The Golden Paw Awards, voted on by software professionals, honors software quality and technology genius with the best and worst in 2012.

1. the Best & Worst
in Technology

2. A Word from the Host
Welcome! Thank you for downloading the results of
the first annual Golden Paw Awards, sponsored by
SmartBear, where we reveal the year’s best and
worst in software quality.
Software professionals from around the world voted
for the favorites and failures of 2012. If you were one
of the hundreds of participants, thank you for voting!
If, like me, you believe that quality of software is
indicative of quality of life, then I think you’ll enjoy
these awards. May we applaud those who exceeded
expectations and learn from those who did not.
Warmest regards,
Eugene T. Bear

3. Award Categories
“Luke, I am your
“Hulk Smash” Award
“Best Thing Since
Father” Award
Breakthrough of the Year
Sliced Bread” Award
Most Impactful
Most Overrated Product
News Event
“Spork” Award
Most Underrated “Titanic” Award
Product
Most Epic Tech Fail
“Great Pyramid – How in
the Blazes Did They Do
“Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-
it?!” Award
Right-Left-Right-B-A” Award
Biggest Tech Success
Game-Changer of the Year

4. “Luke, I Am Your Father” Award
Most
Impac+ul
News
Event
Every
once
in
a
while,
there's
a
defining
moment
that
alters
the
world
we
live
in
forever.
Out
with
the
old,
in
with
the
new
-­‐
we
can
look
back
on
2012
as
the
turning
point
in
some
respects.

5. 4th
PLACE
YouTube’s Coverage of the Space Jump
Daredevil Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier with a jump 24
miles above the earth and YouTube flexed their load capacity muscles
with a record-breaking 8 million live viewers of the event.
3 rd
PLACE
Facebook Buys Instagram
Just before filing for an IPO, Facebook purchased the photo filter
sharing company for $1 billion.
2 nd
PLACE
Facebook Files IPO
Facebook’s first day of trading closed at $38.23 and, despite technical
glitches and controversy, raised about $16 billion, making it the third
largest IPO in U.S. history.
And the Golden Paw goes to….

6. APPLE vs SAMSUNG
The “Luke, I am Your Father” Award for
Most Impactful Event
When Samsung won the initial patent lawsuit
against Apple, every Android lover in the world
breathed, “Finally!” For some, the Samsung
victory marked a huge step toward the decline
of the Apple Empire.
Last summer, Apple sued Samsung for $2.5
billion, accusing Samsung of copying the
design of the iPhone and iPad. Samsung
denied any wrongdoing and counter-sued Apple
for $519 million, also for patent infringement.
The Empire Strikes Back…and gets counter-sued for $508 million

7. “Great Pyramid – How in the
Blazes Did They Do It?” Award
Biggest
Tech
Success
Some
products
blew
us
away
in
2012
-­‐
this
is
for
them.

8. 4th
PLACE
YouTube’s Coverage of the Space Jump
Daredevil Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier with a jump 24 miles
above the earth and YouTube flexed their load capacity muscles with a
record-breaking 8 million live viewers of the event.
3rd
PLACE
Kickstarter
Kickstarter fundraisers broke the record three times over in 2012 for
most money raised, with Pebble E-Paper Watch eventually becoming
the most funded project in Kickstarter history with $10,266,845.
2 nd
PLACE
Cell Phone Networks Hurricane Resilience
As the largest Atlantic hurricane on record tore through the Northeast, cell
service was relatively available during and after Hurricane Sandy – so much
so that people we able to text for help in non-emergencies rather than use
911.
And the Golden Paw goes to…

9. GOOGLE
DRIVERLESS CARS
The “Great Pyramid – How in the Blazes
did They Do It?” Award for Biggest Tech
Success Story
The first license for a self-driven car was issued
in May 2012 for a Toyota Prius and was later
accompanied by about nine more vehicles.
The vehicles operated with amazing precision,
completing over 300,000 miles without an
accident. As of September, Nevada, Florida,
and California had passed laws permitting
driverless cars on public roadways.
Extraterrestrial help? We think so.

10. “Titanic” Award
Most
Epic
Tech
Flop
You
can't
always
see
the
iceberg
ahead.
This
award
goes
to
the
products
that
set
sail
with
high
expectaJons
but
crashed
and
burned
in
the
real
world.

11. 4th
PLACE
Nokia Lumia 900
Despite being awarded the “Best Smartphone” by CES in January 2012,
the Lumia 900 was criticized for the usability of the Windows operating
system and poor screen resolution.
3 rd
PLACE
Windows 8
After three years, the new Windows operating system was the hot topic
of 2012, but many people were disappointed with the unintuitive user
interface and “walled garden” app distribution model.
2 nd
PLACE
Facebook
Between the eventual decline of Facebook’s stock, the technical
glitches on opening day, and the continuing outrage over user privacy,
Facebook just doesn’t seem cool anymore.
And the Golden Paw goes to…

12. APPLE iOS MAPS
The “Titanic” Award for Most Epic Tech
Flop
This was such a landslide of a win (or loss)
it almost needs no explanation. After
severing a relationship with Google, Apple
released their own version of a Maps
application on the iOS 6 update.
The geographic inaccuracies and lack of
features were so conspicuous that Apple’s
CEO Tim Cook wrote an apology for the
release, fired the executive in charge of the
software, and made Google Maps
available on the iPhone app store two
months later.
“ICEBERG AHEAD! Oh, wait… that’s Sacramento.”

13. “Spork” Award
Most
Underrated
Product
This
honor
goes
to
the
product,
team
or
company
that
slipped
under
our
radar
this
year.
In
the
shadow
of
the
giant
releases
and
big
names
that
swamped
the
blogosphere,
the
winner
of
the
Spork
award
deserves
a
nod.

14. 4th
PLACE
Cubify Cube 3D Printer
There’s no doubt that this is a high-tech product that may have gone
unnoticed in 2012, allowing users to create 3-D objects from recyclable
PLA and ABS plastics.
3 rd
PLACE
Windows 8
Clearly this release received mixed reviews, with advocates applauding
the improved performance and dual functionality with tablets and PCs.
2 nd
PLACE
Microsoft Surface
Competing directly with the iPad, the Microsoft Surface received rave
reviews for design and usability that is often unbecoming of Microsoft
products.
And the Golden Paw goes to…

15. GOOGLE CHROMEBOOK
The “Spork” Award for Most
Underrated Product
Mark this down as the first time since 2005
that Google has avoided the spotlight in
any capacity.
The Chromebook runs only Web-based
applications and became known for its
comparatively low cost. The biggest praise
for Google’s hardware, however, was in its
surprisingly fast startup time.
Sporks. Think about it. Why aren’t these things more popular?!

16. “Best Thing Since
Sliced Bread” Award
Most
Overrated
Product
This
is
the
eye-­‐rolling,
exasperated
sigh
inducing,
"please
stop
talking
about
it,
let's
move
on"
award
for
the
undeserving
buzz
generator.
Yes,
we're
talking
about
it
again.
But
we
swear,
this
is
the
last
Jme.

17. 4th
PLACE
Google Chromebook
ChromeBook
haters
are
disappointed
that
it
won
the
“Spork”
award
aQer
ciJng
its
lack
of
storage
space
and
RAM
capacity.
3 rd
PLACE
Microsoft Surface
PosiJoned
in
direct
compeJJon
with
the
iPad
3,
many
were
unimpressed
with
the
Surface’s
keyboard
usability
and
frustrated
with
the
UI
given
how
much
MicrosoQ
invested
into
the
product.
2 nd
PLACE
Windows 8
AQer
three
years,
the
new
Windows
operaJng
system
was
the
hot
topic
of
2012,
but
many
people
were
disappointed
with
the
unintuiJve
user
interface
and
“walled
garden”
app
distribuJon
model.
And the Golden Paw goes to…

18. iPHONE 5
The “Best Thing Since Sliced Bread”
Award for Most Overrated Product
Every time Apple makes a move, the world
holds its breath. To be fair, it’s difficult to
not be overrated when everything you do is
hyped to the extreme.
With people waiting in line for days and
analysts debating the features of the
iPhone 48 already, this release was almost
guaranteed to be underwhelming. No
pancake flipper? No mute button for my
kids? What a rip off!
“We put the headphones on the bottom – what more do you want from us?”

19. “Hulk Smash” Award
Breakthrough
Technology
of
the
Year
The
new
kid
on
the
block.
This
award
is
for
the
one
that
broke
out
in
2012
and
impressed
us
with
their
new
moves.

20. 4th
PLACE
Big Data
2012 saw a significant increase in the limits on the size of data sets that are
feasible to process in a reasonable amount of time, which is especially
surprising given that about 2.5 quintillion (2.5×1018) bytes of data are
created every day.
3 rd
PLACE
HTML5
This attempt at a single markup language for the various specifications
of the Word Wide Web, especially in the mobile space, is changing the
way testers and developers write and run applications.
2 nd
PLACE
3D Printing
This is like bringing CIA technologies into your living room, making it
possible to create actual objects from a digital model.
And the Golden Paw goes to…

21. CLOUD SERVICES
The “Hulk Smash” Award for
Breakthrough of the Year
Excuse the overused metaphor, but software
and hardware is so much lighter now that cloud
computing has become so widely used. We are
more agile, more reactive and more efficient in
software deployment.
According to a Gartner study, Software-as-a-
Service (SaaS) revenue totaled $12.3 billion in
2011 and was expected to rise to $14.5 billion
last year. This new model, promoting shared
space and fair usage, is really changing the
way we work in the software world.
Ironically, just about the only thing Hulk can’t smash is a cloud.

22. “Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-
Right-Left-Right-B-A” Award
Biggest
Game-­‐Changer
Every
once
in
a
while,
there's
an
idea,
a
company,
or
a
product
that
sets
a
new
standard
in
the
industry.
The
winner
of
the
game
changer
award
is
deserving
because
they
forever
altered
the
technology
world
in
2012.

23. 4th
PLACE
Amazon
In 2012, Amazon launched a “green” products line, Amazon Game Studios,
online storage services, and grew its customer base to around 30 million
people.
3 rd
PLACE
Dropbox
This cloud-based file hosting service reached over 100 million users,
integrated with Facebook Groups, and launched automatic upload in
2012.
2 nd
PLACE
Microsoft
With the release of Windows 8 OS, the Surface tablet, and a series of
smartphones, 2012 was no doubt a breakout year for Bill Gates and
company.
And the Golden Paw goes to…

24. GOOGLE
The “Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-
Right-B-A” Award for Biggest Game-Changer
Between the legalization of driverless cars, the vastly
underrated Chromebook computer, and a smirking
“we-told-you-so” to Apple Maps, 2012 was a defining
year for Google. In May, Chrome surpassed Internet
Explorer as the most used Web browser with just over
33% market share. Google+, although some would
argue is a bit of a ghost town, reached over 500 million
registered users in December.
It ain't easy being one of the most powerful companies
in the world. It comes with ridiculously high
expectations and oftentimes more chance to fail than
to succeed, but somehow Google managed to deliver
on expectations with confidence and flying colors.
What’s the cheat for billion-dollar success?

25. CongratulaJons
to
our
winners,
and
for
our
losers
-­‐
beXer
luck
next
year!
Here’s
to
another
year
honoring
soQware
quality.

26. Click
Here
to
Watch
the
Awards
Video