CoukieTop 10 tech stories of 2006
December 22nd 2006 07:44
Yes the end of the year is here and so are the top 10 lists! The Sydney Morning Herald takes a look at the biggest tech stories for the year just passed.
Here they are in random order:
Sony laptop battery recall - Sony laptops the world over start spontaneously combusting. The company are left with a US$300 million bill.
Google buys YouTube - The company which made no money suddenly lands it's creators $US1.65 billion.
HP spying scandal - Hewlett-Packard spies on US reporters and its own directors illegally. HP's chairwomen, Patricia Dunn steps down and many of those involved face criminal charges.
Wii signals Nintendo resurgence - Nintendo were once number one in the home console market, but the Xbox and PS2 saw it fall to a distant third. Then the Wii had the biggest selling opening week of sales in Australian history. Welcome back Nintendo.
Bill Gates quits Microsoft day-to-day - Bill Gates announces he will be giving up his day-to-day duties at Microsoft to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The transition will happen over a period of two years as he hands over his duties to Ray Ozzie. Gates will remain chairman of the company.
Citizen media comes of age - The proliferation of tech gadgets such as camera phones, citizens are now more involved in the news-gathering process than ever before. In 2006 CNN officially embraced reader-submitted content and Reuters - the world's largest international news agency - and Yahoo joined forces to create You Witness News which even pays people for some submissions.
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format wars begin - Which format will replace the standard DVD? The players and movies for both formats made their way to Australia this year, however, due to the high price of the players and ambiguity over which format will win neither of them have infiltrated the market too much....yet.
Ultra-mobile PC flops - The biggest technology product flop of the year goes hands down to the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) which is based on Microsoft's much-hyped Origami platform. It was a cross between a laptop and a PDA but could run the full version of Windows XP. However, it had no keyboard, relying on the touch screen for input and it never took off.
Suits seek out Second Life - 3D virtual world Second Life passed two million user accounts this year aided by copious media coverage and a highly effective PR machine.
Then along came a barrage of suits looking to display their brands before net-savvy eyeballs.
Examples include IBM bought islands, news agencies opened virtual bureaus and countless brands including Toyota, Adidas and American Apparel used Second Life to spruik their wares.
Here they are in random order:
Sony laptop battery recall - Sony laptops the world over start spontaneously combusting. The company are left with a US$300 million bill.
Google buys YouTube - The company which made no money suddenly lands it's creators $US1.65 billion.
HP spying scandal - Hewlett-Packard spies on US reporters and its own directors illegally. HP's chairwomen, Patricia Dunn steps down and many of those involved face criminal charges.
Wii signals Nintendo resurgence - Nintendo were once number one in the home console market, but the Xbox and PS2 saw it fall to a distant third. Then the Wii had the biggest selling opening week of sales in Australian history. Welcome back Nintendo.
Bill Gates quits Microsoft day-to-day - Bill Gates announces he will be giving up his day-to-day duties at Microsoft to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The transition will happen over a period of two years as he hands over his duties to Ray Ozzie. Gates will remain chairman of the company.
Citizen media comes of age - The proliferation of tech gadgets such as camera phones, citizens are now more involved in the news-gathering process than ever before. In 2006 CNN officially embraced reader-submitted content and Reuters - the world's largest international news agency - and Yahoo joined forces to create You Witness News which even pays people for some submissions.
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format wars begin - Which format will replace the standard DVD? The players and movies for both formats made their way to Australia this year, however, due to the high price of the players and ambiguity over which format will win neither of them have infiltrated the market too much....yet.
Ultra-mobile PC flops - The biggest technology product flop of the year goes hands down to the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) which is based on Microsoft's much-hyped Origami platform. It was a cross between a laptop and a PDA but could run the full version of Windows XP. However, it had no keyboard, relying on the touch screen for input and it never took off.
Suits seek out Second Life - 3D virtual world Second Life passed two million user accounts this year aided by copious media coverage and a highly effective PR machine.
Then along came a barrage of suits looking to display their brands before net-savvy eyeballs.
Examples include IBM bought islands, news agencies opened virtual bureaus and countless brands including Toyota, Adidas and American Apparel used Second Life to spruik their wares.
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