[Technology] Facebook's 2012: IPO, a billion users and a shift to mobile

Facebook's 2012: IPO, a billion users and a shift to mobile
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/instagram-furore-triggers-first-classaction-lawsuit-20121226-2bvm9.html
Facebook had what may be the most eventful year in its history in 2012. After months of preparation, the company went public in May -- with some unexpected results.

Fresh iPad rumor: Thinner, lighter version due in March
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/apple-may-launch-a-fifth-generation-ipad-in-2013/articleshow/17757609.cms
Apple is prepping a thinner, lighter fifth-generation iPad that shares some of its design cues with the recently released iPad Mini, according to Japanese blog Macotakara.

Nokia Rumoured to Finally Release Media Tablet in Early 2013.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20121225220921_Nokia_Rumoured_to_Finally_Release_Media_Tablet_in_Early_2013.html
Nokia Corp. used to make Internet tablets for business users powered by Maemo operating system long before Apple's iPad was even close to production, but due to the company's internal problems and executional issues, Nokia failed to create a competitor ...

Apple vs. Google vs. Facebook vs. Amazon
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324677204578188073738910956.html
Four big technology fiefsâ€"Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. â€"have been creeping into each other's turf for years.

How Ex-RIM Employees Are Fueling Ontario's Startup Scene
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/rims-pricing-power-with-carriers-slips-as-sales-decline/articleshow/17765209.cms
Research in Motion, maker of the once-treasured but now beleaguered BlackBerry, is in trouble. RIM cut 5,000 jobs -- 30% of its workforce -- this past summer.

PSA: Upate The Nintendo Wii U (And Other Electronics) Before Christmas Morning
http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/24/psa-upate-the-nintendo-wii-u-and-other-electronics-before-christmas-morning/
Dear Santa,. I was a good boy this year. I ate all my vegetables, cleaned my room, and didn't freak out over Instagram's new TOS.

Why startups shouldn't be afraid of Facebook cloning them
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/facebook-poke-app-for-ios-released-lets-users-send-selfdestructing-messages/311772-11.html
It takes a lot more than a clone to take out a scrappy startup with dedication to its vision. Ben Parr. by Ben Parr. December 24, 2012 10:03 AM PST Follow @benparr.

Was Verizon Wireless Hacked? Not Quite, Says Verizon
http://www.complex.com/tech/2012/12/did-a-hacker-really-leak-300000-verizon-customer-records
So, wait, was Verizon Wireless hacked… or wasn't it? And what happened to the information? These are all the big questions surrounding yesterday's announcement by a hacker who goes by the name TibitXimer.

Apple relents, and an unplugged Kickstarter is back on
http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-relents-and-an-unplugged-kickstarter-is-back-on/
The 1,000 backers of a cancelled Kickstarter project got an early holiday gift: Apple has revamped its Lightning adapter guidelines, and the POP device charger is now a go.