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Reports that Sun Microsystems Inc. was in talks with Archipelago Holdings Inc. to offer an electronic computer exchange that would enable corporations and other institutions to bid on computing resources.

Reports on the decision of Tulip Computers International to sell the patents and the Commodore computer brand to Yeahronimo Media Ventures.

Focuses on Hewlett-Packard's introduction of a low-cost computer in China.

Introduces Digital Lifestyles Group's hip-e, a desktop personal computer for teenagers. System configuration; Retail price; Interesting features.

Lists the top-selling desktop and notebook computers in the world market in second quarter of 2004.

Reports on IBM Corp.'s development of Kraken, a 20 teraflop supercomputer. Comparison with the Blue Ocean supercomputer; Construction cost and schedule; Enabling of researchers to improve their modeling of oceans and weather.

Reports the cancellation of the 2004 Comdex, the computer trade show that was once United State's largest trade show, as its owners cited the failure of the industry's largest companies to participate. History of the event; Rise of commercial Internet in the mid-1980s; Companies that have backed out from the event.

Reports that Intel, the largest chip maker and a bellwether stock of the technology industry, reported that its profit rose 16 percent because of healthy growth in the computer industry and strong demand for notebook computers. Comments of Andy Bryant, Intel's chief financial officer; Financial details; How the strong report is in stark contrast to Intel's situation a year ago; Stock performance; Views of analysts; Business forecasting for third-quarter revenue;.

Focuses on Burton J. Smith, founder and chief scientist of Tera, which bought the original Cray Research. Suggestion that the intellectual legacy of Seymour Cray, father of the modern supercomputer, is being revived; Cray's approach to building ultra-fast computers; Background on Cray's custom machines, known as vector supercomputers; Comments of Smith; Overview of the industry; Smith's ability to create a viable company.

In data-center computing, the big trend today is to move from building blocks to bundles. Suppliers are offering customers assembled bundles of hardware and software to make it easier and less expensive for customers to cope with the Internet-era surge in data -- an information flood coming from internal databases, but also from Web-based collaboration and smartphone applications, sensors that monitor electrical use, environmental contamination and food shipments, even biological and genetic research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers load them up with lots of free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you. That simple cleanup service is threatening the precarious economics of the personal computer industry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The personal computer industry is poised to sell tens of millions of small, energy-efficient Internet-centric devices. Curiously, some of the biggest companies in the business consider this bad news. In a tale of sales success breeding resentment, computer companies are wary of the new breed of computers because their low price could threaten PC makers' already thin profit margins. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents a question-and-answer advisory regarding computer systems.

Presents a question and answer advisory regarding the securities on shared personal computers and palm organizers. Assignment of a palm device names during the set up process; Synchronization of the address books for a two separate palm organizers; Profile and feature of a palm device; Insights on the outlined steps in the column on January 6 issue; Presentation of a print box from Microsoft Outlook that varies with the format of the message.

Reports that Apple computer introduced its first low-price Macintosh. Perception of computers as appliances by most American consumers; Cost and features of the new Mac mini, which is aimed at the needs of the digital household; Details of the new Apple strategy; How the move is in part propelled by Apple's success with its iPod digital music players; Comments of Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive; Impact of Apple's introduction of a low-priced machine on Microsoft's dominance in personal computers; Microsoft's move to turn PCs into entertainment centers; Views of analysts; Question of whether PC users will try Macintosh machines in large numbers; Background on the company and the role of co-founder Jobs. INSET: Different by Design.

Reports on the plan of Royal Philips Electronics NV to start selling personal computers in eight European countries.

Features MyReader, an electronic reader that scans text and displays it on a monitor in a size and format the reader specifies, developed by Concord, California-based Pulse Data. Capabilities; Pros and cons; Price.

Introduces the Fujitsu LifeBook T400 Tablet Personal Computer from Fujitsu Ltd. Physical description; Features; Pricing.

Introduces the iMac G5 computer from Apple Computer Inc. Design features; Color screen; Price.

Presents information about personal computers (PC) to guide buyers for the holiday season. Features of least expensive computers; Memory capacity of middle-of-the-road computers; PC makers that specialize in crafting desktop and laptop gaming systems that come with the fastest processors.

Profiles beta testers and the compensation they receive for testing online products such as Google's Gmail. Quotes from beta testers; How people are trading Gmail invitations on the internet and selling them on Ebay; Popularity of Gmail as an extension of Google's popularity.

Presents a question-and-answer advisory related to computers and DVD disc. Work on interactive language program; Usage of Outlook Express; Conversion of old motion pictures into DVD discs.

Reports that Apple Computer Inc. announced plans to launch a next-generation iMac desktop computer.

Discusses how, as printed manuals grow scarcer and features multiply in computers, electronic gadgets and software, consumers are increasingly on their own in learning what their devices can do. How basic functions, such as a light-up keyboard, can remain hidden from the user forever; Reactions of users to this trend; Scope of the task of technology-support professionals teaching people about what their machines can do; Reluctance of computer users to explore new features; Why electronics and software manufacturers have scaled back printed manuals; Examples of hidden features. INSET: Faster and More Efficient: Secrets Revealed.

Discusses how Intel Corporation is shifting its computer chip marketing strategy from the traditional speed message to highlighting an array of consumer-oriented features. Announcement of the company's three-chip suite that blends performance, wireless capability and multimedia audio and video features; Comments from Paul Otellini, the chief operating officer, regarding the plan to create new chips; Debate on how quickly the new design will be adopted by computer makers and if it will effect Intel.

Reports on plans by International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) to introduce server computers that behave more like mainframes and are priced as low as 1,500 dollars. Capabilities of such servers; Company's goal to ship the first of the server computers in May 2004; Claim by IBM that its technology promises to simplify the management of corporate data centers and improve the utilization rates of the server computers that run those data centers.

Reports on the decision of Hewlett-Packard Co. to sell server computers using the Opteron chip from Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Reports on the introduction of EMC Corp.'s new Symmetrix DMX data storage computers. Performance capacity of the new computers; Cost of the new computers.

Reports on the less expensive version of iPod digital music players introduced by Apple Computer Inc. Price of the iPod; Features of the player; Percentage market share of the company in commercial music downloads and digital music player market.

Reports that the Toshiba Corporation, under pressure from lower-price rivals like Dell and Hewlett-Packard, expects a larger loss in the first half of its fiscal year as part of its plan to overhaul its personal computer division. Attempts by Toshiba to recapture control of the market for laptop computers; Financial details; Comments of Tadashi Okamura, Toshiba's president and chief executive; Troubles that face Japan's personal computer makers.

Looks at the growing competition between Apple and Microsoft in the field of computer technology as of May 12, 2003.

Discusses trends in computer sales and different programs. World Wide Web which increased computer sales in the 1990's; Software programmers who have expanded what computers are capable of; Innovative programs which are projected to boost sales in 2003.

Discusses the 2003 product line of Apple computers. Discussion of iPhoto 2, iMovie 3, and iDVD 3; Mention of Safari, the Web browser said to be three times as fast as Microsoft's Internet Explorer; Discussion of a program similar to Microsoft's Powerpoint, Keynote.

Reports on the difficulties facing the personal computer (PC) industry. Less of a need for PC users to buy a new computer; Idea that computers are already more than fast enough to suit a typical home user's needs; Challenge of trying to persuade people to replace their existing machines; Prediction of Norman H. Nie that the cycle of upgrading PC's may be over.

Discusses the success of niche computer companies, despite the economic downturn in the United States. Success of niche computer companies, including Alienware Corporation; Sales in the personal computer industry; Idea that the computer industry is not consolidating according to the trend of other industries; Mention of other computer companies.

Reviews the tablet computer ViewPad 1000, from the ViewSonic Corporation. Mention of Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC edition; Suggested retail price of ViewPad 1000; Target audience; Battery life; Author's experience testing a model; Size and design; Features; Options for entering text; Advantages and drawbacks.

Focuses on the computer transactions performed by the author between computer peripherals that were not physically attached. Use of Bluetooth technology in the products, which enabled them to be connected; Description of Bluetooth technology; How the technology works.

Reports on the agreement in principle between computer manufacturers and local governments to set up a nationwide recycling program for computers in the U.S. as of April 22, 2002.

Discusses the price and quality of personal computers (PC) on the market as of November 2001. View that this is an ideal time to purchase a new PC, because prices have been steadily falling while features have improved; Factors in the trend of price reduction, including an economic slowdown; End of the two-year obsolescence cycle in PCs; Guide to purchasing a new PC, including discussion of functions such as digital photography and music.

Presents news briefs on the computer industry in the United States as of September 6, 2001.

Focuses on Ed Roberts, a doctor and former computer designer. His encounter with Bill Gates, co-founder of the software company Microsoft; How Roberts created the first personal computer as president of Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS); Partnership between MITS and Microsoft; Description of the Altair computer; Reason that Roberts sold MITS in 1977; His career as a small town doctor.

Presents the author's experience with computers. Purchase of his first home computer; His choice of an IBM computer; How computers were changing; Description of the computer and its operating system; His switch to a Macintosh computer.

Focuses on how computer company IBM plans to invest money in designing self-managing computers and networking products. How the plan, called Project Eliza, will focus on research in autonomous computing; Need for this type of computer; Challenge of designing computers for an Internet-driven economy.

Reviews Sony's Vaio Slimtop Pen Tablet PCV-LX900 desktop computer. Use of a stylus to draw on and tap icons on the screen; Suggestion that the computer is best for graphics programs, such as Illustrator, Freehand, and Photoshop; Cost.

Presents information on computer equipment, supplies and software in the United States as of January 2001.

Reports that as of December 15, 2000, Microsoft Corp. has announced that earning and revenue in the fourth quarter would be lower than previously projected because of weakening economic conditions. Impact of earnings warnings from the computer makers that are Microsoft's most prominent customers; Slowdown in personal computer sales; Delcine in corporate purchase of information technology; Lack of growth in demand for online advertising and its Internet service MSN.

Discusses the state of the computer industry, as of December 2000. Opinion of Michael Dell, chairman of Dell Computer, on the lack of reasons for a customer to purchase a new computer; Speculation on the reasons why there is slowing interest in computers and Internet-based retailing; Conversations that occurred during the annual technology conference sponsored by the investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston.

Focuses on Homebrew Computer Club, a computer and political activist organization founded by Gordon French and Frederick Moore Jr.; Information on the objective of the group; Impact of the club in industrial revolution; Brief profile of the founders; Details on their protest actions.

Discusses the future of computers as of late December 1998. Warning sounded by William H. Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp.; The debate over whether the shift in the industry is the beginning of a revolutionary transformation or an evolutionary progression; Digital epochs, including pre-mainframe, minicomputer and post-personal computer (PC).

Discusses the trend toward skinnier computer monitors and smaller telephones in the computer industry. Attendance at the Comdex trade show in 1998 compared to other years; Mobility as a major theme in electronic products; Smaller and lighter notebook computers; Views of Sean Kaldor, an analyst at International Data Corporation.