It was not too long ago that tech companies were tagged as the companies of the future. Well, the future has arrived, and these companies are some of the most admired in the world. Tech companies are companies whose activities are connected either directly or indirectly to the information technology industry. These activities may include those that deal with computer hardware, software, semiconductor, electronics, the Internet, telecommunication, and other computer services.

Here is a list of the top ten tech companies in the world, based on annual revenues reported.

Who else would be on top but Apple? The company is based in Cupertino in California and is known for its groundbreaking designs and cutting edge gadgets. Everyone has encountered at least one of its items, be it the Mac computers, notebooks, iPad tablets, iPhones, or the iPod mp3 music player. Its software includes the OS X and iOS operating systems, iTunes, iLife, iWork and the Safari web browser. It has more than 70,000 staff that are employed on a full-time and permanent basis, aside from 3,300 temporary employees. Its annual revenue has more than doubled from 2010 when it only earned $65 billion. And you can expect this number to keep going up, as Apple’s product launches are events that the whole world waits for.

Samsung is a multinational electronics company based in Suwon in South Korea. It employs almost 221,000 people and has production and assembly plants and sales networks in 61 countries around the world. It is the largest maker of mobile phones in the world, the largest television manufacturer in the world, the largest LCD panel maker in the world, largest seller of memory chips in the world, and largest vendor of smart phones in the world. It is also the second largest semiconductor chip-maker in the world. It is currently involved in a legal tussle with Apple regarding copyright issues.

Hewlett Packard Company, or HP, is an American multinational company based in Palo Alto in California. It was the largest manufacturer of personal computers until 2012 when the Chinese giant Lenovo overtook it. The company is a provider of products, technologies, software, services and solutions to its customers. Its customers range from simple consumers to giant enterprises.  It also has clients in the education, government and health sectors.

Its full name is the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd, but it trades by the name of Foxconn. The electronics manufacturing company is based in Tucheng in New Taipei in Taiwan. It is considered to be the largest maker of electronic components in the world. It is involved in the production of such products as Apple’s iPad, iPod and iPhone, as well as Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s PlayStation 3, Nintendo’s Wii U, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

The International Business Machines Corporation is based in Armonk in New York. It produces and markets computer hardware and software. It also offers consulting, hosting and infrastructure services in fields ranging from nanotechnology and mainframe computers. It has the record for most patents by a company, which it has held for 19 straight years. The company is also credited for inventing the ATM, the floppy disk, the hard disk drive, the magnetic stripe, the Universal Product Code and the SABRE airline reservation system.

The company was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. It is based in Osaka in Japan. Konosuke Matsushita founded the company in 1918, and it originally sold only duplex lamp sockets. It has since grown to become the fifth largest manufacturer of televisions in the world and one of the 20 largest vendors of semiconductors in the world. It changed its name to Panasonic Corporation in 2008 to align it with its global brand name.

Toshiba is a Japanese engineering and electronics company based in Tokyo in Japan. It manufactures and markets electrical products for information and communications equipment and systems, internet-based solutions, power systems, household appliances, electronic components and industrial infrastructure systems. It is one of the largest vendors of semiconductors and personal computers in the world.

It is considered to be one of the most valuable companies in the world. It is also the largest software maker in the world based on revenues. The company was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, and has its headquarters in Redmond in Washington State. It dominated the personal computer operating system market from the mid 80s to the 2000s, even though there were frequent complaints on the system being buggy and vulnerable. It also held a practical stranglehold on the productivity suite market with its Microsoft Office brand of documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It has since diversified, and it now owns Skype Technologies. It also has a strong foothold in the video game market through its Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles.

Sony is a multinational corporation based in Tokyo in Japan. It has interests in various tech sectors, like electronics, games, entertainment and financial services. It is the third largest manufacturer of televisions in the world and is one of the 20 largest vendors of semiconductors in the world. Consumers may also be familiar with Sony because of the Ericsson brand of mobile phones, as well as the video game consoles of PlayStation and PSP. The company also has interests in music, publishing and the movies.

Dell is a computer technology firm based in Round Rock in Texas. It creates, develops, markets, sells, repairs and supports computers and its related products and services. It also sells data storage devices, network switches and other peripherals. It is considered to be one of the largest personal computer vendors in the world.

Even if you're comfortable with the iPad 2's on-screen keyboard and can happily tap out a status update or quick email, you might not want to use it for tasks like writing a lengthy report. One option is to ditch the tablet for a full-fledged laptop -- but it might be just as easy to add a wireless Bluetooth keyboard to the iPad.

The ideal wireless keyboard would offer a full-keyboard typing feel while still being light and compact, making it easy to carry. Unfortunately, that's a little like asking for a 25-in. monitor with brilliant display, light weight and low cost -- chances are, you'll need to compromise somewhere. Which features you're willing to budge on depends on personal preference, but in any case, it makes little sense to get an iPad keyboard that's no better than the on-screen version or that's so bulky that it makes travel with the iPad no better than lugging a laptop.

After that, your preferences will likely vary considerably depending on whether you are an accomplished touch typist or use just a couple of fingers to pound the keys.

I got my hands on five portable wireless keyboards for the iPad 2, judging them on several factors likely to be important to a mobile user.

For mobility, I considered weight, form factor and how easy it was to carry around (all but one of these keyboards fit around the iPad 2 to form a single unit; only Apple's wireless keyboard remains a separate unit).

With keyboard function, I judged how the keys felt and how they responded. And, in ergonomics, I considered how it felt to actually use the system. Did it feel cramped? Could I use it in a comfortable position?

With that in mind, here's a rundown of five portable Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad 2. (Note: A roundup of keyboards for Android-based tablets is coming soon.)

At first glance, the Apple Wireless Keyboard doesn't seem like much of a mobile option. At 11.1 in., it's quite a bit longer than the iPad, increasing the traveling form factor significantly.

However, the keyboard is lighter than it looks. With an affordable keyboard case (I like the $15 model from WaterFeild Design), I can easily pop it into my backpack when on the road. Two pieces can sometimes even be a plus while traveling, allowing you to use the iPad as a conventional tablet while in the plane, with keyboard packed away, and then more like a laptop once you reach your hotel.

Setup is a breeze, and the ergonomics are excellent. There's a reason this feels close to a standard keyboard: Itis one (except that it's missing the number pad and three normally unused function keys). Keys are spaced for conventional touch typing and are responsive to the touch: not too stiff to require pounding, but not so soft as to produce letters while fingers are just resting.

Note that this keyboard is powered by two AA batteries, while the other keyboards reviewed here recharge via a USB connection. This is also the only one among the group that was not designed specifically for use with an iPad.

However, if you're looking for something that lets you use the iPad for more serious content creation while you're home -- or if you're traveling where size isn't an issue (for example, if you're driving) and you're willing to travel with two pieces instead of one -- this is a good choice.

Apple Wireless Keyboard from Apple

Price: $69.00

Dimensions/Weight: 12.8 x 7.3 x 1.4 in./ 0.7 lb.

Mobility: Good

Keyboard function: Excellent

Keyboard ergonomics: Excellent

Best for: Touch typists who are less concerned about packing efficiency than typing comfort.

When Apple Anounnced Aluminium iMac in august 2007, the company also quietly released two new keyboards: the full-size, USB-connected Apple Keyboard and the smaller, Bluetooth-connected Apple Wireless Keyboard. Sporting a dramatically different look and feel from previous Apple keyboards, the new line featured an impressively thin design with MacBook-style keys, making the two keyboards unlike any other Apple had made—and unlike any other on the market, for that matter. Although Apple ships both the current iMac and current Mac Pro with the new Apple Keyboard, you can buy either on its own for use with your older Mac.

As with the current iMac line, both Apple keyboards are made of anodized aluminum. At just over a quarter of an inch thick—perhaps the thinnest models on the market—each has a white plastic base and thin, white keys that look and feel almost exactly like those on Apple’s current MacBook line.

At 16.9 inches wide by 5 inches deep, the standard Apple Keyboard features a full complement of standard keys (including a numeric keypad), full-size directional-arrow keys, and the traditional home/end/page up/page down/delete group—although instead of a help key, this group includes an fn key (a modifier key that gives some keys a dual purpose). Yet the Apple Keyboard takes up less space than most full-size models because it sports very little open space around the edges, as well as a key layout that uses smaller function keys (F-keys) positioned flush against the top of the number row. At the rear is a half-inch-thick bar, spanning the width of the keyboard, that hosts two USB ports and raises the rear of the keyboard slightly.

The Wireless Keyboard, at 11.1 inches wide by 5.1 inches deep, looks like Apple took the standard version and lopped off everything to the right of the return key—it’s missing the numeric keypad and end/home group, although the arrow keys have been moved beneath the right-hand shift key. While many a Mac user has lamented this decision, the design has two significant advantages over a full-size keyboard. First, the Wireless Keyboard is nearly ideal for using on your lap—with a Mac in a home entertainment center, for example, or when you want to move back a bit from your desk—because the main area of the keyboard is centered and there’s no unstable overhang. Second, the compact size, thin profile, and light weight (less than a pound) mean the Wireless Keyboard easily slips into a laptop bag, making it great for setting up a more ergonomic workspace on the go. And because the keys are full-size and spaced normally, you don’t suffer while typing, as you do with many other portable keyboards. Under the rear edge is a cylindrical bar, housing the keyboard’s AA batteries and Bluetooth circuitry, that elevates the rear of the keyboard approximately half an inch.

Many Mac users were surprised that Apple’s new keyboards abandon traditional desktop-keyboard dome-switch keys in favor of the same thin, flat, square keys found on the company’s current MacBook and MacBook Air( ). And as with the MacBook keyboard, some people will hate these new models for their keys alone. But it’s worth giving this key design a chance: I found that I liked it much more after a month of use than I did when I first tried it. Although the keys look smaller than normal, the tops are the same size as those found on traditional keyboards, and the keys are spaced normally. The low profile is comfortable; the travel—the distance you have to press a key for it to register—is very short; and the keys are easy to press, leading to less typing fatigue. The keys also provide good tactile feedback—it’s obvious, by feel, when you’ve pressed each key far enough to register.

On the other hand, this key design has some notable drawbacks, especially for touch typists. Whereas most keyboards use keys with a slightly concave surface to keep your fingers from sliding off, the top of each key on Apple’s keyboards is perfectly flat and very smooth. While typing by touch, and especially when typing quickly, I often found my fingertips sliding a bit—occasionally enough that I would hit neighboring keys.

Similarly, because most keys are exactly the same size and shape, even experienced touch typists may find themselves having to look at the keyboard to find various keys. I found that this was especially so with the function keys, which are mashed together in a single line (rather than in the traditional four-key groups) and placed flush against the keys in the main part of the keyboard. For example, I regularly pressed the eject key (F12) when I meant to press delete.

One other minor drawback to these flat, low-travel keys: it’s even more important to Keep out crumbs and other detritis. Because the keys and the keyboard are so thin, and the amount of key travel so small, even a small cookie morsel is enough to keep a key from registering.

As with Apple’s recent laptops, Apple’s standalone keyboards offer a number of special features via the function keys. On both keyboards, F1 and F2 control screen brightness when used with an Apple display; F3 is assigned to Expose’s All Windows mode; F4 toggles Dashboard; F7, F8, and F9 act as back, play/pause, and forward, respectively, for iTunes ( ), iDVD, iPhoto ( ), and several other programs; and F10, F11, and F12 function as mute, volume down, and volume up, respectively. To the right of F12 is a dedicated eject key. These special functions require no third-party drivers, although you do need to be running Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later with Apple’s latest Keyboard Software Update.

You can use the Keyboard & Mouse pane of System Preferences to choose whether these functions require you to simultaneously press the fn key, located to the right of the Delete key on the standard keyboard and to the left of the left-hand control key on the Wireless Keyboard.

One drawback to these special-function function keys is that you can’t customize their behavior. For example, I had no success using Keyboard & Mouse preferences to configure F3 to invoke Expose’s Desktop mode instead of All Windows mode.

As for the function keys themselves, the Wireless Keyboard stops at 12, due to space restrictions, but the wired model adds F13, F14, and F15 over the fn, home, and page-up keys, respectively, and F16 through F19 over the numeric keypad. These additional keys can be assigned various functions using Keyboard & Mouse preferences or a third-party macro utility such as QuicKeys, iKey, or Keyboard Maestro.

As someone who spends hours each day typing, I find the layout of a keyboard’s keys to be just as important as the overall design and key feel. For the most part, Apple’s keyboards pass the layout test, arranging standard keys in their proper locations and at their proper sizes. On the Wireless Keyboard, the right-hand command and option keys are a bit smaller, and the right-hand control key has been removed, to make room for the directional arrow keys—a common approach for small keyboards.

On the other hand, there are some questionable layout decisions here. I mentioned one already: the single line of function keys pushed flush against the number keys. Another is the location of the escape key, which is just to the left of F1 and just above the backtick/tilde (`) key; when trying to press command-`—the Mac OS X-standard shortcut for cycling through windows—I often accidentally pressed command-escape, which invokes Front Row. And on a full-size keyboard, I still prefer the approach of Apple’s older models, which placed volume, mute, and eject keys above the numeric keypad, making them easier to press without looking at the keyboard.

The standard Apple Keyboard connects to your Mac via USB and provides two USB ports, one on each side near the rear edge. These are low-power USB ports, which means that they’re designed for connecting additional input devices, such as a mouse or tablet, rather than hard drives or other peripherals that require a good amount of USB power. The keyboard’s USB cable is a short 34 inches, but an included USB extension cable lets you extend the distance between the keyboard and your computer.

The Wireless Keyboard connects via Bluetooth, which is standard on every recent Mac; you can add Bluetooth to older Macs via an inexpensive USB dongle. (I tested the keyboard using the built-in Bluetooth functionality of a Mac Pro and a MacBook Air.) Pairing the keyboard—connecting it with a specific computer via Bluetooth—is a quick and easy process, and once it was paired I had no connectivity problems, even after waking the keyboard from its power-saving sleep mode or after turning it on from a powered-down state.

The Wireless Keyboard runs off three AA batteries, which should last several months with daily use and much longer with light use—I’ve been using a Wireless Keyboard intermittently for ten months on the original batteries. (The Keyboard & Mouse pane of System Preferences displays remaining battery life.) The keyboard goes into sleep mode after a period of inactivity to conserve power, waking up quickly if you press any key. You can also turn off the keyboard completely by holding down the power button for several seconds.

When we say that the Apple TV isn't a TV in the normal sense of the word, because it doesn't feature free-to-air channels, or a digital video recorder to catch shows while you're away, it does offer what could be described as channels, and this content keeps on growing leaving us hopeful for a future where the Apple TV will include links to OnDemand services just like our iPhones and iPads do - think the iPlayer and 4OD apps and you're not to far away. 

Apple has made multiple updates to the Apple TV software over recent month, adding a number of new app-style TV channels, delivering new content to Apple TV users.

For some times Apple has offered UK Apple TV users access to Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo and Wall Street Journal Live alongside the iTunes content.                                Unfortunately despite the fact that apps exist for iPhone and iPad, you cannot stream from the 4OD app, or ITV Player, or any other UK channel's iOS apps, as they do not currently work with AirPlay.

Other 'channels' that are available on the Apple TV in the UK include: Qello, which lets worldwide users stream HD concerts and music documentaries on-demand; Crunchyroll, the leading global video service for Japanese Anime and Asian media; Vevo, more music video content; and some randoms, such as Korean TV.

In the US, the Apple TV includes Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Watch ABC, The Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, PBS, A&E, History, Lifetime, WatchESPN and more.

New channels in the US added in July include CNBC – as long as you log in with a Comcast or Time Warner password - and Fox Now, which includes programmes such as New Girl. Fox also requires you to log on with your cable password.

Other recent additions in the US include ABC News, PBS Kids, AOL On, and Willow.

In other news, Popcorn Time, known as the Netflix for pirated movies, will soon work with the Apple TV. Although we don't expect it to be around for long.               

The Apple TV is a stylish little black box that won't look out of place tucked beneath even the smartest HD TV. It's like a Mac mini, really, measuring 23x98x98mm and weighing a calorie-free 27g.

It's shiny black and curvy around the sides, and on the top is a matte black finish given relief by a shiny black Apple symbol and the word TV.                                      

If you are going to buy an Apple TV you need to know your own telly is compatible. It probably is. If you have an HD TVs with HDMI connectivity you can use the Apple TV as long as it is capable of 1080p or 720p output at 60/50Hz. You are unlikely to have any HD TV that doesn't fit this criteria, but your old CRT or a small, cheap flatscreen won't have HDMI in.

You'll need a broadband connection to access iTunes and the other content stores.       

Apple TV's user interface is simple and intuitive, as you'd expect from Apple, and will be familiar to all iPad and iPhone users as it utilises the bright and bold iOS looks.

The main screen delivers big icons for Films, TV Programmes, Computers and Settings, plus a small range of third-party options, including Netflix. The whole experience is very easy to use and stylish to look at.

You navigate the setup menus and input Wi-Fi network and password via the included Apple TV remote or using your iPhone and the Remote app. 

Luckily, the Apple TV Software Update 5.2 introduced a handful of useful new features that included the ability to pair the AppleTV with Apple’s own Wireless Keyboard – making use of Bluetooth hardware that has previously lain dormant within the AppleTV’s glossy little black box (Apple says that other Bluetooth keyboards “may also be compatible” as long as they match the layout of a standard Mac keyboard).

This simplifies the task of entering network passwords or using the search function when browsing the iTunes Store or the YouTube app. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but it does suggest that Apple is still trying to refine the AppleTV’s interface and make it easier to use in your front room.

As part of the study, the principles used by the sidewinders to gracefully climb sand dunes were tested using a modular snake robot developed at Carnegie Mellon. Before the study, the snake robot could use one component of sidewinding motion to move across level ground, but was unable to climb the inclined sand trackway the real snakes could readily ascend. In a real-world application -- an archaeological mission in Red Sea caves -- sandy inclines were especially challenging to the robot.

However, when the robot was programmed with the unique wave motion discovered in the sidewinders, it was able to climb slopes that had previously been unattainable. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, and the Army Research Laboratory.

"Our initial idea was to use the robot as a physical model to learn what the snakes experienced," said Daniel Goldman, an associate professor in Georgia Tech's School of Physics. "By studying the animal and the physical model simultaneously, we learned important general principles that allowed us to not only understand the animal, but also to improve the robot."

The detailed study showed that both horizontal and vertical motion had to be understood and then replicated on the snake-like robot for it to be useful on sloping sand.

"Think of the motion as an elliptical cylinder enveloped by a revolving tread, similar to that of a tank," said Howie Choset, a Carnegie Mellon professor of robotics. "As the tread circulates around the cylinder, it is constantly placing itself down in front of the direction of motion and picking itself up in the back. The snake lifts some body segments while others remain on the ground, and as the slope increases, the cross section of the cylinder flattens."

At Zoo Atlanta, the researchers observed several sidewinders as they moved in a large enclosure containing sand from the Arizona desert where the snakes live. The enclosure could be raised to create different angles in the sand, and air could be blown into the chamber from below, smoothing the sand after each snake was studied. Motion of the snakes was recorded using high-speed video cameras which helped the researchers understand how the animals were moving their bodies.

"We realized that the sidewinder snakes use a template for climbing on sand, two orthogonal waves that they can control independently," said Hamid Marvi, a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon who conducted the experiments while he was a graduate student in the laboratory of David Hu, an associate professor in Georgia Tech's School of Mechanical Engineering. "We used the snake robot to systematically study the failure modes in sidewinding. We learned there are three different failure regimes, which we can avoid by carefully adjusting the aspect ratio of the two waves, thus controlling the area of the body in contact with the sand."

Limbless animals like snakes can readily move through a broad range of surfaces, making them attractive to robot designers.

"The snake is one of the most versatile of all land animals, and we want to capture what they can do," said Ross Hatton, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State University who has studied the mathematical complexities of snake motion, and how they might be applied to robots. "The desert sidewinder is really extraordinary, with perhaps the fastest and most efficient natural motion we've ever observed for a snake."

Many people dislike snakes, but in this study, the venomous animals were easy study subjects who provided knowledge that may one day benefit humans, noted Joe Mendelson, director of research at Zoo Atlanta.

"If a robot gets stuck in the sand, that's a problem, especially if that sand happens to be on another planet," he said. "Sidewinders never get stuck in the sand, so they are helping us create robots that can avoid getting stuck in the sand. These venomous snakes are offering something to humanity."

The modular snake robot used in this study was specifically designed to pass horizontal and vertical waves through its body to move in three-dimensional spaces. The robot is two inches in diameter and 37 inches long; its body consists of 16 joints, each joint arranged perpendicular to the previous one. That allows it to assume a number of configurations and to move using a variety of gaits -- some similar to those of a biological snake.

"This type of robot often is described as biologically inspired, but too often the inspiration doesn't extend beyond a casual observation of the biological system," Choset said. "In this study, we got biology and robotics, mediated by physics, to work together in a way not previously seen."

Choset's robots appear well suited for urban search-and-rescue operations in which robots need to make their way through the rubble of collapsed structures, as well as archaeological explorations. Able to readily move through pipes, the robots also have been tested to evaluate their potential for inspecting nuclear power plants from the inside out.

For Goldman's team, the work builds on earlier research studying how turtle hatchlings, crabs, sandfish lizards, and other animals move about on complex surfaces such as sand, leaves, and loose material. The team tests what it learns from the animals on robots, often gaining additional insights into how the animals move.

"We are interested in how animals move on different types of granular and complex surfaces," Goldman said. "The idea of moving on flowing materials like sand can be useful in a broad sense. This is one of the nicest examples of collaboration between biology and robotics."

In addition to those already mentioned, co-authors included Chaohui Gong and Matthew Travers from Carnegie Mellon University; and Nick Gravish and Henry Astley from Georgia Tech.