Stories of the month: December 2006

They're in your clothes, in your season ticket for the footy, in pub tables, books and even strapped to tanks.

Yes, those pesky RFID tags are getting everywhere, and our run-down of some of the best and worst - and craziest - uses of the little chips was one story that certainly grabbed readers' attention this month. Expect to see plenty more on this subject in the New Year - who knows where they will end up next?

And then - from the very tiny to the very large - silicon.com's tour through the wonders in the satellite imagery database of Google Earth had plenty of you mesmerised, especially as it included the view of Silicon Towers from above.

Stories of the month - December

Click on the links below to read the stories eveybody is talking about...

Top 10: The best, worst... and craziest uses of RFID

Photos:The best of Google Earth

Five reasons to love (and hate) Windows Vista

Photos: Top 10 mobile design classics

IDC: 2007 a year of "hyperdisruption"

RFID number plates to hit Malaysian highways

Re:Viewing 2006: Photos of the year

RE:Viewing 2006: The year in financial services

Photos: iPod and BlackBerry lost property mountain

The A to Z of security

With the launch to business customers on the last day of November, it was never likely that Microsoft's latest operating system would have been forgotten by the start of December. And so unsurprisingly our coverage of Vista - including a story listing five reasons to hate Vista plus five reasons to love it - proved popular.

But it will take a little longer - probably well into 2007 - before the real impact of Vista is seen on the business community.

Predictions for the new year also feature in the top stories of the month, with "hyperdisruption" the outlook from IDC, while looking back at 2006 was another theme.

You can read more here about how technology issues from chip and PIN to MiFID changed the world of financial services throughout the year, and check out silicon.com's giant photo stories of the year article which saw intrepid reporters roaming from Hong Kong to Moscow to the windswept satellite dishes of Goonhilly in Cornwall, visiting prisons and meeting robot nurses along the way.

And finally - perhaps worried about the post-Christmas influx of iPod and other gadgets that staff will be connecting to corporate networks - many readers have been turning to the silicon.com A to Z of Security for some top tips on keeping the nasties at bay.