Stories by Sharon Machlis

Facebook releases 'Prophet' -- its free forecasting tools -- for Python and R

Prophet is aimed specifically at business problems such as computer infrastructure capacity planning.

In Pictures: Data visualisation on a shoestring

Are you seeking tools for data visualisation and analysis that won't bust your budget? Here are dozens of ideas.

In Pictures: 80 Mbytes of storage for under $12K! and other IT ad favorites through the years

Elvira hawking development software, a computer with "briefcase portability," the cure for COBOLitis... Advertisements published in Computerworld since 1967 have promised all this and more. Here are 10 of the most entertaining IT ads from the archive...

iPad Mini vs. Google Nexus 7 vs. Kindle Fire

Here's how the iPad Mini's announced tech specs stack up against popular 7-inch tablets from Google and Amazon. (Of course, while the specs are important, there's more to a tablet than a data sheet. Computerworld will have a hands-on review of the iP...

Google Now vs. Siri - voice search challenge

Sharon Machlis of Computerworld compares the Google Now voice search capabilities with the Siri voice assistant on the Apple iPhone 4S. While Siri offers more functions in terms of scheduling, does Google Now do better at finding information?

Google Now vs. Siri - voice search challenge

Google Nexus 7 tablet overview

Sharon Machlis of Computerworld gives an overview of the Google Nexus 7 tablet, which runs the Android Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system, and features Voice Search functionality.

Google Nexus 7 tablet overview

Sharon Machlis of Computerworld gives an overview of the Google Nexus 7 tablet, which runs the Android Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system, and features Voice Search functionality.

Hands-on: 5 wireless keyboards for the iPad

Even if you're comfortable with the iPad 2's on-screen keyboard and can happily tap out a status update or quick email, you might not want to use it for tasks like writing a lengthy report. One option is to ditch the tablet for a full-fledged laptop ...

HP's PC division, by the (profit and growth) numbers

Why would a company give up its market-leading position in a major hardware segment -- especially if that business is still profitable? That was one question a number of customers were asking after Hewlett-Packard (HP) said it's looking to sell its P...

Android vs. iPhone and iPad by the numbers

It looks increasingly like Android will be the major challenger to both Apple's iPhone and iPad.

22 free tools for data visualization and analysis

You may not think you've got much in common with an investigative journalist or an academic medical researcher. But if you're trying to extract useful information from an ever-increasing inflow of data, you'll likely find visualization useful - wheth...

Apple vs. Microsoft by the numbers

A little less than a year ago, Wall Street reached a Microsoft vs. Apple milestone: for the first time, Apple's corporate value surpassed Microsoft's.

Facebook ends end-run around U.S. securities laws

There was another question about the planned Facebook stock offering that went beyond whether the social media leader is a good investment now or if it's overpriced. A more serious issue was how investment banker Goldman Sachs was structuring a "priv...

NASA: Key antenna fails as Discovery enters orbit

After a successful launch early this morning, NASA officials later discovered a snag when the space shuttle Discovery entered its orbit around the earth.