Predictions For 2010

The time has come once again for looking into the future to see what we can see. It's been a strange and wonderful year for mobile tech, and we've had a ton of fun, but we also worked very hard to get here in one piece. There were some events that occurred this year that may change our way of life in 2010, but we will fight the good fight and keep pressing on. We are fortunate to have our health and the opportunity to help friends and family in need. There have been many in our community to lose more than they should have this year, and our hearts go out the them. For all those out there still struggling, keep your head up high. For a new year brings renewed hope.

Here are our nine predictions for 2010.

* Visual And Voice Search Will Be Huge

Taking a picture with or speaking into your mobile device to search will be the norm in 2010. Google Goggles and Google Voice Search will make sure of this. This area will grow fast enough to produce some pretty realistic artificial intelligence for the automotive, robotics, computing and several other industries.

* Mobile Gaming On The Rise...Again

Nokia's N-Gage platform gets phased out in 2010, but Ovi takes over where N-Gage leaves off. There will be more games to come to the various app stores out currently. Ovi has much room to grow in this area, as does the Android app store. Both need to grow fast in 2010 in order to be worthy competition to Apple's app store.

* Don't Count Nokia Out Just Yet

Nokia made some pretty risky moves in 2009 even with all the problems they've been having. 2010 will see a slimmer, more agile Nokia, and they will be much better for it. The "fewer, but better" route Nokia will take next year is going to show how serious they are about staying number one. Maemo will make magic, but Symbian still has some tricks to perform.

* Android Goes Beyond Mere Pastries

Android has grown by leaps and bounds in 2009, with several devices being powered by it, and the various updates to the OS and software. 2010 is the year when Android shows it has what it takes as a forward-looking mobile OS. New hardware will push the the still young OS in brand new ways that will leave some other mobile platforms crying home to their mommies.

* The Language Barrier Will Fall

Translation will become less of an option and more of a standard set of tools in mobile devices. I believe the economic recovery combined with the uncertainty of the near future will see many people traveling the world, and mobile near-instant language translation will find great demand because of it. People want to understand each other, no matter where they are or what language they speak.

* Mobile Augmented Reality Grows Fast

Wikitude, Layar, and others will gain ground in 2010. Mobile AR veterans like Nokia will return with great interest in the space, with Google bringing some new tricks to the table. There is big money-making potential in mobile AR, and it will begin to be tapped in 2010.

* All You'll Need Is Your Mobile

2010 brings more abilities to your mobile devices through the growing number of mobile apps and mobile versions of web apps. As your mobile phone becomes more cable of doing the things you used to only do with your desktop or notebook computer, it will be easier than ever to leave the PC and notebooks for longer durations.

* The Beginning Of Something Big

Sometimes we can't help but to look further into the future than we really should. Here, we will briefly speculate what may come between now and that all too familiar year...2012. It could be good. It could be bad. We hope it at least makes you laugh a little.

- In 2010...Google begins to invest in quantum computing -> Google's servers become sentient within two years...two and a half max.

- In 2010...Someone in California will receive a signal from the future on an iPhone -> The perfection of communicating through time disrupts the time-space continuum.

- In 2010...We make contact with extra terrestrial life -> Their technology changes our world forever...the H1N1 virus kills their entire race.

- In 2010...Someone creates a computer virus that uses Google -> It creates a Facebook and Twitter account and becomes most popular consciousness on the web over the next 2 years.

- In 2010...Something bad happens in New York -> Sesame Street won't be the only street hard to find in 2012...

* NET9 Refocus On Mobile Living

In 2009, NET9 focused more on using mobile devices to get where you wanted to go, and once there find something to do. That's still important, but we're starting to discover that mobile is a lot more tied to our lifestyle than we think. 2010 is when we will integrate our mobile devices more seamlessly into our daily lives. We will continue to share our ideas and discoveries from this more intimate experience going forward.

Like always, we look to our beginnings to see how far we've come in order to move on into the future. 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009

Thank you all for reading. We'll see you in the new year.