Stories by Jeff Bertolucci

The Japanese have proven their techie prowess over the decades.

Sony launched a duo of thin laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday that offer a more affordable alternative to Apple's MacBook Air. The new Vaio S and Y portables start at $900 and $550, respectively. And although they cost less than Apple's ultra-slim Airs, which start at $US1,000 (11-inch) and $1,300 (13-inch), they're a tad thicker and heavier too.

Rumor has it that Microsoft will launch a barebones version of Windows for TV set-top boxes at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Which American city will receive Google's experimental fiber network? We'll have to wait a while longer to find out, it seems.

Chrome OS is grabbing headlines this week, as Google reveals more details about its cloud-based operating system for mobile devices. Netbooks running Chrome OS won't ship until mid-2011, however, which allows us plenty of time to speculate on potential shortcomings.

Device manufacturers spend billions each year on designing, marketing, and advertising their products. That's what they need to do to get you to the counter to buy.

It's no secret Lenovo has its eye on the tablet market, and now China's biggest PC manufacturer appears ready to challenge Apple's iPad in the U.S. The company's LePad, an Android-based slate announced in July, will arrive stateside next year.

Consumers can't get enough of Windows Phone 7, according to reports of strong customer demand Tuesday. T-Mobile, one of two U.S. wireless carriers currently offering Win Phone 7 devices, can't keep the Win Phone 7-based HTC DH7 in stock (it sold out soon after its debut), according to TG Daily.

Though definitions of "Internet meme" vary, it is basically a piece of digital content that spreads rapidly online, mutating as various people alter its details before passing it along via message boards, forums, or e-mail.

We’ve been hearing about Apple’s alleged plans for touchscreen-equipped iMacs for months now, and the rumors continue to swirl. The latest gossip arrives courtesy Digitimes, a Taiwanese trade publication that’s a bountiful source of Apple-related scuttlebutt. So what's new? Display manufacturer Sintek Photonics has reportedly shipped samples of capacitive touch panels to Apple, which plans to incorporate the technology into the next generation of its iMac all-in-one desktops, Digitimes reports.

Starting early next month, Microsoft Security Essentials, Redmond's anti-malware service for Windows PCs, will be free for small businesses to install on up to 10 PCs.

As smartphones get bigger -- consider the pocket-busting Motorola Droid X and tablet-phone hybrid Dell Streak -- do they need a remote control of their own? Sony Ericsson thinks so.

Update - 2:55PM PDT: Facebook appears to be back up--at least for us here in PCWorld's San Francisco offices. The Facebook Twitter feed notes, "Facebook may be slow or unavailable for some people because of site issues. We're working to fix this quickly." We're trying to get some more information, and we'll post an update as soon as we know anything more. Our story as originally posted follows below:

It'll likely arrive someday, just not as soon as we'd like. Verizon Communications chief executive Ivan Seidenberg has tossed a bucket of icy water on smoldering rumors about a certain Apple smartphone coming to the largest U.S. wireless network.

Intel is testing a processor-upgrade program that may alienate the power users it hopes to attract. The Intel Upgrade Service pilot is a retail store offering that boosts the performance of select desktop PCs with the Pentium G6951 processor.