Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2011

We've come to the end of another year, and as we wave goodbye to 2011, we figured it was only fitting that we share the most popular stories published on Gear Live this year, as determined by our readers (we've also got the top ten most read stories regardless of publish date, as well as the ten most popular Gear Live videos of 2011!) These are the ten stories that were read the most, and when you consider that fact, it's pretty surprising to see what made the list. Let's kick it off with our most read story of the year:

Giveaway: Apple iPad 2 32 GB!:
The iPad 2 certainly got a lot of attention this year, and our iPad 2 giveaway served as our most popular post out of them all for 2011.

Osama bin Laden's compound added to Google Maps (Updated):
The story surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden was major across the world, regardless of the category of news you follow. People certainly wanted to get a look at his compound through Google Maps!

iPhone 5 to pick up metal back, new antenna?:

The iPhone 5 rumor mill hit a fever pitch this year, prior to the device being released as the iPhone 4S instead. Still, the rumors of a metal back persist!

Download iOS 5 beta 3 9A5259f now!:
iOS 5 beta 3 was the first beta of the latest Apple mobile OS to support over-the-air (OTA) updating, and this major feature addition made this story our fourth most popular of the year.

iPhone 5: We're giving one away!:
Just like the iPad 2 giveaway that made the top of our list, the iPhone 5 giveaway (which ended up being the iPhone 4S) was another popular entry. Oh, and don't look now, but we did a second iPhone 4S giveaway, and that one is on this list too!

Black Friday 2011: Sears:
Each year, we publish a ton of Black Friday deals so that you're aware of what's out there and what you might want to buy. What surprises us most, though, is that the Sears list beat out other posts that included Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and more!

iPhone 4S giveaway!:
So, yeah, people love entering to win hot new Apple mobile devices.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus review:

          

Our review of the first smartphone to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, our review of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was out most popular review of the year.

Here's how to run almost any Android app on the Kindle Fire:

            

Amazon's Kindle Fire is a smashing success, and part of that are the Kindle Fire hacks that are springing up. This post on adding any Android app to the Fire was one of the most read of the year, which is surprising since we just posted it!

iPhone 4S review:

We think it's interesting that posts on the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Nexus were more viewed than our iPhone 4S review, but it definitely shows that all three of these devices and platforms will be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.

So, there you have it, our most popular stories of 2010. Any surprises? Anything you expected to see make an appearance?