Christmas is for children. We have heard this time and time again. So, why do children suffer from pain, hunger, and neglect as their parents and families wallow in abject poverty?

It is quite easy for us to dismiss these children – you know, those little dirty, muddied souls pressing their faces on your car windows, singing those unintelligible carols and begging for some loose change – as nuisance. Claiming we are only after their safety; we are most of the times seeking their removal, and maybe clamoring that they be banned forever from our streets.

We blame their fathers and mothers for not properly taking care of them, the way most normal parents do. And whenever we do not feel like parting with the littlest amounts of our hard-earned pesos, we shoo them away with “Nasan ba ang tatay/nanay mo?”

We ease our guilt-stricken conscience with wishful thinking: DSWD’s taking care of them; religious charities and NGOs taking care of them.

Netbooks No More?

Netbooks, those tiny portable computers much hated by Apple executives, are a curious thing. These small computing platforms quite by themselves saved the computer industry from a total collapse the past couple of years. These Lilliputian portables have been the only bright spots in an otherwise bleak horizon.

Lately, however, this corner could not help but think that PC manufacturers, in their hunger for much needed revenues, are killing the proverbial golden-egg-laying goose. PC vendors have added weight and girth to their netbooks, making the latter unrecognizable as such.

At first glance, these bigger netbooks, with their wider displays, seem like a good idea. After all, who would not love a wider screen? But these “improvements” are defeating the very reason why consumers buy netbooks in the first place – mobility.

Worst of all, these new, improved netbooks are way more expensive than the earlier models, in some cases, costing as much as conventional laptops. What’s the point then of buying a netbook?

Warrior iPhone

U.S. defense contractor Raytheon has developed applications for the iPhone and iPod touch devices that would make these popular Apple portables into warrior devices. Equipped with the Raytheon software, these to-die-for smartphones and media players become killing machines.

They would help soldiers in determining who and where are the friendlies and enemies in their particular battlefield.

That’s what we call “killer applications.”

Intel’s New Year Binge

Intel, despite an increasing list of legal woes, plans to release a number of trailblazing chips, wireless components, and other products that the company promises would create a huge impact on the IT world. These would include chips with built-in high-definition capabilities, and processors made using the latest manufacturing technologies.

The next year promises to be an exciting new year for IT and consumer electronics.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.