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Top Tech Breakthroughs of 2008

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the r&d-still-hard-at-work dept.

As we approach the end of the year it's time once again for the never-ending stream of retrospectives and year-in-review discussions. Wired has their version of the best technology breakthroughs of 2008. From phones to shrinking laptops to flexible displays, there is no shortage of interesting advancements when looking back at this year. What other groundbreaking advancements were made this year, and what do we have to look forward to for 2009?

2 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Oh dear by netsavior · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So lets see the advancements are:
    Finally implementing a 37 year old technology
    A website for buying programs - Apple App store
    Actually using flash memory, a fairly old technology
    a bathing suit
    Actually using a 1978 technology - GPS
    A slightly better consumer digital video camera
    The third major revision of an old technology - USB 3.0
    Microchips that are small
    A cellphone operating system
    and, presenting, the ONLY actual innovation of 2008

    Flexible displays that barely work!

    so glad I live in the age of technological miracles

  2. Re:WTF? by Xerolooper · · Score: 5, Insightful
    And I love the statement (yes I rtfa)

    Until this year, mobile app developers lacked an easy way to get their software into the hands of consumers, forcing them to make deals with finicky and power-hungry carriers if they wanted to get any distribution at all.

    This as apposed to forcing them to make deals with a finicky and power-hungry hardware manufacturer.

    --
    "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." -Thomas Szasz