Dispatches from the Reviews Editor
Charles has been in tech publishing since the late 1980s, starting with Reed's Practical Computing, then moving to Ziff-Davis to help launch the UK version of PC Magazine in 1992. ZDNet came looking for a Reviews Editor in 2000, and he's been here ever since.
Early adopters are hotly debating the pros and cons of Google's and Microsoft's latest client devices, but most buyers will be better off with tried and tested designs.
Corning has introduced the third generation of its tough Gorilla Glass in Las Vegas, but we won't be ditching those smartphone bumpers and screen protectors just yet.
With a resolution of 2,560 by 1,440 pixels and excellent out-of-the-box image quality, ViewSonic's latest 27in. monitor is a good choice for professionals running demanding graphical applications.
Video collaboration specialist Polycom has announced a portfolio of new software, platform enhancements and hardware aimed at broadening the uptake of video communication in businesses.
Lenovo's SME-focused 21.5in. all-in-one desktop gets an Ivy Bridge CPU upgrade and a few other tweaks, but remains very similar to its 91z predecessor.
The Voyager Legend is a surprisingly comfortable and ergonomic boom-mic Bluetooth headset. It delivers excellent audio quality and has several clever features, but some may still find it too bulky and too expensive.
The specialist display company unveils a large-screen Android-based all-in-one computer, a high-resolution professional-grade 27in. monitor and a full-HD 'lampless' projector.
Gigabyte, best known for motherboards and graphics cards, has a stable of notebooks to which it has just added an extremely slim and lightweight ultrabook.
At this time of year, many parents are shopping around for laptops for their offspring, as they prepare for university in the autumn. Such a machine needs to have a decent-sized screen and a good keyboard, but remain reasonably portable.
Storage array maker Drobo has announced two new direct-attached devices, the Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini, which are aimed primarily at creative professionals (such as photo and video editors) but also home users and small businesses. The 5D is a 5-bay successor to last year's Drobo S, while the Mini is a brand-new portable 4-bay array designed for creative pros who need access to large amounts of local storage in the field.