Saturday, December 29, 2007

In pictures: A year in technology




In pictures: A year in technology....








After months of rumours, Apple boss Steve Jobs launched the iPhone in January. It first went on sale in July and fans queued for days to get their hands on the device.





Microsoft began the hard sell of its latest operating system in January. Vista, was designed to be ultra-secure, a claim disputed by some security researchers.



Nintendo's Wii became the console of choice in 2007 with demand outstripping supply. The console outsold Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3).



Reports of cyber-attacks on government systems increased throughout the year. Estonia claimed it endured an attack by Russia - sparked by the relocation of a war memorial.



In June, researchers at MIT showed off an experimental system to deliver power to electrical devices without the need for wires. They called the system WiTricity.



Facebook grew at a phenomenal rate in 2007, passing more than 50m users worldwide. But the social network also came under attack for its privacy policies.



One of the most anticipated games of the year - Halo 3 - hit shelves in September. The Xbox 360 title made £84m ($170m) in its first 24 hours, according to Microsoft.



Intel launched a range of processors in November becoming the first company to use a new silicon replacement, based on the metal hafnium, into parts of its processors.












In November, Google ended speculation about the imminent release of a Google phone when it launched an open operating system for phones, called Android.



The One Laptop per Child project, which aims to distribute cheap laptops in the developing world, secured its first order from Uruguay and started mass production.



007 was dominated by privacy scares including the loss of two CDs, containing personal details of 25 million individuals, by Her Mjesty's Revenue and Customs.

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taken from: BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7129507.stm)