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  • 1

    Why

    Has created a cellular network that can cope with our growing appetite for mobile data.

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  • 2

    Why

    Its high-efficiency gallium arsenide–based solar cells provide a way to lower the cost of solar power.

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  • 3

    Why

    The Siri virtual assistant built into the iPhone 4S demonstrates a new kind of conversational voice-operated interface.

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  • 4

    Why

    A key supplier of equipment for making solar cells, it is helping to lower the cost of solar power.

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  • 5

    Why

    By reducing the electricity demands of data centers, ARM is making cloud computing cheaper.

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  • 6

    Why

    Its systems help doctors and patients with the morass of medical records and billing paperwork.

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  • 7

    Why

    The company is developing cheaper nuclear reactors.

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  • 8

    Why

    Its new infrastructure extends the effective range of electric vehicles.

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  • 9

    Why

    It mines social-media sites to gauge the audience response to television shows and advertising.

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  • 10

    Why

    Using human iPS cells in drug screening could accelerate the development of new therapies.

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  • 11

    Why

    New sequencing projects that the company announced in 2011 include one aimed at predicting preterm births and another that will sequence cancer genomes.

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  • 12

    Why

    Speeding up production of digitally animated movies will also benefit gaming and augmented reality.

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  • 13

    Why

    Its technology makes it easier for users to sync and share files on smart phones, laptops, and desktops.

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  • 14

    Why

    Using lightweight parts will decrease the fuel consumption of the company’s aircraft and make its satellites cheaper to launch.

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  • 15

    Why

    The social network has become the means by which many online users communicate, get news, and find entertainment.

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  • 16

    Why

    It is reducing the cost of utility-­scale photovoltaic installations.

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  • 17

    Why

    Its new diagnostics exploit a growing understanding of the molecular basis of cancer.

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  • 18

    Why

    By building flexible and efficient natural-gas power plants, GE is making it easier for utilities to use intermittent sources of renewable energy.

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  • 19

    Why

    By building flexible and efficient natural-gas power plants, GE is making it easier for utilities to use intermittent sources of renewable energy.

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  • 20

    Why

    Despite its lukewarm performance in social media, Google’s willingness to move into new areas shows it can still be an agenda-setter.

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  • 21

    Why

    It is using telemedicine techniques to deliver health care to rural India.

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  • 22

    Why

    Its flexible artificial-­intelligence systems have the potential to assist people in many areas, such as health care.

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  • 23

    Why

    By reducing the cost of diagnostic tests, it has allowed the monitoring of more disease markers.

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  • 24

    Why

    Has reinvented ­transistor architecture as it continues to shrink the size of devices on a chip.

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  • 25

    Why

    Makes fuel and chemicals from the carbon monoxide produced by processes such as steelmaking.

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  • 26

    Why

    Lowering the cost of DNA sequencing opens the door to more genetically targeted treatments and diagnostics.

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  • 27

    Why

    By using virtual computer networks rather than hardwired systems to connect cloud servers, it could make the cloud more secure and reliable.

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  • 28

    Why

    Allows users to access applications too powerful for their hardware to support.

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  • 29

    Why

    Its three-dimensional artificial tissue structures can be used for drug testing and are likely to find therapeutic applications.

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  • 30

    Why

    Its software can extract common threads from mountains of data, potentially yielding leads for intelligence agencies and police forces.

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  • 31

    Why

    Online social connections and shared data offer a new way to improve the understanding and treatment of disease.

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  • 32

    Why

    The Mirasol display for mobile devices provides full color even in bright sunlight and uses a fraction as much power as today’s phone and tablet displays.

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  • 33

    Why

    Its new drugs target genetic mutations in cancer cells.

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  • 34

    Why

    Has deployed mobile health services over Kenya’s cellular network.

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  • 35

    Why

    Its high-energy batteries, which will first appear in consumer devices, could make electric cars cheaper and improve their range.

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  • 36

    Why

    Samsung is an increasingly major player in consumer electronics, from iPhone components to new phones, tablets, and OLED TVs; it was the world’s top seller of smart phones in 2011.

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  • 37

    Why

    Its cheaper turbines and installation techniques will make offshore wind plants more affordable.

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  • 38

    Why

    Its catalytic process is able to convert cheap and abundant natural gas into ethylene, a commodity chemical used to make plastic.

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  • 39

    Why

    It has learned to exploit oil resources that were previously impractical to tap.

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  • 40

    Why

    Managing natural resources, planning humanitarian ­missions, and assessing construction projects could all become easier thanks to Skybox’s satellites, which will take more frequent images at lower cost.

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  • 41

    Why

    Its spacecraft and rockets could replace expensive government vehicles as a way into orbit.

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  • 42

    Why

    Its digital music subscription service has succeeded where others have failed or had only lackluster results.

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  • 43

    Why

    Small businesses benefit from its simple mobile payment system.

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  • 44

    Why

    Has developed a low-cost way of making better silicon solar cells.

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  • 45

    Why

    Its processors combine the flexibility of software with the efficiency of hardware.

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  • 46

    Why

    A manufacturing process ­specifically designed for smart-phone and tablet processors will produce chips that increase computing performance without ­guzzling power.

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  • 47

    Why

    Microblogging has become a ubiquitous adjunct to major events, from earthquakes to revolutions.

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  • 48

    Why

    Has used high-speed methods to find materials that improve the performance of batteries.

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  • 49

    Why

    WiTricity is making it more convenient to charge electric cars.

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  • 50

    Why

    Social gaming has dramatically expanded the demographic appeal of computer games and created new business models for game companies.

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