Stories by: Melissa J. Perenson

It's no dispute that Steve Jobs' influence on technology has been far and wide. However, in reflection, one could say he single-handedly transformed and redefined mobility in the 21st century, in a way no other technology company or individual has done.

The wraps are finally off Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet. Its splashy entry into the tablet firestorm was hard to miss -- Amazon made quite a statement with its $199 price -- and yet I'm underwhelmed. Although reporters were not allowed to touch the Kindle Fire during the demonstrations following Amazon's New York launch event, I spent considerable time observing the tablet in action, and grilling Amazon executives about different features. My gut reaction to what I saw today: This is not the Amazon tablet we've all been looking for.

With the ThinkPad Tablet, Lenovo distinguishes itself as the first company with two tablets clearly aimed at two different markets. The company did a solid job with its consumer-focused IdeaPad K1, released midsummer. The ThinkPad Tablet (starting at $499 for a 16GB model, price as of 9/23/2011), like its laptop brethren, has its sights squarely set on business users. And like the ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo largely succeeds in putting together a business-worthy package with its own design, features, and bundled software.

If Windows 8 works successfully on ARM-processor-equipped systems, expect to see thin, light, and innovative devices coming our way. This includes ultra-thin laptops with impressive battery life, and super-light, large-screen tablets.

This week has seen lots of talk about Microsoft Windows 8 coming to hardware running on ARM processors. Now, the first prototypes, from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments, are on display here at the BUILD Expo. But questions remain.

Interoperability: It's a big word that describes an even bigger problem -- namely, that of the compatibility of your apps and data between different devices. And while the mobile worlds of Google's Android and Apple's iOS have come a long way, nothing compares to the complete end-to-end compatibility offered by a Windows computer. The issues that a Windows 8 tablet could address are the twin troubles of file handling and app compatibility -- two things that remain troublesome thorns in the sides of both Android and iOS.

Samsung today launched the successor to its original Galaxy Tab tablet, one year after first showing off the 7-inch Galaxy Tab at last year’s IFA trade show in Berlin. That Samsung would refresh that initial model, and bring its naming convention more in line with the other tablets in the company’s lineup, Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 8.9, was predictable. That Samsung would include a Super AMOLED Plus display on such a large screen was less of a given, but this move was no less welcomed.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ resignation leaves the company's internal operation in the capable hands of his replacement, Tim Cook. But his departure also leaves a cavernous void when it comes to the company’s public persona. And right now, it’s unclear who may step in to fill that void.

Google's long-awaited Android 3.1 update is slowly rolling out over-the-air to the Motorola Xoom, the first of the Honeycomb-based tablets to get the update. The non-3G Xoom on my desk finally got its update, and I got a chance to finally get some up-close time with the OS.

These apps are all optimized for the larger screens of tablets -- and either just came out, or are coming soon