One: Sony Stinks it Up

Phew.

Well, they really cut the cheese this year. Yep, the Japanese company both dealt and smelt the dirty deed, and we're thinking right now they're brainstorming on how to get back on top in 2007. One thing's for sure, Sony can completely write off what turned out to be a miserable 2006, where it disappointed tech fans on a few major fronts.

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Back in September, ever-wise Gizmo editor Wayde posted a rather interesting blog called "5 Reasons Sony is Screwing Up". I won't go into what he said word for word, but he made some very good points on where Sony was about to go wrong. Wayde made the predictions long before the Christmas HD movie or gaming wars ever got going , and now they're making him look like quite the Soothsayer.

Blu-ray

Before there was Blu-ray, there was HD DVD. It was Sony's decision to create a new format to compete with what could have been a single-format utopia. However, call it democracy or stupidity, Sony and Samsung teamed up to release Blu-ray, which can be found in stand-alone format and as an internal player for the PlayStation 3.

What's so wrong with this situation? Well, have you got $1,200? ‘Cause you'll need it if you want to buy one of Samsung's early Blu-ray players, which simply cannot be had for less than a thousand big ones. A better deal is the PS3, but even that console - while a bargain, considering its functionality - is still quite expensive at $600.

It's tough foreseeing Blu-ray taking down HD DVD when it costs twice as much and offers only the most marginal increase in picture quality. It's a good reason to consider 2006 a screw-up year for Sony.

PlayStation 3

Speaking of the PS3, does anyone actually own one? Well, Gizmo Café.com does, but count that a lucky case considering the fact that we're an electronics website. In reality, most people couldn't find a PlayStation 3 anywhere. Heck, I think even the kids of most Sony execs were left without this past Christmas.

Shortages weren't the only problem with the PS3 or its launch, but they made up the bulk of problems. As a result of slim numbers and delays, a few notable games made their way from PS3 exclusives to shared projects also being released for the Xbox 360.

Finally, although it's hard to summarize why the PS3 contributed to Sony's 2006 woes, the cost was simply too high. Although the system itself has much promise and is actually a pretty good deal, $600 was still too much for even the hardcore gamer. There's plenty of hope that Sony can rectify its gaming mistakes in 2007, but in 2006 it sure stunk up the console market.

The Rootkit

Finally, the icing on the cake - or, perhaps, the dog doo on the shoe - was Sony's DRM Rootkit. When one purchased a Sony BMG music CD, they certainly had the option of playing it on their computer. It's only natural. However, new to the equation in 2005 was the installation of an interesting little Trojan horse, courtesy of Sony itself. Although the problem is a year old, most of the fallout spilled into 2006, making it worth noting.

The Sony Rootkit mess crept from 2005 into 2006

What did the Rootkit Trojan do? Well, nothing the typical Trojan horse would do. However, Sony designed the RootKit so poorly that it actually left unfortunate owners susceptible to security threats. Subsequent attempts to fix the issue actually made things worse, failing to remove the full Rootkit.

In the fallout, critics blasted Sony for violating the security of paying music listeners - not exactly the loyal market the company should be attacking. In the months afterwards, Microsoft similarly slipped up with its Windows Genuine Advantage, which for a time masked Sony's original mess.

Unfortunately for Sony, the Rootkit wasn't the only problem the company had in 2006. Both the Blu-ray disc format and bungled PlayStation 3 launch contributed to (at least) a triumvirate of massive errors during calendar 2006.