"A sophisticated appearance and practical design make our all-in-one form factor very popular with consumers, " said Irene Chan, senior business manager of consumer desktops for Acer America.

ENGADGET: Acer outs AZ3, AZ5, Veriton Z Series all-in-ones, starting at $650

Germany's "dual" education system, combining numerous practical apprenticeships with classroom studies, is widely admired in Europe and seen as a vital factor in Germany's export success.

BBC: Germany to help Spain give skills to jobless youths

In his view, benchmarking is not practical for securities traded off-exchange, especially in thin markets where price is only one factor in a deal.

ECONOMIST: Europe's investment regulations: Ready or not | The

Pantech is taking the "no form factor left unexplored" approach with its latest batch of concept phones, ranging from the practical to the downright bizarre.

ENGADGET: Pantech's oddball concept lineup Mobile

Although it doesn't quite have the wow factor of Cornell's invisibility project, the thermal research may prove to be more practical because it also can be used to manage heat and improve cooling in components such as computer chips.

ENGADGET: Researchers working on thermal cloak, Predators trill their disapproval

Taking cues from its Alpha A99, which was just announced today, Sony brought that camera's 24.3-megapixel full-frame sensor to a camcorder form factor, delivering shallow depth-of-field and much improved low-light sensitivity in a more practical package.

ENGADGET: Sony announces NEX-VG30 and full-frame NEX-VG900 Handycams, we go hands-on