TECHNOLOGY

This year looked to define the world's tech giants, as Apple, Google and Microsoft faced their own hurdles. Each came up short in some way.

There are thousands of tech companies to watch, but how can one determine which will be the game-changers? Don't worry, here are a few.

As text messaging turned 20 years old this year, traditional SMS messages have seen a decline for the first time in the United States. Will texting eventually be replaced by social media and other messaging apps?

A new study found that an asteroid known as 2011 AG5 will not hit the earth in 2040.

Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) has filed for a handful of new trademarks for "Poke," its new messaging service that rivals Snapchat, despite abandoning its original "Poke" trademark little more than a year ago.

Apple, which reported record annual income, paid its top officers extremely well in 2012, with stock awards calculated to pay them even better.

Apple's seventh-generation iPhone and fifth-generation iPad may feature ultra-thin, ultra-sharp display technology from Sharp Inc.

Video game publisher Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: EA) has removed links from the “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” website that directed visitors to several prominent firearms manufacturers and retailers.

Marvell Technology now owes Carnegie Mellon University $1.17 billion after losing a patent lawsuit to the school.

Samsung has officially unveiled the Premium Suite features that will launch with the Android 4.1 update for the Galaxy Note.

Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ:MRVL) said it will appeal the $1.17 billion jury verdict against it resulting from a patent-infringement case.

Two aggressive Northeast private fiber optic services providers will merge in a $2 billion deal financed by Berkshire Partners in a challenge to Verizon Communications.

A Zuckerberg family photo was leaked from Randi Zuckerberg's account amidst complaints about the social networking site's privacy settings.

After releasing the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update for the international version of Samsung Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) earlier this month, Samsung has started rolling out the same firmware update for the International Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 or the Galaxy S3 LTE. Here are the download links and the manual installation guide.

AT&T has reportedly confirmed that it will start rolling out the multi-window update for its Galaxy Note 2 variants Thursday.

No matter what part of the globe you reside in, New Year's Eve will be a giant celebration. The biggest party happens in Times Square, New York. Whether you are one of the million who will be in Times Square on New Year's Eve or just want to experience it, there is an app that will let you watch the ball drop.

A jury in U.S. District Court found that Marvell (NASDAQ:MRVL) had infringed upon patents owned by Carnegie-Mellon University and ordered it to pay $1.17 billion.

If 2012 wasn't a great year for technology, it also wasn't a great year for venture capital acquisitions and public offerings.

The FBI filed criminal charges against two Chinese nationals who sought to buy chips from Lattice Semiconductor illegally.

With the launch of Windows 8 came a brand new breed of tablet/laptop hybrid devices. We've crowned Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga 13 as the best new Windows 8 device of 2012.

The Auxo app switcher, which significantly expands the usefulness of the iOS multitasking tray, is now available to purchase and download through the Cydia Store.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) said Eric Rudder will become its chief of research and development as current head Craig Mundie prepares to retire.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) said its new retail store network was a holiday success; the company plans to open six more soon.

China's leaders are reviewing a new Internet policy that will require users to register with real names, among other restrictions.

Thanks to a custom firmware build, the users of the Sprint variant of Samsung Galaxy S3 (SPH-L710) will now be able to upgrade their devices to the new Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean.

A new report Tuesday claimed that Samsung is busy with efforts to introduce a new high-end smartphone, possibly the Galaxy S4, with model numbers of the device already confirmed.

Netflix's video streaming service was hit by an outage on Christmas Eve, a prime movie-watching night, because of a breakdown at Amazon cloud servers.

In the heart of the busiest shopping season of the year, Amazon has offered some impressive discounts on Samsung's Galaxy S3.

Dozens of new apps are being released all the time, and here's a look at some highlights from 2012.