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Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street: smartphones and software, discount brokers and airbeds, and would you like a side of fries with that?

I'm no Apple hater, but I don't see the appeal of its expensive new iPad. Clearly, I'm in the minority here -- Apple sold 3 million of them in a single weekend -- but allow me to explain.

Microsoft Kinect -- the camera-based motion controller for the Xbox 360 -- is coming to a computer near you next month. How will an accessory that seems more suited to video games fit with the way you use your PC? Much better than you might guess.

For the past 14 years, Microsoft has kicked off the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a a keynote address that set the tone for the exposition where tech companies showcase their latest wares. But Microsoft is announcing that next month's show will be its last.

No one likes being late to a party, especially one where the first ones there get the best party favors. The Apple party started long ago, and it's stock has crushed that of its rivals over the past decade -- but does that mean it's too late to join the festivities?

Microsoft's next quarterly report arrives Thursday, and it's hard to get too excited. It's still the world's largest software company, and it's growing. It just happens to be as sexy as Abe Vigoda. But Microsoft could still innovate its way out of its slump. Here are four things we'd love to hear Microsoft say on Thursday.

Microsoft says its Windows 7 operating system is the fastest-growing in history after the company sells more than 240 million licenses in the past year. According to Net Applications data, 93% of new personal computers are equipped with Windows 7.

It's hard to imagine ever calling Microsoft (MSFT) an ant in a world of giants. But when it comes to online search, Microsoft is that ant. The software giant is expected to take on search Goliath Google (GOOG) as it shows off its new Web search engine next week at a technology conference, people...