Technology of 2012 Past

2012 is soon ending -and with the apocalypse it might have been with a bang- which as always makes us think back on everything that has happened in the technology market over the past year. It was a big year, especially for Microsoft who has brought out numerous products and made a step into the mobile market with renewed force. In between the Apple Maps debacle and the Facebook IPO fiasco, Samsung and Apple had a war and Samsung had to bite the bullet in the end. Many new devices have surfaced, especially mobile ones, changing the way people think about technology in a surefire way. Let’s take a look at what the tech-world has experienced in the year 2012.


One of the largest pieces of news was, of course, Microsoft’s new and improved operating system, Windows 8. Packed with a new interface, mobile and cross-platform compatibility, more security and social linking, Microsoft claims it to be a high point in the Windows chain. The OS has made quite a lot of news, especially comments on its new interface, with a lot of negative criticism surrounding it. Microsoft also released the Surface, it’s own tablet to contend with Apple’s iPad and the Galaxy Tab series. It runs Windows RT (a mobile version of Windows 8), and features an attachable keyboard to convert it into a semi-notebook.

For more info on Windows 8 and other products, click here.

Another well-known and much talked about topic was the rather public court case between Apple and Samsung. With various suing and counter-suing about copyright infringements this bad publicity was eventually ended with Samsung having to apologize publicly to Apple for their allegations that the iPhone is a copy of the Galaxy phone series and various other claims.

For more info on the court case between Apple and Samsung, click here.

Talking about Apple, the recent release of the iPhone 5 has had many a hand in a fist in frustration at the poorly redesigned map application, Apple Maps, found on the iPhone devices. With various errors and missing information it has become a rather embarrassing situation for the computer giant and is sure to be remembered on internet memes for years to come.

For more info on the iPhone 5, check out their site here.

Tablets and mobile devices are flooding the market, and it really came to pass in 2012 with dozens of releases of tablet computers for the everyday user. The Galaxy Tab/Note series, iPads and even the Surface has really changed the face of mobile computing. The lack of weight and the easy access to the internet has made them prime choices for the businessman or woman abroad, and even the everyday consumer is able to afford the cheaper models. This move into the mobile market has changed computing and software design where developers are focusing more and more on ‘Apps’, small applications for download on the various devices’ online stores, and integrating the mobile and desktop environments for a total computing experience. And it seems the consumers agree with developers, the beginning of the year marking a large increase in smartphone sales ( even outselling PCs last year). Although the PC is nowhere dead, its a global shift of computer perspective, and everyone is waiting to see if it lasts.

Facebook’s step into Initial Public Offering (IPO), trading on the stock market, ended in an atrocious failure after all the hype about it. Their stock values dropped almost to half of its value, leaving the social networking company in an embarrassing situation. Luckily their stock has slowly started to stabilize.

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A lot of devices and gadgets were released this year. Here are some of the more well-known ones;

- With the release of the iPhone 5 we should not forget about the stylish Galaxy S3 that released recently. Contending well with Apples new phone this fully decked out mobile device is a well-rounded and effective solution for those who prefer to stay away from getting lost on an iPhone 5.

- Apple also release the iPad 3 and iPad mini this year, with various new features and new designs, staying true to the original iPad feel.

- Nintendo brought out the Wii-U, a full year before any of the other rival consoles’ planned release dates and it impressed many with its touch screen controller, HD graphics (finally) and online store.

- Lytro came forward with a new camera called the Lytro Light-field which uses a special technology that captures traveling light, allowing you to adjust the focus and lighting after you’ve taken the picture, making for an interesting alternative to normal cameras. Check out their site for more information about the camera by clicking here.

- Amazon released the Kindle Fire this year and it was met with much acclaim. Even more useful than its useful release, the Kindle Fire is proving to be a excellent e-reader and with its automatic connection to Amazon, there’s really no reason not to get it.

Well there you have it. Should have gone up in 2012 still, but hey, rather late then never, right? Let's hope this year has even more awesome stuff for us technology-obessessed.

Hardware Copyright Battles

Since 2011, the heated battle between Samsung and Apple has run wild, creating stirs in the internet community and the world. Apple sued Samsung for various copyright infringements including Samsung's Galaxy Tab and their Galaxy phones. In response to this attack on their validity, Samsung counter-sued them with similar claims of copyright infringments with Apple's Iphone and technologies. 

So, the last month the court drama came to a climax with final arguments and evidence being presented by both parties. Then, a few days ago the final verdict was given by the jury and Samsung was slammed with a 1 billion dollar damage payment for infringing on a lot of Samsung's best-seller mobile devices. This is surely a hard hit for Samsung, not only against their pockets, but also their reputation. 

The whole debacle has thrown copyright infringements back into the spotlight. Recently, and less in the news, was the Oracle vs Google infringement case. Oracle sued Google for allegedly infringing on Java patents with their Android operating system. 

For years, technology has been fragmented more than it is today in the sense of advancements, that made it a lot harder to infringe on existing patents. But in the past few decades, technology, and specifically computer technology has grown to include many standards. And the more standard something is, the closer it gets to being the same as another guy's own design. 

A few older cases comes to mind, such as Apple's claim against Psystar in 2008 for their 'hackintosh' systems that came loaded with Apple's OS.

It is the opinion of many a internet-blogger that Apple will be going after Google next, for various infringement they have committed against Apple's devices. Google has been going strong with innovation, but perhaps they are running out of ideas? More and more things they release are starting to feel like copies of other people's work. Such as their Android system's similarities to Java and other related mobile operating systems (such as Apple's own mobile OS, iOS). Apple has always been intent on their patents, and have been hunting copycats for years.

If there's one thing we have learned from this court drama between Samsung and Apple, its that you can only get away with blatent technology theft for so long. Don't get me wrong, I use a Samsung phone myself, which is like a small, less fancy iPhone. But in the end it is so close to Apple's phones that I agree with the verdict of the court on this matter. In my opinion, we might see more copyright lawsuits come up after this case, as it has set a precident for copyright infringement.

Curiosity has landed

Having been flying towards Mars at a steady pace for 36 weeks, NASA's Hi-tech, unmanned, planet-driving, automated explorer 'rover', dubbed Curiosity, landed this past Sunday on the red planet, and have already sent back images for the whole world to see.

The rover is as large as a car, and was carefully lowered using pinpoint calculations via a sky-crane and various complicated manoeuvres. Powered by nuclear power, and sporting dozens of different instruments, it is the largest rover to be used by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory and its main purpose is to determine of Mars ever sustained or could sustain life.

It has landed in the Gale crater, which is believed to contain sediments of millions of years, and could provide valuable insight to the history of the planet.
The Curiosity has already sent back several images from its landing point, but in the coming few days or weeks the mast will be deployed which contains a high-resolution colour camera.

Some internet sources speculate that after this the next logical step would be to put a man or woman on the red planet. Whether this sci-fi thinking will become reality remains to be seen, but the whole operation is a credit to humanity and computers.