Americans will spend billions online this holiday season. But electronic shopping isn’t about to replace the mall. And Web merchants have to overcome 1999’s legacy of sites that crashed and gifts that arrived too late.

Toy Wars
Who will win the battle for online toy sales this holiday season? Will it be Toys "R" Us, which has teamed with Amazon.com, or eToys? Or could it be someone new? And have these e-tailers overcome the problems that plagued them last year?

Clicks versus Bricks
The mission: Buy the same seven items at a store and online. The outcome: Each shopping method has good points and bad, and neither is so superior that the other should be abandoned.

Robert Trigaux
So, Sock Puppet, have e-dogs had their days?
The world's leading online store for pet supplies, Pets.com, closed down Tuesday. The San Francisco-based e-tailer said it was unable to raise additional funding, making it another victim of the current backlash against e-commerce by the venture capital industry.

Web retailers emphasize old-fashioned concept
Trying to overcome the public relations disaster of last year's holiday shopping season, online retailers have improved customer service from offering live, real-time chat to giving better instructions for how to shop at a site.

Insecure about shopping online?
Some cybershoppers remain wary about giving out their credit cards over the Internet, but experts think much of the fear is unfounded or misplaced. Retailers, however, are responding by improving security and devising alternative methods of payment.

Ten tips
Ensure a good online shopping experience

Three-tailing to the top
J.C. Penney Co. has found success combining stores, catalog operations and a Web site to make it one of the busiest shopping sites on the Internet.

Trying to add up the sales
Many billions of dollars of merchandise are being sold on the Web, give or take a few dozen billion.

Going for goggles: different sites, same experience
Prices and inventory on the eToys and Amazon/Toysrus Web sites are virtually identical, as are most of the other features.

For those of you who are almost ready to spring for your first computer or to abandon your sluggish old one for a new model, Tech Times offers this second annual edition of our Computer Buyer’s Guide. We hope it will arm you with the information you need for your holiday computer shopping. You’ll find everything from recommendations on what to expect in each price range to a glossary of computer jargon.

About this section
Every month or two, some computer company, chipmaker or investment analyst predicts a real slowdown in personal computer sales. Maybe, they fret, everyone who can be talked into buying a computer already has one.

Buying a PC
Buying the fastest machine may not be what you need.

Cutting through the confusion
Shopping for a computer doesn't have to be a nightmare. Experts, and new owners, offer insight into what's on the market this year.

Apple offers sweet discounts, upgrades
The maker of the Mac is trying to boost earnings and sales.

Meet the Macs
Apple's Macintosh computers share several common features, including:

Stylish Cube marred by price tag
It's a work of engineering and aesthetic art, but Apple's G4 Cube suffers from lack of expandability and high cost.

Laptops traveling new roads
A laptop computer isn't just for business anymore.

Tips for heading off PC headaches
It is getting easier to use a PC right out of the box. But even with labeled or color-coded cable connections and software preloaded, some homework and preparation might help prevent a small problem from becoming a major headache.

Add-ons to consider
You've bought your computer. Now, should you buy a CD "burner'? A scanner? A digital camera?

What's inside your PC
You stare at the advertisements for new computers and scratch your head: What does that mean? You stand in the store, listen to the sales rep make his pitch and wonder: What's he talking about?

Tech Talk
Choices abound on where to buy a computer

Site Seeing
Feel free to browse...

Alternatives to a PC
"Information appliances" may not be as complex as personal computer, but they are limited in function and sometimes nearly as pricey as a low-cost PC.