Stories by Alex Cocilova

While there’s a lot more going on under hood, touch control is the singular Windows 8 feature that fundamentally changes how you interact with your notebook, tablet, or desktop PC.

Part one of a two-part series. For a contrarian view, see "Why smartphones are the rightful kings of social media."

Have you picked up your laptop lately? If it's getting long in the tooth, it's probably as heavy as it is slow. Fortunately there's no better time to look for a more portable and modern machine than during the holidays. Even if you can't find a year-end deal on the particular model that interests you, you'll be able to impress family and friends when you whip out your new laptop at holiday gatherings.

13 new Windows machines that aren't Surface RT

Windows 8 comes preloaded with plenty of apps for basic productivity and entertainment, but they're not necessarily the best you can do. We've already mentioned the apps you should download first, but now we want to share some third-party apps that you might like more than what Microsoft includes in its basic Windows 8 installation.

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet has been consuming daily news cycles lately, but there are plenty of other manufacturers fighting for attention as we approach the Windows 8 launch day on Oct. 26. Luckily, Microsoft's partners (we can still call them that, right?) are all providing some truly unique and intriguing hardware options. They're not getting the attention of Surface RT, but who knows, maybe one of the following 13 machines is really the new Windows device to beat. After all, we only gave Surface RT 3.5 stars out of a scale of 5. We start our tour of Surface alternatives with the Asus Vivo Tab RT, shown here.

Microsoft built its identity on software development. Just refer to the name, and pay special attention to the "soft." But throughout its storied history, the company has progressively become much more of a multi-discipline workshop, producing physical gear alongside ethereal software code. And now we have the Surface RT tablet, the perfect springboard to recount some of the most memorable (and forgettable) products in Microsoft's hardware history.

Consider them PC peripherals on the periphery of industrial design.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y580 delivers serious power at a price that won't break the bank. On the other hand, it might break your back, weighing a hefty 6.2 pounds (not including accessories). But for comfort-be-damned power users, the Y580 will be well worth its $1099 price.

Vizio is no stranger to our lab, but its first desktop PC entry--the Vizio CA27-A1 all-in-one--shines bright.

We get lots of functional, pretty all-in-one desktops through the PCWorld Labs, and the ET2701 INKI is Asus's latest entry. This high-definition, 27-inch system, priced at $US1299 (as of 7/9/2012), is equipped with one of Intel's newest and fastest processors plus a discrete Nvidia graphics chip.

As all-in-one desktops go, the HP Omni 27-1015t is a fairly standard entry. Though the screen is large and attractive, overall this machine lacks the “wow” factor necessary for it to stand out among the competition.