More PCs In Depth

Continuing coverage: Microsoft Windows 8 -- News, analysis, opinion, blogs, more

Microsoft has unveiled the next generation of its flagship operating system, calling it a "reimagining" of Windows that will run on all types of devices from small, touch-sensitive screens to traditional large-screen PCs. Follow all the Windows 8 news, analysis, opinion, and blogs with our continuing coverage page.

Cash for clunkers: Old tech equipment boosts the bottom line

Rather than paying to recycle, you can get cash or credit for your used tech gear -- if you have a solid asset-management plan in place.

X1 Desktop Search

When was the last time you've used a search engine? If you are like most Internet users, it was probably less than an hour ago--possibly much less. But what about a local search engine for your own desktop, like X1 Desktop Search ($50, 14-day free trial)?

PC Upgrades Almost Everyone Does Wrong

Whether you're an experienced hand or a technophobic novice, chances are good that your last PC upgrade didn't exactly follow the industry's best practices. Many newbs flub upgrades through inexperience, but it's just as common to see a hardcore system builder throw caution to the wind while swapping out a CPU, snapping in some RAM, or swapping out a hard drive or graphics card. Whichever camp you fall into, cutting corners as you work on your computer puts it at risk of sustaining damage to sensitive components. In the worst case, you might even destroy the entire machine.

Changing of the Guard: Microsoft Falls to No. 3

Microsoft can react to being eclipsed in market value by Apple and IBM by either resigning itself to its fate or taking a cue from those that surpassed it.

The Best Web Apps and Online Services

Everyone seems to be moving into the cloud. With Web-based apps and online storage services that give us constant access to the most important data from all of our devices, we have more computing power at our disposal than ever before. Online productivity suites let you work with Office documents on your laptop or smartphone, and keep them perpetually available on the Web for easy access. Cloud streaming services make your entire music library available on any device you have handy, or let you tap into an unlimited supply of free tunes from a personalized online radio station. Web-based phone services allow you to call anyone in the world--with video--for next to nothing, and receive calls on any phone. You can even protect your PC with online antivirus apps.

Elgan: Here comes Amazon's 'Kindle for movies'

The stars are aligned for Amazon to come out with something millions of consumers are going to want: a high-quality, low-cost tablet appliance for watching movies.

Dirty little secrets of virtualization

How can you ensure the stability of your data center while at the same time taking maximum advantage of the flexibility of virtualization?

QuickPoll: Is RIM's PlayBook dead on arrival or an iPad killer?

RIM has launched its long-awaited PlayBook, and the first-looks and analysis pieces are just coming in. Does RIM's new tablet look like its DOA or an iPad killer to you?

Speed Up My Desktop PC's Hardware

Thumpergdi asked the Windows forum for advice on desktop hardware updates.

First look at Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft might not be the first name you think of when considering enterprise cloud offerings. But then again, the company does handle 10 billion Hotmail and Windows Live messages a day and has a 15-year history of deploying and managing massive data centers.

MS Word Tip: Adjust Your Document's Line Spacing

You wouldn't believe how often I get the same few questions about Microsoft Word. Perhaps the most common: "How do I change the line spacing?"

Automatic Capitalization

Walter Poole, complaining about recent writing habits, asked if it's possible to automate capitalization in Microsoft Word.

Create Slide Shows Quickly With DVD PixPlay

Unfortunately, DVD PixPlay Professional looks exactly like its less-expensive Standard edition, with the same drab interface. Luckily, however, this slide show-creation software also retains the ease of use that the Standard version offers, while also adding some handy features that will make it a worthwhile investment for business users.

Suave Font Riddle Puts Some Swing in Your Docs

We need a new soundtrack for the office, something strong enough to pry loose the earworm that is Jingle Bells as we prep for tax season. Our pick? "Only the Lonely," arranged by Nelson Riddle and recorded by Frank Sinatra on an album by the same name. Added bonus: the LP's cover lettering is the inspiration for Riddle, a brush script font that is about to help us stylishly organize a mountain of receipts.

Top tools for a well-maintained PC

It's not enough to keep your PC malware free -- there are also a number of maintenance tasks that will help it run efficiently. We recommend some utilities that will help.

Chinese Watch Shop: An Edgy Display Font

What do The Golem and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari have in common? They're the cinematic inspiration for our as-yet-unfilmed low-budget epic: The Lost Continent of January. Who cares what the storyline is? The scenery will be distressingly colorless, the actors wearily dreary, and the screen titles heart-breakingly hip thanks to Chinese Watch Shop, a typeface designed by Daniel Gauthier of Gaut Fonts. With its elongated, hand-drawn look, this TrueType font adds a forlorn and faintly creepy touch to your creations.

Solid Converter PDF

PDF files are a very mixed blessing. They're excellent for distributing good-looking documents with all the layout and text properties you want. But they're problematic as well, especially if you need to extract text from them, or to edit PDF documents. There's simply no easy way to do either. Solid Converter PDF ($80, 15-day free trial), offers an excellent solution to the problem. It takes PDF files, and converts them to Word documents--and does a superb job of it.

Do you know how much your IT costs?

Tight budgets and competition from cloud providers have intensified the pressure on internal IT to be more transparent -- and more competitive -- about costs. Fortunately there are tools to help.

Font Named for Doris Day Is Flirty and Fun

Bored with the usual characters at work? Cue Doris Day, a stylish little brush script from designer Mario Arturo. Named for the patron saint of romantic romps, Doris Day arrives loaded with thoroughly modern charm.