The BBC has a fantastic article on the year ahead for the tech community and what may be on the horizon.
This list is as follows:
- The web to go
- Ultra mobile PCs
- IPTV
- Wimax
- Mobile VoIP
The web to go
Ahhhhh, ubiquitous computing, well, maybe not that far, but with applications like Google Gears, being able to pull such things as Google Reader feeds down to my laptop before I leave work, allows me to read my feeds if I have to pitstop somewhere that doesn’t have wireless. I see this technology becoming increasingly invested in in 2008 and many more applications from Google and Microsoft (maybe Yahoo!) being available with or without internet.
Ultra mobile PCs
Apple has a patent and rumors abound about a sub notebook that will release this year. I’m not sure how you can get much smaller than a MacBook (which I own), but hey, smaller is better and Apple is all about small hardware. With size comes mass and the lighter, the better. I remember the days of Dell laptops that could be used as weapons if thrown at someone.
The use of Flash memory in place of conventional (and outdated as debated by some) hard disk memory will push these devices even smaller and consuming less power (I smell Green Technology).
IPTV
If the US can ever get their ass rolling in the utility sector (minus Verizon’s FiOS), this will increasingly take off here in the States. The merge of TV and Web will become increasingly prevalent over the next 5 years. The only blocker would be the FCC or big business lobbyist’s shooting down legislation. This where Net Neutrality becomes a huge discussion point.
WiMAX
Again, another technology that is long overdue and will hopefully open doors on more mobile technologies the likes of ones seen in Japan. The ability to use your mobile device to do more and be able to connect o high bandwidth speeds on a portable device such as a laptop or portable TV are very nice things with the expansion of technology deliverables (voice, video, audio, etc.)
Sprint is launching their Xohn network later this year and Washington, DC, Baltimore and Chicago are the test beds.
Mobile VoIP
Skype is not only an awesome chat service, but now is pushing into the VoIP realm with phones that have data plans only and allow for chatting and VoIP. There were some folks coming up with applications on the iPhone (when hacked) that would allow VoIP as well. Again, this is great technology, but I can see the Telcos trying to knock this down as it cuts into their profit margins.
PeriodicallyReading
Latest and greatest technologies in 2008
The BBC has a fantastic article on the year ahead for the tech community and what may be on the horizon.
This list is as follows:
The web to go
Ahhhhh, ubiquitous computing, well, maybe not that far, but with applications like Google Gears, being able to pull such things as Google Reader feeds down to my laptop before I leave work, allows me to read my feeds if I have to pitstop somewhere that doesn’t have wireless. I see this technology becoming increasingly invested in in 2008 and many more applications from Google and Microsoft (maybe Yahoo!) being available with or without internet.
Ultra mobile PCs
Apple has a patent and rumors abound about a sub notebook that will release this year. I’m not sure how you can get much smaller than a MacBook (which I own), but hey, smaller is better and Apple is all about small hardware. With size comes mass and the lighter, the better. I remember the days of Dell laptops that could be used as weapons if thrown at someone.
The use of Flash memory in place of conventional (and outdated as debated by some) hard disk memory will push these devices even smaller and consuming less power (I smell Green Technology).
IPTV
If the US can ever get their ass rolling in the utility sector (minus Verizon’s FiOS), this will increasingly take off here in the States. The merge of TV and Web will become increasingly prevalent over the next 5 years. The only blocker would be the FCC or big business lobbyist’s shooting down legislation. This where Net Neutrality becomes a huge discussion point.
WiMAX
Again, another technology that is long overdue and will hopefully open doors on more mobile technologies the likes of ones seen in Japan. The ability to use your mobile device to do more and be able to connect o high bandwidth speeds on a portable device such as a laptop or portable TV are very nice things with the expansion of technology deliverables (voice, video, audio, etc.)
Sprint is launching their Xohn network later this year and Washington, DC, Baltimore and Chicago are the test beds.
Mobile VoIP
Skype is not only an awesome chat service, but now is pushing into the VoIP realm with phones that have data plans only and allow for chatting and VoIP. There were some folks coming up with applications on the iPhone (when hacked) that would allow VoIP as well. Again, this is great technology, but I can see the Telcos trying to knock this down as it cuts into their profit margins.