screens

Microsoft and its partners have found an opening against Apple. That's rare these days.

The Windows 8 touch screen is the first real change that has come to Windows laptops in a long time.

I would put it right up there with the trackpad and, more recently, the MacBook Pro Retina display.

And it's made more significant by the fact that Apple has rejected the idea of a hybrid device via Tim Cook's refrigerator-toaster analogy. Which gives Apple's less-nimble Silicon Valley neighbor, Hewlett-Packard, a rare leg up.

Just check out HP's Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook. … Read more

Lenovo kept its Windows 8 desktop offerings simple during its announcement today, expanding on existing product lines, and introducing no significant new features to its IdeaCentre all-in-ones.

IdeaCentre A520 Consider this unit, pictured above, the smaller, more affordable version of the 27-inch IdeaCentre A720 Lenovo released earlier this year. This model comes in with a 23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel display, and the same high-end Intel Core i7 CPUs and other PC components as the big-screen version, but real focus is on the sleek design, the display adjustability, and the 10-point touch interface.

In a review at the beginning of the … Read more

We last saw a new Samsung desktop for sale in the U.S. with last year's Series 7 all-in-one. These new models may not offer the asymmetrical sleekness of the Asia-only Series 9 all-in-one the company teased at this year's CES, but the updated Series 7, and a brand-new Series 5 all-in-one suggest that Samsung sees Windows 8 as an opportunity to expand its American desktop offering.

Where before Samsung had just one all-in-one for American buyers, you can now choose from among three different models. A 27-inch Series 7 for $1,699, a 23-inch Series 7 for $… Read more

Apple's Mountain Lion and Microsoft's Windows 8 are now out in the real world. And this time more than ever, the two companies are taking the computer into two distinct directions.

After using both of the new operating systems, it's easy to see that each is more solid, more stable, and filled with more-compelling features than ever before. It's also true that Microsoft's radical new operating system is gorgeous, but this is not a beauty contest. Like I pointed out in my review for Mountain Lion, I still think Apple made the better choice in … Read more

Blue Screen of Death: the very name chills the hearts of Windows users who have experienced it. There's no feeling quite like seeing your work vanish and be replaced by a BSOD, which is Windows' way of telling you it has just crashed, taking whatever you had open with it. NirSoft's BlueScreenView is a kind of coroner's report on your system. It scans the minidump files created when your system crashes and displays a BSOD, collecting them all in a single list view displaying all kinds of information you can use to debug whatever it is that'… Read more

Rumors have abounded, images have been leaked, and today a video was released that showed all the speculative features and components of the upcoming iPhone 5.

The video, found by RazorianFly, based the iPhone design on various leaks from Asian site iLab Factory. The iPhone shows a longer and thinner screen, far fewer pin dock connector, and what looks to be a "unibody." Samsung's recently released Galaxy S3 is shown floating next to the iPhone for comparison.

The latest rumors say so, but we'll explain why the latest rumors are probably wrong. Also on today's episode, we learn why IBM might want to buy RIM's secret treasure chest, and we decipher the tea-leaves of iOS 6. What is Apple not telling us about the new OS for fear of giving away iPhone 5 secrets?

And finally, the next Xbox may hit soon, another rumors suggests. This tweeted image of a swirl of colors supposedly indicates that the Kinect 2 might be awesome. To us it just looks like, well, modern art. But you guys … Read more

So you're still logging on with the same old Windows log-on screen, day in, day out....You're right: it's extremely boring. Can't something be done about it? Yes. You can change the Windows log-on screen, but Windows doesn't make it as easy as changing your wallpaper or even your user account picture. Still, it's simple enough to do with help from tools like Saurabhorange's Logon Screen Changer.

This free app can banish the blue and replace it with high-resolution images that don't take up much space. It comes with a gallery of … Read more