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The Apple device eclipsed a host of social networking and sharing websites, including Badoo, Facebook, Daily Motion, YouTube and hi5. Also racing up the search charts were a number of children's sites including Webkinz - a virtual pets playground - and Disney's Club Penguin, which hosts hundreds of online games.

By contrast terms popular in 2006 that fell out of favour this year included the World Cup, Mozart, Rebelde - a Mexican soap opera, file sharing software Kazaa, Sudoku, Shakira and MP3.

On Google News, American Idol was top of the most popular searches, followed by YouTube, perennial favourite Britney

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Spears and the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Paris Hilton also made the top 10, as well as the late Anna Nicole Smith and singer and Neutrogena spokesperson Vanessa Hudgens.

Heroes was the most search for TV programme, ahead of Lost, House and 24. Among movies in 2007, Transformers attracted most queries, then 300 and The Simpsons. Ratatouille didn't figure in the top ten, but it was the second most sought after recipe.

"Yes, 2007 was a big year for US politics, and, of course, there were several peaks coinciding with the indiscretions of a few starlets - but what I found particularly interesting were some of the timeless themes that surfaced: what is love, who is god and how to kiss, to name a few," says Susan Straccia, from Google's Zeitgeist Team responsible for monitoring search trends.

"No matter how much changes over time, these questions seem to be constants. I don't know about you, but I hope we never get to the bottom of them. Searching for an answer is half the fun."

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