Top tech stories in the suburbs in 2011

While analysts pontificate about the highlights of the technology industry this year, plenty of advances and innovation could be found around our own suburbs. You don’t always have to look to Silicon Valley in California or elsewhere for talent.

Here’s a look back at the notable 11 in 2011:

ŸWhile AT&T, which has its Midwest headquarters in Hoffman Estates, pulled out of its acquisition of T-Mobile, it brought something else to the suburbs — an Innovawtion Center. The center recently opened in Arlington Heights to offer new products and services not found at AT&T’s other stores nationwide. But if people here like the Innovation Center, you’ll soon find replicas nationwide. The new center shows consumers here lead the nation when it comes to selecting innovative devices, apps and services.

ŸWhen the legendary Motorola Inc. split into two publicly traded companies in January, little did we know that one of those companies, Motorola Mobility, would later be sold to Google. Throughout it all, Gary Weiss of Buffalo Grove and his team of engineers in Libertyville remained steadfast and worked on new mobile phones to compete globally, including an Android version of the once-popular Razr. The ultrathin Droid Razr launched with much fanfare and creative commercials.

ŸSpeaking of Motorola, the company sold its Networks business to Nokia Siemens Networks, which opened in September with about 1,300 workers at the former Motorola Arlington Heights campus. Nokia Siemens had already announced that it would cut its waning WiMax technology, some of which is done in Arlington Heights.

ŸCloud computing has come to the forefront of the tech industry this year and several suburban companies lined up to provide those Internet-based storage and maintenance services. Vernon Hills-based CDW, which sells technology equipment and services, also offers cloud computing data centers. The company’s survey of 1,200 IT professionals showed 84 percent said their organization employs at least one cloud-based application, such as email or conferencing.

ŸNavistar moved to Lisle and didn’t skip a beat on expanding its lineup of new all-electric vehicles. The company currently sells eStar, a van-styled truck for commercial use. More models are being planned, reflecting the industry’s move toward offering electric vehicles instead of relying on gasoline power.

ŸNorthbrook Court, Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, and Water Tower Place in Chicago were among the first malls in the Midwest to get scanning kiosks to help consumers more quickly find better-fitting clothes. The Me-Ality scanner from Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Unique Solutions Designs Ltd. is expected to be installed at malls nationwide by late 2012. No excuses now on getting a properly fitted pair of jeans.

ŸTom Pantano of Bloomingdale started a website business called PetFoodZoom.com, his version of Peapod for pets. It offers grain-free food and other products for dogs and cats, making use of online technology to make your shopping quicker and simpler.

ŸMore firms have started up for recycling electronics, including eBlaze Services by Thomas R. Wells and Ken Haller, both of St. Charles. Their other business is CellTradeIn.com where consumers get cash for current or older mobile phones. Illinois will ban dumping your old electronics into the garbage starting Sunday, so consumers will need to make more use of recycling services.

ŸThe long struggling Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings, parent of Sears and Kmart, might be cutting staff and stores, but it invested more in technology and online services. Its Craftsman brand offers a new garage door opener called AssureLink that connects to your iPhone, iPad, Android devices, laptop or PC.

ŸWOW, also known as Wide Open West, expanded around the suburbs, offering consumers a choice for high-speed Internet, TV and voice-over-Internet phone services. WOW is in about 10 percent of the suburban market, including Naperville, Arlington Heights, Elgin, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Hoffman Estates and others. Expect more in the new year.

ŸQR Codes, or Quick Response codes, have advanced around the suburbs, including in Geneva, where businesses used the codes to promote specials at many stores during the town’s Swedish Days festival in June. Fest goers used their smartphones to scan the code printed on a poster in a store window. The phones use a free app to scan and read the code and then bring the user to the store’s website or page of specials. In another case, Glenview-based Shopping Baskets Plus partnered with another firm to add adhesive vinyl labels to the printed code for use on grocery baskets. Scanning the label provides smartphone users with a promotional page of the store’s specials.

ŸFollow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter. Write to her at akukec@dailyherald.com.