2012

Was it the impressive pixel-dense screen or possibly the fact that someone decided to throw a quad-core processor into such a small package? The little tablet that could, Google's Nexus 7, proved that if you make a powerful, well-designed tablet with a user-friendly operating system, it will sell in droves.

Actually, the iPad proved that first, but the Nexus 7 showed that you don't have to be Apple to pull it off. The $200 price didn't hurt.

For more on this story, see our full Google Nexus 7 review.

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Surface marked a chance for Microsoft to show the world that it could release a tablet that could not only rival the iPad in its ability to entertain, but also go one step further by making said tablet a capable productivity device as well.

While Microsoft succeeded in realizing the latter, Surface needs work to match the iPad as an entertainment device. However, with Microsoft sweating every detail -- from the ease with which the tablet connects to its keyboard to the satisfying "crunch" sound delivered when it does -- it's difficult to argue that Microsoft didn'… Read more

It wasn't very long ago that we were obsessed about the expansion of 3G data networks, but 2012 showed us that the era of 4G had really arrived. And we can thank LTE, or Long Term Evolution, for getting us there. By delivering a faster data wireless connection for smartphones and tablets, LTE made it easier to update your social networks, download apps and games, and stream your favorite media.

Yes, LTE first appeared on the Verizon Wireless in 2010, and Sprint gave us 4G WiMax even before that, but this year brought a few important LTE milestones. On … Read more

Was there a device in 2012 as hotly anticipated as the iPhone 5? If so, we can't remember it. Even with the astronomically high expectations surrounding the first iPhone unveiled after Steve Jobs, Apple's latest smartphone managed to live up to nearly all of them, delivering a refined, redesigned and utterly beautiful device.

The biggest changes: a screen that finally got bigger for the first time in the iPhone's history, but really got longer as opposed to wider, keeping a small profile compared with supersize Android phones. Also, of course, faster wireless service via LTE. Even with … Read more

Samsung's flagship smartphone successor burst forth this past summer with a surfeit of software features to wow and confound mass-market buyers of premium handsets. Set apart by its thin, light, and sleek design, the Android powerhouse fanned out across the range of carriers (starting with five in the U.S.) and instantly won wide appeal.

Surging sales and additional color choices worldwide have made the Galaxy S3 a global hit. Projections forecast 30 million sales; in November, Samsung pushed more GS3 units than Apple did of its iPhone 5.

For more on this story, see our full review of the Galaxy S3. … Read more

Microsoft's own Steve Ballmer once described Windows 8 as one of the three biggest initiatives the company has ever attempted, but we'd go even further. From small details like the tiled interface and the Charms sidebar to big-picture changes like the emphasis on touch and apps in the new Windows Store, Windows 8 completely revolutionizes the operating system.

The icon-based path Windows began walking in 1995 has taken a sharp turn toward mobility, interactivity, and independence. There's nothing out there that looks or behaves like Windows 8, and Microsoft is finally leveraging its weight to force manufacturers … Read more

Of all the recent tech IPOs, none garnered the attention that Facebook got -- and for good reason. It was the biggest Internet IPO in history. Everyone knew the company. Heck, there'd been a Hollywood version made of the company's early story.

People had hoped the Facebook IPO would mark a 1999-like return to IPO mania. Instead, the blockbuster IPO led to lawsuits, losses, and accusations of wrongdoing. Sure, the shares have been doing well of late as the company has won over some skeptics and begun making money from mobile. But Facebook -- coupled with IPO duds … Read more

When it comes to cracking down on Internet piracy, Hollywood has been used to getting its own way on Capitol Hill. For the last 15 years, the Motion Picture Association of America and its allies have tallied an enviable list of political victories: the No Electronic Theft Act (1997), the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998), the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (2005), and the Pro-IP Act (2008).

But in 2012, something strange happened. Hollywood and its allies among large copyright holders actually lost.

The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and a parallel Senate version called Protect IP were designed … Read more

All eyes in the tech world were on RIM yet again this year, and as before, not for a good reason. The ailing company was expected to release its long-overdue BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system, first called BBX, by early 2012. Then RIM pushed this back to the end of 2012. Hopes for the BlackBerry faithful were dashed a third time when the handset maker delayed both new software and phones to January 30 of 2013.

That's a long time to wait, both for consumers and business partners. Indeed, if RIM's plummeting stock price, dual-CEO resignations, and dwindling … Read more