Gadget talk

FROM ISSUE # 157 (January 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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The year 2008 was a mixed year for technology. While manufacturers churned out products at a considerable pace making all the gadget-heads happy, no new technology was invented so much so to grace the headlines. Some tech pundits even went on to predict iPod's death, while others boldly claimed that we were already in the golden era for technology.

In January, Apple released MacBook Air reminding us again how ugly of a laptop we were satisfied with. The astonishingly thin laptop showed Apple's prowess and 'thinnovation', raising the bar one more time for manufacturers in every single way.

The cold war between arch rivals Apple and Microsoft continued this year with Microsoft launching a $300 million ad-campaign in response to Apple's long running 'I'm a Mac' ads. The ads featured Jerry Seinfeld and many other celebrities sparking a considerable amount of response in the blogosphere.

September saw the launch of Google's first phone, the G1 based on the open-source Android platform. Positioned as a direct competitor to the iPhone, the G1 received a mixed response in its initial run.

2008 witnessed the rise of the tiny titans–the netbooks. Their popularity reached an all time high and almost all of the major manufacturers rode the bandwagon, while impending rumors of an Apple-branded netbook were also on the rise.

Nepal Telecom launched ADSL service making internet more affordable than ever. But the state of their mobile service plunged even below than the sub par level.

On an aside, the newly formed government seemed more tech-savvy than ever. Laptops given to ministers made headlines this year but it is yet to see as to what policies they bring to help better the state of science and technology in the country.