I'm not sure I'd describe HN and TechCrunch as the big tech sites. They're both pretty specialized around startup people (devs, VCs, etc...).

If you really want to see trends I think CNet, Ars Technica, Wired, and Engadget are going to give a much clearer picture of what tech savvy people are doing. Not just what tech savvy consumer-focused startup developers are doing.