Smart phones, tablets, and laptops do lots of things well, but providing great sound quality usually isn't one of them. The small speakers in many of these devices produce audio that you could charitably call weak or even tinny. So what do you do if you're sharing tunes with friends or you want to listen to music or enjoy a video without putting on a pair of headphones?

You're forgiven if an ad for "the world's most portable desktop" confuses you. But don't be surprised if claims like that pop up more frequently, because computer manufacturers are beginning to make so-called portable desktops, complete with battery, that can be used something like a giant tablet.

Q: My children have many small electronics that operate on rechargeable batteries (MP3 players, laptops, handheld video game consoles). They play them until right before the charge runs out. They then plug them in and keep playing. Does this negatively effect the life or operation of the battery? —Patrick Madigan, MO

Apple today unveiled its upcoming iOS 7 mobile operating system, which includes a more-elegant-looking interface and a unique poison-pill approach to thwarting device theft.

All-day battery life is coming to the MacBook Air, Apple announced today during its World Wide Developers Conference. The new laptops use the latest processors from Intel, the fourth-generation Core processor known as Haswell ULT, and one advantage those processors bring is longer battery life.

In a recent survey, we asked subscribers about how they use their mobile devices. One finding: Twenty-eight percent of tablet owners said children 17 or younger also used their tablet. Some portion of parents who share their tablets with their kids surely must long to get the kids their own devices.

When's the last time you checked your privacy settings on Facebook? If it was more than a few months ago, you might want to check again: Facebook frequently updates how its settings work, so you may inadvertently be sharing information you'd rather keep private, or at least restricted to a smaller group.

Q: Is it possible to overcharge a laptop? —James Maxim Cuba, NY

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, I saw a prototype for one of HP's newest all-in-one printers, which HP claimed would be able to print pages about as quickly as laser printers do—making it the fastest inkjet printer out there. HP also said that although the printer cartridge would be expensive, it would last a long time and actually save you money.

Know someone who's collecting a degree this year? All graduates deserve a reward for making it through school (and before they have to face the rather scary job market that awaits them). Here are some electronics suggestions that should put a smile on any grad's face.

The newest tablet in Samsung's lineup, the Galaxy Note 8 ($400) received top marks in our latest Ratings of 7- to 8-inch Wi-Fi tablets. It's largely the Galaxy's versatility that puts it at the top, with its innovative stylus and a feature lineup that includes GPS and a memory-card reader. (In comparison, the iPad Mini has none of those, but it also costs $70 less).

A laptop and desktop from Vizio—the Vizio CT15T-B1 Ultrabook and the Vizio CA24T-B0, respectively—are the first computers into our labs with the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac. Though it's up and running, it's still an emerging standard, waiting to be ratified by the Wi-Fi working group; still, 802.11ac should result in faster throughput.

There are just a few things to know about Mother's Day. First, remember the holiday. This year Mother's Day takes place on Sunday, May 12, so you don't have many shopping days left. Second, book a table. Restaurants are packed on Mother's Day, so if you're going out to celebrate, get on Yelp, OpenTable, or some other dining site now. And third, don't limit yourself to the classics and the clichéd. When choosing a Mother's Day present, the sky's the limit, as you'll see below in our selection of gifts for the mom who . . .

A major problem with using Windows 8's touch-screen interface on a traditional computer has been having to reach across a keyboard to touch the display. Today, I was able to see firsthand a touch-screen laptop design that may solve this problem in the form of the 15.6-inch Acer Aspire R7.

Google Play is available on Barnes & Noble's Nook HD and Nook HD Plus tablets, starting today. The move by the bookseller brings a much wider selection of apps to its tablets, which until now only included those selected by the company.