Predictions For 2008

This year has been an awesome one, and a lot of the great new technological announcements and developments have been merely sneak peeks of what's to come in 2008. We've seen many great things come about this year. Now it's time once again to look into the future...

- Motion-based functionality in mobile devices will be big in 2008. With the introduction of the Nintendo Wii and the recent discovery of the N95's built-in accelerometer, the possibilities have been expanded tremendously. Imagine scrolling around on a web page just by tilting your mobile screen, or interacting realistically in a racing game by steering as you would in an actual car. There's just so many great ideas and uses for this technology, I'd only be scratching the surface by listing the ones I have in my mind.

- Touchscreens and haptic feedback for S60 is going to rock very hard. Think of having the power of an S60 smartphone like the N95 combined with the interactivity options of an Internet Tablet. Not only that, but the new dimension that the S60 platform is expanding into will bring about many great new ideas that will immerse users in a whole new mobile experience. Watch for the new S60 to transform the mobile world as you know it. And watch for more innovative ways of using these technologies from upcoming developers.

- Google's Android platform will be a huge deal in 2008. I think it marks the turning point in how a mobile lifestyle will be presented to the masses, and with Google planing on biding in the upcoming auction for the much talked about wireless spectrum, There appears to be very big plans for mobile coming real soon. It will cause a shakedown of the telecommunications industry, and open new doors to mobile developers who have been waiting for this for quite some time. The wait is now over. Mobile will be open.

- We will finally see NFC (Near Field Communication) in more and more places next year. There will be more devices like the Nokia 6131 NFC, that will change the way we do business, connect to the world, and interact within it. Imagine starting your car, entering your secure office, buying football tickets, and even sharing music and photos with friends all with your phone, all with a wave or tap of your phone. It sounds like magic, and beyond anything I remember from Star Trek.

- Like it or not, mobile convergence will continue to be a big trend going into next year. Mobile devices like the N95 and the N810 have shown that the future will have many features and options in a single device instead of multiple gadgets. Phone, camera, video recorder/player, audio recorder/player, TV, GPS, game console, stereo system, and access to the Internet all in one mobile device. It's already here, but expect to see more added to this list and more devices added to the selection.

- WiMAX trickles into the US from Sprint and it's XOHM service. It's still hazy as to how this technology will eventually mature, but I still believe it will be a great addition to the wireless options to connect the ever growing mobile market. My guess is that it will be big, but not as big as the hype surrounding it.

- Multiple SIM card slot phones. Don't have much foundation to stand on with this one. There have been multi-SIM capable phones coming out of Asia for some time now, and Samsung is moving into this direction with at least one phone. We'll just have to wait and see how this one develops over the next 12 months.

- N-Gage has fumbled, but I believe Nokia will make a quick recovery. One of the most anticipated mobile gaming platform launches in a long time may have been delayed until next year, but with the extra time to hammer out those last minute bugs (thanks to the "exclusive" pre-release testing on the N81 phones), I think Nokia will have a great "official" launch over the next couple months. It has to. N-Gage fans are depending on it.

- There will be many more exciting NET9 reviews for mobile gadgets and technologies, NET9 will continue to evolve and grow in new and exciting directions, and of course we will utilize the very technology we love to talk about to bring quality content to the web for your enjoyment. Thank you all for another great year. We hope to see you through 2008 as well.

"Don't let the future happen, make it happen."