Review 2011: Passing of a genius, new gizmos and a strange kissing device

We take a look back at news in the tech industry that made the biggest (and the strangest) blips on our tech news radar in 2011:

RIP Steve Jobs

Not only was the death of cancer-battling Apple Inc. CEO, Steve Jobs, the biggest news in technology this past year, it was one of the biggest pieces of news in the history of technology, period. Jobs had lead Apple to bag a greater cash reserve than the US treasury during his tenure with the release of devices like the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In fact, the Apple guru revolutionised the entire tech industry by popularising technology such as touch-screen devices, portable music gadgets, and tablets. The loss of the charismatic CEO was momentous; countless fans mourned the technology icon’s death, and dedications from world leaders poured in rapidly. US president Barack Obama called the man a visionary while Softbank Corp CEO, Masayoshi Son, compared Steve Jobs to Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. And while not everyone adored the man, not even his greatest critics can deny that with his passing, he left rather enormous shoes to fill.

PlayStation Network outage

It was an enormous hacking event that caused the leaders of Sony to publically apologise after facing a class action lawsuit from victims, as well as an official inquiry from the US congress. But, more significantly, it was an event that resulted in a deluge of complaints from geeky gamers.

Their collective rage was instigated by an attack on April 17-19 on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, in which personal details — including credit card information from approximately 77 million accounts were stolen — forcing Sony to shutdown PSN for what was approximately 23 days. And while there was no official word as to who was the culprit, whispers in the darker alleys of the internet pointed to hacking group “Anonymous”. In the end, while things were eventually resolved, the Japanese tech giant’s reputation took an enormous blow.

The birth of Apple’s Siri

Siri — a voice-recognition based personal assistant application, integrated in the iOS5, and offered only on Apple’s latest iPhone devices — caught the public’s imagination with its futuristic allure. It was featured on TV shows, demoed on tech platforms, and quickly became the talk of the internet. Some experts claimed that the application would turn out to be the next piece of revolution in mobile phone usage, while others even went on to say that it would be the killing blow on Google’s Android OS. While only time will tell how much of an impact Siri will have, it is certain that this application will only grow better in the future.

Kindle Fire — a tablet for the masses

Few devices created as much heat this past year in tech circles as Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Priced at a $200 (roughly Rs18,000), the device was making waves before it hit the ground, with pre-orders cleaning house six weeks before release, and tech and business experts hailing the tablet as a possible iPad slayer. However, upon release, the device didn’t quite turn out to be the giant-slaying goliath. In fact, released to mixed reviews, the sluggish tablet quickly reaffirmed the old adage, “You only get what you pay for.”

Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich, an exciting new chapter

With Android having had separate versions of its OS for tabloids and smartphones, it was welcome news that Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0, would be a unified codebase for all Android devices.

Debuting on the Galaxy Nexus — reviewed by many tech websites as being the best Google phone to date – Android 4.0 has been extremely well received on release. Chock-full of features — both amusing and practical — ICS is not only robust and deep, it is highly fun as well, making it both useful and endearing. And for 2011, ICS is considering to be the biggest mobile software release of the year.

Internet Kissing Machine

Kajimoto Laboratory (yes, obviously it would be the Japanese to invent something as creepy as this) of Tokyo, presented a device in 2011 that would allow couples to share a “French kiss” over the internet. How does the device look and function? Well, it looks a bit like a breathalyser with a plastic straw; has two units, (one for each partner) and is designed to work remotely over the internet. Partners can kiss by waggling their tongues on a plastic straw at one end, which in turn creates the sensation of a kiss transmitted to the other end. Not only that, but “kiss information” can be recorded and saved, to allow lovers to save and share kisses later. In fact, the developers of the device even envision celebrity “kiss information” being sold as part of the package (Megan Fox, here we come!). And while many of us will find this gadget to be more creepy than sexy, experts feel that the device, once perfected, could actually have a profitable presence at retail.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2012.