Walt Mossberg news stories on Newser

20 Years of Tech: We've Come a Long Way, Baby

John Johnson — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:41:09 CDT

Remember when revolutionary dial-up modems arrived on the computer scene or when America Online debuted? Walt Mossberg does, and the Wall Street Journal tech reviewer looks back on 20 years' of columns. Some of the milestones he picks out: His first line in 1991: "Personal computers are just too hard...

iPhone 4S: Siri Is Great, but Is It a Game-Changer?

Rob Quinn — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:26:09 CDT

The iPhone 4S looks exactly like its best-selling predecessor, but it has had a major internal revamp. The big news is that the fifth-generation smartphone "thinks different," thanks to its voice-controlled artificial-intelligence system called Siri. Writing for the Wall Street Journal , Walt Mossberg decides Siri is impressive but has "imperfect...

Steve Jobs a Man of 'Stunning Breadth'

Mark Russell — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:57:47 CDT

Steve Jobs "was a historical figure on the scale of a Thomas Edison or Henry Ford," writes tech guru Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal ; but, more than that, he was also a man of "stunning breadth" who loved to talk about his "sweeping ideas for the digital revolution....

iPhone 4 Lives Up to the Hype

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:29:50 CDT

The iPhone 4 hits tomorrow, and tech reviewers everywhere are incredibly impressed. Here's what they're saying: The iPhone 4 is “a major leap over its already excellent predecessor,” writes Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal . The new features work very well, and the redesign “manages to make the 3GS...

Zuckerberg Sweats (Literally) Through Privacy Grilling

Caroline Miller — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:17:42 CDT

Mark Zuckerberg, on the hot seat at the D8 summit late yesterday, apparently found questions about Facebook's privacy issues, and the backlash against them, so scorching that he sweated until his interrogators begged him to take off his hoodie. Not that they stopped hammering him, as he stammered through evasive...

How to Buy a Laptop

Kevin Spak — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:31:46 CDT

It's time once again for Walt Mossberg's annual computer buying guide, in which the Wall Street Journal 's tech guru runs down the bare minimum the average person should know when buying a laptop. His advice: Processors: Intel has a shiny new wave of Core chips, the i3, i5, and...

As-Seen-on-TV MagicJack Actually Works as Advertised

Kevin Spak — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:37:26 CST

Walter Mossberg is as surprised as anyone to say it, but MagicJack actually works. If you haven’t seen its frequent, hard-sell TV ads, the little USB device hooks your computer to a traditional phone, allowing you to make unlimited calls over the Internet at a nigh-unbelievable rate. The first year...

Ultrathin Laptops Solid Performers

Nick McMaster — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:08:13 CST

Cheap netbooks aren't profitable for PC makers, so it’s logical they're trying to lure consumers toward laptops that are just as thin, but have bigger screens, more features—and a heftier price tag. Walt Mossberg reviews three such models for the Wall Street Journal , and finds pros and cons for...

Droid a Savvy Choice for Smartphone Fans

Rob Quinn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:38:37 CST

Verizon has finally come up with a phone that will satisfy users who want an iPhone-quality smartphone to run on the firm's zippy 3G network, writes Walt Mossberg. The Motorola Droid, is, like the iPhone, "a powerful hand-held computer that happens to make phone calls," Mossberg writes. The Droid, at...