• 

  2011: A Tech Retrospective

  Kamakshi S, Jan 01, 2012 1846 hrs IST

  Looking back at the year that was in the world of technology.

  

The tech world witnessed a year full of ups and downs. While tablets and their OSes ruled the roost, the year also saw its share of meltdowns, lawsuits, and final farewells. Here's a look at the events that shaped 2011, technology wise.


e-Governance: Indian Politics Goes Digital
Let us take a look at how Indian politics went digital. Apart from initiatives such as e-filing of Income Tax, Aadhar cards, and online application for voter's card, the government launched Aakash - a cost-effective tablet for students. The specs may make you cringe, but at Rs 2,500 you can't ask for more. However, if you are one of the lucky few who have ordered for the tablet, the wait just got longer.

On the other hand, politics is also about shooting oneself in the foot, time after time. After being the hero who launched Aakash, Union Telecom Minister, and everyone's favourite whipping boy, Kapil Sibal was caught with his foot in the mouth when he asked Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! to pre-screen all content generated by Indian users. Following a public outrage, the government decided that it didn't want to censor the internet after all. So much for the hullabaloo!

All Your Content Are Belong To Sibal
Sibal Drops Plan To Censor The Internet
How To File Your Income Tax Returns Online
How To Apply For Voter ID Card Online
Aakash Tablet Available Online Now

The Tablet Revolution
2011 can be described as the year of the tablets. CES 2011 alone saw over 80 tablet launches. Such was the craze behind the form factor that even brands such as Cisco and Lenovo launched tablets meant for businessmen. This didn't end with devices alone. The operating systems and app markets that the devices ran on also made headlines. The year saw the launch of iOS 5, Android 2.2 (Froyo), Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and Windows Phone 7. Considering the flurry of apps available on these platforms for peanuts, mobile computing seems to be here for the long haul.

Smartphone OS Comparison


The Google Story
Google turned 13 in 2011. After the success of the Android platform, everyone's preferred browser maker added yet another feather in its hat by acquiring Motorola Mobility and 24,000 patents along with it, thereby strengthening its grip on the smartphone space. However it hasn't been all smiles for the internet search giant. After burning its fingers with attempts such as Buzz, Friend Connect, Wave, Orkut, or the lesser known Jaiku, Google had another go at social networking with Google+. During its invitation only test stage, the platform saw a mad frenzy of people fighting to get the elusive invites. Six months later, the social networking initiative pretty much fizzed out. Only time will tell if it can strengthen Google's presence in social networking arena. Then again, it isn't known to go down without a fight.

Google+: First Impressions


Facebooking: The New Age Mantra
After a lot of dilly-dallying, Mark Zuckerberg decided not to raise an IPO for Facebook. However, that wasn't before altering the privacy policy to best of his interests. Eight days after its F8 Conference on 22nd September, the popular social network launched the Timeline, which documents users' existence chronologically. This move meant effectively delivered targeted advertisements generating even greater income for the company. Whether Facebook sells your data or not, social media marketing ensures that all your information is up for grabs.

Facebook Timeline Goes Live


The Cloud Burst
It was as much the year of cloud computing as it was of tablets, but the technology also had its share of major fiascos. In January, several Hotmail users lost their inboxes to a security breach. In May 2011, Sony's PlayStation Network was compromised and as many as 77 million accounts were hacked into. Although Sony stressed that no credit card was misused, the security of critical data stored on the cloud was questioned.

However, Sony wasn't alone. Amazon's ambitious Amazon EC2 service crashed in such a way that the lost data was irrecoverable. Although extent of damage was miniscule, it created an outrage as the product was touted to be "bomb-proof". On the other hand, Dropbox's data leakage was more stupidity than a technical snag. For almost four hours, users could access any data on the service by entering absolutely anything in the password prompt. While not much data was lost, it did put cloud security under the scanner.

PSN Hacked: Credit Card Data May Be Compromised


Tech Events
Like every year, 2011 too saw a plethora of gadgets launched across various expos and exhibitions. The year kick started with CES 2011 and the focus was on finding the next iPad killer. While the Motorola Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook and Notion Ink's Adam were considered forerunners for the title, none of them succeeded. The new year also saw the launch of Intel's Sandy Bridge series of processors, which was the most optimised processor architecture from the company yet.

CeBit 2011 in March, which is considered to be the biggest exposition for tech, also revolved around tablets and mobile computing innovations. Several gadgets such as the Schenker six-core notebook and Asus' G74SX 3D gaming notebooks showed the strength of mobile computing on the whole. However, the largest export exhibition in Taiwan, Computex 2011 was a dampener of sorts. While nothing groundbreaking came from the event, it did ensure that there was something for everyone - right from the mobile computing lovers to the hardcore geeks.

Tablets That Could Take Down the iPad 2
Best of CeBIT 2011
Computex 2011 Roundup


Patent Infringements Galore
It all started when Apple slapped a lawsuit on Samsung claiming that the Galaxy smartphones and tablets copied design and UI elements from its iDevices. A week later, Samsung decided to repay the favor by suing Apple in three countries for patent infringements. Apple also sued HTC for patent infringements, which was followed by Google handing over a patent to HTC for sweet revenge. All in all, the mobile players behaved like crabs in the bucket this year.

Apple Sues HTC for over 20 Patent Infringements
HTC Denies Apples Accusations Google Supports
Google Announces Acquisition Of Motorola Mobility
Apple Sues Samsung for Copying iPhone iPad Design


Steve Jobs Passes Away
October 2011 was a sad month for Apple fanatics as the company's founder Steve Jobs lost a prolonged battle against cancer. As a man known for inspired design and shrewd business tactics passed away, the world lost a marketing genius and an icon of sorts. The iPhone 4S that was launched a week before Jobs' death didn't help better Apple's position either.

Steve Jobs A Balanced Retrospective
Steve Jobs Passes Away


Communication Meltdowns
While Apple mourned the loss of its iconic founder, BlackBerry struggled to keep its services operational. BlackBerry internet services including corporate email and messaging (BBM) were down in four continents for three full days. As a core switch within RIM's infrastructure failed, the downtime affected 70 million users world over. While BlackBerry users are often plagued with poor battery life and scant app support, the Canadian company nonetheless continues to enjoy a strong user base thanks to its well-regarded security and data usage protocols. Overall, the year hasn't been too kind to BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Outage Continues to Disappoint
PlayBook To Get A Major Update


First Timers
Lastly, many internet giants finally decided to come down to India and interact with developers and contributors on this side of the world. Wordpress hosted its first annual Wordcamp in Jabalpur, while Wikipedia held its first annual WikiConference 2011 at Mumbai. India is certainly getting noticed by large internet entities, and how!

• Which desktop web browser do you use?

• Internet Explorer

  Firefox

  Chrome

  Safari

  Opera

  Other (specify in comments)

  Poll Results View Previous Polls