Stories by: Brian Nadel

Being thin never seems to go out of style, and the latest notebooks take this ideal to a new extreme. Called Ultrabooks, these devices are thinner, sleeker and lighter than the typical laptop, yet they offer a long battery life and a full set of features.

Buried inside many of the latest smartphones is a capability that few people take advantage of. A feature called tethering lets a phone go beyond talk, email and Web surfing to act as a mobile hotspot that can supply Web access to nearby computers, tablets and other devices.

This is the second half of a two-part series on technology breakthroughs that have the potential to change computing. Last week, we looked at five chip-level innovations that will make electronic devices faster, more powerful, more flexible and less expensive to manufacture. This week, we explore advances in how we access the Net, how we power our devices and how we interact with them.

Imagine a world with electronic devices that can power themselves, music players that hold a lifetime of songs, self-healing batteries, and chips that can change abilities on the fly. Based on what's going on in America's research laboratories, these things are not only possible, but likely.

Known for its straightforward business laptops, Lenovo is adding a touch of style with its new ThinkPad X1. The ultrathin laptop will be available May 24th for a starting price of US$1,399.

Because of its association with the BlackBerry brand, Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook will appeal to businesspeople, but on arrival it lacks many corporate must-haves, such as email and 3G wireless data. In fact, it feels like it was rushed to market.

While tablets such as Apple's iPad and Motorola's Android-based Xoom are continuing to attract popular attention, there are many workplaces that are still based around Microsoft Windows. Unfortunately, Windows 7 isn't really optimized for use in tablets, and it looks like the next version won't be out for another year. So what can people who want to use Windows on a tablet do?

A headset can do more than keep your hands on the wheel while you're on the phone. It can free you to take notes while talking with a client, sip coffee during a conference call or even doodle while waiting on hold. In other words, a headset today is essential equipment for anyone who spends a lot of time talking on a mobile phone.

Need an always-on mobile phone with access to the Internet regardless of the patchwork of cell network coverage? The TerreStar Genus is an innovative smartphone that can not only make and take regular cell calls, but also connect with a satellite anywhere in North America, all with one phone number.

Mobile workers who need always-on Internet access -- and who don't want to rely on public Wi-Fi hot spots -- often turn to a cellular network for connectivity, using either a 3G-equipped notebook or an external 3G modem. Now carriers are touting faster fourth-generation wireless networks as the next phase of mobile computing. But to make use of the new networks, you have to buy a 4G-capable device or modem and a new, often more-expensive service plan.