In your spring buyer’s guide, you wrote that adequate graphics chips will be more important than ever, but in the past you’ve advised that memory, or RAM, was key to speed and performance. Can you now get the same gains by buying or adding a better graphics chip? Or is RAM just as important as ever?

There are lots of things that can improve the performance of a PC or Mac. But adding memory still gives you more bang for the buck than any other, in my view. What I was saying last week is that the forthcoming Microsoft and Apple operating systems will be relying more on graphics chips to help take some of the load off the main processor and speed up certain tasks. Even so, a better graphics chip isn’t a substitute for more main memory. In fact, most moderately priced computers use so-called integrated graphics chips, which lack dedicated memory and share some of the computer’s main RAM. So having plenty of main memory is directly related to getting the most out of such graphics chips.

Can the iPhone be connected to desktop peripherals? I want to be able to plug my iPhone into a large monitor and printer.

There are already several apps, including one from Hewlett-Packard, that allow you to print photos wirelessly from an iPhone to a printer that’s connected to a Wi-Fi network. But, as far as I know, there is nothing on the market today that can connect an iPhone to an external monitor or keyboard, or to a printer for nonphoto printing. However, Apple has announced that the new 3.0 version of the iPhone operating system, due this summer, will enhance the ability of the iPhone to work with add-on hardware, either via cables or wirelessly. The company showed this off with medical devices, but it’s possible that some third party could make it work with monitors or printers or keyboards.

A recent article in the Journal reported that a person had installed the Mac operating system on a Windows laptop. Is this really possible and is it legal?

Apple doesn’t sell or license its Mac OS X operating system for use on non-Apple hardware. In fact, the company considers it illegal to install OS X on other brands of computers. Nor does it produce OS X drivers for non-Apple hardware features that are built into competitors’ computers. Nevertheless, some computer hobbyists have installed OS X on non-Apple hardware, and posted photos and videos online to prove it.

Even if you are willing to ignore the legal issues, this process, while not brain surgery, takes more skill than the average user possesses. And, in the end, some features of the computer may wind up disabled or require workarounds to function. For instance, on one such machine I saw, the speaker port didn’t work with the Mac OS.

• You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

In your review of Amazon’s Kindle 2 e-book reader, you didn’t say much about its ability to display newspapers, magazines and blogs. How does it do with this type of content?

The new model’s handling of periodicals and blogs is quite similar to that of the old model’s, which is why I didn’t dwell on it. This wasn’t an area where Amazon changed much.

While I know some Kindle owners happily rely on the device for newspaper reading, in my opinion, the Kindle doesn’t do as well with periodicals and blogs as devices like laptops and the best smart phones. Its ability to render the content optimally is limited by its low-power monochrome screen, and its navigation system is fairly primitive compared to that on a laptop or a good smart phone. Kindle’s features were built mainly for books, which, unlike periodicals, don’t contain links and prompt little navigation in most pages.

Whenever I watch an Internet movie, the monitor on my desktop Vista PC shuts off every 10 minutes unless I touch the keyboard. How can I solve this problem?

Unless your monitor has its own feature that turns itself off after some time period, this is usually easily controllable from within Vista. You simply need to go into the Control Panel, find the power settings, and set the option for automatically turning off the display to “never,” or to some very long interval. Remember to re-enable the screen dimming feature after you’re done with the movie, so you don’t waste energy. If this doesn’t work, check to see if the manufacturer has installed its own software for controlling power settings. If so, you may have to change the settings there.

I am retired and would like to buy a small, wireless computer for travel that would have email and Internet software and very few other applications. The keyboard would be bigger than a Blackberry’s and smaller than a laptop’s. Can you recommend something?

I would look for a so-called “netbook.” These are little laptops, with screens generally 10 inches or smaller, that usually weigh almost nothing and sell for under $500. They typically come with relatively slow processors and relatively limited storage, but every one that I’ve seen is wireless and does a decent job with email and the Internet. There are many models, from companies like Acer, Asus, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and Dell.

• You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

My mother is 80 years old and would like to purchase a device whereby she can send and receive emails only. She does not surf the Internet. Do you have any suggestions?

Unfortunately, I don’t know of a simple gadget, like the now-discontinued MailStation, that just sends and receives emails. However, there is a service and device, aimed mainly at those seniors who aren’t comfortable with computers or smart phones, that allows the receipt of email, and even photo attachments. The drawback is that this system is one-way — users can receive email and pictures but can’t send emails.

The service is called Presto, and it uses a special Hewlett-Packard printer that connects to a phone line. Your mother would receive a Presto email address, and any emails and photos sent to her would materialize as printouts. A broadband connection is neither required, nor compatible. The device costs $100, and the service costs $100 a year, if paid on an annual basis, or $10 a month, if paid monthly. Information is at presto.com.

I have boxes and boxes of old photos, and about 20 home videotapes and old movies. Some of the photos are fading and showing wear, so I would like to find a company that can convert them to a DVD. Doing it at home would take too long. Have you reviewed such a company?

. Some years back, I reviewed and recommended a service called YesDVD, from a company called YesVideo, that converts videotapes, movie film and photos to DVD. It worked well in my tests. The service operates through retailers, such as Walgreens, CVS, Best Buy and Costco, where you drop off your materials and then later receive the DVD, plus your original stuff. More information is at yesvideo.com.

I enjoyed your review of Xobni. Will it work on Outlook Express or Entourage?

No. Xobni, which creates personal profiles and social networks from your stored email, doesn’t work with Microsoft Outlook Express for Windows or Microsoft Entourage for the Mac, or for any email program other than Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007, on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. The company is working on a version for Yahoo Mail.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online, free, at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

I have a new H-P (HPQ) laptop and there are several preinstalled media-playing interfaces that have been foisted on me. Do I really need all of these interfaces? Can’t I just get all of this media to run through Windows Media Player or iTunes?

Since you weren’t specific, I don’t know what media software came with your new laptop. I’m sure some of it may have been redundant “craplets” — the unwanted software PC makers load onto their machines in order to collect a fee from the programs’ publishers. And you are correct that many of the most common audio and video file types can be handled by Windows (MSFT) Media Player and iTunes.

However, the Internet is full of media file types that are best played, or can only be played, in specialized software — either separate applications on your computer or online players that are enabled via your Web browser. So, over time, most users will collect additional players, or plug-ins for their Web browsers, that will supplement their main media-playing program. One way to see if the media software on your new computer is necessary is to test what types of files it handles. If you can open and play these same files in Windows Media Player or iTunes, and you prefer to do so, then you probably don’t need the added software.

If I am running Windows Vista on my iMac desktop using Parallels, will Apple’s Time Machine backup program automatically preserve the Windows hard disk, too?

Yes. Parallels, and its competitor, VMWare Fusion, create virtual Windows hard disks inside a Macintosh. When you are running Parallels or Fusion, Windows sees these virtual hard drives as if they are distinct physical disks. However, they are in fact just very large files on your Mac’s hard disk. So Apple’s (AAPL) Time Machine backup program treats them like any other file and backs them up. Time Machine can also restore these virtual Windows hard disks, in their entirety, just as it can restore other kinds of files.

There are some caveats, however. Time Machine treats each virtual Windows hard disk as a big, unified blob of data, so it cannot peer inside them to recover individual Windows files you may have accidentally deleted while running Windows programs. Also, if your virtual Windows hard disk is large, and it changes often, then using Time Machine to back it up may suck up a lot of space on your backup drive, as numerous archived versions of the file accumulate.

I currently have a DVD player and a large stack of DVDs that I play through my analog TV set. After the 2009 digital TV conversion, will I still be able to use my existing DVD player and play my existing DVDs, even if I buy one of the government-subsidized converter boxes?

The FCC says DVD players and other add-on gear “will continue to work, even if they are only analog-capable.” But it adds that “manufacturers are producing a number of different connectors to hook equipment together and improve picture and sound quality. Check with your equipment retailer to determine the types of connectors that will work with your equipment.”

In other words, while there’s no inherent conflict, it all depends on your particular DVD player, your particular TV set, and how you have them connected. The best thing to do is consult closely with the dealer or manufacturer selling the converter box so that you understand how it can coexist with your current DVD player setup, or how you might have to alter your current setup.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about security for smart phones, finding desktop computers with Microsoft Vista Ultimate preinstalled, and changing iTunes authorizations.

Having recently switched to a Windows-based smart phone (Treo 750) which has sensitive information on it, I am concerned about the need for antivirus and firewall security. Is security prudent for these phones?

First of all, the “Windows” on your phone isn’t in any way the same software as the “Windows” on your computer. Programs, including viruses and spyware, which are designed to run on a Windows PC typically won’t run on a Windows Mobile phone. There is some evidence of malicious software infecting phones, but the problem is quite minimal and I don’t see a need to install antivirus programs and firewalls on phones — yet.

I am limping along on Microsoft ME and would like to obtain Microsoft Vista “Ultimate.” I am finding that there are no desktop machines available in the stores that have “Ultimate” preinstalled on them. They all seem to have Vista Home Basic or Home Premium. Why is this?

Windows Vista Ultimate is the most expensive version, and doesn’t do very much more for an average consumer than Home Premium. But it can be found on some higher-end model computers in stores and can often be specified when ordering a higher-powered computer online from companies like Dell and Hewlett-Packard.

As you know, there is a limit of 5 PCs on which you can store/play your iTunes copy-protected music. I recently donated a PC but forgot to de-authorize it from my list of available computers. Is there a way to accomplish this even though I no longer have the machine?

Yes, Apple allows you to reset your authorizations, either by going to the account settings in iTunes or by contacting them and explaining the situation. The Account page in iTunes is reached by going to the iTunes store, and then selecting “Account” under Quick Links at the upper right. This reset will deauthorize all your machines, but that’s not as drastic as it sounds. It merely forces you to enter your password the next time you play a copy-protected song on any of the computers you want to remain authorized. After that, you’re all set.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about whether to buy a smart phone now or wait for the iPhone, boosting the range of a wireless connection, and removing junk programs that come with a new computer.

I am in the market for a new smart phone. Should I wait for the Apple iPhone? When will it be available and when will you review it?

Apple says the iPhone is on track to go on sale in “late June,” and I expect to be able to test it and publish a review around that time. There will also be many other reviews around then that you can consult.

I stand by my earlier advice, which is that people shopping for a smart phone, who can wait until then, and who could imagine shelling out $499–the iPhone’s base price–should wait to read the reviews of Apple’s first phone and take a look at it before making a decision. However, if you need a smart phone now, or can’t imagine spending that much, then you can ignore the hype and buy a BlackBerry, or a Treo, or another competitor.

Three other key factors could also make you reasonably ignore the iPhone. It will lack a physical keyboard, relying on virtual keys that appear on the screen, so if you prefer a real keyboard, the iPhone would be a nonstarter for you. Also, it will only work on the AT&T wireless network (formerly Cingular) in the U.S. So, if you prefer another wireless carrier, forget the iPhone. Finally, it will only operate on a relatively slow network technology, called EDGE, so if you want a smart phone that operates on the fastest cellular networks, the iPhone is the wrong choice, even though it will also include Wi-Fi wireless networking.

The wireless connection to my wife’s Windows XP computer keeps going down. The computer is about 75 feet (but through three walls) from my Dell Truemobile 2300 router. Should I assume I need a better, more powerful router? And, finally, will it also connect to my MacBook Pro laptop?

A more powerful router might help, but wireless reception varies greatly depending on home construction and layout. You might look for a new router that features a technology called MIMO, which I have found in my tests can improve both speed and range. Even with a new router, you might also have to move its location. There are also various boosters and repeaters that can be used, though some of these require more technical expertise to install than most folks have.

One good method for extending the range of a wireless connection is to buy a set of so-called powerline adapters. These carry your network signal over plain old electrical lines, and some models allow you to create a wireless network by plugging a wireless router into such an adapter in a distant room. I described these adapters in more detail in a column you can find at: ptech.allthingsd.com/20060817/powerline-adapters-access.

In my own home, I have used both MIMO routers, and powerline adapters, successfully with mixtures of Windows and Apple Macintosh computers, including the MacBook Pro, and various Dell, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard laptops.

Can I remove the junk programs that came with my new computer–the ones you call “craplets”–by using the “Add or Remove Programs” control panel in Windows?

Yes, but that is a tedious manual process and may not get them all. Also, in Windows Vista, that control panel has been renamed and is now called “Programs and Features.”

Instead, I would suggest first downloading and running a free program specifically designed to eliminate craplets, the crippled trial programs and advertising come-ons that are now packed into so many new Windows PCs. This program is called “The PC Decrapifier” and can be found at pcdecrapifier.com. If this program misses a few of the junk items you want gone, you can then use the manual method.

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Because of the volume of email I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by email, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about buying PCs without Windows Vista, TVs with digital tuners and running the Mac operating system on a Dell.

Even though the new Windows Vista is now being included on most new computers, is it still possible to buy a brand-name PC with Windows XP preinstalled instead?

Microsoft says it is still possible to buy machines preloaded with Windows XP. The company’s deal with computer makers allows them to offer the previous version of the operating system for one year after a new one succeeds it. And you aren’t likely to have the compatibility problems with some hardware and software that currently plague Vista.

However, it is hard to find a brand-name computer priced and configured for average consumers that comes pre-loaded with XP. A cursory check of the online sites for the two biggest PC makers, Dell and Hewlett-Packard, under their “home and home office” categories, shows that all of the computers offered came with various flavors of Vista.

Some models configured for business can still be ordered with XP, so if you really want a brand-name Windows computer that comes with XP, you can order a so-called business machine. But these models may lack some kinds of software and hardware features that mainstream, nontechie consumers might want, and could include some that consumers would find superfluous.

You could also forgo a brand-name model and buy a computer from a local shop that is willing to preinstall XP instead of Vista.

There are some downsides to buying an XP machine. XP lacks some new, tougher security features and the slick built-in search that are included in Vista. Also, if past experience holds, over the typical life of a new computer, more and more hardware and software products will emerge that either will only work with Vista, or will work better with Vista.

We are contemplating buying a new LCD TV. If it has a digital tuner built in do I still have to buy a converter for over-the-air antenna reception in 2009?

No. Any television that has a built-in digital tuner, for receiving digital broadcasts over the air, won’t require a converter in 2009, when all TV stations will be broadcasting only digital programming. The only TV sets that will need a converter will be older sets without built-in digital tuners.

I have read a lot about running Windows on a Mac. Would anything prevent someone from going the other way and running the Mac operating system on a Dell, for example, since Macs and Dells are both based upon Intel processors?

It is theoretically possible, and some hackers have claimed to have done it. But their methods couldn’t be easily replicated by mainstream users, and don’t enable all of the operating system’s features. So, essentially the answer is no. The reason: Apple owns the Mac operating system and doesn’t want it running on non-Apple hardware, so it has erected technical and legal obstacles to stop people from doing so.

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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about old programs and Windows Vista, Vista Ultimate and Vista for Macs.

Can we run our old programs in the new Windows Vista? Can we use our old peripherals?

Vista should be compatible with most software that runs on Windows XP. I tested a handful of these programs, including the Firefox Web browser, Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 and Apple’s iTunes, and all worked fine. However, in any transition between operating-system versions, some programs get broken, especially older ones. You will likely need to buy new security programs, for instance.

Peripheral hardware is another matter. It depends on having the right software drivers — special small programs that control hardware — for Vista. Many hardware companies still are completing these drivers, so some functionality may be missing. For instance, while Vista was able to use my Hewlett-Packard printer, it didn’t have the driver for my exact model, so I couldn’t get the printer to print on both sides of the page. This driver update situation will likely persist for months.

In your review of the new Microsoft Vista, you said that “some regular users may need Vista Ultimate if their companies have particular network configurations that make it impossible to connect to the company network from home with Home Basic or Home Premium.” Can you elaborate?

Some companies require that employees logging in from home be able to do something called “joining a domain.” This practice makes it easier for network administrators to control access to various items on the corporate network. Microsoft doesn’t consider this capability to be consumer functionality, so it isn’t included in the new Vista Home Basic or Home Premium editions, just as it wasn’t included in Windows XP’s Home edition.

To get this domain-joining capability, you could use Windows Vista’s Business edition, but it may be hard to find a consumer personal computer with that edition installed, and this edition lacks some consumer features that are in Home Premium. So, for many consumers in this position, the best choice probably is the Ultimate edition, if you have the extra money it requires.

Not all corporate networks require domain-joining, and even some that do include ways around it. If you must often log into a company network from home, a good rule of thumb is this: if you are getting in with Windows XP Home, then Vista Basic or Premium should work fine. If your company required you to use XP Professional, then you probably need Vista Business or Ultimate. To be certain, ask your network administrator at work.

Will Windows Vista run on a Macintosh?

Parallels Inc., the company that makes the Parallels software for running Windows on a Mac, says its product already can run Vista. Apple, which makes the free Boot Camp software for running Windows on a Mac, hasn’t said if Boot Camp can run Vista, or whether it plans to add Vista capability, either now or when it folds Boot Camp into its forthcoming Leopard operating system this coming spring. But I would be very surprised if Boot Camp wasn’t updated at some point to run Vista.

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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about the “Links” toolbar in IE 7.0, smartphones with Wi-Fi chips and information on high-definition TVs.

I know you are a big fan of tabbed browsing, but I really liked having my most frequently visited Web sites on the “Links” toolbar at the top of the browser in the previous version of Internet Explorer. Is this feature totally absent in the new IE 7.0?

Tabbed browsing and the Links bar aren’t mutually incompatible, and in fact I heavily employ both in every Web browser I use, including IE 7.0, Firefox and Safari (the Links bar is called the Bookmarks Toolbar in Firefox and the Bookmarks Bar in Safari).

To turn on the Links toolbar in IE 7.0, click on the Tools icon at the upper right, highlight “Toolbars” from the drop-down menu, and click on “Links” in the list that appears. That entry should now be designated with a check mark and the Links toolbar should appear, just as it did in the previous version.

Here’s another IE 7.0 tip. If you want to see IE’s familiar menus, which are turned off by default in the new version, click on that same Tools icon at the upper right and then click on “Menu Bar” from the drop-down menu.

Are there any smartphones like the Treo that have built-in Wi-Fi chips? I’d like to be able to use the phone’s Web browser at a Wi-Fi hot spot without using minutes. I imagine the cellphone carriers aren’t eager to offer this dual capability.

Yes, there are a few smartphones that have both the ability to access the cellphone network and the ability to use Wi-Fi wireless data networks — even though, as you note, the cellphone-network operators generally shun the idea. The latest of these is the T-Mobile Dash, which I reviewed a few weeks back. For my review, go to: ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20061130.html. T-Mobile is a bit different from the other American cellphone carriers because it alone has a significant business in running commercial Wi-Fi hot spots.

Hewlett-Packard also makes a PDA that has both cellphone and Wi-Fi capabilities. It’s called the iPAQ Mobile Messenger hw6925 and is also sold by Cingular Wireless, though only to “business customers.” The new Nokia E62, sold in the U.S., doesn’t include Wi-Fi, but its nearly identical European counterpart, the E61, does, and it can be used in the U.S. by just popping in a chip, called a SIM card, from a U.S. carrier like Cingular or T-Mobile.

I’m thinking about getting a high-definition plasma or LCD television. Needless to say, I found your review helpful, but would like further information. Is there a Web site or sites you could recommend?

The Web site CNET has an excellent HDTV buyer’s guide, packed with lots of information and good explanations. It’s at: hdtv.cnet.com.

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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about Cingular data networks, the quality of Compaq laptops and options for connecting an iPod to home speakers.

In your review of the new T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl, you said Cingular Wireless has a data network that is much faster than the EDGE network that T-Mobile uses. But I have a BlackBerry from Cingular and it, too, uses EDGE. So how is Cingular faster?

In 80 cities, Cingular has now rolled out a new network based on a technology called HSDPA that, in my tests, can be 10 times as fast as EDGE. However, most of its phones and digital devices haven’t been updated in new versions that can use the new, faster network. So far, only a few regular phones and laptop data cards from Cingular can use HSDPA. Its data-centric hand-helds, like BlackBerrys and Treos, are still stuck on EDGE, which Cingular continues to maintain alongside the new faster network.

But Cingular plans to offer new versions of the data devices in the coming months that can take advantage of the new, higher speeds. By contrast, T-Mobile has nothing faster than EDGE. Verizon Wireless and Sprint also have networks that are much faster than EDGE, based on a technology called EVDO. They are way ahead of Cingular in both the number of cities deployed and in the variety of devices that can use the highest speeds. For instance, the Verizon Treo I carry uses EVDO and can download Web pages and email attachments much more quickly than any EDGE device can.

There is a catch. With Verizon, Sprint and Cingular, even if your phone or data device can use the highest-speed networks the carriers offer, they will drop down to a lower-speed network if you enter an area where the higher-speed coverage isn’t available.

I bought a Compaq laptop in January 2005. Now in August it will not turn on. Naturally I only had a one-year warranty. The Geek Squad tells me I need a mother board, and that will cost more than a new laptop. Does Compaq have a history of only lasting a little over a year, or did I get a lemon?

Neither my email from readers nor anything I have read suggests that Compaq computers typically last only a year or so. However, reader surveys published by Consumer Reports and PC Magazine rank the Compaq brand (which is now owned by Hewlett-Packard) at or near the bottom in categories like how often its laptops need repairs and how reliable they are.

In general, I believe that as the factories in China (where nearly all laptops are made) jam more powerful and numerous components into slender laptops, quality and reliability are falling. Even Apple, which ranks at or near the top on the surveys I mentioned, is having problems with some of its newest laptops (and I am not referring here to the burning batteries Apple and Dell purchased from Sony).

Are there any good, effective options for getting an Apple iPod to work with a home speaker system? I guess I’m envisioning a “receiver” that allows an iPod to dock with it.

There are lots of products on the market that allow you to connect an iPod to a home audio system, or even just speakers. They range from simple audio cables you can buy at Radio Shack to iPod docks that connect to speakers or an audio receiver, and even wireless approaches. Apple itself makes a $19 cable and a $39 dock for this purpose and also sells a complete kit, with dock, cables and remote, for $99. But other companies sell similar products as well as self-contained docks.

There are way too many of these to list here, but there are some Web sites that can help you. Apple has a Web page listing some accessories, at www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html. More are listed at Apple’s online store, at store.apple.com, under iPod Accessories — “Cables & Docks.” Another good source for information about this topic is ilounge.com.

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Because of the volume of email I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by email, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com