CES is the biggest consumer electronics show in the U.S., and it has historically been a wonderful place to see what is coming up for the new year. So, let's talk about what I expect to appear at CES. Then we'll close with my first product of the week for 2022: Dell's Concept Luna, the first truly sustainable laptop design.

One recent rumor that Elon Musk has been emphasizing is the creation of a Tesla phone with a unique feature set. This makes a lot of sense given where Tesla is going, particularly as a hedge against Apple's rumored electric car. Let's explore the potential for a Tesla phone this week. Then we'll close with my product of the week, a set of earbuds that are the most comfortable I've ever tested.

OK, don't get excited, the death of PCs and smartphones won't happen tomorrow. Nor did Qualcomm overtly declare their demise at the company's annual Snapdragon Tech Summit last week. However, it did announce a level of performance that will eventually make current smartphone and PC designs obsolete.

It is my tradition to write a piece on tech gift ideas every year, though I wonder how many of you have completed your shopping given the logistics problems that the market is experiencing. A piece of advice: if you find something in stock you want to buy, buy it -- otherwise it may vanish in moments. This year I chose one product I want but likely won't get, and four others you might want to consider.

Most of the cameras and sensors rolling out en masse are not mobile. Still, they're not wired, which means Qualcomm's market-leading connectivity technology is becoming more critical than the processors in these devices which increasingly use cloud processing power. Let's talk about this trend and what it means to you.

Nvidia is building a focused supercomputer tasked with creating Earth 2, a full-on global 3D metaverse simulation of the Earth to predict climate change more accurately. Let's talk about Earth 2 this week. We'll then close with the product of the week, a new workstation service from HP that potentially opens up metaverse development to everyone.

Writing about technology over the years I've produced many guides on how to do cool stuff with your computer. However, without the right foundation, even the most thorough guide can leave room for pesky variables to creep in. This made me realize how important it is to establish what firm footing for technical projects looks like.

Microsoft on Oct. 29 once again surpassed Apple to take the top spot as the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. This week let's talk about why Microsoft is so well balanced and deserving of the top honors. Then we'll close with the product of the week, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 graphics card.

For those born after the mini-computer era (co-terminus with the original Star Trek), dilithium is the fuel used to power a warp core propulsion system needed for interstellar travel. Dilithium is both naturally occurring and rare, and when it melts, from overuse of the warp core, the starship is basically kaput. This metaphor makes sense if you keep reading.

Qualcomm, which owns the dominant hardware platform for non-Apple smartwatches, has articulated a plan to replace the Apple Watch at the top of the smartwatch segment. Let's talk about the Apple vs. Qualcomm smartwatch war for 2022. Then we'll close with the product of the week -- a new printer from HP explicitly designed for the home.

Apple's strategy is all about status and making you stand out as an Apple user, while Google's strategy is more about features and what you can do with its phones. In effect, Apple is more about form, appearance, and ease of use, while Google is more about function. Let's contrast Apple and Google smartphones. Then we'll close with the product of the week, a new VR headset from Varjo.

BlackBerry's automotive initiatives are increasingly focused on electric vehicles that need help to reach their full potential. Last week the company highlighted the coming experience with EVs. I found the description compelling and worth covering here because it will make a massive difference. We'll close again with my product of the week, the new Huawei Watch 3.

At the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerate 2021 event last week they talked about the advantages that those living in a smart city would enjoy. Smart cities are coming, though I agree with Qualcomm that most will likely be done poorly and need to be redone due to the lack of city and state expertise in smart technology. Let's talk about smart cities. Then we'll close with the product of the week: a new household robot from Amazon.

Microsoft last week launched its new Surface line, and elements of it better target Apple's weaknesses than any prior effort. Let's talk about the new Surface PC product that best showcases how Microsoft can compete with Apple. We'll close with the product of the week, the Surface Duo 2, which has become a viable alternative to the iPhone.

Trust in sources that we depend on for business and personal decisions is critical. A platform that aggregates opinion and news should be held to the highest standard of trust and honesty. Last week we heard that Facebook's moderating system XCheck gives special privileges to some celebrities and politicians. This adds to a growing list of questionable activity by the social media giant that many people consider to be a monopoly.

I recently met a young lady with an education degree who is frustrated that her younger siblings are far more prosperous than she is. She's planning on getting an MBA to pivot her career and hopefully position herself for a more prosperous future. Let's talk about that. Then, I'll close with my product of the week -- an "oldie but goodie" from Microsoft.

What if we applied the military's capacity to build weapons to develop ways to save people from natural disasters? Let's talk about some of the inventions that could be used to make us all safer, and switch our focus from harming to helping. We'll close with the product of the week, arguably the coolest Tesla-like electric-powered hydrofoil boat that's trying to transition boating away from fossil fuels.

Today the Linux community is estimated to be 86 million users strong. It has become the backbone of large enterprises and is installed in government systems and embedded in devices worldwide. As people around the world celebrate and discuss 30 years of Linux, the focus, rightly so, is on supercomputers, Martian helicopters and many other developer-centric initiatives, noted GigaOm analyst Chris Grundemann.

August 25 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of a free computer operating system that revolutionized nearly every industry and helped spread the open-source movement globally. Today, Linux is everywhere in industry as it dominates servers and networking; is the driving force behind cloud computing; and is the foundation of Google's Android and Chrome operating systems.

Linux entered the world of technology with little more than a kernel to call its own. That was the intent of a young computer science student from Helsinki named Linus Torvalds in doing this personal fun project. In 1991, he created code that would become the basis for a completely new approach to operating systems for computers. The rest, as they say, is history.

Autonomous driving now forms the core of most of the efforts to create autonomous robotics. However, up until now there's been one rarely talked about but critical problem that remains unsolved: What do we do with those things that will share the roads with these self-driving cars and trucks that are not autonomous?

People are freaking out about reports of NSO Group's Pegasus surveillance tool being used to spy on journalists, political dissidents, and other opponents of regimes worldwide. It's disheartening, and worth discussing. But why are we shocked? In Pegasus' case, the game theory is clear: some company was bound to develop surveillance software, some less-than-scrupulous government was bound to buy it, and they'd eventually get caught.

Much of what you are going to see at Siggraph this week has to do with creating the Metaverse, which is conceptually very similar to the artificial world that the movie "The Matrix" showcased. This technology will not only have a massive impact on lower-cost and far better movie graphics, but also our ability to translate what is in our imaginations to real-world events.

In short, every problem the electric car has begins and ends with its power supply. But that is changing very rapidly, making an EV likely for you within a 10-year horizon. Let's explore the state of affairs with electric vehicles, and key determinants to take into account if you have your mind on an EV. Then we'll close with the product of the week -- a new laptop from HP.

Many businesses find themselves launching open-source products at a rapidly accelerating pace without truly understanding either the benefits that come with it or the potential pitfalls that must be avoided. Let's talk about what open source means to your business, and how you can leverage it to serve both your customers and your business needs.

The advantage of using a VR rig without a tether is huge because in a complex movement-oriented game you tend to get tangled in the tether. Let's talk about the Oculus Quest 2 this week and the announcement that this class of products is about to embrace 5G for its next generation. We'll close with the product of the week, a new webcam from Dell that may be perfect for those of us still working from home.

Windows 11 shows a massive change in focus from earlier significant releases, which pretty much assures that the Microsoft's mistakes of the past won't be repeated, at least not under the current leadership. It also suggests a path to the next version of Windows -- which for now we'll call Windows 12 -- that could be even more groundbreaking.

HP this month announced the release of its Sustainable Bond Framework, which will be used to issue bonds to help the company finance projects for a more sustainable future. Let's talk about this move to sustainability. We'll then look at the product of the week -- a mobile workstation which appears to be the lightest so far released into the market.

Gift guides can be tricky because they are written at a specific point in time -- and time moves on. But what is also often the case is that the gift buyer punts without putting in much personal effort to the endeavor. So this year, rather than highlighting products, let's focus on the process of coming up with a gift for Father's Day.

Microsoft isn't just building for the future. The company is focusing on tools that will allow an ever-broader group of people to program for themselves. At the heart of this plan is Microsoft's pivot to open source; and while there were several benefits of that action highlighted at Microsoft Build last week, an important one was left out -- which is that Microsoft has become a far better place to work.