Christmas

Cisco Systems, the dominant provider of the digital pipes that run the Internet, is making a big play in digital entertainment. The company says it plans to introduce a new line of products in January, including a digital stereo system that is meant to move music wirelessly around a house.

Lucky you. Santa delivered a new computer, digital camera, iPod or cell phone under your Christmas tree.

Now for the reality check. How are you going to care for and maintain this shiny -- and expensive -- device to help ensure years of trouble-free use?

We asked the experts at Yahoo! Tech, CNET.com, Geek Squad and the Virginia-based electronics retailer Crutchfield. We also checked the Internet.

We found loads of advice, including general words of wisdom.

Yes, the OLED lighting team at GE did print out a glowing, ultra-efficient Christmas tree...and yes, they did put a clip of it on YouTube.

Rolling back prices is what Wal-Mart does best, but will the super retailer roll back prices for Apple's iPhone as part of its Operation Main Street promise to cut costs for Christmas?

Holiday shopping for hot items at a bargain price took on a new form this week as rumors flew on the Web about a 4GB iPhone to be available at Wal-Mart for $99. That phone was initially to be rolled out at a $399 price tag.

Spam is on the rise again, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Spam dropped two-thirds in November after Silicon Valley-based McColo, a major spam network, was shut down. At the time, Symantec correctly predicted little long-term effect on spam levels.

"Symantec cautions users to continue to be on guard against spam and malicious code attacks as attackers have traditionally tried to leverage festive session and topical global events to lure users into opening and responding to their messages," said Vincent Weafer, senior director of the Symantec Antivirus Research Center.