Mark A. Kellner

KELLNER: SmartDraw charts must-have for PC

SmartDraw 2010 is one of those programs that is easy to love, even if you can't exactly say why. Published September 28, 2009

YOUR TECH: Pair print, digital texts

I've been thinking about digital rights. Lots of folks are getting exercised about their digital rights, including authors and publishers. Nascent proposals by Google to digitize millions of out-of-print and so-called "public domain" books, the growing popularity of e-readers, and even the predicted end of paper-and-ink publishing overall loom large in the information firmament. Published September 23, 2009

KELLNER: Lightroom shines as photo software

The new version of Adobe Lightroom is spiffy, smooth and a must-have for those who work with images on a professional or even an advanced-amateur basis. Published September 21, 2009

YOUR TECH: HP debuts laptops for fall

Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday unveiled several new portable computers for the fall season, among other items. I had a preview showing of several new HP mobile computers last week, and what I saw was, at first glance, impressive. Published September 16, 2009

KELLNER: Upgrade Mac without a hitch

Apple's Macintosh OS X version 10.6, more commonly known as Snow Leopard, is perhaps the smoothest computer operating system upgrade in recorded history, at least in this reviewer's "recorded history." Published September 14, 2009

YOUR TECH: Apple’s iPhone a travel necessity

Get your epithets ready: I'm a fan-boy, I've "drunk the Kool-Aid," I'm a sellout. Lob whatever insult you wish, but I'll stick to my guns: The Apple iPhone might be the only thing a world traveler needs to pack to stay in touch from the world's most remote corners. Published September 9, 2009

KELLNER: Connecting to Net on an African trip

Botswana has great cellular data service. Wi-Fi at my hotel in Zambia was usually better than expected. And as you might expect, Johannesburg has excellent connections to the Internet and beyond. Published September 7, 2009

YOUR TECH: Heavenly non-sound

At 34,000 feet, the new Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones can block the most rambunctious child's shriek or a woman complaining to her significant other or just about any other ambient noise that might keep you from enjoying your flight. Published September 2, 2009

KELLNER: Acer’s ‘netbook’ good for travelers

Usually a trans-Atlantic flight while seated in coach means a loss of productive computing time. But various micro-notebook computers boasting Internet connectivity of some stripe are changing things, at least for this road warrior. Published August 31, 2009

KELLNER: Sony fires back at Amazon

There's an old proverb about the dangers of waking a slumbering tiger, with the effective punch line being that you might not get a friendly greeting. Published August 26, 2009

KELLNER: What free software will and won’t do

As back-to-school shoppers exhibit parsimonious traits in the face of uncertain economic times, the question arises: Can you do what you need to do with a computer for less money, or even no money? Published August 24, 2009

KELLNER: Travel tech tools a lifesaver

Continuing developments in technology make my work a tad easier, and that's a good thing for periodic business travelers as well as those who are constantly on the road. Published August 17, 2009

YOUR TECH: Cell phone controls alarm system

You see the commercials on television, the fliers in the mail and in newspaper inserts, and you've probably noticed the signs in many yards across town: Home alarm services are kind of big these days, and with reason. The recession, it's speculated, is driving a spike in break-ins and burglaries, so protecting your home and family is important. Published August 12, 2009

KELLNER: Bundles a boost to users

There are certain things I'm a sucker for and one is the periodic "bundles" of software offered to Mac users at a ridiculously low price. Published August 10, 2009

YOUR TECH: T-Mobile challenges iPhone

Almost as impregnable as Fort Knox, Apple Inc.'s iPhone gains a new challenger Wednesday. It's the $200 myTouch 3G from T-Mobile and Taiwanese phone maker HTC. This is the second T-Mobile phone to sport Google's Android operating system, and it's a worthy competitor to the Apple product, far more so than the much-hyped Palm Pre. Published August 5, 2009

KELLNER: Yahoo deal ushers the end of an era

About fifteen years ago, I received a nice e-mail from a one-time graduate student in electrical engineering at Stanford University. David Filo was thanking me for the kind words I'd expressed about the search engine he and partner Jerry Yang had created, called Yahoo. Published August 3, 2009

Yahoo ends era with Microsoft link

Yahoo Inc.'s 15-year battle for online search supremacy ended with a whimper Wednesday when it signed away control of its trademark search platform to Microsoft Corp. Published July 30, 2009

YOUR TECH: Online budget, banking help

The numbers aren't encouraging: 71 percent of American employees are living paycheck-to-paycheck, according to results of a 2008 Getting Paid in America survey, conducted online by the American Payroll Association, a trade group. Published July 29, 2009

KELLNER: Back-to-school bargains abound

Time flies, and the new school year approaches. This does appear to be a good time to go computer shopping. Published July 27, 2009

YOUR TECH: Dueling printers: HP-Kodak

The folks at Kodak have been rather intense this year in advertising their ink-jet printers as being less expensive to operate than those of rival manufacturers. I haven't heard any caterwauling from rivals Epson or Brother, but the people at Hewlett-Packard's ink-jet division, which, after all, invented the category, were none too pleased. Published July 22, 2009