Wired magazine just announced their picks for top 10 technology breakthroughs of 2008, a list which includes lots of cool stuff like flexible displays and Michael Phelps high-tech Speedos. However, their top two picks can be seen as somewhat controversial: #1. Apple's App Store and #2. Google’s Android. While Apple’s App Store certainly is an improved environment for third party developers (as compared to anything the traditional mobile operators currently offer), it still represents a “walled garden” school of thought. Google’s free, open source smartphone operating system is designed to work best with Google’s web-based email, contacts and calendar programs. While both products represent steps in the right direction, it can be argued that their two top picks are designed to benefit their creators more than the consumers…

Image by William Hook