Stories by Edward N. Albro

Want Siri on your Android phone? Try these apps

Wouldn't you like to have your very own gofer dedicated to doing all the menial tasks you hate? That's a big part of the appeal of the iPhone 4S: Siri, the voice-driven virtual assistant, turns anyone with a couple hundred bucks into a CEO attended by a full-time lackey. But can you get the same kind of slavish devotion from an Android phone?

Will the iPad be as unbeatable as the iPod?

When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPad, many observers (including me) called it a big iPod Touch. We were talking about the similarities in design and functionality. But as time has gone on, I've started to think the iPad and the iPod may share another trait: Invincibility.

Google management shuffle: Right move, wrong guy?

Today's announcement that Google co-founder Larry Page would replace Eric Schmidt as the company's CEO was a surprise, but maybe it shouldn't have been. While the company's earnings are still stellar, Schmidt has made a series of embarrassing statements and the company has had some very public failures.

The hottest products at CES 2011 (so far)

We round up some of the coolest tech at CES 2011.

Google CR-48: Unboxed and started up

The CR-48 has landed! This morning, we received one of Google's first Chrome OS-powered laptops. As you'll see in our video, the CR-48 looks a lot like an old black Apple MacBook that's trying to sneak past customs -- it's all flat black with no stickers or even product logos anywhere to draw attention.

Beta watch: EmailOracle, FriendShuffle, Storify

EmailOracle: Inbox Spy

10 new search tools that complement Google

Search engines get to grips with Web 2.0

10 cool new technologies you need to check out

Instant-on access for any PC. A netbook with a detachable screen. And a cheaper way to get out from under your home mortgage. These and other creative Web services, software and hardware were introduced at the DEMO 09 conference.

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Technology for the obscenely wealthy

Planning on hitting the jackpot soon? From a gargantuan HDTV to your own flying car, here are nine new tech toys you'll want to decorate your life.

12 promising new Web sites and services

This week saw the battle of the Web 2.0 conferences, with 70 entrepreneurs presenting their ideas at Demo Fall 2008 in San Diego and 50 more making their pitch at TechCrunch50 in San Francisco. Some of the ideas are little more than a glimmer in a coder's eye, but others are already doing business, are in private beta, or are soon to launch. Here's a selection of our favourites.

First Reviews: iPhone 3G Improved, but Still Flawed

Is the iPhone 3G worth waiting in line for? Early reviewers of Apple's new smart phone are mostly positive, but they share some common gripes about battery life and two aspects of dealing with AT&T: the service-plan costs and the skimpy 3G coverage areas.

CES - Wi-Fi maturing as other networking options emerge

After a rocky start, the latest flavor of wi-fi, 802.11n, should come into its own this year, with prices for new equipment coming down significantly and lots of options for sale to add 802.11n technology without getting rid of your older gear. And networks will start to move from the crowded 2.4 GHz spectrum to the 5 GHz spectrum, where there's less danger of interference.

CES - Linksys hopes new designs, low prices boost 802.11n sales

With a sleek new antenna-less design and one router selling for less than US$100, Linksys hopes to breathe new life into what they admit have been disappointing sales of 802.11n products.

Customized Web Sites in About an Hour

The makers of both DotCool Inc. Builder 2 software ($30) and OhGolly.com Inc., a free Web site for small businesses, stress the ease of use of their respective Web page builders. To judge from their promotional material, you could load their software, seat a monkey at the keyboard, and watch him post a "Why I Love Bananas" home page within minutes.