In 2011, the increasingly mobile world of technology became more intertwined than ever with politics and the law. Patent wars shaped competition in tablets and smartphones, hacktivists attacked a widening array of political and corporate targets, repressive regimes unplugged citizens from the Internet. These are the IDG News Service’s picks for the top 10 technology stories of the year: The PlayStation Network hack, Anonymous and the rise of hacktivism. The U.S. government moved to block the giant merger of AT&T and T-Mobile USA.”]