Stories by Melissa J. Perenson

Huawei Ascend D Phone: Hands-on

After introducing what it called the world's slimmest phone at the 2012 CES in January, just one month later at Mobile World Congress Huawei announced the Ascend D quad and quad XL phones, which the company bills as the "world's fastest."

Hands-on with Huawei's MediaPad 10 FHD

The much-rumored Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD got a soft launch at about the same time the company was announcing its Ascend D series of smartphones.

Samsung shows off Galaxy Tab 2 series

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 series of tablets will be on display in Barcelona starting Monday, the first day of Mobile World Congress.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 first look

The Galaxy Note 10.1, announced Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is the second entry in the company's pen- and touch-capable Galaxy Note line.

How the Samsung Galaxy Note fares as a mini-tablet

Samsung's own advertising poses the question of whether the new Galaxy Note is a phone or tablet. And punlike portmanteaus like "phablet" aside, the question is surprisingly pertinent.

How to buy a tablet

As more tablets come to market, be prepared to be wowed by the power that some of these slates are capable of. You'll find plenty of models out there, including tablets with impressive dual-core processors or even quad-core chips. And many tablets ca...

Finding the perfect e-reader

We've seen lots of changes in the e-reader market over the past year. Prices have plummeted, with $100 and less suddenly a realistic price for e-readers from the major players -- Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. E-reader shipments have skyrocketed: ...

How to buy the best e-reader

In-depth review: Amazon Kindle Fire tablet - it's not great

All eyes are on the Amazon Kindle Fire to provide fresh competition for Apple's iPad 2, today's dominant tablet. Not so fast: Beneath the Kindle Fire's slick veneer and unparalleled shopping integration lies a tablet that fails to impress as either a...

The Amazon Kindle Fire: First impressions

The wraps are finally off Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet. Its splashy entry into the tablet firestorm was hard to miss -- Amazon made quite a statement with its $199 price -- and yet I'm underwhelmed. Although reporters were not allowed to touch the Kin...

Hands on with the 7-inch Toshiba Thrive

Toshiba today unveiled the newest addition to its Thrive family of tablets: the Toshiba Thrive 7".

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet means business

With the ThinkPad Tablet, Lenovo distinguishes itself as the first company with two tablets clearly aimed at two different markets. The company did a solid job with its consumer-focused IdeaPad K1, released midsummer. The ThinkPad Tablet (starting at...

Windows 8 on ARM processors: Three working tablet demos

This week has seen lots of talk about Microsoft Windows 8 coming to hardware running on ARM processors. Now, the first prototypes, from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments, are on display here at the BUILD Expo. But questions remain.

Why we need Windows 8 tablets

Interoperability: It's a big word that describes an even bigger problem -- namely, that of the compatibility of your apps and data between different devices. And while the mobile worlds of Google's Android and Apple's iOS have come a long way, nothin...

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 7.7 Android Honeycomb tablet

Samsung today launched the successor to its original Galaxy Tab tablet, one year after first showing off the 7-inch Galaxy Tab at last year’s IFA trade show in Berlin. That Samsung would refresh that initial model, and bring its naming convention mor...