50 Smartest Companies 2011
- AZ30
- CA6
Why
The rest of the consumer electronics industry is scrambling to catch up to the iPad. The iPhone still sets the standard for smart phones, even if its market share slips.Company Details - CA7
Why
Powerful computing devices are proliferating because of chips that incorporate every-smaller features without rising in price.Company Details - CA9
Why
Many doctors and researchers lack the resources to sequence genomes and analyze them themselves.Company Details - CA11
Why
It still sets the agenda in Web search, even as it pushes the development of Android for mobile devices.Company Details - CA14
Why
Quick, cheap DNA sequencing will lead to new diagnostic test and targeted treatments.Company Details - CA15
Why
Inexpensive video on demand, delivered over the Internet, undercuts cable and points the way to a likely future for TV.Company Details - CA22
Why
It efficiently produces solar thermal power, which focuses sunlight to heat water into steam.Company Details - CA29
Why
Social networking on the Web is becoming a powerful advertising medium and a platform for startups that offer add-on services.Company Details - CA43
Why
Budget cuts will force NASA to rely on private companies for supply missions and other tasks.Company Details - CA44
- CA48
Why
Now that the company has begun to make money from its large user base, a service that has woven its way into everyday life is more likely to stick around.Company Details - CA50
- MA4
Why
Smart electrical grids and more efficient power cables can help save money and energy.Company Details - MA47
Why
Conventional solar power is still too expensive to compete with fossil fuels, in part because of the cost of manufacturing silicon-based solar cells.Company Details - NY33
Why
Computing can transform infrastructure such as electric grids and traffic control systems.Company Details - WI24
Why
Screening drugs on human heart cells will help researchers find treatments for cardiac problems and test drugs for toxic side effects.Company Details - 1
- 2
Why
The exponential growth in traffic on the Web is possible because of services that route data intelligently.Company Details - 3
- 5
- 10
Why
Embryonic stem cells provide a potential source of replacement tissue for use in treating an array of degenerative diseases and injuries.Company Details - 13
- 16
Why
Mainstream use of electric cars could benefit the environment, especially where power is produced relatively cleanly.Company Details - 18
Why
DNA sequencing provides a way to detect microbes in the environment and monitor the spread of viruses in our bodies.Company Details - 21
Why
Targeting cancer drugs narrowly to tumor cells will improve efficacy and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.Company Details - 23
- 25
- 26
Why
Web applications must get faster and feel much more responsive to users if cloud computing is to keep growing.Company Details - 27
Why
Corporate decision-making gets smarter if it taps the insights of rank-and-file employeesCompany Details - 28
Why
Reducing the cost of constructing solar thermal plants will make them more competitive with fossil-fuel plants.Company Details - 32
Why
By encouraging millions of people to sign up for quirky daily advertising e-mails, Groupon has created one of the fastest-growing revenue generators on the Web.Company Details - 34
Why
Biofuels could be far cheaper if they weren't made from corn, sugarcane, and other forms of biomass.Company Details - 35
Why
Light-emitting diodes are an energy-efficient option for lighting in buildings and homes, but they are still expensive.Company Details - 36
Why
Augmented reality enhances the value of a mobile device, employing its camera and GPS and displaying information about the user's surroundings.Company Details - 37
Why
Computer chips that operate with probabilities instead of binary logic could speed applications such as fraud analysis and machine vision.Company Details - 38
Why
Biodegradable plastics that aren't made from petroleum offer several environmental benefits.Company Details - 39
Why
User interfaces based on gesture recognition make possible new applications in gaming and everyday computing.Company Details - 40
Why
Retrofitting existing buildings is a cost-effective way to increase energy efficiency.Company Details - 42
Why
Computer intelligence in the electric grid will make energy distribution more efficient.Company Details - 46
- 49
Why
Web tools can help people respond to crises such as earthquakes and political protests.Company Details - China31
Why
Increasing the time that turbines are operational will lower the cost of wind power.Company Details - China45
Why
Extremely large-scale production of solar panels is reducing the technology's cost.Company Details - Germany41
Why
Improving the electric grid is crucial to making alternative energy sources less expensive.Company Details - Japan20
Why
Hybrid cars can significantly reduce gasoline consumption by using an electric motor alongside a gasoline engine.Company Details - Switzerland17
- Switzerland19
Why
Drugs that target genetic mutations unique to cancer cells may be more effective than ones that act more broadly.Company Details - Taiwan12
Why
Smart phones that run Android have become an alternative to Apple's mobile devices.Company Details - United Kingdom8
Why
It is redesigning smart phones and tablets so that they'll use much less power and need recharging less often.Company Details