Computer buyers now have many more options for purchasing personal computing devices, including the Microsoft Surface tablet. (Nigel Treblin/Getty Images) Forget about the gigahertz. Don’t worry about ...

Ever notice how there are a lot of acronyms for computer stuff? API, BIOS, CPU, DOS (not to be confused with DoS), DRAM, GPU, HDD, RAM, ROM, and a whole lot more... It can get downright overwhelming.

Walter S. Mossberg explains the differences between and pros and cons of different types of computers – notebook, netbook, desktop, tablet – and explains what to look for in a processor, memory, video ...