Netbook sales continue to climb

Nearly a quarter of all PC sales in Europe is now made up of these tiny sub-laptop boxes with their mini screens, fiddly keyboards and Linux or Windows XP running gear. Newer models include built-in mobile internet access. Subsidies from network operators have kept purchase prices low, making the netbook very attractive to those who do not wish to spend any more than they have to on their computing or enjoy carrying something more versatile than a mobile phone without putting their backs out. Ian Douglas

The End of the CrunchPad

TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington decided last year to put his pundit opinions to good use and try his hand at creating a dirt-cheap web tablet. His November admittance of defeat, and the soap-opera backstory between TechCrunch and gadget maker Fusion Garage made great fodder for the Cassandras of tech journalism.

No device category intrigued the Techmeme audience more than one that doesn't yet exist. Tablet computers -- rather, the idealized thought of them -- dominated discussions in 2009. We've combined two more high ranking tablet-related posts to form the second most important story of the year.

Android goes mainstream

Google's operating system for mobile phones took a little while to get off the ground: T-Mobile's clunky G1 phone was the first to run it, but there was nothing aspirational about the brick-like handset. Then along came the Magic and Hero models, and suddenly it became obvious the the iPhone wasn't the only cool handset with built in music and usable internet. Crucially, too, the Android app market has expanded massively: now Google's phones can do almost anything you need, from tracking train times to reading Office documents. MW

'Smart' electricity use

The economic recession and a federal stimulus package prompted a old-ish idea in frugal gadgetry to take off in a new way: "smart" technology invaded homes and public works projects in hopes of making our use of fossil fuels more efficient.

Smart-grid technology monitors energy use and helps steer consumption to times of day when other people aren't using much electricity -- a time when it is cheaper to power appliances and more juice is available.

The federal government invested billions in a smart grid in 2009 that connects homes and apartments with power plants. Consumer-level devices took off, too. Google released a PowerMeter service that gives homeowners reports on their energy use on the Web or on mobile phones. General Electric and others promoted smart appliances, such as hot water heaters, that help further help control energy costs.

Most homes didn't have smart meters in 2009, but that leaves room for plenty of expansion next year.

Spotify drives streaming music boom

There have been streaming music services for some time but Spotify has captured the imagination of the music and technology industries alike. The depth of the catalogue, the availability of the mobile application and the simplicity of the interface have introduced the idea of having a music collection in the cloud. Whether people will be happy to completely give up the idea of owning music, rather than renting it, remains to be seen but Spotify has proved that the two options can coexist. SR