search tools ever. My favorites are the "Wonder Wheel" and the "Timeline." But what about the many comparisons being made between Google's new "Recent results" feature and the search function of Twitter? Are they comparable? Which is better? Here's what I think.

Why you should digitize 'everything'

Two events this week, one personal and another that is making international headlines, made me re-think what can, and should, be digitized: Everything.

Steve Jobs Gets Pwned

Steve Jobs is probably one of the best and most visionary CEOs in the world, and a national treasure. He's also been sick lately, and I wish him a full and speedy recovery, followed by a return to Apple as full-time CEO. But even visionaries have blind spots. Jobs was totally wrong about the market for eBooks. In January of last year, Jobs told a New York Times reporter that the Amazon Kindle eBook reader would fail in the market because "people don't read anymore." Ouch! It turns out that the Kindle is a success, and people do read -- and desperately want to do so on Apple hardware. So what's Apple's next move?

Simplify your life via gadget consolidation

Server consolidation, which is the process of reducing the number of physical servers used at a company without reducing the total number of theoretical servers (through virtualization), can boost efficiency. You can consolidate gadgets for the same reason. Save time, money and headaches by reducing the number of devices you use. Here's how.

Is Windows 7 Really Mojave? (Part II)

Windows Vista bombed, so Microsoft went back to the old drawing board and cobbled together the current future versions of Windows, which is version 7. I warned last year that, because Microsoft thinks Vista's unpopularity was all just a big misunderstanding, and because of the market pressure to get Windows 7 out early, the company might be tempted to just re-release Vista under a new name with minor cosmetic modifications. Will they? The answer is a resounding yes and no.

In defense of twiviality

Critics slam mundane posts on Twitter. But isn't banality the glue that binds people together?

Is Microsoft Better Without Bill Gates?

Is Bill Gates a good visionary founder like Steve Jobs, or a bad one like Jerry Yang? Now that Gates is no longer involved in key executive decisions at Microsoft, I'm increasingly thinking Gates is the latter type. Here's why Microsoft is better off without Bill.

6 things that could ruin Twitter (and 5 that won't)

Twitter is the hottest thing in technology right now. U.S. visits to Twitter.com more than doubled during the month of March alone. All that success is prompting the Debbie Downers out there to speculate about dangers lurking in the shadows. Well, I'm here to join them, because Twitter really is a good thing and it really could be ruined. (I'm also here to disagree with some of the doom-and-gloom scenarios.) Here are the six things that could ruin Twitter -- and the five things that can't.

Inside Google's 'Facebook Killer'

Google has a "Facebook killer" on its hands. And, no, I'm not talking about Google's Orkut social network (unless you live in Brazil, where Orkut has already "killed" Facebook). Google is just one acquisition away from offering a social network that does everything Facebook does, minus all the things everybody hates about Facebook. This social network is called Google Profiles.

How to kill e-mail (before it kills you)

The average executive spends two hours a day on e-mail. That adds up to roughly one day per week. We probably waste a lot of time every day on phone calls and meetings, too. The difference is that the demands on your time don't grow automatically as they do with e-mail. E-mail has become a pandemic social disease. The more you get, the more you send. And the more you send, the more you get. Here's how to kill e-mail once and for all.

Stop Dishonest Tech Lingo! (that means you, Apple and Microsoft)

New technology requires the invention of new words -- which used to be coined by engineers. Some were descriptive ("electronic mail"), others whimsical ("mouse"). Fast forward to today, and technology is big business. The marketing people now coin words the words we use to describe technology, motivated less by descriptiveness or amusement and more by profit. Sure, It's the job of marketers to spin. But I object when spin ends up in the dictionary. Here are 6 marketing-spin words that have already become legitimized by general use.

Why goofing off boosts productivity

Office "slackers" who sneak in a little Facebook and Twitter time do more work than the all-business, all-the-time folks. Researchers at the University of Melbourne confirmed this little truism in a new study. Their research found that, on average, employees who use the Internet during work hours for personal reasons are 9% more productive than those who don't. In my experience as a boss, employee and as a writer who thinks a lot about how technology affects attention and productivity, I think the Aussie researchers are looking at just one tiny piece of the attention-management puzzle.Here are eight additional reasons why I think Internet slacking boosts productivity.

Why Netbooks Will Run Cell Phone Software

The next generation of netbooks will run cell phone operating systems. And some will even be sold by carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Here's why.

Don't look Now, but You're a Cyborg

Aren't Internet-connected cell phones technically machines that are enhancing our minds, and increasingly so with each new service, technology or advancement? Haven't they become part of us? If so, we're all cyborgs.

Get Ready for Microsoft's Big Comeback

The recession is bad. And it could get worse before it gets better. But the downturn will end. And when it does, the consumer electronics and IT industries will look very different from those that entered the recession in late 2007. There will be winners and losers — many companies that have been with us for years or decades will be swallowed up, never to be heard from again. Others will shrink to insignificance. I think one of the biggest winners coming out the recession will be none other than Microsoft. Here's why.

Did Lenovo invent Apple's netbook?

I think it's possible that Apple's netbook will be just like the Lenovo Pocket Yoga concept. I think Lenovo found out about it and wanted to assert itself as the inventor of a new form factor that otherwise would be credited to Apple by "leaking" two-year-old photos of a concept it had no plans to build.

Apple: The cell phone 'Soup Nazi'

Maybe I'm a pathetic Seinfeld fanboy, but it occurred to me this week that each smartphone handset maker is exactly like a restaurant in the popular '90s TV series. Research In Motion, or RIM, which makes the BlackBerry line of phones, is like Seinfeld's neighborhood coffee shop. RIM phones simply work. Nothing fancy, but they're very popular, functional and great for every day. Like Babu's restaurant, Palm would be popular if it didn't constantly change the menu, fail to innovate and offer people what they don't want. And then there's Apple. The company is just like the "Soup Nazi" when it comes to both product quality and customer service.

Why Global Is the New 'Local'

It's time the so-called local media opened its eyes to the new reality: Nothing is local anymore. And it's a huge opportunity. The new mantra should be: Cover local events exclusively, but for a global audience.

Apple's Epic E-Book Fail

Amazon's new Kindle for iPhone application shipped this week. The software lets you read any of Amazon's 240,000 Kindle books on an iPhone much like you would on an over-priced Amazon Kindle. Unfortunately, the launch exposes Apple's biggest blunder since the Apple Newton: They forgot to dominate the e-book market.

Paperless Office? Ha! How About a Paperless Life?

Just three years ago, achieving a completely paperless personal life was very difficult to do. But since then, a wide range of products and services has become available that makes it much easier and much better. As a kind of "lifestyle experiment," I've been trying to completely eliminate paper as a data storage medium for the past six months. I'm ready to declare my experiment a success!

Legalize Cell Phone Jammers?

Jamming a cell phone is illegal in the U.S. Very illegal. And not just by ordinary citizens. It's illegal for theater and restaurant owners to jam calls, and even state and local police or prison officials. The U.S., in fact, has the strictest laws in the world against jamming cell calls. But the harsh laws against jammers in the U.S. apply to everyone except federal government officials. Which raises the question: Is that right? U.S. prisons want to use jammers. So do police. And while we're at it, so do many movie theaters, restaurants and other businesses. Some individuals want to use jammers as well. Who decided that only federal officials can be trusted with cell phone jammers?

Facebook Thinks You're Stupid

Facebook quietly changed its terms of service agreement (TOS) recently. Bloggers freaked, triggering a public uproar that forced Facebook to revert back to the older version and come up with a better TOS agreement. All of this — the terms of service, the stealth editing thereof, the revocation and Zuzkerberg's explanation — demonstrates that Facebook suffers from a disease I like to call "People Is Stupid Syndrome." Facebook treats users like their puny pea brains can't handle either the basics of corporate legal protection or recognize when they're being talked down to or manipulated.

Don't Be Fooled by Google's Phony 'Beta' Label

What are we to make of Google's "beta" products and "experimental" features?

Just like Microsoft and many other software companies, Google designates a huge number of its many online services as beta, and many features as merely "experimental."

For example, did you know that Gmail is still in "beta," and has been in the "beta" stage of development for five years?

Some of Gmail's best features aren't "real" features, but designated by the company as "experimental." Gmail Labs launched in June, and since then the company has posted more than 35 "experimental" apps or features.

How much money has Google made from Gmail? The business model is and will always be an "attract users and sell advertising" proposition, regardless of when it arbitrarily chooses to remove the word "beta" from the Gmail logo. So what makes it "beta," exactly?

I'm proposing that we all stop taking Google's "beta" and "experimental" labels seriously, and just see them for what they are: Marketing gimmicks. Read more.

How Social Media Can Save TV News

As the shameless co-opting of social media by cable and network TV news accelerates, the flaws and inadequacies of those TV news programs becomes ever more obvious.

Almost every day, I take a break or two from my PC, where I'm constantly monitoring social media, and I check out CNN, MSNBC, and Fox news or, if it's the right time of day, the network news on ABC, CBS and NBC. I'm always appalled by what I see on TV news. It's pathetic.

If TV news wants to really leverage social media — and become timely, relevant and engaging in the process — they're going to have to take some control away from their over-paid "personalities," and hand it over to viewers. Here's how.

Here Comes the E-book Revolution

The big announcements this week by Amazon.com and Google promise e-Books everywhere, including cell phones. But six unrelated trends will drive e-books into the mainstream: 1) the economy; 2) the environment; 3) a publishing revolution; 4) aggressive e-book marketing; 5) electronic-specific books; and 6) the decline of the newspaper industry. Here's the whole article.

Google's Business Model: YOU Are the Product!

Why does Google invest so heavily in great products, such as its new Latitude friend-tracking service, then just give them away? There's only one way to understand Google's business model, which is to understand that Google's services are not products. In fact, Google has only one product. And that product is YOU!

Three Bad Tech Products We Love Anyway

Normally, people love good products and hate bad ones. But three of the most lovable and popular tech offerings are in fact horribly designed and conspicuously flawed: Facebook, Kindle and Digg!

The Digital Camera Presidency

Much has been written about technology and Barack Obama. The conventional wisdom is that the Obama campaign's superior use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, helped win the election. And everybody's talking about Obama's "Barackberry." But the technology that should be most closely associated with the Obama campaign and presidency is the overlooked and underappreciated digital camera. Here's why.

'Making It All Work' In 60 Seconds

David Allen's new book, third in his "Getting Things Done" series, is called "Making It All Work." It's awesome. But most people don't embrace Allen's approach to productivity because, ironically, they're too busy, overworked and stressed out to focus on it. Here's what you need to know with just 60 seconds of reading. (Oh, and buy the book!)

Palm and Sony out-Apple Apple

Before Macworld, the Applesphere buzzed with chatter about an impending "iPhone Pro" or "iPhone Elite" upgrade. The wonderful improvement would, according to this vision, include a physical keyboard that wouldn't reduce the size of iPhone's huge touch screen. It would fold or slide out. Some also hoped for a better camera, new user interface innovations and other iGoodies.

The other major fanboy expectation was that, finally, Apple would enter (and, natch, dominate) the thriving netbook market. Nobody expected a boring mini-MacBook, but instead a revolutionary new form factor that would demonstrate, once again, that Apple is smarter than everyone else.

Surprisingly, an "iPhone Elite" and a "MacBook Nano" were both announced. But not at Macworld and not by Apple. They were unveiled at CES by Palm and Sony -- two industry laggards written off as pathetic has-beens.

How China's '50 Cent Army' Could Wreck Web 2.0

The CCP has hired thousands of freelance Internet propagandists whose job is to infiltrate chat rooms, message boards and comment areas on the Internet posing as ordinary users to voice support for the agenda and interest of the CCP. The BBC calls these freelance propagandists China's 50 Cent Party. The Guardian newspaper calls it the 50 Cent Army. (50 Cent isn't a rapper in this case, but a reference to the pay: 50 Chinese "cents" per post, which is equivalent to about 7 US cents). Some estimates claim that the 50 Cent Army includes a whopping 300,000 people. If that’s accurate, China's freelance propagandists exceed in number the total populations of 47 countries. Here's why China's 50 Cent Army is a major threat to the Web 2.0 and to the future of free speech on the Internet.

Why Products Fail

Why do some people prefer Windows XP and Mac OS X over Windows Vista? After all, Vista is pretty and sleek and much more advanced than XP, and, in many areas, Mac OS X. Why is there so much love for Xbox, but none for Windows Mobile? Why do BlackBerry users love their BlackBerrys, but the public is lukewarm about Palm devices? Why is the Amazon Kindle, which is an unsophisticated, clunky, poorly designed gadget so popular with owners? Why do people love plain, ugly Gmail? The answer to these questions is a mystery to most of the companies that make PCs, gadgets, consumer electronics devices and to software makers. The reason is that they their research never seems to get at the root cause of user happiness and misery: Control. Give me control, and I will love your product. It's as simple as that.

How to Stop Bad Predictions -- Or, at Least, Enjoy Them

It's that time of year again! No, not the holidays. It's the season for self-appointed "experts" and "pundits" to freak everybody out with outlandish predictions -- most of which will never come true. I'm going to tell you how use the Internet to expose, embarrass and shame bad prognosticators for your own enjoyment.

10 Things That Won't Survive the Recession

Economic downturns have a way of accelerating the demise of the obsolete and inefficient. Here are 10 things that I believe won't survive the recession.

The Ultimate Gift Guide for Lazy Procrastinators

I'm going to tell you how -- and where -- to do all your holiday gift shopping in less than an hour, buying all your loved ones the best gifts you've ever given and at low prices. OK, we've got no time to waste, so let's get started.

Hard Work is Dead. Call It 'Work Ethic 2.0'

Since the turn of the new millennium, the nature of work has evolved to the point where hard work is becoming less important to a successful work ethic than another, more useful value: attention. As New York Times Columnist David Brooks says, "Control of attention is the ultimate individual power." In terms of defining the information-age work ethic, it has to be said: Hard work is dead.

Why You'll Never See a Real 'Zune Phone'

A rumor circulating this week says Microsoft will unveil a Zune phone at CES. Most columnists and bloggers who mentioned it said Microsoft should not build a Zune phone, but probably will. My view is that Microsoft should sell a Zune phone, but probably won't. Why? Because the company simply doesn't have the vision to build something really great in the consumer electronics space. No, I'm not kidding. A Zune phone done right would be awesome.

Media Companies Have Only Themselves to Blame

The recession is hitting everyone. But print media companies -- newspapers, books and magazines -- are getting hit harder and sooner than most. It's their own damned fault. Like the US automakers and the music industry, print media companies squandered most of their time and money during boom times clinging to the past rather than preparing for the future. And now they're left totally unprepared for the bust.

Why Are PCs and Gadgets So Slow?

Moore's Law says computer chips double in speed every 1.5 to 2 years. Your PC should be 32 times faster than the PC you used in 1998. The chips ARE faster, so why isn't your PC? Chip speed improvements are being SQUANDERED by everyone from OS makers to driver writers to hardware makers and component manufacturers.

Is Technology Causing Humans to Mutate?

Consumer technology evolves fast. It's hard to believe that just two years ago, the Apple iPhone, Asus Eee PC, Amazon Kindle and Twitter didn't exist. Only college students were on Facebook. And Bill Gates still worked at Microsoft. What's harder to fathom is our own evolution. As technology changes, technology changes us -- how our minds and bodies physically work. It's not evolution, exactly. Call it culturally induced mutation.

Why the Downturn Can Be Good for Digital Nomads

Economic downturns, painful as they are, have a tendency to force new priorities on everyone. The cost savings and efficiencies inherent in the digital nomad lifestyle can become irresistible during recessions, and so the trend in that direction is ACCELERATING.

Satellite Radio Is Dead

I hate to say it, but somebody has to: Satellite radio will come crashing down to Earth within the next two years. The newly merged Sirius XM Radio is already living on borrowed time -- and borrowed money. Meanwhile, six trends are all conspiring against it. Let's face it: SATELLITE RADIO IS DEAD.

How to Post on Twitter by Talking Into a Phone

Microblogging on Twitter is great. But sometimes you're just too busy to sit down and type that 140-character tweet. Maybe you're climbing a volcano, sprinting through the airport or running a marathon and just can't stop to type. HERE'S HOW TO POST ON TWITTER USING ONLY A PHONE CALL.

Why You'll Buy a Netbook On Black Friday

Resistance is futile. You're going to buy a netbook (or two or three) on Black Friday simply because they're going to be so fricken cheap. How cheap? Definitely under $300, and possibly under $200! Here are my FOUR REASONS WHY NETBOOKS ARE IRRESISTIBLE THIS YEAR (and my 10 tips for how to get the best deal -- without getting ripped off).

Mobile Tech Under Obama

We've just elected a new president. Barack Obama starts a four-year term Jan. 20. There's no way to know how America and the world will change during this time. But we can see how mobile technology will change.

Think of what has happened in mobile technology during the last administration. When George W. Bush was re-elected four years ago, the world had never seen the iPhone, the netbook, 3G, Blu-ray, the Amazon Kindle or Twitter. Back then, Facebook was for college students, Treo was the best smart phone (and couldn't run on Windows Mobile).

Of course, the president has little to do with all this innovation other than as perhaps the most famous user of the "BarackBerry" (pictured). Still, it's a meaningful way to mark time and take stock of how our culture is being changed by the most personal of personal technologies. Here's what you can look forward to during OBAMA'S FIRST TERM.

Why Netbooks Will Soon Cost $99

Netbooks like the Asus Eee PC, the Dell Mini 9 and the HP 2133 Mini-Note will soon cost $99. The catch? You'll need to commit to a two-year mobile broadband contract, just like your cell phone. Why so low? 1) the economy; 2) the cell phone sales crash; 3) the netebook explosion; 4) the netbook glut; 5) the netbook's Internet dependency; 6) the backlash against 3G; and 7) MOORE'S LAW!

The Internet's Newest Danger: Election Addiction

In the past month or two, I've noticed a new addiction arise, one that's more powerful and widespread than any other: ELECTION ADDICTION. People are compulsively spending huge chunks of time surfing political sites and video sharing sites, social bookmarking services and news sites. They're looking for content that supports their political opinions and candidates, then e-mailing links to people who disagree. A heated conversation ensues, often with long diatribes, rising frustration and anger, peppered with links to still more online content. Election Addiction is virulent, and unlike other Internet-enabled addictions. Are YOU addicted?

In Search of the Smart Phone Laptop

In the past two years, cell phone and laptop companies have unveiled breathtaking innovations -- from 24-hour battery laptops to dual-screen laptops to "augmented reality" cell phone applications. Despite these advancements, the industry has failed to solve the oldest and most central problem of mobility: How to add a larger keyboard and screen to a tiny cell phone. Palm tried it and failed with Foleo. AIM proposed it with Olo. Apple hinted that they might take a crack at it. Celio is already doing it -- but you need an approved Windows Mobile device. And IMOVIO is working on a solution doomed to failure. WHO WILL GET IT RIGHT?

How Facebook Is Destroying the 'Nuclear Family'

A new study published this week by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that technology is actually good for "nuclear families." According to the study, the Internet, cell phones, e-mail, IM and Twitter make nuclear families closer by enabling members to stay in touch between times when they're physically together. But that same process is also breaking down the wall that has separated the "nuclear family" from the "extended family." Because the whole "nuclear family" institution is all about isolating mom, dad and the kids from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, FACEBOOK IS ACTUALLY KILLING THE NUCLEAR FAMILY.

Will AT&T Let 'Emerging Devices' Emerge?

We're about to transition from an era where everything is in the cell phone - cameras, GPS devices and more -- to one in which the cell phone is also in everything. Your stand-alone digital camera and your in-car GPS system will connect via the cell phone mobile broadband network and will do powerful things on your behalf. AT&T says they want to lead the revolution. But will greed and a lack of vision put the company in the position of KILLING THE REVOLUTION before it even begins?

Would You Buy Furniture From Microsoft?

Microsoft might be getting into the furniture business. The company is apparently contemplating the development of a consumer version of Microsoft Surface, the company’s advanced multi-touch table-top computer now available only to companies that want to use it for promotions in hotels, casinos and at cell phone stores. The MICROSOFT FURNITURE in question would be a kitchen table. Here's how you'd use it, according to Microsoft:

"While eating breakfast, read newspaper headlines and e-mail, get updated on the daily commute, or use your fingers to expand your calendar and get details on the day’s events.” And you can use it to "help your children with their homework or oversee their play activities while getting dinner ready."

The question is, would you buy one?

Three Ways SMBs Can Survive the Meltdown

Stocks are plummeting. Banks are failing. The money's all gone.
If you're a small or medium-size business owner with employees, I'm going to tell you something you already know: Layoffs are coming, too. The knee-jerk impulse to lay off half your staff in order to cut employee costs by 50% can be just some antiquated institutional habit. Technology enables all kinds of desirable alternatives to letting people go. Here are three ways to USE NEW TECHNOLOGY TO CUT COSTS WITHOUT LAYOFFS.

How to Know Everything, All the Time: Automated Searches

I love automated searches. Setting up automated "bots" to do your searching for you saves enormous amounts of time and effort. You "set it and forget it." But you have to know where -- and how -- to do it. Here are my favorite FIVE WAYS TO KNOW EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.

Stop Ignoring the GPS In Your Phone!

You hear a lot about how great cell phone GPS is. Tech pundits blather endlessly about the amazing new features and capabilities of cell phone GPS (guilty as charged!) And you even shelled out extra for that fancy smart phone with GPS as one of its best features. So WHY AREN'T YOU USING IT?

Gadgets That Will Make Your Cell Phone Jealous

Cell phones are the Mother of All Convergence Devices. In the past 10 years, bland, single-purpose cell phones have assimilated digital cameras, media players, PDAs, GPS devices, camcorders and much more. Phones are great for convergence because we always carry them. Stand-alone digital cameras, GPS devices and others might be left at home most of the time, but anything built into the camera goes everywhere. But phones aren't the only objects carried everywhere. SUNGLASSES, WRISTWATCHES AND PENS go, too -- and that's why they're getting the convergence treatment.

Is Windows 7 Really Mojave?

People don't like Windows Vista. Users are moving to Mac or Linux. In order to stop the bleeding, Microsoft is apparently rushing Windows 7 to market. But is this really the Windows 7 they set out to create? Or is is just Windows Vista with window dressing. Wait, Windows Vista labeled as the "next version of Windows"? Isn't that called "MOJAVE"?

I Want My Mobile Social Address Book

Business cards are as obsolete as fax machines. And like fax machines, business cards have us still using paper to move electronic data from one digital system to another. Business cards suck, but the good news is that the MOBILE SOCIAL ADDRESS BOOK of the future is coming soon.

Why Online Product Placement Is a Good Thing

If you're unfamiliar with the term, product placement is a form of advertising where companies pay or barter for their products to be used as "props." So, for example, Batman uses the not-yet-released Nokia XpressMedia 5800 cell phone to foil the Joker in "The Dark Knight," because Nokia arranged for it. The reason I hate movie and TV placement is that it's sneaky. It only works if the viewer is kept ignorant about the fact that the advertiser paid for placement. The reason I love online product placement is that it's not sneaky. It works best if the placement is "OUTED" AS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT.

Mobile Social Networking Goes Mainstream

This past week has seen a flood of announcements from major companies about new mobile social networking services. All this industry activity has sparked widespread interest and engagement in mobile social networking. Twitter, Facebook and other social sites have been burning up the wires this week talking about, linking to and getting on mobile social networking services. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING.

How the Blogosphere Killed the Press Conference

While nobody was looking, the Internet, the blogosphere and the Twitosphere rendered the old-fashioned press conference OBSOLETE. (Don't tell the media!)

Got a subnotebook? Get Ubiquity!

Subnotebooks are easy to take anywhere, but hard to use once you get there. Mozilla, the company that makes the popular Firefox browser, announced this week a software plug-in for Firefox called Ubiquity, which wasn't designed for, and isn't promoted as, a subnotebook usability enhancer. But it turns out that UBIQUITY IS ESPECIALLY POWERFUL ON SUBNOTEBOOKS, and makes them far easier to use for multi-window tasks.

Social Networking: What Are 'Friends' For?

According to one theory, humans developed language in order to be able to live in larger groups. Expanding our "social networks" -- then, as now -- enhances survival. And the desire to maintain as many relationships as possible is part of what makes us human. That's why I'm here to urge you to JUMP ON THE SOCIAL NETWORKING BANDWAGON with new-found energy.

When LinkedIn Knows Where You Are

Within two years, I believe mobile social networking will become the most VALUABLE BUSINESS APPLICATION SINCE E-MAIL.

Put Your Writing on the Twitter Diet

Obesity is rampant. And I'm not talking about body flab. I'm talking about obesity of language. Much of what we read these days is bloated, flabby, supersized prose. I believe there are three reasons for that: 1) the death of the typewriter; 2) the end of length limits; and 3) the rise of the amateur writer. Internet technology created this problem, and Internet technology can help solve it. Here's how to cut the verbal fat and SLIM DOWN YOUR WRITING WITH THE TWITTER DIET.

Better Batteries? Gadgets Get Everything But!

Remember the revolution in battery technology? It never happened. So why is battery life so much better? The Dell Latitude E6400, HP Elitebook 6930, Latitude ON, Intel's mobile processor technologies, "WiTricity" and the Voltaic Generator solar laptop bag are just a few examples of what's happening in the long-battery-life arena. We're on the business end of a NEW ERA IN INCREDIBLE POWER-MANAGEMENT, POWER CONSERVATION AND POWER-GENERATION DEVICES. And it's no thanks to batteries.

'Green' Gadgets? Or Greenwashing?

The consumer electronics industry is finally discovering what other industries have known for a long time: "Green" products sell. Recently, there has been a sudden surge in "GREEN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS PRODUCTS." But are they all actually good for the environment? (Hint: No.)

Why 'Cloud Computing' Is For the Birds

Everybody is talking about "cloud computing," the latest and most problematic major buzzword to plague IT jargon. Here's why "cloud computing" is CONFUSING, MISLEADING, REDUNDANT AND DANGEROUS.

While Windows Sleeps

Dell, Intel and their partners announced this week new technologies that represent major leaps forward for mobility. The companies seem to have discovered the secret to making such bold leaps: Cut Microsoft out of the deal.

One technology involves enabling users to gain instant access to a laptop's e-mail, browser and other basic functionality -- without booting Windows at all.

The second technology enables an Internet-based message to wake a Windows PC from sleep mode. It's useful both for VoIP applications and for anyone away from their PC who wants remote access.

These new technologies are perfect metaphors for what's happening in the industry. In both cases, Windows is asleep while Microsoft's own partners give users WHAT THEY REALLY WANT.

What If China's Orwellian Olympics Succeeds?

By the end of the Olympic games, we'll know whether the Chinese government's unprecedented application of state-of-the-art digital technology to Orwellian social control can actually work. WHAT IF THE EXPERIMENT SUCCEEDS?

Is Your Cell Phone Trying to Kill You?

Don't look now, but your cell phone is out to get you. This deadly device can cause accidents, give you cancer or even kill you, according to a rising chorus of alarmist reports. Here's why the cell phone danger hysteria is OVERBLOWN.

What's Wrong With the Vista 'Mojave Experiment?'

Microsoft's "Mojave Experiment" has been compared to "Punk'd," and to the "Pepsi Challenge." In reality, it's just like those Folgers Crystals commercials where they switch fancy restaurant coffee with instant decaf. The commercials were a big success. But guess what? Instant decaf still sucks! I'm challenging Microsoft to answer SIX QUESTIONS about their so-called "Mojave Experiment."

You Can Be Batman, Too

The Dark Knight, the most highly anticipated of the Batman series yet, hits theaters today. Everybody likes Batman. He's a superhero we can relate to. Unlike Superman or, say, the Incredible Hulk, Batman isn't an alien or mutant. He's just a regular guy who makes himself "super" using mobile gadgets. There's no reason we all can't be like Batman and transform ourselves into superheros in our own professions by buying and mastering EXTREME DEVICES.

Has Apple Lost Its Mojo?

Think of Apple, and elegant, minimalist product design comes to mind. But the less-glamorous unseen force behind the products is Apple's amazing ability to execute -- to coordinate things like hardware supply and distribution, software rollouts and updates, network functionality and availability, and forcing suppliers and partners to march in lock-step with the Cupertino giant.

The launch of the original iPhone was a breathtaking feat of mastery. Here was Apple entering a crowded, complex and utterly new market. And it did so with what looked from the outside like grace and ease. In the year that followed, it has seemed like Apple could do no wrong.

Suddenly, it seems like APPLE CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT.

iPhone, SchmiPhone -- I Just Want Better Call Quality

The quality of smart phones has improved radically. At the beginning of last year, phone features like 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, high-quality touch screens, voice recognition and high-quality cameras were rare, expensive and very high end. Today, they're standard equipment and can be had in a wide range of cheap phones. Like the iPhone, for example, now starting at $199. That dramatic shift has taken place in the past year and a half. But during that time, how much has the quality of phone calls improved? How much has it improved in the past 10 YEARS?

Control Your BlackBerry With Voice Commands

Here's how to turn your 'CrackBerry' into a 'YakBerry' using two free services: Vlingo and Jott. Send and reply to e-mail, send SMS, Search the Internet, Add items to your "to do list, open BlackBerry applications, add appointments to your calendar, blog and more -- all WITHOUT TYPING ANYTHING!

The Mouse Is Dead

You're probably using a mouse today, but you may never buy one again. All the planets are aligning against this humble pointing device. Alternative pointing devices are weakening our mouse habit. But the next versions of Windows and the Mac OS will KILL THE MOUSE forever.

Will Gadgets Make Knowledge Obsolete?

Will knowledge become obsolete? I have no idea. But I do believe we're going to have to face the problem of how to educate young people in a world in which nearly all knowledge is available to everyone, instantly, ALL THE TIME.

Your Privacy: Bring Back the Company Memo!

In ancient times (before the 1980s), there was a clear distinction between official company communication and personal or private communication. Official communication took the form of "memos," which were intended to be part of the company record. Everything else -- phone calls, personal chats, hand-written scribbles -- were clearly understood to be unofficial, off-the-record and private. When e-mail and chat came along, we lumped them into the same category as "memos" -- fair game for snooping and admissible in court. That was an error. It's time to BRING BACK THE MEMO, and keep e-mail and chat private.

Here Comes the Cell Phone Advertising Disaster

The problem isn't that somebody out there is looking for innovative ways to leverage your cell phone to sell you something. The problem is that everybody is doing it. The result will turn your cell phone into an annoying, interrupting, commercial idiot box that combines all the worst qualities of TV, telemarketing and spam. Computerworld

The 7 Easy-to-Copy Features the 'iPhone Killers' Missed

The "iPhone Killer" cell phones -- including the Garmin's Nuviphone; Samsung’s Instinct and Omnia; HTC's Touch Diamond; BlackBerry Thunder; and others -- have touch screen technology and other features are usually advanced and sophisticated. Nearly all of them, for example, have features superior to the iPhone, such as higher-quality cameras. All the major "iPhone Killer" makers do make some really great hardware. That's why it's interesting to note that some of the iPhone's best and most unique features aren't even all that hard to copy. Here's a list of the 7 easy-to-copy features that most "iPhone killers" missed. Datamation

The '$100 Laptop' May Be a Glimpse of the Future

You've no doubt heard of the "$100 laptop" project. The first iteration, the XO 1.0 -- a.k.a. the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) laptop -- looks like a toy for baby aliens, but is largely a conventional laptop. A prototype of the next version was unveiled last month, and it looks a lot like the laptop you're going to buy in five years. No, I'm not kidding. Your laptop will look and function more or less like the XO 2.0. It's a brilliant -- and prescient -- design. The most conspicuous and best feature is that the bottom half of the clamshell is a screen, just like the top half. Computerworld

Here Comes the 'ASUS Freee PC'

I'm predicting that the successful pricing model for "mini me too" laptops -- commodity ASUS Eee PC clones that will drive margins for all players toward zero -- will look nothing like the notebook pricing model (where you always pay full price for the hardware), and a lot like the cell phone pricing model where you buy a service, and the hardware is heavily subsidized or given away free. Datamation

The 3 Things You Need to Know About Windows 7

Although everyone is talking about Windows 7, few seem to understand what it means that Microsoft is pushing its Surface-like and iPhone-like UI for the next Windows. Here’s what it means: After several decades, the death of the WIMP user interface is at hand. (WIMP stands for Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointing devices.) Datamation

In Search of the Super Easy Super-Phone

MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte recently railed against complexity in cell phones, saying that "simplicity is the biggest challenge that handset makers face." He's right. What users are clamoring for is a phone with a beautiful screen and a brain-dead-simple user interface like the iPhone, with the core business functionality and keyboard performance of a BlackBerry and the high-quality camera of some of the LG phones. We want GPS, 3G and great media management. So who's going to deliver the first super-easy-to-use super phone? Computerworld

Is There a Cure for the 'Distraction Virus'?

We study long and work hard to succeed in our careers. Success is important to us. And then along comes YouTube, the agent of our destruction. And all the other addictive sites and services always just a click away. The Internet is an incredible productivity tool. But it's also distracting -- and evolving like drug-resistant bacteria or like a virus to become more distracting all the time. What are we going to do? Datamation

Why Steve Ballmer Should Resign

Remind me again why Steve Ballmer is CEO of Microsoft? He's got no vision, no charisma, no engineering cred and no outside experience running a company. Ballmer himself admits to not being good at negotiating. And now his deal-making and decision-making skills are being questioned. Datamation

Sweet New Service Backs Up While It Syncs

Sharpcast's SugarSync software and service automatically syncs across PCs, Macs and phones. Computerworld

Has Digg Already Picked the President?

Social bookmarking sites actual endorse candidates without actually trying to do so. By searching the sites, and sorting those searches by votes or popularity, you can get a sense of who members prefer. Interestingly, all the major social bookmarking and social networking sites agree on the same candidate. The very definition of a Web 2.0 site is one that derives its value from the actions of users. Users are voters, and if these user-voters choose a candidate, shouldn't that candidate win the election? Datamation

Why the iPhone Will Change the (PC) World, Part 2

If you accept the inevitability of the next-generation interface — the UI with advanced versions of iPhone's multitouch, gestures, physics, 3-D and diminished role of symbolic representation (icons) — then all the rest follows. Giant screens you touch will have to be pivoted at an angle because vertical or horizontal use will be awkward. Mice will vanish because you'll touch on-screen objects directly. The screen will provide an incentive to get rid of the keyboard. The end result will look and work like a giant iPhone or iPod Touch. Computerworld

Is It Time to Globalize Time?

Don't look now, but business is global. Media is global. Communication is global. So why are we still torturing ourselves with local time? In the United States, why are we double-torturing ourselves with local time aggravated by daylight saving time? Enough! Why don't we all get behind a switch to GMT everywhere? Datamation

Making the Phone-PC Connection

It seems these days that every Tom, Dick and Harry — or more accurately, every Dell, Acer and Apple — wants to get into the cell phone/handset business. The handset market is already crowded with far too many phones. If the PC makers are really serious about entering the cell phone market with distinctive products people might actually want, why not improve the cell phone awareness OF PCs, and vice versa? Computerworld

Inside the Shady World of Spy Gadgets

Most spy gadgets should be and could be used for legal and ethical purposes (but you know they probably won't be). Datamation

Was Windows XP Microsoft's Last Good OS?

The biggest problem isn't that the company's newest products are unusable, but that Microsoft may have actually lost the ability to make good operating systems. Computerworld

How Fake Is Your PC?

Personal computers are getting faker. The percentage of counterfeit components is growing steadily, if unevenly. Fake components make PCs cheaper. The downside is declining reliability, safety and performance. Is it even possible to keep it real? Datamation

A New iPhone This Summer?

Everybody's freaking out about Apple's iPhone sales, but look closely enough and you'll find good news. Computerworld

The Most Hated Company In the PC Industry

Who in the hell is Asustek, and why does Microsoft hate them more than any other company in the industry? Why does Apple, Dell and Palm Computing hate them? And why does Intel love them? Datamation

I Want to Live In a Surveillance Society

As privacy advocates argue, vote and campaign for keeping private business private, let's also make sure we claim and win the right to use our own ubiquitous camera phones, recording devices and other technologies to keep public business public. Computerworld.com

I Want My MPC: The 'Multi-Touch PC' Era Dawns

Apple's got it, but you can't do much with it. Microsoft's got it, but you can't afford it. And Dell's got it, but you can't have it yet. Everyone's talking about multi-touch. But what is it, exactly, and why should you care? Datamation