Asus

In Abu Dhabi, rulers grill tech and media gurus on monetization

ABU DHABI – News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch told government officials and financiers here Tuesday that the best way to grow a thriving media economy in the Middle East is to take risks. That, he said, will mean limiting censorship and opening up to foreign competition – even when it hurts.

Sure, the message was a little self-serving; Murdoch wants to expand his media empire in the burgeoning Middle East market, MORE

Apple is No. 1 in reliability survey

But Asus' computers are gaining fast on Macs in Rescuecom's fourth annual report

For the third year in a row, Apple (AAPL) has come in first in an annual survey of computer reliability conducted by Rescuecom, a national tech support company based in Syracuse, N.Y.

Rescuecom measures reliability by dividing each manufacturer's U.S. market share, as measured by IDC, by the percentage of calls requesting Rescuecom's service on each maker's machines.

Although Apple MORE

Apple's iPad vs. the netbooks

By 2011, Apple will have captured 7% of the low-end computer market, says an analyst

"We expect the iPad to compete very well against existing low-end notebooks and netbooks, particularly in the segment of the market where surfing, reading, game playing and emailing dominate the usage model."

So says Deutsche Bank's Chris Whitmore in a note released Sunday.

In fact, he writes, with the release of the iPad this spring, Apple (AAPL) will MORE

Beyond the netbook

The man behind the netbook craze

A few years ago rivals mocked Jonney Shih, chairman of Asustek, and his purse-size laptop computers. Millions of netbooks later, Shih is having the last laugh.

On a hillside above the Hsing Tian Kong temple in the northern reaches of Taipei, Jonney Shih sits on a wobbly stool next to an ornate low wooden table. Dressed in a taupe suit, white shirt, and silver tie emblazoned with jaguars, Shih, 57, cheerfully MORE

Nokia's netbook gamble [video]

Tiny computer tussle: HP vs. Acer

Who'll win over consumers this holiday season? We test-drive the newest netbooks and notebooks.

This Christmas expect small computer overload -- so many options, so little time (and money).  All the major computer manufacturers are coming out with lightweight 'net-connected laptops, and they're banking on big sales: The researchers at IDC expect some 160 million notebook computers to sell worldwide by the end of the year.

But which company will come out MORE

The best new gadgets for business

Our correspondent goes to a geekfest and reports back on five new tools you need now.

I was in gadgetry heaven.

The Pepcom Holiday Spectacular in New York Thursday night was buzzing -- and it wasn't just the sensation of mobile devices on vibrate mode.

With 80 companies -- from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)  to Samsung -- showing off their goods for the holiday season, the room pulsated with enthusiasm, competitiveness and innovation. It was MORE

MacBook back on top at Amazon

In a sign that should bode well for Apple's (AAPL) earnings in its third fiscal quarter -- which ended Saturday -- the MacBook has clawed its way back to the top of Amazon's (AMZN) bestseller lists.

The Mac, which once led the pack in the online retailer's Computers & PC Hardware Bestsellers category despite its $1,000 to $2,000 sticker prices, had fallen behind the blistering sales pace set by netbooks like MORE

AMEX vs. Amazon; Macs vs. netbooks

Here's a tale of two demographics.

If you list the five bestsellers in Amazon's "Computers and PC Hardware" category today, you get five netbooks -- three ASUS Eees and two ACER Aspire Ones. That's been the story pretty much all year.

If you list the five most popular items in "Computers and Software" on American Express's shopAmex site, you get four Apple (AAPL) products -- three MacBooks, one Apple TV and one MORE