Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year Everybody

 I hope this year brings peace and happiness to everyone

Here are the Top 10 news of 2011.

1. Year of the Hacktivist 

2011 is undeniably the year of the hacktivist. Till 2010, hackers limited their attention and effort to hack for personal gain but year 2011 changed everthing.

As the hackers collectives such as LulzSec and Anonymous emerged, the motive behind hacking became more of a social crusade and less of personal gain. And in strokes after strokes, Web sites of major companies such as Sony Pictures, News Corporation and Petrobas, and government agencies such as FBI and CIA and even the U.S. Senate, which were once considered off-limits to hackers, fell.

The gaming industry was also not spared. PlayStation Network, Bethesda Game Studios and EVE Online were hacked impudently and taken down.And though, LulzSec quietened down in June/July (and probably disbanded), Anonymous refused to play dead and carried on to take on the might of nations such as Syria, Malaysia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Brazil and Australia.


2. Social Media Stirs a Revolution

 

The power of social media to organize and influence the history was revealed to the fullest extent in year 2011. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter were no longer being used to just put up updates about one's life - they started to be used as tools for social change and influence the politics and the law of many nations. During 2011, the social media came to be used to mobilize grass root efforts all over the world, especially in Middle East and Africa such as Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria to protest the status quo.

3. Steve Job's Death

 

Steve Jobs, a creative genius and a visionary who had established the most valuable company in the world, Apple, passed away at the age of 56, on Oct. 5. 

People around the world paid rich tributes to him, including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Barack Obama and other celebrities and admirers. It was not surprising, as Jobs had radically changed the way people use technology in their daily lives.

4. Siri

 

When iPhone 4S was launched, critics said it had nothing spectacular to offer and Apple fans would be disappointed. However, Apple proved the critics wrong as iPhone 4S turned out to be the best selling iPhone ever - it even smashed previous debut weekend sales record. This was largely in part because of Siri and industry analysts later noted that Siri has become the most popular feature of the Apple iPhone 4S.

5. Ice Cream Sandwich

 

Ice Cream Sandwich, Google's newest operating system (Android 4.0) for phones, tablets, and more, was officially launched at the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich release event on Oct. 19 2011.

Android 4.0 boasts of exciting features, including easy multitasking, customizable home screens, rich notifications, resizable widgets, and deep interactivity. Moreover, Ice Cream Sandwich also adds powerful new ways of communicating and sharing.

6. Year of the Apple: iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion and iCloud Launched

 
After a long wait, Apple's iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion and iCloud were unveiled at WWDC (worldwide Developers Conference) 2011 on June 6.

iOS 5, which is regarded as Apple's "major" and “incredible” release for developers and customers alike, has over 200 new features, including Improved Notifications System, News Stand, Improved Mobile Safari, Reminders, Camera, Mail, PC Free Function, iMessage and more.

Mac OS X Lion, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers, was a huge hit, notching a sales record of 1 million units on the first day of its release. It was the first time Apple sold Mac OS as a downloadable software. 

iCloud, Apple's cloud storage and cloud computing service which replaces MobileMe service, can help users to store data on remote computer servers for download to multiple devices including iOS-based devices, and personal computers running Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows. 

7. Nest Energy Efficient Thermostat

 

Nest Energy Efficient Thermostat, a sensing, automatic energy-saving thermostat developed by Tony Fadell, the creator of iPod, made waves in 2011. 

The thermostat is no ordinary, traditional mercury-filled home thermostat we're all used to. Unlike other thermostats, the user-friendly Nest will "learn" and keep track of when you turn its temperature up and down. It remembers those adjustments in line with the particular times of day and night when you change them. And, after about a week, Nest will start regulating the temperature on its own for you.

8. Acquisitions - Hits and Misses

This year, the acquisitions among tech companies made headlines for one reason or the other. Microsoft bought Skype in May for $8.5 billion, which is the software giant's largest acquisition ever. In August, the Internet search engine giant Google acquired Motorola Mobility, the maker of smartphones and set-top boxes, for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion.

9. Amazon Kindle Fire

 
In 2011, for the first time, Apple's evergreen iPad met its match (or just about) in the form of Kindle Fire from e-retailer Amazon. When Amazon made headlines by launching a price-breaking tablet ($199) and though the company said Kindle Fire is not out there to challenge iPad, Apple's popular tablet faced real threat for the first time as Kindle Fire turned out to be Amazon's best selling product ever. 

For the first time, people woke up to the potential for e-reading and consumption of audio and video contents and the success of the 7-inch tablet has now emboldened other tablet makers to announce plans of launch of affordable tablets in 2012.

10. Apple Versus Samsung Courtroom Battles

The courtroom battles between Apple and Samsung around the world never seems to end. Early in April, Apple sued the Korean electronics giant in the U.S., claiming Samsung infringed its patent for list-scrolling software and three smartphone and tablet design patents. Subsequently, the patent war between the two companies expanded to Europe and Australia.

sources: http://www.ibtimes.com

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