Our Biggest Tech Stories of 2009

Looking back in the last 12 months, we’ve seen quite a number of exciting developments and news that we broke here on YugaTech. Let’s do a quick run down here before the year ends.

The year didn’t start out well and we’ve seen a series of job cuts in the IT sector.

Accenture Manila cuts hundreds of jobs as a result of the US recession. At least 500 people lost their jobs in one day and many hundreds more followed in the succeeding months. Epixtar Philippines closes down leaving 650 people jobless. KGB Philippines laid off 600+ agents. Dozens of other companies closed down or downsized their operations. It’s one of the biggest tsunamis to hit the IT industry in the Philippines.

Intel officially disclosed it will close its manufacturing plants in the Philippines (located at Genereal Trias, Cavite) along with several other plants in Malaysia, Oregon and California.

Top Philippine news site, Inquirer.net, downsizing and folding back to mother company PDI. A number of its key employees are now with Yahoo! Philippines and several marketing people now working at Sulit.com.ph.

Globe launches commercial WiMax in the Philippines. Cignal offers digital TV to the market. These two are on my wish list for 2009 and they finally came true!

The biggest gadget magazine, T3 Magazine Philippines, officially shuts down. Summit Media re-invents the publication to a promising online venture now called Techie.com.ph.

Sulit.com.ph gets sold to a global investor. We’re not sure what percentage of the new company, Netrepreneur Connections Enterprises Inc., is still owned by the founders but what we know is that they’ve incorporated early this year and finally moved to a nice office in Makati.

Yehey almost got sold. A company executive even flew to Hong Kong to talk to Havas Media for a round of investment or a buy-out but that didn’t push thru. The Philippine portal has since re-launched and went back to becoming what it used to be a decade ago — a search engine (possibly using Yahoo! BOSS).

Chikka sold to Smart. The two have been in talks for like an eternity and Chikka execs finally broke the news on Twitter. No official purchase price but speculations put it north of 1B.

Windows 7 is launched in the Philippines. This is my most anticipated product of the year.

Friendster gets bought by MOL AccessPortal Berhad, weeks after re-launching the site with a new design. Estimates go up to $110PHP 6,455INR 9,322EUR 105CNY 801 Million and the Malaysian buyer is looking to monetize the social network thru virtual goods (similar to what Zynga does in Facebook).