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For many companies, meeting or beating quarterly earnings estimates matters more than anything else. All too often, the drive to perform bleeds into a temptation to cook the books. But astute investors can see behind the numbers to glimpse the truth. Here are a few of the major red flags.

Personal computer sales fell 1.1% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2010, according to industry research firm Gartner, but while its report lists a few possible reasons for the decline, none are compelling, and the drop is unlikely to presage a serious decline in PC sales.

Apple may have set the tone for designer electronics, but if you're too broke to invest in the Mac-head lifestyle, try going vintage with its refurbished line of products. Other electronics retailers sell used products too, and buying straight from the source is safer than taking your chances on...

Friday marked the release of the iPad 2 and, according to Geek.com, while only 300,000 original iPads were sold within the first weekend of its release, half a million iPad 2s sold within the first day. However, despite the new features and faster speed, most students and recent graduates that...

Apple leapfrogged Hewlett-Packard to become the largest U.S. seller of portable personal computers last quarter because of the popularity of its iPad tablet computer that it debuted last year, according NPD Group's DisplaySearch.

Dell will highlight a handful of tech company results this week. Also reporting earnings will be food giants Smucker and Campbell Soup, also Marriott and other members of the lodging and hospitality industry, and the first of a long string of results from retailers.

Two days after Intel halted shipments of its 6 Series chipset, announcing it had found a flaw in the design, HP and Dell have warned that some of their new computers include the chips. Samsung also began offering refunds on PCs with the Intel chip Tuesday.

Now the No. 1. U.S. seller of LCD TVs, Vizio is setting its sights on the smartphone and tablet computer markets. But will its low-cost business model translate to the mobile electronics market? That's not a sure bet, but it'll be interesting to watch.

It's tablets, tablets everywhere at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which ends Sunday. Manufacturers such as Motorola Mobility, Toshiba and Dell have taken to hot pursuit of Apple, which sold more than 13 million iPads last year.

Even after a round of acquisitions in 2010, some big tech companies are still rolling in cash -- and 2011 looks like another promising year for tech mergers. Here's columnist Peter Cohan's list of top tech acquisition targets for 2011.