2012

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

Apple's Maps app was released as part of iOS 6 in late September. Besides a new look and feel, the main feature is spoken turn-by-turn directions, something the software had lacked. Apple's own software also adds a snazzy 3D view of select cities using imagery captured from flyovers, something only users on Apple's newer devices can take advantage of.

Despite the niceties, the software came under fire for the accuracy of some of its data and other shortcomings compared with the Google-powered app it replaced. Shortly after its release, and subsequent scrutiny, Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly … Read more

Wall Street and the gaming industry watched as Zynga, the social-gaming giant just starting its life as a public company, fell from glory this year. Although it's still the top dog in social gaming -- it boasts 300 million active players for its games, and its products remain Facebook's top games -- Zynga has had a year full of mistakes and misfortunes. The company spent $200 million of the $1 billion it made from its IPO buying game maker OMGPOP for its popular Draw Something game, only to watch the game's user numbers drop dramatically almost as … Read more

Will 2012 be remembered as the year Lucasfilm went to the dark side?

We'll know in a few years, when the first Disney-produced "Star Wars" movie is released. Yes, the Hollywood giant agreed to pay more than $4 billion for George Lucas' media empire. The news touched a nerve with Star Wars nerds everywhere, who immediately feared for the future of the storied series, with visions of Mickey Mouse-shaped Death Stars and saccharine, family-friendly story lines. We'll find out whether our fears of a Disney-fied galaxy far, far away are founded in 2015, when Disney plans … Read more

The massive hurricane that devastated the East Coast in early November revealed important shortcomings in our technology infrastructure. And unlike past storms, the especially high degree of damage to power lines and electrical systems meant that recovery took longer than expected for many.

While power outages are common during any major weather event, few were prepared for nearly all of Manhattan below 38th Street to be completely blacked out, thanks to the flooding of underground power facilities. With the lights, so went Internet access and cable TV, cutting off major sources of information for those affected. The push to digital … Read more

The luster came off Netflix in 2011. A bungled price increase and an aborted attempt to spin off DVD operations made the company appear poorly managed. That triggered an 18-month-long slide in the company's stock, and Netflix looked ripe for an acquisition. But the Web's top video-rental service is leaving 2012 on a high note. In November, the company implemented a "poison pill," provisions designed to make acquiring the company very expensive, and girded itself against a possible hostile takeover attempt from corporate raider Carl Icahn.

Then, earlier this month, Netflix leaders pulled off a whopper … Read more