The end of the year is nigh, and 2017 has been an epic year for technology. We thought it would be a good idea to look back over the past year in tech news to see which stories made the headlines. But remember, we try to cover tech news you can make use of, as that's our thing...

January

In January, Netflix launched a new app for DVD rentals, Instagram added ads to Stories, Chrome added support for FLAC files, Samsung explained why the Galaxy Note 7 exploded, Google announced all new Chromebooks would run Android apps, and HP recalled 101,000 batteries.

February

In February, Club Penguin went offline, Sony added support for external hard drives on the PS4, WhatsApp enabled two-step verification, Cloudflare was found to be leaking passwords, a new version of the Nokia 3310 was announced, and Microsoft launched the Xbox Game Pass.

March

In March, YouTube launched YouTube TV for cord-cutters, Google split Hangouts into Meet and Chat, Pandora launched Pandora Premium, Netflix replaced its ratings with thumbs-up and thumbs-down, Google added live-location tracking, and then Facebook promptly followed suit.

April

In April, Android became more popular than Windows, Facebook helped us all spot fake news, the Xbox One got a Steam-like refund system, Spotify started offering discounts to students, Duolingo launched a premium subscription service, and Apple started offering free educational classes.

May

In May, Yik Yak went the way of the dodo, Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 S, Amazon added free voice calls on Echo devices, Microsoft announced it was bringing Linux to Windows 10, Google Photos learned a trio of awesome new skills, and Apple begged Android users to switch to iOS.

June

In June, Microsoft launched the newly redesigned Skype, Google tried to keep kids safe online, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One X, Facebook finally started supporting GIFs, you finally had the chance to tip your Uber driver, and we discovered that the new Yahoo Mail is actually rather good.

July

In July, Sony started pressing vinyl records again, Microsoft launched Microsoft 365, Microsoft ended support for Windows Phone, Google brought Google Glass back from the dead, Google Play Protect started keeping Androids safe, and Adobe committed to killing Flash in 2020.

August

In August, Mozilla launched its Test Pilot program, LastPass doubled the price of LastPass Premium, Consumer Reports said don't buy a Microsoft Surface, MoviePass started offering unlimited movies for $10, Microsoft reminded us Bing exists, and Tinder launched Tinder Gold.

September

In September, Roku launched its own movie channel, Apple suffered an iPhone X leak, Chrome finally started blocking autoplaying videos, we learned that CCleaner had been distributing malware, PicMonkey destroyed its free offering, and Mozilla unveiled the Firefox Quantum beta.

October

In October, Microsoft killed Groove Music, Netflix raised prices to fund original content, Microsoft admitted Windows 10 Mobile is dead, we bid farewell to AOL Instant Messenger, Amazon launched Amazon Key, and WhatsApp afforded us the ability to delete sent messages.

November

In November, Blizzard made Starcraft II free to play, Twitter gave everybody 280 characters to play with, South Park landed on Android and iOS, EA took abuse over Star Wars: Battlefront II, Valve tried to fix Steam user reviews, and Amazon launched Echo buttons for quiz nights.

December

In December, Apple started offering tutorials on YouTube, Facebook launched Messenger Kids, Google launched Android Go for budget handsets, internet pioneers begged the FCC to save net neutrality, Apple admitted to slowing down old iPhones, and Spotify launched on Linux as a snap.

Forget the Bad News and Focus on the Good News

As with every year, 2017 has been a mixed bag. There have been countless bad news stories, but we prefer to focus on the good. As you can see above there has been plenty to make use of this year, and that's all that matters. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you in 2018.

What was your favorite tech news story from 2017? Is it one we covered or one that fell outside of our remit? Do you have any predictions for the world of tech in 2018? What would you most like to see happen? As always you can let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Image Credit: Marco Verch via Flickr