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Top 10 tech stories of 2010
Flipboard.com photo, via Associated Press
Here’s a list of my top 10 tech stories of the year. These aren’t particularly local, national or international, just the 10 topics that were most on my mind covering digital culture for the American-Statesman. One big omission: Wikileaks. It wasn’t something I covered, but before you angrily comment, I definitely recognize its significance. That might have been my top pick if it landed in my area of coverage.
Got others picks or disagree with my choices? Please post in the comments.
- 1. The Apple iPad: No other device had the most unexpected impact this year than Apple’s 10-inch tablet, which debuted in April. Tablets have been tried before, but Apple got it right their first-time out and upended entire industries with a gadget that many (myself included) were skeptical about back in January. Going into 2011, the iPad (especially if a new version with a higher-res screen and cameras is introduced) will be the device to beat for makers of tablets, netbooks and some PCs and smart phones.
- 2. The smart phone summer avalanche: Summer brought a ton of new, very capable smart phones to the market including Apple’s iPhone 4, the Sprint EVO 4G and plenty of others. In a summer of lackluster movies, smart phones were the real stars as many more people adopted phones with touch screens, high-speed data service and the choice of hundreds of thousands of apps. The shift to mobile Internet also affected low-income and minority teens, who are increasingly using phones as their primary gateway to the online world. We rounded up some of the top smart phones in this piece.
- 3. Big moves, big budgets in Austin gaming: Not every high-profile game being developed in Austin was released this year, but a few that were, like Warren Spector’s “Disney Epic Mickey” and the MMO “Wizard 101” from KingsIsle Entertainment made huge waves. In the mobile space, there wasn’t a local app more popular among trivia freaks than “Qrank.” And still to come are Sony’s “DC Universe Online” and the mega-budget BioWare MMO “Star Wars: The Old Republic.” In the world of gaming outside of Austin, Sony and Microsoft got with the program on motion controls with Move and Kinect. Nintendo just sighed.
- 4. Netflix ascendant: I can’t think of a company that had a bigger impact on entertainment this year besides Apple than Netflix. The DVD-rental company made its big push into online streaming, even if it meant sacrificing DVD window release times. The result? They grew hugely, became a threat to Hollywood executives who sound terrified and became a must-have option in set-top boxes, blu-ray players, game consoles, mobile phones and tablets. They also helped push Blockbuster into bankruptcy and irrelevance.
- 5. South by Southwest Interactive goes crazy with the growth: even with a sub-par keynote with Twitter’s Ev Williams, the festival drew record attendance, topping the music festival for the first time in paid attendance. Now all eyes are on the festival to see how it handles growth and sprawl. The first big effect for 2011? SXSW Interactive will cost more to attend.
- 6. Dell goes mobile: Not surprisingly, Dell wanted a piece of all that smart phone and tablet action. But did they act fast enough with killer products? That’s up for debate. Dell introduced unique devices like the Dell Streak, bigger than a cell phone and smaller than a tablet, and introduced an interesting netbook/tablet hybrid. But so far none of the new products has seemed to caught fire. Will its delayed Venue Pro phone do the trick?
- 7. Mobile broadband grows up: Devices like the Verizon Mi-Fi and a raft of other broadband-in-your-pocket weren’t new this year, but they grew increasingly popular among users of smart phones and netbooks. They were even marketed with competitors’ products. Verizon and Sprint both invited customers to consider their mobile broadband products with the purchase of an iPad instead of buying into AT&T’s 3G service. Sure, mobile broadband is still, for the most part, pricey, but it’s nice to know that the option exists.
- 8. Twitter, Facebook are the mainstream: Twitter and Facebook so regularly make news now (it once was shocking to see one of them mentioned on the front page of the New York Times. No longer.) that we take their importance and influence for granted. Facebook topped 500 million users this year, faced criticism over privacy concerns and had a movie based on its founding released that looks like the Oscar front-runner. Twitter attracted Kanye West, which, you know… yay?
- 9. Google does, like, everything: Not everything Google did this year was successful (*cough* Wave *cough* Buzz). But it felt like Google was everywhere this year, expanding its business in every direction and improving its products. Not even counting its increasingly dominant Android phone OS, Google got into bike routes, had the Super Bowl ad of the year, launched e-books venture Google Books, delivered instant search results, and even got into entertainment with Google TV. It even tweaked its own logo.
- 10. Location apps get buzz: Despite evidence that they are far from mainstream, location-based social networks like Gowalla and Foursquare were the darlings of SXSW Interactive and continued to score partnerships and attract users. Will they make tons of money and become ubiquitous? Who knows? I hardly use them anymore. But I think they could come back in a big way with more discount/coupon/local business integration. They’ll have stiff competition, though.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: Applications, Austin, Computers, Gadgets, Internet, Movies & DVDs, Phones, SXSW 2010, Shopping, TV, Videogames
Comments
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By Omar Gallaga
January 26, 2011 12:21 PM | Link to this
It should be noted that "Joe L" has a "dishnetwork.com" e-mail address. Just FYI.
By Joe L.
January 26, 2011 10:24 AM | Link to this
Google TV is a great product. I just mine from DISH Network where I live and the features are amazing. This thing searches my DVR viewing schedule by program title or actor name, etc. It also searches the web, Amazon VOD, Netflix, etc. It can automatically schedule programs and automatically download and queue podcasts and look at YouTube videos full HD screen size and browse the web. I have been hooked since day one and I know this is only going to get better.
By Omar Gallaga
December 15, 2010 1:47 PM | Link to this
Practically half of what I write is about Twitter/Facebook implications. You'd have to browse through the Digital Savant or statesman archives or do a Google search. Far too many articles to list here. I've written privacy and usage primers for both and a lot about their influence in the governor's race, education and other areas. Sorry that I don't have time to post them all right now.
By CJ Romberger
December 15, 2010 1:27 PM | Link to this
Also, have you written anything about Twitter & Facebook - different uses/considerations/observations? If you did, I missed it, so I'd love a link.
By Omar Gallaga
December 15, 2010 1:20 PM | Link to this
It's not in any particular order, but if I had to pick the top story from the 10, it would be the iPad.
By CJ Romberger
December 15, 2010 1:09 PM | Link to this
Omar, are these in order of what you'd consider their significance?
And I must admit, I'm happy not to hear more about Wikileaks, so I'm all good with it not being in your list.