iPhone 5: The much-awaited iPhone 5 hit Indian shores on November 2 this year and has been flying off the shelves ever since. The lighter, thinner and more powerful mobile is priced at a whopping Rs 45,550 for the basic 16GB model. The crazy price notwithstanding, the new model is one of the best selling phones in the market now. Also from Apple came the iPad Mini that was launched in December this year. The stunning tablet boasts of an aluminum and glass design 7.2 mm thick with a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5-megapixel iSight camera at the back. The price starts at Rs 21,900.

Samsung S3: Samsung's answer to Apple's iPhone, the S3, was launched in June this year. It has since become one of the hottest selling phones in the world. Peppered with a lot of exciting new features, the S3 is here to stay even though Samsung's own Galaxy Note is giving tough competition to smartphones, and even those from its own stable.

Windows 8: The latest Windows operating system was launched by Microsoft for use on personal computers, desktops, laptops, tablets, and home theater PCs. This version is significantly better as it primarily focused on improving its user experience on mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones to give competition to Android and iOS. Launched in October this year, this OS makes use of near field communications, cloud computing and ARM architecture.

Anonymous :Anonymous, the global hacktivist group, really made its presence felt in 2012. The virtual vigilante group set up firewalls to prevent GOP supporter Karl Rove from tampering with the 2012 U.S. presidential election and also declared an operation to shut down the websites of the Syrian government, after an internet blackout imposed by Syrian authorities in November this year. Closer to home, the hacktivist group deface the official website of IT minister Kapil Sibal after the minister’s controversial statements on censoring what goes online.

Apple vs Samsung (patent war): Korean electronics giant Samsung lost a $1 billion lawsuit against Apple for copying the latter's patent designs. In August this year, a US jury ruled that Samsung should pay damages in an intellectual property infringement lawsuit. The rivalry between Samsung and Apple is legendary and nobody was surprised when the rivalry shifted from the consumer market to the court.

YouTube new format :YouTube's easy to navigate and clutter-free new look was an attempt to make the video-sharing site as similar to cable TV as possible. As part of the facelift, YouTube did away with its white background and added a touch of grey instead. There are now three main verticals that help users navigate better and find videos faster.

Aakash 2 tablet: India 's answer to the iPads and Samsung Tabs of the world, the Aakash 2 was launched in November this year. Priced at only Rs 1,130, it’s the cheapest tablet available in the market. Its predecessor, Aakash Tablet, was thrashed by both users and critics for its poor performance and battery life. The new tab has 1GHz Cortex A8 processor with a 7-inch capacitive display with four multi-touch points and promises to be a better bet than its older cousin. Controversy, however, dogged the Aakash 2 too, when reports emerged that parts of the gadget were made in China . The makers were forced to issue a clarification that while some parts were imported, the item was entirely assembled in India though that did not entirely please rabid nationalists.

iTunes store in India: Apple finally launched the popular online store, iTunes, in India in December this year. The virtual store now enabled Indian customers share, buy or rent movies and music. Songs are priced from Rs 7-15 and albums start at Rs 70, though it remains to be seen if we, as a people, are ready to pay to buy music online.

Anti-SOPA blackout :The world’s largest information sharing page, Wikipedia, blacked out their English-language page for a day in January this year, leaving millions (including us) helpless. The blackout was a protest against proposed legislation in the United States – the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA)– which, if passed, would severely compromise how information sharing on the internet took place.

Facebook acquires Instagram: Even though Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had an uneventful IPO debut on the NASDAQ this year, he managed to successfully acquire mobile photo sharing app Instagram for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock in April. Zuckerberg purchased the hot app after pursuing Instagram founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom for 18 months. Google and Twitter were also interested in buying Instagram, but the final bid was won by Zuckerberg.