2012

3D printing has a way to go before it becomes a mainstream consumer activity. If it ever does cross over from its hobbyist and commercial roots, MakerBot and its CEO Bre Pettis can claim a decent share of the credit.

The MakerBot Replicator and newer Replicator 2 3D printers are fine products, but the company's marketing know-how is also a significant factor in its success. MakerBot's Thingiverse Web site hosts plans for more than 26,000 printable objects, all free for anyone to download and print. Pettis' media-friendly demeanor has landed his company's name on the digital … Read more

Hot on the heels of Windows 8 came Windows Phone 8, the first major upgrade to Microsoft's smartphone operating system. By bringing a heavy load of much-needed features like support for HD screens, multicore processors, and NFC, Microsoft did a lot to close the gap separating it from Google and Apple. The ability to customize tile size gave users more control over the OS's unique look and feel, and it didn't hurt that it debuted on strong devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920 and the HTC Windows Phone 8X.

But there were some problems. Existing Windows … Read more

In the online world you are the sum of the digital trail you leave, and that data is the high-value commodity that services like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and a multitude of others use to build their businesses.

In 2012, we saw social components woven deeper into the fabric of the Internet and a dramatic increase in mobile usage, with data about everything from location and friends to photos and site visits flowing into datacenters, where algorithms perform the invisible work of finding more targeted information and advertising to put in front of you. Going forward, … Read more

From the debut of the Retina Display on the iPad in March to the 10-inch Nexus 10's screen, sporting a resolution so high it was previously only seen on 30-inch monitors, 2012 marked the year that tablets got serious about their screen quality.

Amazon, Asus, and Barnes & Noble also brought impressive tablet screens to the mainstream and enthusiast alike, giving everyone a chance to experience high pixel density; now there's no going back. Any tablet manufacturer worth its weight in pixels will be forced to heavily consider a high-resolution screen if it hopes to succeed in 2013 … Read more

Tablets seem to have gotten smaller at the tail end of 2012, between the latest Nook and Kindle Fire 7-inchers, the Google Nexus 7, and most importantly, the iPad Mini. The shaved-down device lacks the larger iPad's Retina Display, but that's practically its only limitation, managing to cram in dual cameras and optional high-speed wireless LTE. Its higher price of $329 is relative: Apple's tiny tablet is expensive compared with many $199 tablets, but it's a bargain compared with the $499 price of the larger iPad.

The iPad Mini also shows how smaller tablets need not … Read more

Was it the impressive pixel-dense screen or possibly the fact that someone decided to throw a quad-core processor into such a small package? The little tablet that could, Google's Nexus 7, proved that if you make a powerful, well-designed tablet with a user-friendly operating system, it will sell in droves.

Actually, the iPad proved that first, but the Nexus 7 showed that you don't have to be Apple to pull it off. The $200 price didn't hurt.

For more on this story, see our full Google Nexus 7 review.

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Surface marked a chance for Microsoft to show the world that it could release a tablet that could not only rival the iPad in its ability to entertain, but also go one step further by making said tablet a capable productivity device as well.

While Microsoft succeeded in realizing the latter, Surface needs work to match the iPad as an entertainment device. However, with Microsoft sweating every detail -- from the ease with which the tablet connects to its keyboard to the satisfying "crunch" sound delivered when it does -- it's difficult to argue that Microsoft didn'… Read more

It wasn't very long ago that we were obsessed about the expansion of 3G data networks, but 2012 showed us that the era of 4G had really arrived. And we can thank LTE, or Long Term Evolution, for getting us there. By delivering a faster data wireless connection for smartphones and tablets, LTE made it easier to update your social networks, download apps and games, and stream your favorite media.

Yes, LTE first appeared on the Verizon Wireless in 2010, and Sprint gave us 4G WiMax even before that, but this year brought a few important LTE milestones. On … Read more

Was there a device in 2012 as hotly anticipated as the iPhone 5? If so, we can't remember it. Even with the astronomically high expectations surrounding the first iPhone unveiled after Steve Jobs, Apple's latest smartphone managed to live up to nearly all of them, delivering a refined, redesigned and utterly beautiful device.

The biggest changes: a screen that finally got bigger for the first time in the iPhone's history, but really got longer as opposed to wider, keeping a small profile compared with supersize Android phones. Also, of course, faster wireless service via LTE. Even with … Read more