You don’t have to buy the latest, top-of-the-line option every time you shop for technology. I know I risk being shunned by the nerd community for saying it, but there are times to splurge and times to save.

Mesa city employees are still dealing with a computer glitch that erased some documents and denied access to certain information.

Q: I had to get a new computer with Windows 7 because my old computer got so overloaded with junk programs. Any suggestions on how to avoid all the junk that seems to build up in computers these days? - Joel

November 29, 2004

December 25, 2004

Q. I am trying to find a computer that will be good for gaming, school, music and video (mostly gaming). I don’t want to go too expensive (around $500 to $600). Where should I go, and what’s the best on the market for that price? — Anthony

Q. What is the difference between viruses, worms and Trojans? — Patrick

Q: Are extended warranties on computers worth buying? — Tim

Purdue University scientists have taken a page from air conditioner technology in their quest for a new way to cool down ever-more powerful computer chips. Their experimental system, which flushes a refrigerant through tiny channels cut into chips, is intended for the high-power electronics found in radar and advanced weapons systems such as lasers, said Issam Mudawar, a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue.

The answers to Mesa’s crime problems could be in the numbers. CompStat — a statistics program that originated with the New York Police Department and made its way to the Los Angeles Police Department as a means to fight crime — has authorities here hoping they’ll be able to quickly identify trends and catch criminals.

At the Computex show in Taipei earlier this summer, leading manufacturers previewed the next generation of tablets, ultrabooks, hybrids and touch-screen technology designed to take advantage of Microsoft's touch-friendly Windows 8 operating system. Here are a few of the cool gadgets you can expect to see near the end of the year.

By now, the majority of New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside and if remembered at all, they are recalled in sentences like, "What was I thinking? Every time I organize my office, I cannot find anything for weeks!" So how about a few things that are easy to do and will make a difference in your computer life?

There's been a lot of talk about putting more information into the "cloud," though it hasn't exactly hit the mainstream.

Q: I've been thinking about using one of those programs that you see on TV that claim they can speed up my computer. Do they work? - Paula

Q: A friend got a virus in her computer, rendering it inoperable. She took it to a shop, which told her that the virus had destroyed her CPU and she would have to buy a new motherboard.

Q. I have a 2-year-old Windows computer that’s running really slow, and I’m trying to decide whether to update it or replace it since computers seem to be getting really cheap these days. Any suggestions? — Gene

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Silicon Valley's historic orchards have virtually disappeared but one notable fruit still stands: Apple. As the storied company celebrates its 30th birthday in a week, Apple Computer Inc. will have brushed off its bruises from product failures and arguably misguided decisions to emerge with a shine that's more than skin-deep.

Ken Colburn: Before you get too hyped up about the 64-bit revolution, let's make sure you aren't "buying a car based on the tachometer."

March 14, 2005

The recent success of Amazon's Kindle Fire has given Google hope that the small-screen, inexpensive tablet market is worth pursuing. Google has set the tech world abuzz by announcing its new Nexus 7 tablet, the result of a partnership with ASUS, a multinational computer hardware and electronics company.

Q. I recently purchased a new laptop with Vista. I am very frustrated with it, and since I have a new copy of XP professional I would like to dump Vista and load XP. How should I go about this? - Hugh

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it will keep selling a version of Windows XP for use on a new breed of low-cost computers for at least two years longer than the system will be available for mainstream PCs.

NEW ORLEANS - Consumers shouldn't be worried that Microsoft Corp.'s new security technology will wrest control of their PCs and give it to media companies, Bill Gates said Tuesday. They can always choose not to use it, he said.

Q. What do I need to do to be safe before I start preparing tax returns on my computer? — Amanda