MP3

Hewlett-Packard unveiled its latest convertible tablet PC on Monday in what some are predicting will be a banner year for that class of devices. Geared toward small to midsize business owners, the EliteBook 2740p, which sells for $1,599, has multi-touch capabilities, runs Windows 7, and features Intel Core i7 or i5 processors, making it far faster than its predecessors.

Quick Thinker

The i7 processor runs at 2.66 GHz, while the i5 runs at 2.53 GHz. An alternative i5-520M runs at 2.40 GHz. The installed memory is 2GB or 4GB, but can be upgraded to 8GB.

Apple's iPad is undeniably cool, but will consumers buy the tablet computer in large numbers? Too big to fit in your pocket and with few native apps that can take advantage of the larger screen, is the iPad a "third device," as Apple claims, or an awkward middle child?

Analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company released a research report Wednesday that projects modest sales of just two million units this year. Sales are expected to reach six million in 2011, but Wolf wrote that it will take a catalyst to propel sales to the eight million mark in 2012.

Billions of microscopic cells on a single chip will soon add eight gigabytes of nonvolatile memory to smartphones and other devices, creating new possibilities for mobile applications and potentially lowering prices in the long term. IM Flash Technologies, a joint venture between chipmakers Intel and Micron Technology, on Monday unveiled a 64-gigabit NAND flash die based on 25-nanometer process technology.

The new process doubles the density of the partnership's previous milestone creation, a 32-gigabit die based on 34-nanometer technology. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.

According to a survey released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, American youths are spending far more time consuming media on a daily basis than just five years ago. The foundation's latest survey of more than 2,000 children between the ages of eight and 18 found that daily media consumption averaged seven hours and 38 minutes across a typical day in 2009 -- equivalent to more than 53 hours a week.

Just when you thought you could enjoy your iPhone 3G, along comes the iPhone 3GS. VCRs are all but gone, replaced by DVRs. DVDs are on their way out, and Blu-ray discs are in.

Betamax and VHS. Eight-track tapes.

Cassettes and CDs. With technology, nothing lasts forever. As soon as something gets replaced by The Next Big Thing, the next Next Big Thing comes along.

So, before they disappear, here are 10 advances in consumer technology this past decade worth remembering.

Blue in the Face

Just when you thought you could enjoy your iPhone 3G, along comes the iPhone 3GS. VCRs are all but gone, replaced by DVRs. DVDs are on their way out, and Blu-ray discs are in.

Betamax and VHS. Eight-track tapes.

Cassettes and CDs. With technology, nothing lasts forever. As soon as something gets replaced by The Next Big Thing, the next Next Big Thing comes along.

So, before they disappear, here are 10 advances in consumer technology this past decade worth remembering.

Blue in the Face

Having transformed the music business once with iTunes and iPods, Apple is getting ready to do so again with a web-based service, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. If so, the influential online music store could again change the industry by changing what it means to own a song.

Apple has just pulled a competitor into its fold and set the stage to transform its iTunes Store. The company has confirmed the acquisition of Lala, the first free music service without advertising.

The terms of the deal weren't disclosed, and Apple wasn't immediately available for comment.

Lawmakers are moving to ban the use of computer laptops and other personal electronic devices in airline cockpits to prevent another incident like the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles.