Stories by: Edward N. Albro

As everybody knows, the most striking thing about Windows 8 is its Metro interface - those brightly colored tiles that serve as both shortcuts to programs and live widgets reporting data from those programs.

Whenever a new version of Windows comes out, I'm always ambivalent. The idea of a new OS with cool, new features sounds great. Going through the long, sometimes mystifying upgrade process doesn't. But the Windows 8 Consumer Preview seemed so compelling that I threw caution to the wind and put it on an older Dell desktop I use at work.

Wouldn't you like to have your very own gofer dedicated to doing all the menial tasks you hate? That's a big part of the appeal of the iPhone 4S: Siri, the voice-driven virtual assistant, turns anyone with a couple hundred bucks into a CEO attended by a full-time lackey. But can you get the same kind of slavish devotion from an Android phone?

When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPad, many observers (including me) called it a big iPod Touch. We were talking about the similarities in design and functionality. But as time has gone on, I've started to think the iPad and the iPod may share another trait: Invincibility.

Today's announcement that Google co-founder Larry Page would replace Eric Schmidt as the company's CEO was a surprise, but maybe it shouldn't have been. While the company's earnings are still stellar, Schmidt has made a series of embarrassing statements and the company has had some very public failures.

We round up some of the coolest tech at CES 2011.

The CR-48 has landed! This morning, we received one of Google's first Chrome OS-powered laptops. As you'll see in our video, the CR-48 looks a lot like an old black Apple MacBook that's trying to sneak past customs -- it's all flat black with no stickers or even product logos anywhere to draw attention.

Much of the success of any mobile operating system comes down to one thing: It's the apps, stupid. The first crop of Windows Phone 7 apps mirror some of the strengths and weaknesses of the OS itself. They have an uncluttered and visually interesting design, but they can sometimes be a hassle to navigate.

EmailOracle: Inbox Spy

Search engines get to grips with Web 2.0