Augen ERA

It's not as fancy as an iPad, but it's far more affordable: Kmart's July 25 circular advertised a 7-inch tablet by Augen running the Android operating system.

The GenTouch78 is on sale through July 31 for $149.99.

That's far less than the cost of a laptop computer, and significantly less than the cost of a typical netbook. It's even less than the up-front cost for many popular carrier-subsidized smartphones -- and it doesn't require a pricey monthly contract.

In fact, this device is roughly the size and cost of the Wi-Fi version of the latest Amazon Kindle. It's small enough to carry in a purse, and light enough to hold up easily if you're lying down in bed to read.

FACEBOOK INFORMATION THEFT

A man has collected information from 100 million Facebook users and distributed it online in a downloadable file. check the link

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2010/07/30/ricks.baldwin.privacy.leak.cnn

Tablet Computers from Microsoft

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Thursday that the software giant is urgently working with its partners to unveil a host of tablet computers running Windows 7, to compete with Apple's fast-selling iPad.

At a meeting with financial analysts on Thursday, Ballmer outlined the company's strategy to catch up to Apple and Google in the consumer space. He said Apple is doing an "interesting" job with the iPad and has "sold certainly more than I'd like them to sell." As a result, Ballmer said his company's "job one urgency" is bringing Windows-based tablet computers to the market.