Stories by: Michael Gartenberg

If you shop in the U.S., you're likely familiar with the Nordstrom brand. It's not just another department store: It's a business with legendary customer support.

More than a year ago, Google announced an ambitious project to create a new class of device powered by an operating-system version of its Chrome browser . Many months of hyped expectations later, Google finally took the wraps off the first of its Chromebooks at its developer conference last week. While Google has delivered in some ways, the pricing of the Acer and Samsung Chromebooks relative to the functionality offered could spoil the party.

Didn't send anyone to CES? You probably should have. As I wrote last April, the Consumer Electronics Show may have "consumer" in its name, but it is more and more a place for IT to keep up to date with what will be happening in their companies soon. That's because users are increasingly having their say when it comes to the technologies they use.

A year ago, Google began discussing the idea of offering a full operating system based on its Chrome browser. This month, Google revealed further details of its plans and began shipping a first run of test units so that developers, reporters and analysts could begin to evaluate Google's efforts. I've been testing one of these units over the last week or so, and I found Google's efforts impressive. The question is whether Google has created a new environment that will challenge more traditional PC operating systems such as Mac OS and Windows, or whether Chrome will be the latest challenger that ends up with niche success at best.

Last week at an event in New York, Research In Motion introduced its latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch, along with the most recent update of the operating system, BlackBerry 6.

Just last year, with the arrival of Android 2.0 mobile operating system, I warned that Android devices were not quite ready for the enterprise.

Is your IT organization ready for Windows 7? You're running out of time. Microsoft will ship the new version of Windows on Oct. 22.

It could be that a real battle is brewing between operating systems. Apple will fire first by releasing Mac OS X 10.6, known as Snow Leopard, in September. Microsoft's response, Windows 7, will hit store shelves a few weeks later, on Oct. 22.

Having discussed the progress of the iPhone in the enterprise last month, I thought that this month I would take a look at a longtime player, Windows Mobile, and see how it stacks up against the competition these days. And next month, I hope to have some comments on the new Palm Pre and how it fares for business use.

The netbook is one of the most interesting categories on the market. These small laptops can do most of the jobs of their big brothers while costing under US$500. For some people, such as students, a netbook can be a primary computer. For a business user, it might be a second PC for use when traveling or commuting. Here are five tips to help pick the right one for your needs.