Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2012

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 2012!) 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:

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S vs. iPhone original:
iPhone 5 certainly got a lot of attention this year, and our image gallery comparing it to previous iPhone designs served as our most popular post in all of 2012.

iPhone 5: White & SIlver or Black & Slate? (gallery):
Another image gallery, this one comparing the iPhone 5 white & silver model against the black & slate version.

iPhone 5 White & Silver unboxing gallery:

The iPhone 5 in white garnered a lot of attention from our readers this year.

iPod touch picks up 4-inch display, better cameras, new colors, and Siri:
After two years, Apple finally updated the iPod touch, bringing a bunch of new functionality (and the new, larger display) to the platform.

How to make your own LEGO Superhero Halloween costume:

Rather than buying a cheap costume-in-a-bag, why not get creative and build something awesome? That's what we did when we became LEGO Superheroes last year, and we ended up getting non-stop compliments when it was time for tick-or-treating. Here's how we did it.

Purported black matte iPhone 5 appears on video:
We saw this video, and hoped really hard that it was true...when Apple revealed the black & slate iPhone 5, we were very happy.

iPhone 5 review:
We explain why this is the iPhone you've been waiting for.

iPhone 5 backordered less than iPhone 5 backordered less than an hour after pre-orders begin!:

     

Microsoft Surface review:

            

This year Microsoft unleashed the Surface in the  hopes of competing against the Apple iPad and the various Android tablets available.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review:

Amazon finally released a front-lit reader in the Kindle Paperwhite.

So, there you have it, our most popular stories of 2012. Any surprises? Anything you expected to see make an appearance?