We can’t start the new year without first taking a quick look back at the 2014 posts that were most popular of the year. If you’re interested in what caught the attention of our readers for the past 12 months, here are the top ten of the year. One thing is clear: You all sure like your photos, your iPhones, your social networks, and your families. We can’t blame you.
10. Tons of fantastic ideas for what to do with your digital photos
Clearly we’re not the only ones with loads of photos that never go beyond our PC photo library or our favorite social networks. This post offered some fun ideas from jewelry to housewares to printing services.
9. Cool tech gifts for guys under $50
Men are hard to shop for. Men with great taste are hard to shop for. Men with great taste when you’re on a budget are especially hard to shop for, as our readers made clear. So glad this post helped so many people this holiday! Keep it bookmarked for Father’s Day and birthdays too.
8. The best organizational apps for parents
This post in our back to school tech guide was far and away a favorite. Because however old your kids are–even if they’re out of the house–we can always use some fantastic calendar apps, to-do list apps, and photo management apps to keep us from going crazy.
7. How to make Chrome the default browser on your iPhone or iPad
While Safari has definitely added some features that make it more of a contender, especially with Yosemite and iOS 8 compatibility, Chrome is clearly still the browser of choice for lots of iPhone users.
6. Google Maps vs Waze: A Navigational Map Smackdown
Waze has been busy changing lives of anyone who drives, and this helpful post put it in perspective by comparing it with Google Maps, the default map program on your phone. Google gets it too, in fact; they purchased Waze earlier this year.
5. The pros and cons of the new Facebook Reveal: Who’s looking at your profile?
It’s almost not fair to include what may be our favorite April Fool’s joke ever in this list. But considering it’s still getting a ton of traffic from (panicked) Facebook users, it deserves its rightful place at number 5.
4. 10 of the best Instagram collage apps
With Instagram surpassing Twitter this year in terms of usage, this roundup of top collage apps for iOS and Android was a valuable resource for those snap-happy parents who can never narrow it down to just one photo. We’re still using quite a few of them ourselves.
3. The Jawbone UP vs the Fitbit Flex
Wearable fitness tech is hotter than ever, and this post helped tens of thousands of you figure out which of these two bands is right for you. Expect to see more like this soon, considering the ever-increasing number of fitness tracking options available now.
2. 30 of the coolest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases
As much as you all love your new iPhones, looking for the perfect case for them might be one of the most fun parts. We love all 30 of these ideas to suit any style–but we have to give extra props to the jetpack rainbow unicorn by illustrator Budi Satria Kwan on Society 6.
1. 99 texting acronyms and phrases parents should know
This post took off like gangbusters, catching the attention of press outlets from CNN and HLN, to local papers around the country, to indignant teens who insist that the list is totally bogus. (Do they still say “bogus?” Joking.) Of course the list is by no means definitive–texting slang varies by community, school, and even peer group, and it changes by the minute–and not meant to be taken completely literally. What it is, however, is a smart heads-up for parents to keep communication channels open with their kids when it comes to texting and tech. Because what looks like gibberish rarely is. And also, LOL doesn’t mean “Lots of Love.”
