Turbo Screen Sharing Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional offers users the ability to have a more productive and engaging web conferencing experience while providing the IT department with a program that efficiently utilizes bandwidth and minimally impacts the infrastructure. Learn More! » Informal Learning: Extending the Impact of Enterprise Ideas and Information Forward-thinking organizations are turning to enterprise learning in their quest to be better informed, better skilled, better supported at the point of need, and more competitive in their respective marketplaces. Learn More! » Rapid E-Learning: Maturing Technology Brings Balance and Possibilities Rapid e-learning addresses both time and cost issues by using technology tools to shift the dynamics of e-learning development. Learn why more skilled learning professionals use these tools and how you can get a solution to keep pace with your business demands. » Delivering on the Promise of ELearning This white paper defines the framework to launch e-learning as a set of teaching, training, and learning practices not bound by a specific technology platform or learning management system. It offers practical suggestions for creating digital learning experiences that engage learners by building interest and motivation and providing opportunities for active participation. »

Hardware & Systems News •Lexmark Rolls Out Home/Student and Professional All-in-One Printers •Acer's 2.2-Pound, 8.9-Inch Subnotebook Starts at $379 •Addonics Kit Adds AES 256-Bit Encryption To Any SATA Hard Drive •Averatec Joins All-in-One Desktop Club •Seagate Rolls Out 1.5-Terabyte Desktop Hard Drive

Reviews & Analysis • HP 2133 Mini-Note Review • PCs for Five C's • Logitech MX Air Review • Platform Trends: X4 Marks the Spot

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Opinions Archives

eBook: What to Expect With Virtualization. Learn about the benefits of this exciting technology as well as the risks and make sure your IT organization is ready. Download this eBook to learn more!

Mini Mobile PCs: Now Comes the Hard Part
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published July 1, 2008
It's a myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice, but what are the odds against catching lightning in a bottle twice? The ultralight, ultra-affordable subnotebook PC category that the Asus Eee ignited last winter will soon see a second generation of what are now called netbooks -- but this time around, it might be Eee II: The Laptop Strikes Back.

Falling Off the Catwalk
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published May 23, 2008
The economy's in a slump and PCs are in danger of becoming interchangeable commodity products anyway. So how can hardware manufacturers perk up sales and prop up profit margins? Chrome trim and pretty colors, of course, as vendors ranging from Dell to Staples introduce limited-edition artistic cases and fashionable decorations. HardwareCentral editor Eric is bemused. Apple is unworried.

Let Loose in the Toy Department: Report From CES 2008
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published January 15, 2008
Once a year, Las Vegas goes from rolling dice and shuffling cards to rolling home videos and shuffling graphics cards. HardwareCentral returns to the colossal Consumer Electronics Show, getting the scoop on everything from Intel's 45-nanometer processors to HP's home theaters, Gateway's affordable gaming systems, and displays to die for. Plus roller skates.

The Best, the Worst, and the Ugliest: 2007
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published December 18, 2007
Asleep by 10:30? Not at the Labs, Weather, & Sports Desk, where New Year's Eve is like any other midnight -- time to start a fresh count of the day's Diet Pepsis, along with a last look over the, uh, vista of the dozen months past. Our seventh annual flashback bounces from nifty notebooks and cool Web tools to HDTV headaches, poorly launched processors, and a surprise pick for Product of the Year.

The Tick-Tock of Doom, or For Whom Intel Tolls
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published September 25, 2007
Processor upgrades: just say no? HardwareCentral editor Eric won't go that far, but finds reasons not to tie your purchases to Intel's newly announced policy of scheduling new CPU designs and less radical manufacturing and power-saving improvements for alternate years. He also covets a 433MHz notebook and considers the apocalypse: putting a Mac on the Labs, Weather, & Sports Desk.

Get Ready To Gain Two Pounds
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published June 8, 2007
Last week, Palm sounded the trumpets and threw confetti for what it described as a new category of portable technology -- only to get an immediate, unimpressed "Uh, no thanks" in response. But while the Treo manufacturer's new Foleo may falter, Intel, VIA, and other vendors are betting you'll crave a real, live Windows PC that weighs in at the same two pounds for way under $1,000.

Paint It Piano Black
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published April 25, 2007
When Intel sponsored a contest for radical new PC design ideas, the winners were ... not radical enough. HardwareCentral editor Eric may be just a bit color-blind (OK, his wife picks his clothes, all right?), but that won't stop him from giving the industry some fashion as well as feature advice.

Toga! Toga! Vista!
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published January 30, 2007
Wild horses and icy winds couldn't keep us away from Monday's official Windows Vista and Office 2007 launch party in Times Square, where we were introduced to civilian consumers as well as to Messrs. Gates and Ballmer and where PC vendors opened the floodgates of new Vista-based desktops and notebooks. Here's the scoop on both the show and the systems.

Nerdy New Year: Report from CES 2007
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published January 16, 2007
Last week's Consumer Electronics Show flooded Las Vegas with everything from streaming video servers to cell-phone TV and fire-breathing gaming PCs, not to mention the advent of Windows Vista and a possible cease-fire between the HD-DVD and Blu-ray disc formats. HWC's dedicated reporting -- we toured the PC exhibits at the Sands Expo, not the adult video convention in the adjoining hall -- takes you there.

The Best, the Worst, and the Ugliest: 2006
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published December 31, 2006
Pop the champagne and open the Cheetos: It's time for HardwareCentral to embrace the great and kiss off the not-so-great PCs, peripherals, and technologies of 2006. This sixth annual recap from the Labs, Weather, & Sports Desk features Intel über alles, the mixed bag named Vista, why printer manufacturers are like Scrooge McDuck, and our editor's slightly imperfect New Year's predictions record.

Pay Big Bucks! See Miserable Movies!
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published July 14, 2006
What's the next big thing after HDTV? HardwareCentral editor Eric usually prides himself on product recommendations to friends and family, but he's stymied by the state of PC and home-theater video today. Who will survive the war between Blu-ray and HD DVD? What'll happen when Windows Vista finally shows up? What kind of cable will plug everything together? And who wants to see Robin Williams's RV in high definition?

Through a Vista Darkly
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published May 24, 2006
Both IT managers and consumers will need to revise their PC-shopping spec sheets for Windows Vista. Luckily for Microsoft, today's low hardware prices mean the upgrade won't be as painful as others have been -- but there are a few gotchas lurking on the software giant's new "Get Ready for Vista" Web site. To begin with, do you know the difference between "ready" and "capable"?

Microsoft To People: Get Ready
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published March 28, 2006
They're not going to ship on schedule or brighten PC vendors' holiday season, but Microsoft assures us that Windows Vista and Office 2007 are going to be worth the wait, with fantastic features for ultra-organized go-getters. Eric says he's more than willing to give Bill Gates the benefit of the doubt, but is Microsoft missing the forest for the trees -- or rather, just a few big enterprise trees?

Do Have-Nots Have It Better Than Haves?
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published January 27, 2006
Shopping for a new PC? HardwareCentral editor Eric just did, and the gulf between high and low prices has him wondering: As terrific as new technology is, what's the point at which terrificness gets trumped by bargains? Are mail-in rebates real savings or Satan's red tape? And why is he barred from entering Best Buy stores?

The Best, the Worst, and the Ugliest: 2005
By Eric Grevstad - Opinions Article Published December 27, 2005
A trumpet to blow in one hand? Check. Tomatoes to throw in the other? Check. It must be time for HardwareCentral's fifth annual festival of finger-pointing, hailing the winners and taunting the losers of the year in PCs and peripherals. This year our fearless editor has his sights on Media Center PCs, too many CPU debuts, contemptible copy protection, and the most boring competition in high tech.

Opinions Archives