Barbara E. Hernandez

While tech companies are trying to outdo each other in data center design and energy efficiency, small businesses still can find choosing a data center a tough proposition. Entrusting your company's data and valuable information to someone else needs additional research and a certain confidence level with customer service.

A business may need a data center to continue its growth, but there are a few things to know before signing a contract. Whether it's about security, emergency plans, or cost, here are few questions to ask.

Amazon is backpedaling after initially coming to the defense of one of its electronic book authors, a man selling a how-to-guide for pedophiles.

"Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable," the company said in a statement. However, after receving massive media attention, the book self-published by Phillip R. Greaves II, The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-lover's Code of Conduct, has been removed quietly from the Kindle store.

The news that color E Ink is coming and saving users from plain black-and-white electronic book readers has goosed interest in the gadgets. But with technology changing so quickly and tablet computers cropping up in businesses, with color or not, the e-reader is a superfluous purchase.

With the holiday season coming up, plenty of manufacturers will be highlighting various e-readers, but here are five reasons why no one needs one.

Samsung said it will likely sell one million Galaxy Tabs by the end of the year, but what do theoretical sales really mean, especially when Apple has already sold 7 million iPads this year? For Samsung, one million units would mean a tidy profit and the establishment of the company as a solid competitor in the tablet and wireless market.

Samsung's announcement means that it would sell a million units between Nov. 10, when the Galaxy Tab goes on sale for $400 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile, and Dec. 31.

Some users of the new MacBook Air have been reporting frustrations on the screen, such as random flashing, the appearance of horizontal or vertical lines, and in some cases, different colors filling the screen just before the computer crashes.

While Apple is looking into a software fix for the problem that has surfaced in its Support forums and on YouTube, perhaps the problem stems from Apple rushing to get the MacBook Air to market so it could capitalize on its iPad success.

Once T-Mobile’s latest commercials claimed that the wireless carrier has the largest 4G network in the nation, the sniping began. But it didn't all come from competitors like AT&T and Sprint, but also bloggers calling it a "4G forgery," as if advertisers and marketers always told the truth. The truth is that T-Mobile is being as honest as any other wireless carrier.

Last month, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations agency which creates global standards for communications technology, assessed existing networks and determined that neither WiMax, operated by Sprint Nextel and partner Clearwire, nor Long Term Evolution (LTE), soon to be launched by Verizon, could be called 4G networks.

Microsoft's new ads for Windows Phone 7 portray smartphone users as selfish schmoes ignoring their children, their spouses, and the world around them as they tap their touchscreens. Most of the dialogue consists of a single word, "Really?" from disgusted onlookers, or superimposed over a couple at a romantic restaurant forsaking one another for their handheld.

While some of my colleagues have expressed dismay at Microsoft's $500 million marketing blitz, they're missing the point. I've seen two people at a restaurant frantically texting at the table. I've seen the familiar, zombie-like stagger of someone attempting to walk while engrossed in his or her iPhone. I own a smartphone and I also find the Windows Phone 7 commercials funny, because there's definitely a kernel of truth.

ViewSonic's ViewPad 7, a tablet PC with a 7-inch display, is the latest in a line of machines that bridge the gap between a smartphone and a tablet.

While there's still confusion about whether or not the ViewPad 7 will be able to make phone calls (mainly because ViewSonic is still in discussions with wireless carriers AT&T and T-Mobile about distribution), the device itself comes equipped with a SIM card for both voice and data.

A flood of computer tablets is scheduled to hit the market in the next few months, but can any of them cut into iPad's market share?

Acer will start selling its first 5, 7, and 10-inch tablets from $299 to $699 on Nov. 23, although what exactly will be for sale is still under wraps. CEO Gianfranco Lanci says he expects the lower-priced Acer to quickly garner 15 to 20 percent of the tablet market. Hubris aside, the tablet's $299 price will likely be much of its attraction.

The slender, 11-inch MacBook Air may be the rage for consumers, but business owners may find its $1199 price tag a tad too high for the office. So does that mean the MacBook Air is doomed to be a toy for an executive rather than an average employee? I'd say it's likely.

The $1199 price is for 2GB of RAM and a 1.4GHz processor. If fully upgraded to something approaching modernity, the price goes up to $1399 and all the way to $1799 for the 13-inch version. (Spring for the extra 2GB of RAM since it can't be upgraded later.)

Microsoft is at work on its new operating system, Windows 8, which will reportedly be released in 2012. Leaks continue to focus on the project, including that it will be a 128-bit version of Windows with facial recognition software.

Windows 8 will also reportedly offer a software license that follows you across devices and Windows apps, with shortened boot time. Enhanced security would include a reset option without killing personalized settings and files.

Windows Phone 7's commercials make it very clear that it's not about the phone's applications but about freeing a user from being obsessed with his or her smartphone. Now that the Windows Phone Marketplace has hit the milestone of 1000 applications, has Windows Phone changed its tune? Unfortunately for Microsoft, it hasn't, just as other smartphones are gaining traction.

Windows Phone 7 is likely one of the most business-friendly smartphones, allowing users to sync documents between phone and PC with a paid SharePoint account, and to integrate with Microsoft's ubiquitous Office software, but it's now fighting off Apple, Android phones, and RIM for business customers.