Year in review: Tech's indelible images

#rb_bodyWrap .left_content h2{font-family:Georgia, serif;} #right_content .topics ul.topics_list{padding-right:4px;} #rb_bodyWrap div#right_content td,#rb_bodyWrap div#right_content tr,#rb_bodyWrap div#right_content tbody,#rb_bodyWrap div#right_content table, #rb_bodyWrap ul.topics_list, ul.topics_list li {vertical-align:top;} #rb_bodyWrap div#right_content td{padding:4px;} #rb_bodyWrap #right_content h4{font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#990000;} div#storyMeta{font-size:115%;} #contentMain a:hover{color:#990000;} #rb_bodyWrap #right_content table{font-size:105%} Photos PageVars.set('title', escape("Year in review: Tech's indelible images")); PageVars.set('description', escape("The year provided a plethora of tech- and nature-oriented eye candy, from green machines to the Red Planet.")); PageVars.set('href', "http://news.cnet.com/2009-1008_3-6248364.html"); Tech's indelible images By Tito Estrada Staff Writer, CNET News Published: December 17, 2008, 12:00 PM PST Print E-mail Share cnet_news406:http%3A%2F%2Fnews.cnet.com%2F2009-1008_3-6248364.html digg_url='http://digg.com/gadgets/Year_in_review_Tech_s_indelible_images'; The year 2008 provided a cornucopia of cool new technologies and discoveries. CNET News staffers culled this bountiful harvest, chronicling everything from Mars insights to the Android launch. Gadget and computer-related galleries were pleasing eye candy. Apple kicked off the year by unveiling new versions of the Mac Pro and Xserve. The company added multitouch controls and power to MacBooks, and it showcased the iPhone 3G, new iPod Nanos, and more. Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks T-Mobile's new G1 Android phone is a handy place to play Pac-man. Google garnered plenty of attention as well. The search giant made waves with Chrome, its foray into Web browsers, and with a mobile operating system called Android whose smartphone-installed prototype led the new-phone parade at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. T-Mobile USA in September unveiled the first smartphone to run Android, the G1. In October, the phone made its grand arrival. Apple's iPhone got down to business with the launch of the company's iPhone software development kit in March. The App Store has since become extremely popular with independent developers, and CNET has put several made-for-iPhone applications to the test. Cell phones, as well as digital-music players and other gadgets, also caught the green-tech bug. A growing number of products are using solar power to charge up. Green technology continued to be a major driver of the automotive sector. The Cadillac Provoq concept car, which runs on a hydrogen fuel cell and a lithium ion battery, made its premiere at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Makers of Hummers and muscle cars similarly decided that green is cool. Credit: Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, whose wings are designed to "feather," or fold, in preparation for re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Meanwhile, the cross-country Hydrogen Road Tour promoted hydrogen-powered vehicles. And one enterprising start-up showed how to make your car run on tequila--well, sort of. The green-car year finished with a look at electric vehicles, present and future. Aerial vehicles also made for some awesome visual highlights. The Oshkosh, Wisc., air show and Airship Ventures' 246-foot Zeppelin brought life to the skies. And CNET News' Daniel Terdiman took to the air in a 1991 Grumman Tiger. Going higher, space was the place for heavenly images. The International Space Station marked a decade aloft, the Hubble telescope served up photos of giant red storms on Jupiter, and we got to see the Phoenix Mars Lander uncover ice on the Red Planet. Of course, space isn't just a place for NASA astronauts and their colleagues anymore. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic proved to be a real mover and shaker in the space tourism industry when it launched the high-altitude WhiteKnightTwo aircraft carrier, designed to fly the SpaceShipTwo passenger vehicle, into Earth's upper atmosphere. The skies also became host to consumer Wi-Fi connections this year. Intel CEO Paul Otellini's vision of an always-on, always-connected experience for consumers reached lofty heights with the expansion of airborne connectivity for airplane passengers, courtesy of such carriers as Virgin America. Back on Earth, Terdiman connected with legions of followers as Road Trip 2008 took him across the southern United States. Terdiman filed dispatches from such spots as Houston, New Orleans, and Nashville. Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks Kara Tsuboi holds her arms out, and the movement is reflected by the Iron Man animation on the screen behind her. CNET's Kara Tsuboi joined the photographic fun, donning a motion capture suit to play the lead Iron Man character for a day. Motion capture technology led to some other cool photo galleries. Hockey star Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Francisco Giants Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum slipped into mo-cap suits to model for upcoming 2K Sports video games. At the E3 game expo, Microsoft, among other companies, showed off goods such as the multitouch computer Sphere and space exploration software WorldWide Telescope. Finally, there was an ending that loops back to the year's start: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates may have given his last keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January. 2008 Highlights Images: Linux gets a taste of Windows and Mac A major KDE overhaul gives a leading Linux interface a new look and new apps. Some features will be familiar to Windows and Mac OS X users. January 11, 2008 Photos: Android prototype leads GSMA new-phone parade At Mobile World Congress, ARM shows off prototype running on Google's platform, Sony Ericsson introduces an iPhone competitor, Nokia unveils updates. February 11, 2008 more highlights below Photos: Missile shoots down falling satellite What do you do when a spy satellite goes kerflooey and starts to fall back to Earth? Call in the U.S. Navy, and send up a missile. February 21, 2008 Photos: Send in the Mac clones A Florida company appears overnight to capture the interest of the tech world by claiming the first Mac clone in 11 years. But questions abound. April 18, 2008 Images: Yahoo's quest to rewire itself Born as a Web portal, the company wants to create a new experience--social and open--for both consumers and developers. April 24, 2008 Photos: Satellites follow killer cyclone Satellite images from NASA track a cyclone and the flooding it caused--which may end up killing more than 100,000 residents of Myanmar. May 9, 2008 Photos: Google's Android comes to life Google shows off the ins and outs of its new open-source mobile platform at the I/O conference in San Francisco. May 28, 2008 Photos: Microsoft's computer in the round Like the tabletop Surface computer introduced last year, Sphere uses a combination of infrared cameras for input and a projector for output to create a multitouch computer. July 29, 2008 Photos: Where particles, physics theories collide The Large Hadron Collider, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, not only promises the emergence of a brave new world of physics, but it's also pretty to look at. August 13, 2008 Images: How Google's Chrome browser shines Search giant's new Chrome rethinks how browsers should work in a Web 2.0 world but also borrows from its competition. September 2, 2008 Photos: Apple's new Nanos and more Among the new varieties announced Tuesday are a redesigned iPod Nano, an upgraded and lower-price iPod Touch, a new version of iTunes, and updated software for its mobile devices. September 9, 2008 Photos: T-Mobile unveils first Google phone The G1, aka HTC Dream, looks like a Sidekick and is all about Google. In New York, the first phone to use Google's Android operating system is revealed. September 23, 2008 Photos: Hands on with Microsoft's touch interfaces Microsoft researchers demonstrate their efforts in the field on new user interfaces. October 20, 2008 Photos: Android phone arrives T-Mobile's G1 Android cell phone went on sale Tuesday exclusively at the T-Mobile store in San Francisco. It will be available for purchase at all T-Mobile stores on Wednesday. October 21, 2008 Images: Windows 7 Ultimate Build 6801 CNET News takes a look at Windows 7 Ultimate Build 6801, a remarkably feature-rich and performance-stable alpha version. October 28, 2008 Additional headlines Photos: Secrets of Stonehenge unearthed Photos: Atom chip breeds wee gadgets Images: Futuristic PCs trump the beige box Photos: NASA uncovers secret of the Northern Lights Photos: Electric cars in New York Photos: A kid-tested XO laptop Photos: Searching for Zune-friendly Wi-Fi Photos: Geek chic at Yahoo Open Hack Photos: Saturn geyser flyby, moon rings, and Mars Photos: With computers, it's nice to share Photos: Future Combat Systems, here and now Images: IE 8 rising to the competition Photos: Gadgets we're thankful for, Part 1 Photos: Gadgets we're thankful for, Part 2 Photos: Space station marks a decade aloft Photos: Searching the heavens for life