So far this year, it’s hard to read a tech blog or even mainstream media without hearing rumors about Apple’s rumored iSlate (or is it iPad?). CES was abuzz with touch screen computers and prototype touch tablets running Windows 7 or Android. This is happening before Chrome OS even launches as Google’s netbook operating system to replace Android.

Don’t get me wrong, I thing that touch computing holds a lot of promise. It’s just that there are still a lot of kinks to work out in the user experience of creating interfaces, shortcuts and gestures that feel natural and users glom onto. Microsoft is the only company out there currently with a touch-friendly operating system in Windows 7, though that may change shortly.

The mobile phone industry, on the other hand, is on the brink of a major shift in usage that could reach a huge portion of consumers. The smartphone wars between Apple, Google, Palm and others are creating tons of relatively low-cost and full-featured. Now that Motorola itself will be dropping 20-30 Android handsets this year alone, everyone will be able to ‘get smart.’

All that said, I’m dying to play with a touch tablet or laptop, I’m just not sure it will be ready for prime time. Even then, I think most people will want the option to plug in a keyboard and mouse before tablets can replace their desktop or even laptop machine.

A researcher believes that ancient man might have used markers to navigate Stone Age Britain. The markers form triangles from markers found at ancient camps and other sites.

At times, the markers are connected by line of sight, but there are others that span up to 100 miles. The markers form a large spiral and are so accurate that the farthest ones are within 100 meters.

The network of markers covers much of southern England and hints at a primitive system of roads and street signs. These byways could have allowed villages of ancient man to communicate and trade.

What’s interesting is that the navigational aids allowed man to travel without the use of a map and that the system illustrates these people’s skill at surveying.

One thought to be RIM’s answer to the Apple iPhone, the Blackberry Storm hasn’t quite been able to topple the iPhone’s cult-like following or its sleek touchscreen interface. So now you can get a Blackberry Storm smartphone from Verizon for just 50 bucks with a two-year contract.

While Blackberry phones are still largely relegated to the workplace, I wouldn’t count them out of the touch revolution for long. Recently RIM has been working on a new strategy for catching up with the iPhone’s Web browsing experience.

Rather than starting from scratch, RIM just bought out mobile browser developer Torch Mobile. This new browser could be the lynchpin that allows Blackberry users the same level of usability when browsing the Web as on the iPhone.

Maybe the next generation Storm device will upgrade the browsing experience. However if you’re just looking to talk and text, the Storm might be just for you.

For a good while, Google Maps has displayed traffic information along major routes to help guide users around congestion. Now Google is starting to get more in-depth traffic information from a new source: us.

If you have an Android, Palm Pre  or other smartphone, Google can use your movements to determine whether a back road is congested and display it on Google Maps. This doesn’t work with the iPhone since it can’t multitask and you can always opt out of the service.

However this is just one more way that Google can harness something that many people use already and provide it back to us as a service. In fact, with enough users this method will provide much better coverage than any transportation department.

What’s also interesting is how quickly this value would be lost without users. If Google were to lose the trust of its users who then stop using Google Maps for Mobile or sharing their location data, the traffic data would disappear in a heartbeat.

Perhaps the rumors of Dell’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. After being laughed out of the carrier Exec’s offices with its first smartphone prototype, the flailing PC maker might actually be onto something with the Dell Mini 3i.

While details are scant (and in Chinese) at the moment, here’s what we do know:

1. The device has a touch screen and form factor much like the iPhone

2. It’s going to run Google’s Android mobile operating system

If the Dell Mini 3i makes it onto American soil, it may be a welcome alternative to the iPhone for those tired of the Apple App Store’s closed approach to applications. Disillusioned iPhone users such as Michael Arrington can have the iPhone form factor and their Google Voice too.

The problem is that the device only runs on obsolete 2G networks and such a blatant clone probably wouldn’t pass muster in the States. However, with dozens of Android phones slated to ship this year, smartphone users will have their choice of form factors and the ability to install any application their hearts desire.

Well it’s not that funny, but it certainly is corny. The Samsung Reclaim is the first phone made with a corn-based bioplastic case and 80 percent recycled materials.

The reclaim sports the hot new vertical slider with a full keyboard similar to the Palm Pre. It comes in Ocean Blue or Earth Green to accent the fact that it’s a green phone.

Sprint will be picking up the Samsung Reclaim and it will be available for just $50 with a new service contract. Regardless of the environmental appeal of the Reclaim, it’s still an attractive option as a sub-$100 smartphone with a full keyboard. It doesn’t have a touch screen or a terribly great Web browser, but it’s perfect for our generation of textaholics.

With a notification to unplug the Reclaim when it’s fully charged and two bucks toward each purchase going to the Nature Conservancy you can rest easier knowing that you’re making a good choice for the environment.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has called a national summit of experts and lawmakers to talk about the hazards of texting and driving. In his remarks, LaHood said that he would ban texting and driving if it were up to him.

Last week, a report came out that indicated that the distraction caused by texting increases a driver’s risk of accident by 23 times. Obviously it’s not a good idea to be fumbling with your keyboard and changing lanes at high speed while weaving down the highway.

However, an official summit at the national level? No thanks.

LaHood’s grandstanding aside, he just has no place in making law, even if it pertains to driving. Even Congress has a hard time pressing states as it pertains to highway safety. Each state makes its own laws about driving drunk, so why on earth would we enforce national law on driving and texting?

In my home state of Virginia, texting while driving is illegal much in the same way as driving without a seat belt. That is to say, that here it’s a secondary offense and you must break another traffic law to get cited for it. That way if you’re driving erratically and obviously distracted, you’re going to get a ticket.

Personally, I like this model because it seems ridiculous to pull someone over for fiddling with their phone (Not that the Virginia General Assembly consulted me directly). In much the same spirit, I believe that each person should be responsible for driving safely and we shouldn’t need a law to enforce that spirit.