The Apple “iPhone” bested controversial celebrities, the year’s top tragic event and even America’s most wanted terrorist in the list.

It’s the second gadget to top the annual list after the Playstation 2 in 2001 and 2002.

Last year, the Top search term in Yahoo! was the “BP Oil Spill” followed by the “World Cup.”

There are two repeaters this year in the Top 10: reality star Kim Kardashian (#4 in 2010) and American Idol (#9 in 2010).

Surprisingly, Justin Bieber (#8 in 2010) and Lady Gaga (#5 in 2010)–the only two artists who got more than 2 billions of pageviews on YouTube–did not make it on this year’s list.

Yahoo.com’s Top 10 Searches for 2011

1. iPhone
2. Casey Anthony
3. Kim Kardashian
4. Katy Perry
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Lindsay Lohan
7. American Idol
8. Jennifer Aniston
9. Japan Earthquake
10. Osama bin Laden

Check out Yahoo! Philippines Most Searched Terms for 2011.

‘iPhone’ is Yahoo.com’s Most Searched for 2011 originally appeared on Starmometer on December 6, 2011.

Steve Wozniak was in line for the iPhone 3GS back in 2009, and again for the iPhone 4 in 2010.

This year, Wozniak managed to get first place in line in front of the Apple Store in Los Gatos, California, waiting for his iPhone 4S.

He tweeted:

“The long wait begins. I’m first in line. The guy ahead was on the wrong side and he’s pissed.”

This is great publicity for the new Apple iPhone 4, with Steve Wozniak hitting the headlines for falling in line to purchase the gadget instead of just making a phone call to the company and get it delivered at the comfort of his home before it hit the stores.

Talk about free publicity worth thousands of dollars.

Steve Wozniak in the Front Line for iPhone 4 originally appeared on Starmometer on October 16, 2011.

Dennis Ritchie is known to be the creator of the popular C programming language and helped create the UNIX operating software–—the operating system that is the foundation of newer OSes like Apple’s Mac OS X, iOS and the Microsoft Windows.

Ritchie died a month after his birthday, as reported by the Associated Press. Although his company confirmed his demise, they would not disclose the cause and time of his death. The New York Times, however, reported Ritchie died October 12 after a prolonged illness.

Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs, wrote in a blog post Thursday that Ritchie was “truly an inspiration to all of us, not just for his many accomplishments, but because of who he was as a friend, an inventor, and a humble and gracious man.”

Dennis Ritchie, Creator of C Programming, Dies at 70 originally appeared on Starmometer on October 15, 2011.

The company, in a statement, announced that Steve Jobs has passed away after years of battling pancreatic cancer.

Jobs has been diagnosed with the cancerous tumor in his pancreas in 2004, a type of cancer can be cured if diagnosed early. And in 2009, he was forced to get a liver transplant.

After several years of failing health, Steve Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple’s CEO effective August 24, 2011. In his letter of resignation, Jobs strongly recommended that the Apple executive succession plan be followed and Tim Cook be named as his successor. Per his request, Jobs was appointed chairman of Apple’s board of directors.

On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that Jobs had died. He was 56 years old.

The official statement from the company reads:

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.”

Apple’s official website also posted a short eulogy for their founder:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

Steve Jobs Succumbs to Cancer, Apple Confirms originally appeared on Starmometer on October 6, 2011.

More compact cars are being produced by various automakers because sales of these kinds of cars have thrived on the market despite the fluctuating economy.

General Motors, for example, is adding Saturday shifts in the fourth quarter at an Ohio factory that makes the compact Cruze. Ford, Toyota, and Hyundai have also scheduled overtime at their compact-car plants.

This is because sales of compact cars are increasing as consumers are getting practical these days. They now go for lower sticker prices and better gas mileage.

According to reports, automakers sold nearly 1 million compact cars through the end of July. That’s up 12.8 percent from last year and it’s expected to gain more sales in the months to come.

Compact Cars are Getting Popular in the Market originally appeared on Starmometer on August 31, 2011.

Chevrolet has brought back its Camaro Convertible earlier this year and since then, it has been outselling the Ford Mustang in the market.

According to a report by Automotive News, Chevy moved 40,275 Camaro Convertibles for the first five months of 2011. During the same period, Ford sold 30,206 Mustangs.

The 2011 model features a new sleek shape but still inspired by the 1969 Camaro. Another improvement was the top goes down in less than 20 seconds.

Here are the specifications of the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro:

Body

Wheelbase: 112.3 / 2852

Drivetrain

Final Drive Ratio: 3.27

Engine

Compression Ratio: 11.3:1
Bore X Stroke: 3.70 x 3.37 / 94 x 85.6
Horsepower: 312 / 232 @ 6400

Engine & Transmission

Displacement cu in (cc): 217 / 3564
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM: 278 / 370 @ 5200*

Exterior

Body Type: Convertible
Length: 190.4 in.
Width: 75.5 in.
Height: 54.7 in.

Camaro Convertible is Now Outselling Mustang originally appeared on Starmometer on July 25, 2011.

This is an amazing story of Jarrod McKinney, 37, who forgot to zip the pocket of his pants when he rushed out the door of the plane for a skydiving excursion. His iPhone slipped out of his pocket and plunges 13,500 feet.

After he landed with his parachute, he tracked his iPhone via GPS and found it on top of a building about 1.5 miles away

Although the glass was completely shattered, it started vibrating when McKinney’s skydiving instructor called the phone, just to be funny.

Skydivers usually bring their mobile phones with them during skydiving. You may think it’s dumb but the reason for this is that they they’ll be able to call for help if they land in an unintended location.

Skydiver’s iPhone 4 Falls 13,500 feet and Survives originally appeared on Starmometer on July 19, 2011.

To strengthen its position in the local mobile communications industry as the leading value-for-money and feature-packed brand of phone, Cherry Mobile introduces its newest brand ambassador: action movie star and TV personality Robin Padilla.

“It was an easy decision to choose Robin as our new brand advocate. Just like Cherry Mobile, Robin has a natural charisma that easily draws the public. He represents the average Cherry Mobile user who lives an active yet practical lifestyle. Robin is the ideal guy to bring us to the next level,” said Maynard Ngu, Chief Executive Officer of Cosmic Technologies, Incorporated.

Robin is undoubtedly one of Philippine showbiz’s most dashing and talented male actors. Dubbed in the ’90s as “The Bad Boy of Philippine Action Movies,” Robin Padilla is now clearly considered the opposite – focused, spiritual, and determined. He has gained and regained, through the years, the kind of credibility and charisma that would make consumers trust in his product choices.

“Being a Cherry Mobile endorser is really an honor. Most of the mobile phones in the market today are too expensive for the average Filipino. I admire Cherry Mobile for bringing affordable handsets with dual SIM capabilities and other unique features available to all. With Cherry Mobile, anyone can stay connected.” Robin shared.

Along with the announcement of Robin Padilla as the newest Cherry Mobile endorser, Cosmic Technologies, Inc. also introduces two latest additions to its growing portfolio: Cherry Mobile R7 Vigor and R9 Tough. Both are equipped with an easy-grip, protective rubber casing that can withstand shocks against drop impacts from as high as 1.5 meters and sudden bumps, jolt and blow.

These new niche of stylishly rugged phones also bring together the best features a multimedia phone can have — Dual SIM/ Dual Standby, loudspeaker, camera, FM Radio, Flashlight, MMS/WAP/GPRS, Bluetooth, JAVA/built-in games and an expandable storage up to 4GB. The R7 Vigor is a bar type mobile phone while the R9 Tough features a QWERTY keypad.

“Robin is our shockproof mobile phones personified. He is tough and rough to survive all the blows that he has encountered in his life and career,” said Agnes Conopio, Marketing Head.

Robin joins the ranks of other Cherry Mobile endorsers, John Lloyd Cruz and Kim Chiu. With this dream team of brand ambassadors, Cherry Mobile is set to continue to captivate the local mobile communications industry and deliver products that fit everyone’s lifestyle.

For more information about Cherry Mobile’s newest products, services, and promotions, visit www.cherrymobile.com.ph.

(Cherry Mobile Press Release)

Robin Padilla is New Cherry Mobile Endorser originally appeared on Starmometer on July 14, 2011.

According to Joshua Topolsky at This Is My Next, Apple’s newest tablet is expected to boast a screen with double the resolution (2048×1536) of the iPad 2.

Sources say that the device will be for the high-end “pro” market of having an estimated price of 20 to 40% higher than that of the iPad 2, possibly for professional producers of video and photo content.

iPad HD Rumored for Release this September Alongside iPhone 5 originally appeared on Starmometer on July 11, 2011.

According to Bloomberg, the new version of the iPhone, called iPhone5, will have a faster A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and support for iOS 5. The new handset will sport a design similar to the iPhone 4′s and will be released in September to coincide with iOS 5′s debut.

There’s also another rumor saying that Apple is developing a mass-market version of the iPhone to be sold in a much cheaper price in developing countries.

iPhone 5 Specs Speculations originally appeared on Starmometer on June 23, 2011.

According to the press release titled “Apple to Unveil Next Generation Software at Keynote Address on Monday, June 6″, the multinational company will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.

Here is the full statement:

CUPERTINO, California—May 31, 2011—Apple® CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS® X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®; and iCloud®, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.

WWDC will feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. Mac® developers will see and learn how to develop world-class Mac OS X Lion applications using its latest technologies and capabilities. Mobile developers will be able to explore the latest innovations and capabilities of iOS and learn how to greatly enhance the functionality, performance and design of their apps. All developers can bring their code to the labs and work with Apple engineers.

For more details, visit the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2011 website at developer.apple.com/wwdc.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.”

Speculations are now heating up regarding Apple’s latest innovation. Some tech-savvy folks believes the service will be used for streaming music. Or it could be Apple’s version of DropBox, the amazing sync and storage service that currently glues together the whole iOS ecosystem along with its desktop service.

Apple ‘iCloud’ Service to be Launched on June 6 originally appeared on Starmometer on June 1, 2011.

Tech Talk: Samsung Galaxy Ace MWC originally appeared on Starmometer on February 19, 2011.