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In today's show, Google takes us for a spin, ultrabooks are no longer ultra-pricey, and the iPad isn't just for humans anymore:

Hewlett-Packard announced several new thin and light laptops under the Envy brand. Some are officially called ultrabooks, equiped with Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processors, while less-expensive ones are called sleekbooks. But regardless of the different labels, it means high-quality thin and light laptops are moving into the $600 to $700 price range. (There's even a rumor that the MacBook Air -- the computer that kickstarted the ultrabook craze -- will drop its price to $… Read more

Apple has updated its after-sales policy in South Korea, making it the world's best, according to a regulator in that country.

According to the Korea Herald, citing a statement from the country's Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Apple will now replace all defective products in that country with new devices within the first month of purchase. The company will even replace devices that become defective after the first month with a new model if the issue is obviously caused by a manufacturing issue. Apple had previously offered the policy to Korean customers with its iPhone last year, but has … Read more

If you think you paid the government enough in taxes this year, think again. An alliance of state and federal politicians, with the assistance of deep-pocketed big-box retailers, is hoping to lighten your wallet by levying new Internet sales taxes.

Their plan: to convince the U.S. Congress to approve a law that would allow states to force Amazon.com, Overstock.com, Blue Nile, and other online-only retailers to collect sales taxes from out-of-state customers.

So far, they've had little success. But a state government budget shortfall estimated to total around $50 billion next fiscal year, coupled with accelerated … Read more

Research In Motion, struggling to keep its BlackBerrys relevant in the smartphone game, could still make an attractive prize for the right acquirer.

RIM is considering hiring a banker to explore its "strategic alternatives" -- often code word for putting itself on the block -- according to a Bloomberg report today.

The move is in line with CEO Thorsten Heins' recent comments during the last quarterly earnings announcement that he would explore all options for the company, something prior leaders were reluctant to do. For shareholders, it may be their only way to get any kind of return … Read more

Apple might have sold more than 30 million iPhones during the first quarter, according to an analyst.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote to investors today that Apple likely sold 33 million iPhones during the first quarter. During the same period in 2011, Apple sold 18.65 million iPhones.

Although Munster's estimate easily outpaces that quarter, the figure would be far behind the 37 million iPhones Apple sold during the fourth quarter. Munster didn't address the difference, but fourth-quarter's sales figures were likely higher due to the debut of the iPhone 4s and holiday shopping.

In addition, … Read more

Travelzoo might just be putting itself on the market. This 14-year-old Internet company, which helps travelers find deals on flights, hotels, and vacation packages, has seen a dismal past few months and therefore could be getting ready to sell itself, according to Reuters.

Prospective buyers include Google, Amazon, and online travel Web sites, according to Reuters. These tech companies might want to get their hands on Travelzoo because of its 24 million subscriber-base, its share in the daily deal world, and its advertising-generated revenue stream.

Currently the New York-based company has a market value of $336.1 million and once … Read more

Worldwide tablet sales are expected to reach 118.9 million units this year, led by Apple's iOS, according to a Gartner report, which adds that this number is a 98 percent increase from 2011's sales of 60 million units.

Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, noted in the report today that Apple continues to be the dominant media tablet operating system, and is expected to account for 61.4 percent of worldwide media tablet sales to end users in 2012. This will be down from 66.6 percent in 2011.

Despite the arrival of Windows-based devices to … Read more

Well, at least one part of Research In Motion's business is on the rise.

Speaking to Bloomberg in an interview published today, Scott Totzke, RIM's senior vice president of BlackBerry Security, said that his company's revenue on sales to the federal government "on whole is up."

"The employee base is shrinking, so if we're looking at a market with fewer employees and our install base is stable to slightly up, that would seem to indicate that we have an increasing market share," Totzke said.

Totzke's comments seem to underscore the unenviable … Read more

T-Mobile USA has hired advisers to help it sell its wireless towers in an effort to raise cash, Bloomberg reported today.

T-Mobile's network of roughly 7,000 wireless towers has been on the block before, and is seen as one of the easiest ways to generate money for the carrier's German parent, Deutsche Telekom AG. A sale is seen generating as much as $3 billion a year for T-Mobile, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Philip Cusick.

T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom are on the hunt for cash after initiating an aggressive plan to move to 4G LTE on … Read more