Features

• New smartphone OSes bet on Web techs and improved UIs

  In the next 12 months, smartphones with five new operating systems are scheduled to go on sale, leaning on Web technologies and improved user interfaces to try and make a dent in the dominance of Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

• Chicago CIO's IT revival plan includes the cloud

  Chicago this month disclosed that it plans to use Microsoft's cloud services to deliver email and desktop applications to some 30,000 employees, part of a significant effort to improve the city's IT operations.

• Chicago's CIO doesn't believe in 'good enough'

  Brett Goldstein brings a deep background and big plans for the city's IT.

• No Microsoft at CES 2013? No problem

  Microsoft won't have its signature mega-booth at International CES 2013 starting next week in Las Vegas, but that's not expected to lessen the trade show's impact, or largesse.

• FTC gives Google slap on wrist instead of face

  After a nearly two-year antitrust investigation, Google escaped with more of a slap on the wrist than a slap in the face, say industry analysts.

• Google's antitrust settlement means few changes

  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's antitrust settlement with Google will create few changes in the way the company operates, both critics and fans of the deal said.

• 2012: The year Android truly challenged iOS

  Android 'Jelly Bean,' Samsung's Notes, and Google's Nexuses finally delivered compelling capabilities as Apple stalled

• In pictures: Google Maps for iOS

  Google has finally released its long-awaited Maps application for iOS.

• 2012: The year in quotes

  Some of the most memorable IT-related quotes were uttered in courtrooms this year, which involved a steady stream of legal challenges about intellectual property. In no particular order, these are some of the comments that stuck with us as 2012 winds to a close.

• Cloud computing showdown: Amazon vs. Rackspace (OpenStack) vs. Microsoft vs. Google

  It wouldn't be a mischaracterization to equate the cloud computing industry to the wild, wild west.

• Opinion: I want a military smartphone

  The U.S. military wants to put smartphones in the hands of all deployed troops. Their phones are going to be better than regular smartphones, says Mike Elgan, and that's why he wants one.

• The new business model: Competing with partners!

  Whether you blame Google, Microsoft or Apple, the old way of doing business in the mobile market is falling away. Mike Elgan explains why that's not necessarily bad.

• Women in IT: How deep is the bench?

  Superstar women lead IT at some of the biggest global corporations, yet the path to the top isn't clear for the next generation.

• Google rides out service blockages in China

  Google's services have been riding a bit of a rollercoaster in China over the last several days. A one-hour or even 12-hour blockage wouldn't hurt the company. It's the potential for a much longer blockage that could be problematic for Google, says one analyst.

• Chrome experiments: A foundation for future browser apps

  The battle for dominance between the major browsers continues on desktop, pad, and mobile platforms and, according to [Net Applications' Net Market Share, as of October all versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer combined had just over 54 per cent of the desktop market having gained about 2.2 per cent since December, 2011. Firefox, over the same period, lost 1.84 per cent (currently at just under 20%) while the other big contender, Google's Chrome, currently stands at just less than 19 per cent having lost 0.56 per cent in the same 10-month period.