Top Ten Technology Items and Events of 2011

An age-old aphorism states that all good things must come to an end, and so it is that 2011 has come and gone. However, forgotten it won’t be. You see, the thing about 2011 is that it’s certainly memorable for its slew of technology related events. It is a fact that technology is constantly evolving. For every facelift for Facebook and three-dimensional treatment for video games, there is a plethora of other incredible technological advances. To that end, we here at Surpass have taken the liberty to comprise a list of not only the best gizmos, but the top ten technology events of the year exclusively for your enjoyment. Buckle up your seatbelts because here we go!

10) The Rise of the Kindle Fire Kicking off our countdown is this new popular device! Who knew a tablet computer version of Amazon’s beloved Kindle e-book reader would be so phenomenal? Apparently the creators did, and they’ve been smiling all the way to the bank. Released in November, the device may have sold as many as over two million in just a month according to reports found on cnet.com. Naturally, that amount could have doubled by now. Furthermore, with features that rival an iPad such as a state-of-the-art dual-core processor and nifty apps including Netflix, TweetCastle and Angry Birds, the Kindle may be here to stay.

9) The Qwikster Failure This one will definitely go down in history. Netflix may be the world’s leading Internet subscription service when it comes to viewing shows and movies, but it caught fire after the company announced that it would relegate its DVD rental service to a new entity called Qwikster. According to The Wall Street Journal, it would have heaped inconvenience on top of a previously announced 60% price increase. This undoubtedly ruffled a few feathers regarding the users. Video streaming may be the future of television, but DVD-by-mail service as a separate business was dead on arrival. As a result, Qwikster was qwikly (pun intended) shut down on October 10.

8 ) The AT&T Merger Flops While not as controversial as the Qwikster debacle, the AT&T merger did turn a few heads. When it was announced in the early half of 2011 that communications giant AT&T would possibly be merging with T-Mobile, there were some individuals that complained. Why was a merger needed? What’s the point? Didn’t AT&T acquire Cingular already? Well, folks who didn’t want to lose their T-Mobile contracts received their wish in December when it was announced that AT&T and T-Mobile couldn’t find a buyer for assets to bring their merger into fruition. Techcrunch.com stated that AT&T placed the blame on the FCC and the U.S. Department of Justice. Whatever the case, rolling over minutes isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

7) The iPhone Pandemonium Now, here’s a good one! You’d have to be living under a rock not to know what an iPhone is. It seems Apple comes out with these new things every single year. However, the new 4S, released in October, created quite a frenzy. Everyone just had to have one. What is it with nerds and gizmos? CNN reports indicated that four million were sold during its first weekend. Wow. Perhaps it pays to be an Apple product. Speaking of which…

6) The iPad 2 Hits the Scene Next up on the list is another Apple item that left its mark on 2011 – the new and improved iPad. What is it about this device that has so many consumers going crazy? This technology writer just doesn’t know. Isn’t it just a laptop in tablet form? (Seriously. Let me know. I’d love to read your responses.) Nevertheless, since its debut in March, the iPad 2 has been met with a positive reception due to an improved performance and a sleeker design. However, will it be able to go up against the Kindle Fire? Only time will tell.

5) The Stop Online Piracy Act This one is a biggie, and a bit more serious. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives in October to implant copy-protection technology into PCs. It expanded the ability of law enforcement and copyright holders to put an end to online trafficking in counterfeit goods and copyrighted intellectual property. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for 10 pieces of music or movies within six months. Sheesh. Needless to say, this sparked quite an outcry in regards to the new legislation. Then again, that’s what happens when the government threatens Internet privacy and freedom.

4) The Dawn of Google+ While some people may question just why Google+ was needed when Facebook is around, others have embraced the new social networking site as a hot commodity. Since its June launch, Google+ has gained a slew of users and even had an impact on the graphic redesign of Google’s search engine. While there isn’t anything drastically different that separates Google+ from Facebook, there is an advantage that the former has…it seems to work better for business. Google+ pages can be displayed in search results along with the photo of the user as well as their employment status (EXP: John Doe, Managing Editor for The Cyber Gazette) and favorite links. Pretty awesome, right?

3) Anonymous hacker group Mysterious is definitely the word when it comes to this group. Spread around the world yet connected through the Internet, this group of hackers has been very active in 2011 including releasing emails of corruption and fraud from Bank of America, attacking the Playstation Network, and taking down the websites of the Orlando, Florida Chamber of Commerce. Yikes!

2) The Introduction of the Facebook Timeline Radical redesigns are nothing new when it comes to Facebook. After all, the site is known for changing it appearance practically every year. However, this new redesign definitely has some people talking. Timeline is being touted as a new way for users to tell their stories. It organizes every event in chronological order and allows users to take a vivid trip down memory lane. Launched around the end of September, Timeline is Facebook’s most bold redesign yet. One can only wonder what’s to come.

1) The Death of Steve Jobs Number one on our list belongs to a man who is known as the pioneer of the personal computer revolution. As one of the founders of Apple, Jobs oversaw the creation of many gizmos and gadgets including some of the ones that we use today. Does the iPhone ring a bell? It was October 5 of this year when he died at the age of 56, and although he may be gone, you can rest assured that his legacy will live on forever.

And there you have it, folks! Those were the top ten technology items and events of 2011. With 2012 on the horizon, it may be safe to say that we can expect a new wide variety of devices, gadgets, thingamabobs and gizmos that will undoubtedly top the ones of 2011 and be nothing short of entertaining and enjoyable!

- Jaylen Christie

Did we miss anything on our top ten list? What are you looking forward to in 2012? Let us know at our Facebook Page, our Twitter, or by sounding off in the comments below!

Brenda Christie

January 3, 2012 at 6:31 pm

Hi Jaylen. I believe you touched about everything in the technology world and did an excellent job in providing your readers with information relating to each. I do agree that there will be new and innovating gadgets coming out 2012. We live in an everchanging technology society and the best has not been invented yet!!!

Reply
- Jaylen C.
  
  January 5, 2012 at 7:53 pm
  
  Thanks so much, Brenda! You are very kind. Here at Surpass we strive to keep things fresh and innovative with our blog topics and ideas. I am very glad that you take the time out to read what we post. Furthermore, I agree with your statement… the best has not been invented yet! Perhaps we’ll just have to wait to see!
  
  Reply
ucuz hosting

January 5, 2012 at 12:41 pm

great article,thanks

Reply
Matthew

January 5, 2012 at 7:27 pm

Nice line up. However, if you were counting down in least important to most important events in 2011, I agree with number one being Steve Jobs, but I disagree with Facebook being number 2. Its facebook…The stop privacy act should be number 2 in my opinion and AT&T merger number 3 and Netflix number 4, but hey, I’m a newsie guy and those events were big deals versus consumer reports and new products. The AT&T merger failed I believe was becuase many thought that the phone company giants was getting too big for its briches. Verizon complained about the merger because AT&T is dominatin. FB should be number 10. LOL.

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Matthew

January 5, 2012 at 7:41 pm

Actually, the news on the hackers should be number 4. That was pretty big and the fact that these guys are prancing around and making statments and hosting conversations on who they should hit next is silly. After they virtually tap danced on the playstation network–causing various problems and law suits and causing Sony to give out free stuff for “their” trouble, the hackers simply said “Well, we might just hit Nintendo next.” WTF.

Reply
- Jaylen C.
  
  January 5, 2012 at 7:51 pm
  
  Thanks for reading, Matthew. I can always count on you for a comment. The top ten were not arranged from least important to most important. In fact, they were chosen from a wide list and assembled together as just the best of the best from the year. With that said and done, I do agree with your suggestions for the arrangement, sir. Here’s a question for you… what do you believe will be the next big things for 2012?
  
  Reply
Matthew

January 5, 2012 at 8:14 pm

Being somewhat of a gamer…the next big thing will be the Wii U which uses tablets for gameing along with an actual home console system, the PSP Vita, the iPad 3 and anything else Apple drops. Lookout for expos and demos starting May. The HOAX of 2012 being the final year, I’m sure many will try and bring out all the stops and empty promises of things to come. lol. Other than that, I really don’t know. Technolgy is getting so freaking advanced nowadays that by the time I turn 30, I won’t even try to keep up.

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January 6, 2012 at 1:12 pm

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