Mark A. Kellner

KELLNER: Zenbook and the art of notebook computer shopping

For just $999, you can get a thinner-than-thin, lighter-than-most (only 2.42 pounds), notebook computer from ASUS that runs Microsoft Windows 7, connects to Wi-Fi and features almost all the comforts of your home or office desktop. Should you buy it?

December 7, 2011

KELLNER: A tale of 2 smartphones: Android and Windows

So, you want to give (or get) a smartphone for the holidays, but you're just not into Apple's iPhone. What to do? Samsung and Microsoft each want you to consider models running either the Google Android or Windows Phone 7.5 operating system.

November 30, 2011

KELLNER: Thankful for a ‘mere’ e-reader? Yes

If Amazon.com's Kindle Fire falls a bit short of ideal for a tablet computer, as I suggested here last week, another new Amazon product, the Kindle Touch, does quite well at its main purpose: serving as a quality e-book reader. The price is low if you're willing to tolerate some ads; it's reasonable if you want to be ad-free. Unlike the Kindle Fire, it has built-in 3G wireless for free downloading and synchronizing of e-books and, I imagine, digital magazines sold via Amazon.

November 23, 2011

Microsoft opens first area store

Repeating the words "immersive," "experiential" and "interactive" so often it almost became a mantra, Mika Yamamoto showed off Microsoft Corp.'s brand-new 7,701-square-foot installation, opening Thursday at Tysons Corner Center.

November 16, 2011

KELLNER: Kindle Fire may please entry level tablet users

If you could get almost all of the cool functions of Apple Inc.'s $500 (and up) iPad tablet for only $199, and in what may seem a handier size, would you take it?

November 16, 2011

KELLNER: Wishing doesn’t make it so, even for a nice tablet computer

At first encounter, the HTC JetStream tablet computer can be as captivating as a young Audrey Hepburn first contemplating the display windows of Tiffany & Co. in New York City. Its 32 GB of memory, stunning 10-inch color screen and touch interface all impress.

November 9, 2011

KELLNER: An iPhone 4S for all seasons

This is the kind of news that could give a GPS maker or a seller of small digital cameras "agita," an Italian word for heartburn.

November 2, 2011

KELLNER: T-Mobile’s pitch: Take our smartphones, please

While federal regulators and courts weigh the pluses and minuses of a proposed merger with AT&T, the onetime "landline" wired long-distance titan, the folks at T-Mobile have a message for you: Take our smartphones, please.

October 26, 2011

KELLNER: Sound thinking can lead to audio bliss

I've said this before, but it's worth repeating: There's a lot of worth in considering the impact of music on today's technology - and tomorrow's.

October 19, 2011

KELLNER: The computer is dead; long live the tablet

Roughly 30 years after the first IBM Personal Computer began arriving, en masse, in homes and offices around the planet, perhaps it's time for many of us to say goodbye.

October 12, 2011

KELLNER: Apple’s iPhone 4S — buy or wait?

Tuesday's Apple Inc. news conference, which launched a rather improved iPhone 4 model, the iPhone 4S, apparently was a letdown to a number of consumers and industry pundits.

October 5, 2011

KELLNER: An iPad-keyboard combo for my travels

Coming to the end of two weeks overseas, I'm writing on a small portable with a screen whose diagonal measure is slightly less than 10 inches. Typing is largely a breeze, thanks to the fold-down keyboard. And battery life is superb, I'm estimating the better part of 10 hours.

September 28, 2011

KELLNER: Tiny camera soars in ancient, high-tech world

If history can repeat itself in ancient and storied Jerusalem, maybe tech experiences can be repeated, too. Seven years ago, your columnist was here and was grateful to carry a relatively small digital camera that took pictures whose quality was quite good.

September 21, 2011

KELLNER: $300 laser printer raises question of necessity

Right now, $299.99 will get you Hewlett Packard Co.'s LaserJet Pro 100 MFP 175nw printer, a networkable color laser printer that is smaller than many previous incarnations, and at 35.5 pounds a lighter unit than many others. You can find this bargain at Staples or at Best Buy. Order directly from HP and expect to pay $50 more.

September 14, 2011

KELLNER: OnStar mirror reflects poor technology grasp

The General Motors Co., in the form of its OnStar LLC subsidiary, would like you to hie yourself to your nearest Best Buy and plunk down $300 for a new rearview mirror for your car.

September 7, 2011

KELLNER: Avoiding high-priced ‘anti-virus’ scam

A reader in Chantilly received a bit of a shock about three weeks ago, and then got what nearly became a very expensive online education. One of the latest scams, or rip-offs if you prefer, to hit computer users via the Internet is an "anti-virus" scam, where slick operators promise to fix your computer online, and maintain it for two years, all for the "low" price of just under $270.

August 31, 2011

Jobs’ legacy likely to endure

Whatever happens to Apple Inc. in the post-Steve Jobs era, the legacy of its enigmatic, charismatic co-founder appears secure.

August 25, 2011

KELLNER: Peripheral thinking can yield great results

Whatever you buy when you buy a computer, the main system itself is but one aspect of the purchase. There are, even a novice will soon discover, accessories and add-ons that make a simple PC into a truly useful tool.

August 24, 2011

KELLNER: HP offers an also-ran tablet computer

For $399, Hewlett-Packard Co. will sell you a 16 gigabyte tablet computer called the HP TouchPad. Along with that amount of storage, you get a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, a 9.7-inch XGA-quality display (1024 by 768 pixel resolution), and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. There's a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video calling and what the maker says are "internal stereo speakers and Beats Audio," the latter promising sound enhancements.

August 17, 2011

KELLNER: MacBook Air flies out of store, with good reason

A chance visit to the Apple Inc. retail store in Columbia, Md., on Sunday revealed some interesting behavior: Many customers - three to five whom I could see during my time there - were walking out with the firm's recently relaunched MacBook Air, a portable computer whose price starts at $999.

August 10, 2011