By Jose C., Teen Portal Staff Writer
It's that time of year again: the time when the holidays are upon us, people are with friends and family, and the pundits make their “Top 5” and “”Top 10” lists for the past year. I wouldn't exactly call myself a pundit but I do have my own opinions about technology (and its many gadgets). So I’m here to shower you with my own list of the Top 5 advances in the technology sector.
#5 Hulu.com
This Web site brought your favorite TV shows from the living room to your desk. When it first appeared, it included content from NBC, FOX, and a few others. Now, almost every content provider is on board. So, you can see your favorite TV shows with minimal ads and on your schedule. No more downloading illegally from Bittorrent... at least not for TV shows.
#4 Microblogging
This little known form of social networking, “microblogging” asks you one thing: “What are you doing right now?” From Twitter to Plurk, you answer that question for your followers in 140 characters or less, while others that you follow do the same. Twitter got a giant boost when celebrities, from Britney Spears to even Barack Obama, joined. Everyone is “all a twitter.”
#3 MP3 Freedom
True, the MP3 has been around since the days of Napster, but this year is a year for MP3 for a different reason. From Amazon to Wal-Mart, everyone is getting away from DRM (Digital Rights Management, or “You pay 99 cents for this song, but you can only use it how WE tell you to”) and embracing freedom. Apple is also embracing MP3, albeit slowly, but now you can buy music online, and do whatever you want with it without restrictions. Isn't Freedom awesome?
#2 IPhone 3g
The iPhone 3g (even if it is from Apple) took the smart phone arena by storm and caused all smart phone makers from Blackberry to Palm to rethink their plans. From its touchscreen to a “limitless” appstore, it represents the future of smart phones. Apple's only problem; their appstore is monitored by them and they get to reject the apps that compete with an iPhone program. This might cause people to swim over to the Android Island, Google's software.
#1 Netbooks
Small, tiny but weak notebooks that are only useful for web surfing were the rage this holiday season. With a super low price (less then $250) and compact size, netbooks were on many a Christmas wishlist. What started the craze was the Asus Eee-PC, a small, compact, sub-$500 laptop, and then every PC maker made sure to come out with a netbook of their own. Most of them run a form of Linux, but a few minor tweaks can get you Windows.
