Everybody loved the sleek design of Ferraris in the late 1960s, back when cars were the coolest gadgets around.

So it was monumental when Datsun introduced the 240Z in 1969 -- a Japanese sports car with Italian looks for less than half the price. It wasn't as exquisitely handcrafted, but the 240Z looked great, ran well and a lot of people could afford one.

That helped convince Americans that Datsun -- now Nissan -- and Japanese carmakers really could build sexy machines and not just boxy, cheap sedans.

There's a new generation of laptops appearing this holiday season that may have a similar effect on the Windows PC industry, which in recent years has fallen under the shadow of Apple's glamorous new hardware.

These laptops blatantly lift design cues from Apple's MacBook Air, an elegant, impossibly thin wedge of aluminum that first appeared in 2008, and they're approaching half the Air's price.

Intel calls them Ultrabooks, a brand PC makers can use if they meet Intel's criteria. Ultrabooks basically have to be thinner than a finger; run five to eight hours on a battery charge; use Intel's latest mobile processors; and have a solid-state hard drive, or SSD.

The SSD, which is like a big version of the memory card in a digital camera, is crucial because it improves performance and startup times.

I've been testing one of the first Ultrabooks, the Acer Aspire S3 (left), which takes only a few seconds to wake from sleep and less than a minute to reboot.

It's a beautiful laptop with a brushed aluminum cover, a 13.3-inch screen and a total thickness of about a half an inch. Closed, it looks like it could be a Web tablet, and it makes mini-netbooks look chunky. At 3 pounds it weighs about the same as a MacBook Air. (Below are pictures of the S3 with a Kindle Fire and a pencil)

Inside the S3 runs Windows 7 Home Premium on a second-generation Intel Core i5 processor.

There's also a dual drive system -- a 20 gigabyte SSD plus a 320 gig standard hard drive.

Blended drive setups will appear on several new Ultrabooks. It's a way for PC makers to provide the performance boost of an SSD without the crazy expense of a full-sized Flash hard drive. A spokesman for drive-maker Seagate said its new hybrid drives add only $30 to $60 to the cost of a standard laptop drive at retail.

There are other ways that PC makers are trying to keep Ultrabook costs down.

The S3 has "chiclet" style keys similar to the MacBook Air. There's a bit of wiggle in the keys and I was concerned about the small space bar and Enter key, but I could type reasonably fast without misfires. The keyboard felt just right to my wife and daughter, who have smaller hands.

With more plastic parts, it doesn't have the exquisite, machined feel of the Air. It also lacks the fast, new USB 3.0 ports (it has two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI port) and full SSD drives used on some other Ultrabooks.

But these things depend on your perspective. If you're upgrading from a thick, standard laptop, the S3 or other Ultrabooks may be thrilling.

Keep in mind, though, that the S3 and other ultrathin laptops don't have DVD drives. If it will be your only computer, you may need to connect an external DVD drive at some point.

The S3 lists for $900, but I've noticed some discounters are already selling it for just under $850. That's expensive, especially when you can get really powerful laptops for $400 to $700, and Thanksgiving sales are just around the corner.

Still, the S3 looks like a deal if you've been pining for an ultrathin laptop and unwilling or unable to pay for one. Windows PC makers have made gorgeous, thin laptops for years, but they're usually aimed at executives and cost $1,500 or more.

A 13-inch MacBook Air costs $1,299 to $1,599, for models with 128 or 256 gigabytes of SSD storage.

You could say that the S3 and other Ultrabooks are just copying the Air.

That's partly true.

Also at play is the cost curve. Premium components that Apple used to build such a thin machine are coming down in price. That's enabling other PC makers to build similar systems and sell them for $1,000 or less. If component prices keep falling, most laptops eventually may look like this.

Intel expects 40 percent of consumer notebooks sold by the end of 2012 will be Ultrabooks. But research firm IDC says that's optimistic; it's predicting they'll take 16 to 19 percent of the consumer laptop market next year.

With consumers paying an average of $686 for laptops nowadays, according to IDC, Ultrabook prices need to fall before they take off, said IDC Vice President Bob O'Donnell. "The issue is this first batch is really expensive, unfortunately -- too expensive," he said. "In my view it needs to be $799 or less before it really gets attention from people."

O'Donnell said the combination of Ultrabooks and Windows 8 will be appealing, in part because the new operating system will further improve startup times.

Another research firm, HIS iSuppli, projected Ultrabook sales will grow from 1 million this year to 136.5 million in 2015.

For now, Intel's requirements for Ultrabooks -- especially the SSDs -- are a challenge for PC makers trying to lower prices, O'Donnell said. He met last week with Taiwanese manufacturers who are working on "Ultrabook class" systems with less expensive components that don't quite meet Intel branding standards.

Perhaps Intel will be more flexible with processor prices. It's about to introduce the next generation of the "Core" processors that are the basis of its Ultrabook strategy. These processors, code-named "Ivy Bridge," are supposed to have better performance, power savings and improved graphics.

Ivy Bridge PCs will go on sale in the first half of 2012. It's a safe bet that laptops and tablets built on the platform will be shown in January at the Consumer Electronics Show. Apple's also likely to upgrade its computers to the new processors.

Having "old" and "new" processors on the market could lead to a broader range of prices for Ultrabooks and they'll all be upgradeable to Windows 8.

Meanwhile, the S3 is worth a look if you're in the market for a laptop, especially if you need a fast, light, full-powered Windows PC. It's not the Ferrari of laptops, but it's still a pretty nice ride.

It looks like the long-awaited tablet computers from Amazon.com will launch next Wednesday.

The company has scheduled a press conference in New York that day, the same place it unveiled its Kindle e-reader.

Amazon is expected to begin selling color, touchscreen tablets bases on Google's Android platform but with a new interface. The tablets would connect directly to Amazon services such as it's streaming music and video services.

Amazon hasn't said much of anything about the device but a TechCrunch blogger spent time with an early version, according to a Sept. 2 report. It said the first tablet will cost $250, have a 7-inch screen and come bundled with Amazon Prime service that provides free shipping on products and streaming video.

Apple will continue dominating the Web tablet market until 2014, according to a new report from research firm Gartner.

The firm poured cold water on the prime challengers, saying Android tablets are selling slower than expected because of their shortcomings and Windows 8 tablets are too late to win over consumers.

Global tablet sales are on fire. Gartner predicted 63.6 million tablets will be sold this year, up 261 percent from the 17.6 million sold last year.

Growth will be strong through 2015, when the firm expects sales to reach 326.3 million units. By then, the line between Web tablets and PCs will blur as Windows-based tablets will be on the market, but Gartner's forecast blends both platforms.

Apple's share of the Web tablet market will fall about 10 percent this year, to 73 percent, but it will continue to hold more than 50 percent of the market share until 2014, the firm said.

Google's Android platform will account for 17.3 percent of the market this year, up slightly from its 14.3 percent share last year, the firm said.

Android's growth is slower than expected and Gartner lowered its growth forecast by 28 percent. It would have lowered it further if it weren't for strong sales of low-end tablets in Asia and expectations that Amazon.com will release an Android tablet this year.

"So far, Android's appeal in the tablet market has been constrained by high prices, weak user interface and limited tablet applications," analyst Carolina Milanesi said in the release.

Gartner's cool to the prospects of tablets based on Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system. It said buzz generated at the company's Build conference last week "might be short-lived if Microsoft's push to use the new OS across devices comes at a compromise in usability. Moreover, the late arrival might limit its appeal, especially to consumers, as Apple and Android will be more entrenched by then."

The firm sees the biggest opportunity for Windows 8 tablets in large copmanies where IT departments will like the way it works with other Microsoft products.

Research In Motion's new QNX platform is "promising" but it will be a challenge for RIM to attract app developers while it's under pressure to maintain its smartphone business, Gartner said.

A chart included with the release:

With all the excitement over Windows 8 last week, one major new feature was almost overlooked.

That would be the arrival of an online sign-in system.

When you first start using a Windows 8 PC -- which much of the world likely will do within a few years -- you'll be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft online account, linking your PC to the company's data centers. By doing so, you'll be among hundreds of millions of people feeding data to Microsoft's online business group, which may finally give the scale to seriously compete with Google's search and advertising business.

You won't have to sign in this way, and you'll still be able to operate the PC as you do today.

But if you decline the digital handshake, Windows 8 won't do some of its cooler tricks, such as the ability to sign in to any Windows 8 computer and have it display and run your settings and applications.

You'll also miss out on new "Metro" style applications designed for its new tiled interface and file-sharing capabilities.

Microsoft really is boldly re-imagining Windows, and not just for mobile devices that will challenge the iPad.

The company also is pushing Windows -- the software that powers most of the world's personal computers -- to become a connected service and portal to applications running through its global network.

I'm not revealing a secret. Microsoft Server and Tools President, Satya Nadella, spelled it out Wednesday in a quote that topped that day's news release.

"In today's world of connected devices and continuous services, we are focused on helping developers build the next generation of client applications that are tethered to a back-end cloud," he said.

This may be a little disconcerting, if you like to think your PC is still personal and your computing is somewhat private.

But a Microsoft manager I talked with said logging in to online services makes Windows 8 more personal because that personalizes the system.

Pulling in your online connections also populates applications and communications features with your friends, family and other contacts.

Microsoft really is just catching up in this regard. It's also offering more privacy choices than you get with today's leading devices.

You can't use Apple's iPad or Google's Chrome computers without signing in to an account and linking the devices to those companies' networks.

Nor do you have much choice about signing in with smartphones. If you want them to be smart, you must create an account with one of the online giants. And they all use information about you to deliver advertising at some point.

Then, there's the Kindle and upcoming Android tablets from Amazon.com, the grand master of targeted marketing. You can't use its hardware at all without agreeing to let the company analyze usage, so it can continually tune its merchandising.

People sometimes get upset when they discover they're being profiled this way.

But almost everyone automatically clicks "agree" when their gadgets and apps ask if they mind sharing digital footprints. Sometimes that's the only choice to get what you expect from your expensive device.

Few really seem to care anymore that they're trading personal information for free services such as Web search, email and photo sharing.

It's more convenient to stay logged in all the time. Consumer websites just seem to work better that way, and you get to do tricks like click to share things through Facebook or see which friends are online and ready to chat.

Windows 8 lights up in all sorts of ways when you sign into Microsoft services.

Thankfully for Luddites and the anti-social, it also works fine if you don't.

I tried the untethered approach on a Samsung Windows 8 demo tablet, setting it up without signing in to an online account.

I also changed the privacy settings, declining to "allow apps to use my location" and "allow apps to use my name and account picture."

The desktop still had the new Metro style and most of the app tiles on the home screen worked fine, including the browser and widgets for displaying the weather, stocks and news feeds.

This test proved the system will work for anti-social networkers and others who prefer to use a computer that's not tethered to Microsoft's online network. But your homescreen won't flash images of your Facebook friends and other linked services.

Going this route also hobbles the breezy, simple tool for sharing files, a marquee feature of a system designed for the era of social networking. "Share" is one of the five primary control buttons on its new vertical control panel.

But I'm not sure everyone's ready for this much sharing.

Given the trend toward devices that are bound to commerce systems, it's refreshing Microsoft's giving you a choice. This makes a great-looking operating system even more appealing.

So let's hope by the time Windows 8 computers go on sale next year, and the wave of Metro applications appear, people still feel like it's a reasonable option to stay untethered.

Here's the desktop running untethered, after declining to sign-in and turning the "share" features off:

Here's the desktop running tethered - signed into Windows Live and sharing enabled. It has minimal personalization at this point, mostly just Twitter and Facebook feeds:

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- If you're interested in the Windows 8 tablet that Microsoft and Samsung developed and gave away at the Build conference, here's how to get one yourself.

Microsoft ordered 5,000 of the demo systems and they're gone.

But Samsung is going to begin selling the same device next month in the U.S. for $1,099. It will have the same configuration -- a 64 gigabyte solid-state hard-drive, Intel's second-generation Core i5 processor, a charging dock, stylus and Bluetooth keyboard -- but will come with Windows 7.

It has an 11.6" widescreen display, it weighs about 2 pounds and is a half-inch thick.

A Samsung representative said the system can be loaded with the preview version of Windows 8 that Microsoft began distributing for free on Tuesday night. It's unclear whether the same hardware will be shipped next year when Windows 8 is done, by which time hardware and component prices will have changed.

You won't get the demo apps built by Microsoft interns last summer, though, and you won't be able to load more Metro apps until Microsoft launches the new Windows Store.

If you take this plunge, make sure you've got a way to restore Windows 7, in case the preview software expires or gets glitchy.

UPDATE: A Microsoft spokeswoman noted that the Windows 7 version of the device doesn't have some of the extra sensors included on the Windows 8 demo systems and support for WWAN cell service like the demo units given to developers, which came with an AT&T SIM card and a year of free 3G service.

However, I just learned from Samsung that the slates it's selling next month do have a SIM card slot and support HSPA service and faster 4G WiMax service.

Here's the Samsung device with Windows 7 running -- it already makes me miss Windows 8:

A close-up of the desktop with Windows 7:

NEW: Here are some images from Samsung:

For comparison, here's the same hardware running Windows 8:

The new on-screen keyboard in Windows 8:

Here are the specs for the Samsung "Series 7 Slate" and prices:

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Samsung Windows 8 demo tablet that Microsoft handed out at the Build conference was just the beginning.

PC and chip makers at the event are showing an array of different prototype tablets running the new operating system, including tablets built on mobile ARM processors like those used in mobile phones and the iPad.

Texas Instruments is showing Windows 8 running on prototype systems based on the same processor that powers the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet:

Here's a tablet based on Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core ARM processor, which began shipping last month. It's going to be used on Android tablets going on sale later this year and Windows 8 systems next year.

The Nvidia system from the side:

Here's a system running Intel's upcoming 32 nanometer Atom system-on-chip hardware. An Intel rep said Windows 8 tablets with this hardware should be available for under $400:

Here's an Asus Intel i5 tablet that's now on sale with Windows 7. Intel loaded it with Windows 8:

Here's the Asus tablet from the side:

AMD brought tablets running its C50 hardware:

And AMD's MZ01 hardware:

Microsoft's booth has numerous desktops running Windows 8:

Windows 8 was also running on large, wall-mounted displays:

Apparently the Windows 8 Metro tile interface also scales up to signage systems:

Hewlett-Packard flip-flopped today, saying that it's going to produce more TouchPad tablets after all.

The company abruptly announced on Aug. 18 that it was killing the TouchPad product line after dismal early sales. But sales picked up after the price was cut to $99, from $499, to clear out remaining inventory.

That prompted HP to announce today that it's going to produce "one last run" of TouchPads, which may be available in a few weeks. Pricing wasn't disclosed.

An excerpt of the announcement:

Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand. We don't know exactly when these units will be available or how many we'll get, and we can't promise we'll have enough for everyone.

HP said a "limited quantity" will be produced during the quarter ending Oct. 31.

I wonder if the company is also trying to appease the Taiwanese factories that were stuck with parts of perhaps another 100,000 TouchPads, according to a DigiTimes story. It said HP was going to honor its commitments to its Taiwanese partners, who also manufacture its computers.

The DigiTimes story said the parts were for a 7-inch model of the TouchPad that wasn't released before HP scuttled the line.

It reminds me of the way Verizon reintroduced Microsoft's short-lived Kin phones last fall, before they all ended up at the Dollar Store.

If you're not among the crowd waiting for the next iPhone, Research in Motion today announced the first three BlackBerry smartphones based on its new BlackBerry 7 operating system.

Simultaneously, Qualcomm announced new branding for its Snapdragon mobile hardware, which could make it easier for people to choose between the flood of new smartphones and tablet devices coming to market. Its new branding will also likely help people shopping for Windows 8 devices next year.

Qualcomm's S1 category will have single-core processors with speeds up to 1 gigahertz, according to a writeup at EE Times.

The S2 will also be single-core, up to 1.4 GHZ and support 720p video and stereoscopic 3D displays.

The S3, used in the HTC Evo 3D and HP TouchPad, will go up to 1.5 GHz and have dual-core options.

The upcoming S4 line will be dual or quad-core, run at up to 2.5 GHz and support LTE networks.

I'll bet the S4 will be used in upper-end Windows 8 tablet PCs when they appear next year. Qualcomm has been a key partner for Microsoft on both Windows Phone 7 and the development of full versions of Windows that will run on mobile hardware.

The EE Times report said 20 companies are developing Snapdragon-based tablets, among 375 current and future devices using the hardware.

RIM reportedly used Snapdragon for its new BB7 devices, but it's not using the new branding or even calling out the chip manufacturer in its release today. That may be because the devices were delayed when RIM made a late switch to Qualcomm's platform.

Still to come -- next year perhaps -- are phones based on RIM's QNX operating system, which is used in its PlayBook tablet.

The new phones announced today all have touchscreens and two have hard keypads. They include the Bold 9900 -- at 10.5 millimeters, the thinnest BlackBerry yet -- plus two Torch models. The Torch 9810 has a slideout keypad and 3.2-inch screen, and the Torch 9850 has a 3.7-inch touchscreen (and a little curve like the HTC MyTouch phones ...).

RIM claims that the phones' browsing is up to 40 percent faster than BlackBerry 6 phones and 100 percent faster than BlackBerry 5 models, because of their faster hardware, new OS and improved WebKit browser engine.

They're supposed to be available from wireless companies later this month.

Component manufacturers may have spilled the beans on the tablet computers that Amazon.com is expected to release later this year, giving the company an iPad-like gadget to sell alongside its Kindle.

The devices will launch in August or September, in time for the Black Friday holiday sales kickoff after Thanksgiving, according to a report from Taiwan's DigiTimes.

Amazon's device will be assembled by Quanta Computer and have processors from Texas Instruments, touch panels from Wintek, LCD drivers from ILI Technology, according to the report.

It said 700,000 to 800,000 units are expected to ship per month and noted that the device will play movies streamed by Amazon.

I've asked for comment from the company next door but haven't heard back yet. Most likely it will decline to say anything at this point.

Speculation about Amazon producing an Android-based tablet has increased since the company began operating an Android app store in March.

In Monday's column, I wrote about how Amazon is likely to take a path similar to Barnes & Noble, which started out trying to add computer-like features to its first e-reader but has now decided on a two-tiered approach with its Nook, offering a low-end black and white model and a higher-end color version that's morphed into an Android tablet.

A strong voice joined the chorus saying that Apple will release the iPhone 5 in September. Bloomberg's reporting that the device is coming with a more powerful chip and an 8 megapixel camera, up from the current 5 megapixel version.

Apple's also testing a new iPad with a higher resolution screen like the one used in the current iPhone, the report said.

It cites "two people familiar with the product" and said Apple declined to comment.

But the report comes as a wave of competitive new phones are being released, some for the fast new wireless networks that Apple hasn't yet enabled the iPhone to use.

Firmer reports about the new iPhone create uncertainty among phone buyers considering recently released phones, and cast a shadow over Microsoft's Windows Phone launch and new Nokia hardware coming later this year.

The Bloomberg story said the phone will look similar to the current iPhone. It suggests more common hardware between the iPhone and iPad. The iPhone 5 will use the A5 processor that's used in the iPad 2, while the tablet device is getting a display with resolution similar to the current phone.

The report also said Apple's working on a smaller, lower-priced iPhone aimed at overseas markets.

Newer, faster phones and tablets are appearing every month, even every week, it seems.

But if you spend too much time grazing through this multicore, high-def smorgasbord, everything blurs together on your plate. The phones look like tablets, the tablets look like each other, and they all have the same basic set of apps.

Maybe that's why I like the new Nook reader from Barnes & Noble, a squarish puck of an e-reader that went on sale earlier this month for $139.

For starters, it doesn't look like yet another touch-screen Web tablet.

It's a single-purpose reading device with a stripped down interface, which is kind of refreshing. It also helps stratify the jumble of tablets available nowadays.

The Nook is among a batch of high-quality, $100 to $130 reading devices with 6-inch screens and Wi-Fi connections. Others include Amazon.com's latest Kindle and the Kobo eReader Touch that's allied with Borders.

From $180 to $380 are readers with larger screens and 3G wireless service. Then from $499 to $900 are color Web tablets like the Apple iPad and Android-based devices. By fall there should be more glimpses of tabletlike Windows 8 PCs that will probably cost $700 to $1,500 when they go on sale.

As these categories and device capabilities become clearer, people won't wonder as much about whether they need a Kindle or an iPad. They may decide they need both -- an e-reader for books on the go, and a color tablet for magazines, the Web and other digital media.

That's what Barnes & Noble is counting on, at least. Its lineup now includes the $139 Nook and a $249 color version that runs Web apps.

"We think people are going to have a Nook Color and a Nook," said Michelle Warvel, creative director at Barnes & Noble.

That influenced the design of the new Nook, which has fewer features than the original, which tried to do everything at once. Released in 2009, it was a hybrid with an e-Ink display above a narrow color touch-screen.

Now, "our goal is to have a portfolio of products," Warvel explained. She said the simpler Nook was designed for the "pure reader."

Amazon probably is going in the same direction. It's expected to release color Web tablets based on Google's Android software later this year. They'll tap its Kindle bookstore and online music and video services, and complement its black and white Kindles, which will continue to have superior battery life and readability.

This must be what it felt like to be car shopping 100 years ago. At first there were all sorts of crazy horseless carriages, but soon it settled into sedans, coupes, trucks and motorcycles.

The new Nook is a cycle in this lineup. It's about the size of an outstretched hand, weighs 7.5 ounces and has a ridged, rubberized back.

You turn pages by tapping a side of the screen, by using a swipe gesture or by pressing hard buttons on either side of its rubbery frame.

The Nook is easy to hold and feels tough enough to toss into a bag or a backseat. I found that it didn't suffer after I carried it in a back pocket and sat upon it repeatedly.

The trade-off for this portability is that the screen is pretty small. It displays only a few paragraphs at a time, which is OK for books but awful if you're trying to get through a newspaper or magazine.

For reading books, it's on par with the latest Kindle, which has the same e-Ink "Pearl" display technology and screen size. Both claim battery life of up to two months on a single charge.

A key difference is the Nook's touch-screen. Amazon executives have said in the past that they haven't used touch-screens because they require extra layers of material, which obscures the text a bit. I bet, though, Amazon will eventually add it.

The Nook's text quality was fine, but sometimes letters seemed a bit raggedy, creating a pulp-fiction effect that I kind of liked.

Warvel said B&N extended the number of pages displayed before the screen refreshes itself, a process that creates a flashing effect.

Users of the first Nook were distracted by flashes between pages so the new model, with standard text, flashes every five or six pages.

Having a touch-screen means the Nook doesn't need a physical keypad like the Kindle -- it just displays one on the screen when needed -- and can have a smaller case.

But it takes a little getting used to the Nook's mix of controls. It's also not obvious that you can do things like tap the center of the screen to call up controls for font size.

It's also easy to hold or tap too long and zoom past multiple pages. A few times I also had trouble unlocking the device, which you do by sliding a finger across the bottom of the screen. During a week of testing the device froze once; I had to reboot by holding the power button on the back.

There's no browser, but the Nook has social-networking features so you can share quotes from books with friends on Twitter and Facebook. There's no camera, so it's probably safe for randy politicians. You can also "lend" certain books to friends with Nooks.

The device is compatible with digital books loaned by some libraries, including Seattle's. But it's a multistep process -- you connect the Nook to a PC and transfer books via a USB cable. I tried this with several books and never found them on the Nook.

Another concern with e-readers in general is how they lock you into a particular service. If you've bought digital books for the Kindle, you can't read them on the Nook and vice versa.

Frankly, I still prefer actual books. It's easier to flip back and forth through real pages, which are also more relaxing after working with a screen all day.

But the avid female readers in my house took to the Nook like none of the other tablets I've brought home. And pretty soon I was able to lose myself in a novel on the little gadget -- so I stopped wondering where the library books went.

If you're on the edge of your seat, waiting for next week's expected reveal of the Windows 8 interface by Steven Sinofsky, Bloomberg added a few more details today.

In a report citing three unnamed people "with knowledge of the company's plans," Bloomberg reported that Sinofsky will show the new software running on a touchscreen tablet based on an Nvidia Tegra chip.

Nvidia was on hand in Jauary when Sinofsky announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that the next version of Windows will run on the tiny chips powering mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. A Tegra chip also powers Microsoft's Zune HD player.

Mary Jo Foley has a good rundown of the rumors, reports and whispers about Windows 8, including a tip that it may reach its internal build milestone June 11.

Kobo today announced a new touchscreen version of its reader that will go on sale for $130 in June.

The device uses an E Ink display like Amazon's Kindle, which has yet to introduce a touchscreen version, and has Kobo's "Reading Life" software with social sharing features and a gamelike reward system.

It has a 6-inch diagonal screen, a software keyboard, a quilted back and a single "home" button a la the iPad. It connects to the Web and Kobo's bookstore via WiFi or a USB cable.

Kobo has been selling e-readers since May 2010 and initially allied itself with Borders. The company has extended its software platform, which is now bundled with tablets from Samsung and Research In Motion. It claims to have 3.6 million users in 100 countries.

Kobo is based in Toronto, Canada, but it established a Seattle presence in 2010 when it hired Todd Humphrey, a former Amazon.com director of business development, as its executive vice president of business development.

The company recently raised $50 million in funding and is now planning to open a full office in Seattle. Humphrey said it should be established by the end of the year.

"Whether it's five or 15 or 20 people, we'll see," he said.

Humphrey said the new Kobo eReader Touch Edition will be a serious competitor to e-reader made by his former co-workers at Amazon and the Barnes & Noble Nook.

"I think this device puts us ahead of them from a device standpoint," he said.

Humphrey said major retailers are very interested in selling the touch reader and it will help the company as it begins an expansion in Europe.

Here's a brief video clip of Google Music running on a Motorola Xoom Android tablet.

It showed a strong 3G signal, but the Web service buffered and fritzed. The service is still being developed so it's early to pass judgment on Google's effort, but the glitches were still surprising.

Spreadsheets and word processors persuaded people to buy early PCs. Messaging and mobile browsers did the same thing for smartphones.

If you haven't bought an iPad or tablet computing device yet, maybe it's because you're not yet hooked on "Angry Birds."

The addictive slingshot game is the killer app for these touch-screen gadgets filling the gap between smartphones and portable computers.

People buy tablets thinking they'll use them instead of computers, but most don't. They end up playing "Angry Birds."

Last week a Nielsen survey said most tablet owners are using their PCs as much or more than they did before buying their tablet. Earlier, the firm said games are the most downloaded mobile application, and the best-selling app, is "Angry Birds."

The game, made by a small Finnish company called Rovio, has been downloaded more than 140 million times, and at least 40 million people per month are playing. They're collectively spending more than 200 million minutes per day tapping and flinging birds across the screen, trying to knock down a series of structures built by obnoxious pigs.

"Angry Birds" was originally designed for the iPhone in 2009, but it's best on a tablet, where you can see more of it and have more room to control the aiming.

"It's certainly the most dominant game on tablets. There's nothing close to it, I believe," said Rich Wong at Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley venture firm that backed Facebook and invested in Rovio in March.

It makes you wonder if Microsoft hooked up with the right Finnish company to resuscitate its mobile business. Maybe it thought Nokia was behind the birds.

After handling more tablets than an Egyptian librarian, I've come up with a shopping guide, for those willing to spend $250 to $800 for the best "Angry Birds" experience.

Motorola Xoom, $599-$800

"Angry Birds" is prominently featured on the Xoom packaging, and the game works well on the device.

The Xoom's 10-inch screen is a good size for displaying both the launch area and target structure, even on upper levels with passages, outbuildings and stashed explosives on the far right side of the screen.

Although it's the first Android tablet with a dual-core processor, there wasn't a noticeable difference in loading. Nor did it reduce the wait time between levels.

On a bus, the Xoom's considerable heft steadies the device enough to play on bumpy roads.

The Xoom did cause one embarrassing birds incident.

During a discreet session Friday, before my deadline, the app abruptly froze. When I restarted it, it launched with the mute button off. There was no warning of this changed setting, and I was busted by the loud theme music.

Frantically tapping the screen and pressing the power button didn't stop the telltale flute. It took forever to power off, and paused to ask "are you sure?" before it stopped.

Otherwise, the Xoom scored well in the "quick exit" test. I could close the game and pretend to be working with a single click.

Barnes & Noble Nook Color, $249

After updating the Nook's operating system, you can download the original version of "Angry Birds."

The Nook market offers only the original "Angry Birds," for $2.99. Later versions and the free, ad-supported ones aren't available yet.

The Nook is the most economical option for tablet birding and doubles as a browser and electronic book with a 7-inch touch screen.

It also fits in a large pocket and weighs just less than a pound. However, this portability made it difficult to hold the device steady on the bus, where I experienced a number of misfires and errant shots.

Resolution on the Nook didn't seem as crisp as on higher-end tablets. I could see jagged edges on the blades of grass.

The Nook fared the worst in the "quick exit" test, requiring six clicks to exit in the middle of a game.

Apple iPad 2, $499-$829.

The iPad's big, bright screen is terrific for "Angry Birds" and provides plenty of room to aim.

Action is crisp and Rovio seems to put extra sparkle into the iPad version, highlighting edges of structures, for instance.

Both free and paid versions are available from iTunes, where the latest version of the game is the best-selling paid app. Two earlier versions are in the top 10.

There are a few niggles, though. The iPad version takes it upon itself to adjust the horizontal scroll mid-game, which gets annoying.

Also, every time you start a game, the iPad suggests creating or signing in to an account with Apple's "Game Center" service. There isn't an obvious way to disable this nagware, so you have to hit "cancel" every time. Then you get a message saying that "Game Center" is disabled, and you have to hit "OK" to start playing. This reminds me of Windows Vista.

It takes one click on the iPad to exit a game, return to the home screen and appear to be working.

BlackBerry PlayBook, $500 to $700

The PlayBook is a pocketable, 7-inch touch-screen device that's widely available. But "Angry Birds" is not yet available on the BlackBerry market. An emulator that will run Andoid apps is being developed.

T-Mobile G-Slate, $530.

The G-Slate has an unusual 9-inch widescreen display format that's particularly well suited for "Angry Birds."

However, the screen also partly cuts off the information displayed on the Android Market, including the "more" button listing additional version of "Angry Birds" available from the store.

Like the Xoom, the G-Slate is based on Google's new Android 3.0 software.

Currently, only free versions of "Angry Birds" are available for Android but paid versions are expected later this year.

Loading the game via T-Mobile's 4G network was significantly faster than it was on the Xoom over Verizon Wireless' 3G network, but the Xoom should be upgradeable to 4G before new "Birds" are released.

It takes a single click to exit a game and return to the home screen of the G-Slate.

Dell Streak 7, $200-$450.

The Streak has a 7-inch screen that's just a hair smaller than the Nook, but overall the device is smaller and fits easier in a pocket for portable play.

It's more like a computer than a Nook, and both its launch area and target can be displayed at a reasonable size. That makes the game more enjoyable than on a smartphone with a 3-inch or 4-inch screen.

However, the Streak resolution isn't as crisp as the larger tablets and the device would re-size the game between levels, requiring a tedious extra pinch to get the game properly aligned in the screen.

The re-sizing isn't a game-breaker, but these little design decisions lead to wasted time that adds up fast.

Seriously, how do they expect us to get any work done with these things?

Nielsen today released a report on how U.S. consumers are using their iPads and other tablet computing devices.

The research suggests that the risk to the PC industry from the iPad is there, but awfully overstated. It also makes me wonder how pleased buyers are with their expensive new tablets.

The majority of people told Nielsen that buying a tablet hasn't led to a reduction in how often they use PCs, netbooks, portable media players, game consoles, smartphones or connected TVs.

A tiny number of tablet buyers said they've stopped using their computers since their purchase - 2 percent said they're no longer using their laptop, 3 percent stopped using their desktop and 5 percent stopped using their netbook.

But a greater number of people said they've been using their computers more since they bought an iPad or other tablet. Nielsen found 22 percent are using their netbook more often, 13 percent are using their laptops more and 9 percent are using their desktops more since buying a tablet.

Can you imagine the conversation between spouses in those households? "Why did you have to spend $800 on that thing, honey? You're just spending more time on the plain old computer ..."

We'll have to see what the next few installments of the survey say about computing trends. So far it sounds like tablets are being used as computer accessories more than computer replacements.

It would be helpful if Nielsen provided information on whether tablets are meeting buyers' expectations. How many buyers thought they were getting a computer replacement?

The survey says 68 percent of people who bought tablets are using their laptop the same or more since the purchase, and 72 percent are using their netbooks the same or more.

Were they expecting the tablet to take the place of other gadgets in the home?

Of those that had another e-reader, like Amazon.com's Kindle, 72 percent said they're using their e-readers the same or more since buying a tablet, and 89 percent said they're using their Internet-connected TVs more since buying the device.

Then again, these are people who bought a tablet when they already had computers and perhaps a Kindle, Web-connected TV and game consoles. Maybe they just don't have much time for their latest toy.

About a third of tablet buyers said they're using their computers less or not at all. Nielsen provided a few reasons why, after asking tablet buyers why they're using the new device for things they used to do on a laptop or desktop.

Here are the reasons, which should be a roadmap for PC makers designing their Windows 8 machines:

Every time you turn around nowadays there's another huge tech trade show, at which a bunch of new phones and tablets are announced.

Here's a sample of the cool new gadgets surfacing at the CTIA wireless conference this week in Orlando. Some of the devices were already announced, and some still don't have prices and specific ship dates yet.

Sprint was the first to offer a 4G phone in the U.S., and now it's offering a 4G phones with glasses-free 3D displays, available 2U this summer for a price to be announced later. It's an Android-based device built by HTC, with the "Sense" interface designed in Pioneer Square.

The HTC Evo 3D has a 4.3-inch, 960 by 540 pixel 3D display. Inside it has dual-core 1.2 gigahertz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4 gigabytes of internal memory and 1 gig of RAM. It functions as a 3G/4G hotspot supporting up to eight devices at once over WiFi and outputs 720p video via HDMI. On the back it has dual 5 megapixel cameras for taking 3D images and videos.

Sprint's also going to sell a tablet-sized version of the device, called the HTC Evo View 4G. It has a 7-inch diagonal, 1024 by 600 pixel touchscreen (without 3D). The tablet runs on a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon dual-core processor with 32 gigs of internal memor and 1 gig of RAM. It also uses HTC's "Scribe" system for input with a digital pen and works as a hotspot.

Yesterday, Sprint announced that it's also going to sell Google's new flagship Android device, the Nexus S 4G. The Samsung phone has a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 1 GHz processor, a dedicated graphics processing unit and Android version 2.3 ("Gingerbread"). Sprint and Google also said they're connecting Google Voice, so Sprint customers can use their phone number with Google's calling service. The phone's coming this spring.

AT&T yesterday announced that it's also selling a glasses-free 3D phone, the LG Thrill 4G, with a 4.3-inch screen, dual-core 1 GHz processor and Android version 2.2. The Thrill comes with 16 gigs of memory - 8 onboard plus an 8 gig memory card - and records 3D video at 720p and 2D video at 1080p. It also plays back high-def video thorugh an HDMI port or streams it to DLNA devices.

AT&T's also going to sell a version of the Windows-based HTC HD7, which it's calling the HD7S. It's going to use the HSPA+ network and have the updated software with cut-and-paste when it's released in a few weeks.

T-Mobile also introduced several new phones, including the "G2x with Google by LG," or the G2x for short. It's based on a dual-core 1 GHz Tegra 2 processor and Android 2.2. There's also an 8 megapixel camera that takes 1080p video and front-facing 1.3 megapixel chatcam.

T-Mobile announced that it's boosting the maximum speed of its HSPA+ network in a handful of markets - Las Vegas, Orlando and New York - to 42 megabits per second. To get those speeds, you'll need a new device, though - namely the "Rocket" stick modems announced at the show:

The Bellevue-based company also introduced a "value" smartphone, the Nokia Astound, that will cost $80 (after a $50 rebate) when it goes on sale April 6. It has a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, free turn-by-turn navigation and an 8 megapixel camera that takes 720p video. The Astound is based on Nokia's Symbian operating system that's going to be displaced starting next year by Windows.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday outlined a billion-dollar bet to reshape its huge personal-computer and mobile-device business to be more like Apple, using an in-house operating system rather than Microsoft Windows.

It's a blow for Microsoft to have its largest customer -- and the world's largest PC maker -- reject Windows for its new push into the fast-growing mobile-device business.

But shoppers may benefit from the increased competition and new options coming later this year.

HP plans to release two phones this spring and a tablet computer in the summer, all based on the latest version of the WebOS software the company acquired when it bought Palm last April for $1.2 billion.

HP's tablet -- the TouchPad -- joins a flood of tablet computers to be released this year, including new versions of Apple's iPad, devices running Google's Android software and Windows-based tablets from Dell and other major PC makers.

Research firms forecast more than 50 million tablet computing devices will be sold this year. Gartner expects 64.8 million will be sold globally, rising to 154 million in 2013.

"These things are proof that the future is really wide open when it comes to growth and opportunities in the mobile space," Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said during the HP event.

The TouchPad was the highlight of a splashy media event in a waterfront pavilion Wednesday morning.

Yet HP made clear it was launching more than a few devices. It was presenting a new platform it expects to rival Windows, Android and Apple's iOS software used in the iPhone and iPad.

The company aims to build the largest community of connected devices in the world, creating a big draw for software developers, according to Steven McArthur, senior vice president for applications and services.

"Virtually no other company could credibly put forward such a goal," said McArthur, a former president of Expedia.

HP emphasized that the WebOS platform can be pushed through its vast network of customers, partner companies and retail outlets. The Palo Alto, Calif., company has more than a billion customers and distributes its products through 88,000 stores around the world.

It's going to count on wireless phone companies to help move the TouchPad, though. Verizon and others will start selling the device in summer for a price somewhere below $800.

The 1.6-pound TouchPad has a 9.6-inch diagonal display with 1,024 by 728 resolution and a front-facing camera for videoconferencing. It's powered by Qualcomm's newest dual-core, 1.2 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and will come with 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage.

It will be available first with Wi-Fi and later with 3G wireless service through multiple carriers.

The new phones include the tiny Veer, about the size of a credit card with a 2.6-inch screen. It has 8 gigabytes of storage, a slide-out keyboard, HSPA+ wireless and an 800 megahertz Snapdragon processor. It will go on sale in "early spring."

"Never before has a smartphone done so much and felt so little," said Jon Rubinstein, the former CEO of Palm and now an HP senior vice president.

Rubinstein also showed the Pre3, a larger phone with a 3.6-inch diagonal screen, slide-out keyboard and HSPA+ and EVDO rev. It runs on a 1.4 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and will be available this summer.

Rubinstein said that with WebOS, the company aims to transform how people think, feel and connect to different devices and services. Devices running the software stay synchronized with online services and can integrate multiple providers of e-mail and online calendars, for instance.

To use all the features, though, users will need both a TouchPad and a WebOS phone.

For instance, the demonstrations Wednesday showed how messages coming into a Pre phone can be answered on a tablet. Web pages being browsed on the tablet -- such as a restaurant's website -- can be shifted to a Pre phone by tapping the phone against the tablet.

Todd Bradley, HP's executive vice president for personal systems, said the company is bringing memorable new experiences comparable to the first time he heard the whisper of an electric car.

"We should all witness these firsts as often as we can in our lives. If you think about it, creating those experiences for a living is what the technology industry is all about."

The phones and tablet had been expected, but Bradley added something extra when he announced the company also plans to extend WebOS to desktop and laptop PCs.

Executives provided no details of when WebOS PCs will arrive and said the company will continue to produce Windows-based PCs also.

Microsoft declined to make executives available to discuss HP's move but a spokesman provided a statement: "HP is a valued Microsoft partner, and we continue to work closely with them on many new products that bring great experiences to our mutual customers."

In January, Microsoft disclosed the next version of Windows will run on the tiny, integrated hardware platforms used in smartphones and the latest tablet computers, including the Qualcomm hardware HP is using for its WebOS devices.

But the new version of Windows may not arrive until late this year or in 2012.

HP looked into different operating systems when it began developing slate-type tablet computers five years ago, according to Chief Technology Officer Phil McKinney.

It decided the best approach was an operating system designed from the ground up for mobile devices and one that could be tailored for tablets.

"There are operating systems appropriate for the job," McKinney said.

That approach is similar to that of Apple, which develops its own hardware and software, and has led the emergence of mobile computing devices since its iPhone was first released in 2007.

HP also may have decided it was simply cheaper to develop its own operating system and developer platform, instead of paying to license the multipurpose Windows.

It's a challenge to lure developers to a new platform, especially when they're already stretched developing applications for multiple platforms and devices, but HP has already landed a few big ones.

Time Inc. showed TouchPad versions of "Sports Illustrated" and "People" magazines that are expected to be ready -- along with Fortune magazine -- when the device launches.

HP also worked with Amazon.com on a TouchPad version of Kindle that supports the Kindle's new "collections" feature for managing libraries of Kindle books.

(This is an expanded version of my blogging live from HP's event)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday outlined a billion-dollar bet to reshape its huge personal-computer and mobile-device business to be more like Apple, using an in-house operating system rather than Microsoft Windows.

It's a blow for Microsoft to have its largest customer -- and the world's largest PC maker -- reject Windows for its new push into the fast-growing mobile-device business.

But shoppers may benefit from the increased competition and new options coming later this year.

HP plans to release two phones this spring and a tablet computer in the summer, all based on the latest version of the WebOS software the company acquired when it bought Palm last April for $1.2 billion.

HP's tablet -- the TouchPad -- joins a flood of tablet computers to be released this year, including new versions of Apple's iPad, devices running Google's Android software and Windows-based tablets from Dell and other major PC makers.

Research firms forecast more than 50 million tablet computing devices will be sold this year. Gartner expects 64.8 million will be sold globally, rising to 154 million in 2013.

"These things are proof that the future is really wide open when it comes to growth and opportunities in the mobile space," Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said during the HP event.

The TouchPad was the highlight of a splashy media event in a waterfront pavilion Wednesday morning.

Yet HP made clear it was launching more than a few devices. It was presenting a new platform it expects to rival Windows, Android and Apple's iOS software used in the iPhone and iPad.

The company aims to build the largest community of connected devices in the world, creating a big draw for software developers, according to Steven McArthur, senior vice president for applications and services.

"Virtually no other company could credibly put forward such a goal," said McArthur, a former president of Expedia.

HP emphasized that the WebOS platform can be pushed through its vast network of customers, partner companies and retail outlets. The Palo Alto, Calif., company has more than a billion customers and distributes its products through 88,000 stores around the world.

It's going to count on wireless phone companies to help move the TouchPad, though. Verizon and others will start selling the device in summer for a price somewhere below $800.

The 1.6-pound TouchPad has a 9.6-inch diagonal display with 1,024 by 728 resolution and a front-facing camera for videoconferencing. It's powered by Qualcomm's newest dual-core, 1.2 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and will come with 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage.

It will be available first with Wi-Fi and later with 3G wireless service through multiple carriers.

The new phones include the tiny Veer, about the size of a credit card with a 2.6-inch screen. It has 8 gigabytes of storage, a slide-out keyboard, HSPA+ wireless and an 800 megahertz Snapdragon processor. It will go on sale in "early spring."

"Never before has a smartphone done so much and felt so little," said Jon Rubinstein, the former CEO of Palm and now an HP senior vice president.

Rubinstein also showed the Pre3, a larger phone with a 3.6-inch diagonal screen, slide-out keyboard and HSPA+ and EVDO rev. It runs on a 1.4 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and will be available this summer.

Rubinstein said that with WebOS, the company aims to transform how people think, feel and connect to different devices and services. Devices running the software stay synchronized with online services and can integrate multiple providers of e-mail and online calendars, for instance.

To use all the features, though, users will need both a TouchPad and a WebOS phone.

For instance, the demonstrations Wednesday showed how messages coming into a Pre phone can be answered on a tablet. Web pages being browsed on the tablet -- such as a restaurant's website -- can be shifted to a Pre phone by tapping the phone against the tablet.

Todd Bradley, HP's executive vice president for personal systems, said the company is bringing memorable new experiences comparable to the first time he heard the whisper of an electric car.

"We should all witness these firsts as often as we can in our lives. If you think about it, creating those experiences for a living is what the technology industry is all about."

The phones and tablet had been expected, but Bradley added something extra when he announced the company also plans to extend WebOS to desktop and laptop PCs.

Executives provided no details of when WebOS PCs will arrive and said the company will continue to produce Windows-based PCs also.

Microsoft declined to make executives available to discuss HP's move but a spokesman provided a statement: "HP is a valued Microsoft partner, and we continue to work closely with them on many new products that bring great experiences to our mutual customers."

In January, Microsoft disclosed the next version of Windows will run on the tiny, integrated hardware platforms used in smartphones and the latest tablet computers, including the Qualcomm hardware HP is using for its WebOS devices.

But the new version of Windows may not arrive until late this year or in 2012.

HP looked into different operating systems when it began developing slate-type tablet computers five years ago, according to Chief Technology Officer Phil McKinney.

It decided the best approach was an operating system designed from the ground up for mobile devices and one that could be tailored for tablets.

"There are operating systems appropriate for the job," McKinney said.

That approach is similar to that of Apple, which develops its own hardware and software, and has led the emergence of mobile computing devices since its iPhone was first released in 2007.

HP also may have decided it was simply cheaper to develop its own operating system and developer platform, instead of paying to license the multipurpose Windows.

It's a challenge to lure developers to a new platform, especially when they're already stretched developing applications for multiple platforms and devices, but HP has already landed a few big ones.

Time Inc. showed TouchPad versions of "Sports Illustrated" and "People" magazines that are expected to be ready -- along with Fortune magazine -- when the device launches.

HP also worked with Amazon.com on a TouchPad version of Kindle that supports the Kindle's new "collections" feature for managing libraries of Kindle books.

(This is an expanded version of my blogging live from HP's event)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday outlined a billion-dollar bet to reshape its huge personal-computer and mobile-device business to be more like Apple, using an in-house operating system rather than Microsoft Windows.

It's a blow for Microsoft to have its largest customer -- and the world's largest PC maker -- reject Windows for its new push into the fast-growing mobile-device business.

But shoppers may benefit from the increased competition and new options coming later this year.

HP plans to release two phones this spring and a tablet computer in the summer, all based on the latest version of the WebOS software the company acquired when it bought Palm last April for $1.2 billion.

HP's tablet -- the TouchPad -- joins a flood of tablet computers to be released this year, including new versions of Apple's iPad, devices running Google's Android software and Windows-based tablets from Dell and other major PC makers.

Research firms forecast more than 50 million tablet computing devices will be sold this year. Gartner expects 64.8 million will be sold globally, rising to 154 million in 2013.

"These things are proof that the future is really wide open when it comes to growth and opportunities in the mobile space," Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said during the HP event.

The TouchPad was the highlight of a splashy media event in a waterfront pavilion Wednesday morning.

Yet HP made clear it was launching more than a few devices. It was presenting a new platform it expects to rival Windows, Android and Apple's iOS software used in the iPhone and iPad.

The company aims to build the largest community of connected devices in the world, creating a big draw for software developers, according to Steven McArthur, senior vice president for applications and services.

"Virtually no other company could credibly put forward such a goal," said McArthur, a former president of Expedia.

HP emphasized that the WebOS platform can be pushed through its vast network of customers, partner companies and retail outlets. The Palo Alto, Calif., company has more than a billion customers and distributes its products through 88,000 stores around the world.

It's going to count on wireless phone companies to help move the TouchPad, though. Verizon and others will start selling the device in summer for a price somewhere below $800.

The 1.6-pound TouchPad has a 9.6-inch diagonal display with 1,024 by 728 resolution and a front-facing camera for videoconferencing. It's powered by Qualcomm's newest dual-core, 1.2 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and will come with 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage.

It will be available first with Wi-Fi and later with 3G wireless service through multiple carriers.

The new phones include the tiny Veer, about the size of a credit card with a 2.6-inch screen. It has 8 gigabytes of storage, a slide-out keyboard, HSPA+ wireless and an 800 megahertz Snapdragon processor. It will go on sale in "early spring."

"Never before has a smartphone done so much and felt so little," said Jon Rubinstein, the former CEO of Palm and now an HP senior vice president.

Rubinstein also showed the Pre3, a larger phone with a 3.6-inch diagonal screen, slide-out keyboard and HSPA+ and EVDO rev. It runs on a 1.4 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and will be available this summer.

Rubinstein said that with WebOS, the company aims to transform how people think, feel and connect to different devices and services. Devices running the software stay synchronized with online services and can integrate multiple providers of e-mail and online calendars, for instance.

To use all the features, though, users will need both a TouchPad and a WebOS phone.

For instance, the demonstrations Wednesday showed how messages coming into a Pre phone can be answered on a tablet. Web pages being browsed on the tablet -- such as a restaurant's website -- can be shifted to a Pre phone by tapping the phone against the tablet.

Todd Bradley, HP's executive vice president for personal systems, said the company is bringing memorable new experiences comparable to the first time he heard the whisper of an electric car.

"We should all witness these firsts as often as we can in our lives. If you think about it, creating those experiences for a living is what the technology industry is all about."

The phones and tablet had been expected, but Bradley added something extra when he announced the company also plans to extend WebOS to desktop and laptop PCs.

Executives provided no details of when WebOS PCs will arrive and said the company will continue to produce Windows-based PCs also.

Microsoft declined to make executives available to discuss HP's move but a spokesman provided a statement: "HP is a valued Microsoft partner, and we continue to work closely with them on many new products that bring great experiences to our mutual customers."

In January, Microsoft disclosed the next version of Windows will run on the tiny, integrated hardware platforms used in smartphones and the latest tablet computers, including the Qualcomm hardware HP is using for its WebOS devices.

But the new version of Windows may not arrive until late this year or in 2012.

HP looked into different operating systems when it began developing slate-type tablet computers five years ago, according to Chief Technology Officer Phil McKinney.

It decided the best approach was an operating system designed from the ground up for mobile devices and one that could be tailored for tablets.

"There are operating systems appropriate for the job," McKinney said.

That approach is similar to that of Apple, which develops its own hardware and software, and has led the emergence of mobile computing devices since its iPhone was first released in 2007.

HP also may have decided it was simply cheaper to develop its own operating system and developer platform, instead of paying to license the multipurpose Windows.

It's a challenge to lure developers to a new platform, especially when they're already stretched developing applications for multiple platforms and devices, but HP has already landed a few big ones.

Time Inc. showed TouchPad versions of "Sports Illustrated" and "People" magazines that are expected to be ready -- along with Fortune magazine -- when the device launches.

HP also worked with Amazon.com on a TouchPad version of Kindle that supports the Kindle's new "collections" feature for managing libraries of Kindle books.

(This is an expanded version of my blogging live from HP's event)

After launching a series of tablets based on Google's Android software, Dell today gave a sneak peek at a Windows 7 model coming out in a few months.

The device is aimed at business customers - but will be sold to consumers as well - and has a 10-inch diagonal screen, Intel's latest processors and an iPad-like design.

That's based on various reports from an event in San Francisco today where Dell announced 39 new PCs for 2011. Most are updated laptops and desktops.

This must be new PC week. Hewlett-Packard on Monday announced its new touchscreen desktops and today announced its new laptops. On Wednesday HP's also showing off its WebOS operating system, presumably with new consumer tablets.

There are also several rumors floating around about Apple unveiling the next iPad this week.

Dell's going to start selling its Windows tablet in May, according to PC Pro's report, but I wonder if the mockup was rushed out to get ahead of the HP news.

The device shown today was a non-functioning demo unit, with a decal instead of a working display, according to Cnet's blog from the event, which has a good picture of the tablet here.

Dell's also going to develop a 10-inch Android tablet, joining the 5-inch and 7-inch "Streak" models now carried by AT&T and T-Mobile.

During Dell's presentation, an executive said big companies want a Windows tablet that fits into their IT plans. Android can also fit, he said, but more want a Windows version, according to Cnet's report.

Get ready for a bunch of tablet announcements as PC makers start building devices based on Intel's "Oak Trail" system and launch them in time for the graduation and Father's Day sales season.

It may be overshadowed by the scintillating announcement of Verizon's latest mobile billing options, but T-Mobile today is announcing a new tablet computing device based on Google's new Android "Honeycomb" software.

The G-Slate is supposed to be released this spring at a price T-Mobile isn't disclosing just yet. Built by LG, the device has an 8.9-inch diagonal, 3-D capable touchscreen.

It also has a rear-facing stereoscopic video recorder that captures 3-D, 1080p video - the kind that requires special glasses for the 3-D effect. The 5 megapixel camera also takes regular video and stills, and there's a front-facing camera for video chats over T-Mobile's network.

Inside there's a dual-core Nvidia Tegra processor with full Adobe Flash support, plus 32 gigabytes of internal memory, a gyroscope, accelerometer and adaptive lighting.

It's one of the first tablets using Honeycomb, which Google's going to talk up at a press event today at its Mountain View headquarters.

T-Mobile was the first carrier to release an Android phone, and the G-Slate is among a handful of Android devices its announcing this week.

It's also jabbing Verizon, mocking it for offering the iPhone only on its slower network.

The company's position, according to a statement relayed by a spokeswoman's message, is "why upgrade your smartphone and downgrade your network? It's no fun having a great device running on slow network."

T-Mobile today also began selling the Dell Streak, a small tablet with a 7-inch diagonal touchscreen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and cameras on the front and back, capable of video chat and 1080p video recording.

The Streak costs $200 with a two-year service plan or $450 by itself. Monthly plans range from $25 per month for 200 megabytes per month (for current customers; $30 per month for others) to $40 per month for 5 gigs a month ($50 for new customers).

T-Mobile today also announced that it's going to offer the Galaxy S 4G this month, a version of Samsung's popular Galaxy smartphone with radios capable of downloading at speeds up to 21 megabits per second on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network.

It's coming preloaded with the movie "Inception" to showcase its video capabilities.

The company's being coy about the Galaxy price as well, perhaps hoping for another round of stories when that crucial detail is disclosed. But it will be a non-starter if it costs much more than $200 Sprint is charging for its Galaxy - dubbed the Epic - that runs on its 4G WiMax network.

Here are a batch of screenshots that Google posted of "Honeycomb," the new version of its Android operating system designed for tablet computing devices.

It looks like Android 3.0 is a big step toward a PC operating system, if your next PC will be a tablet.

The first Honeycomb tablet to go on sale will be the Motorola Xoom, which was unveiled at CES and will be available in late February. It has a 10.1-inch diagonal touchscreen, dual-core Nvidia Tegra processor and a camera that takes 5 megapixel stills and 720p video.

By summer there should be all sorts of Honeycomb tablets fighting for shelf space at wireless stores with the new iPad, Windows 7 tablets and Hewlett Packard's Topaz WebOS device.

Google's Honeycomb screenshots show new features of the system, but device makers may customize things so the final product may look different. The screenshots were released with a developer preview and tools released Wednesday.

Here is the new user interface designed especially for tablets:

The new tabbed browser, with improved zooming and a log-in feature to automatically sign into Google sites and sync bookmarks with Google's Chrome browser:

New camera controls; there's also a "gallery" application for viewing albums:

Developers can build better home screen widgets, with tools for flipping through 3D stacks of content, and touch gestures to scroll and flip through content:

Google redesigned the Android keyboard for the larger screens of tablets (versus phones, which Android initially targeted). The system also lets users select words by pressing the screen, then dragging little handles ("bounding arrows") to highlight a text block:

Here's the Xoom image Motorola released a few weeks ago. Word on the street is that this will cost $800, without a phone plan attached:

Lastly, here's the Google Honeycomb preview video released earlier: