Year in Review: Top tech stories of 2009

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Another source of competition was Android, as HTC and others released a host of shiny new handsets.

App stores

Apple’s App Store took off this year, passing the two billion download mark in September.

With such success, it’s no surprise that others jumped on board. Mobile operators and manufacturers created their own stores, with the likes of Orange, BlackBerry and others unveiling their own.

Android was one of the most successful, with 20,000 apps, but still nowhere near the number that Apple has. Still, as it’s approval process isn’t as constrained as Apple’s – and as more Android-based phones arrive, including the Google-branded Nexus One – it looks set to the App Store’s main challenger.

Digital Britain and piracy

The Digital Britain report set out how the government wanted to bring the UK to the forefront of digital countries... by ensuring we all had 2Mbps connections. While the controversial broadband tax raised some eyebrows, it was the ever evolving filesharing plans that really angered people.

Under the new plans - introduced to parliament under the new digital economy bill - the government, namely Peter Mandelson, is looking to cut off persistent illegal filesharers.

Many saw the move as over the top, especially as sites like Spotify make illegal sharing less likely and as groups like the Pirate Party UK gain supporters.

What was your top story of the year? Let us know at comments@itpro.co.uk or in the comments below.

Click here for our top reviews of the year.

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