Stories by: Melissa J. Perenson

Nearly a decade after USB 2.0 was first introduced, this practically ubiquitous technology is poised for its first major upgrade in years. Symwave, a semiconductor startup, and hard-drive maker Seagate are showing the first working demonstration of SuperSpeed--otherwise known as USB 3.0-- at CES 2009. The company's demo setup includes an adaptation of an external Seagate FreeAgent hard drive equipped with the new interface, and shows the high read/write throughput and streaming video performance potential of USB 3.0.

At first glance, the T-Mobile G1 (US$179) doesn't seem to merit much attention. It looks like just another bland, HTC-manufactured phone. But use the G1--the first phone to run Google's Android operating system -- for 5 minutes, and you'll start to see why it's one of the best-designed phones you can buy. Not only is the G1 intuitive to use, but its customization options (via Android) makes it a tweaker's delight.

Adobe's Acrobat software has evolved beyond merely reading Adobe's Portable Document Format files. With the new Acrobat 9, Adobe adds features that elevate Acrobat to a potential must-have application for business and individuals alike.

By now Toshiba's decision to [[ArtId:1019495862 | no longer develop]], manufacture, or market HD DVD players and recorders is public knowledge. What's next for the company, and for consumers who bought into the format it supported? A close look at Toshiba's press release reveals some answers.

E-books have emerged from the shadows with Amazon's launch this week of its US$399 Kindle e-book reader and service.

Mere days after a group of Blu-ray-supporting studios orchestrated an event to show off the Blu-ray Disc format in Los Angeles, the HD DVD format achieved a dramatic resurgence with Toshiba's move to a $100 player. Never let it be said that consumers don't love a bargain--but will price alone decide this format war?

It's ironic: The copy protection created to stop the illegal copying of DVDs is the same technology that has prevented users from legally downloading paid-for content and then burning it to a DVD for playback in their living rooms. At the time the copy-protection rules were created, they had no provision for user recording of protected content to a recordable DVD, as opposed to a factory-replicated DVD-ROM.

Touch-screen control, WiFi, and a screen that's finally worth watching video on. But storage suffers, with only 8- and 16GB versions available

Seagate jumps into the 1 terabyte hard drive fray with its Barracuda 7200.11, announced Monday and due to ship in the third quarter of 2007. The company is second-to-market with a single drive that pakcs 1TB of storage; rival Hitachi came out in the spring.

For months, we've heard how bullet-proof the new Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is. This is the system used in Blu-ray and HD DVD discs to protect content stored on disc from illegal duplication.

A little more than a year ago the first 3-pound ultralight projectors using Texas Instruments Inc.'s Digital Light Processing technology appeared. This week at Comdex companies displayed even smaller projectors that shatter the 3-pound barrier, as well as a few noteworthy but slightly heavier models.