But don’t expect it all to end there. 2011 is already holding some intriguing and exciting possibilities.Let’s take a look at some the technologies and gadgets in store for 2011.
No ad to show here.
Desktop computing:
- Google’s Open Source Chrome OS.
- Apple’s OS X and the much anticipated Mac App Store.
- Oracle’s Solaris 11 Unix operating system.
- Intel’s next generation Core processors codenamed “Sandy Bridge” for desktop and laptop computing.
Mobile Phones:
- Near Field Communications technology to make credit and debit cards obsolete
- Embedded SIM cards that can be activated by software and work on any carrier
- The iPhone 5 and the hopefully (mercifully), the white iPhone 4
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread handsets such as the Samsung Nexus S
- New phones from HP running WebOS
- The Playstation Phone
- Multi-core phones such as the dual-core LG Star thanks to dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon, Intel “Moorestown” and NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPUs
- 3D smartphones such as Sharp’s autostereoscopic 3D Galapagos
- MeeGo OS based phones from Nokia
- High quality cameraphones such as the Android based 14 megapixel Altek Leo, and Sony Ericsson using the world’s first 16.41 megapixel cellphone sensors
Tablet computing:
- Multi-core tablets such as Research In Motion’s hotly anticipated 7-inch PlayBook.
- New WebOS based tablets from HP
- New tablets running Google’s new tablet specific operating system, “HoneyComb”
- The iPad 2, rumoured to run on both GSM and CDMA networks with a front-facing camera
- MeeGo OS based tablets from Nokia
- Powerful, low powered tablets thanks to Intel’s “Oak Trail” and NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processors
Device Interfaces:
Gaming:
- The PlayStation Portable 2
- Nintendo’s 3DS for 3D gaming without the need for 3D glasses
- Nintendo’s Wii HD
E-Books:
- Colour E-Ink
- Copia’s Social Reading platform, that plans to be a social network for books
- The New York Times’s plan to launch a bestseller list for e-books
Displays:
- More widespread use of flexible and transparent display technology such as AMOLED and OLED displays from Samsung and Sony
- Low-power color display that looks great in bright sunlight such as those from Pixel Qi and Qualcomm
- USB-powered desktop PC monitors such as those planned from Samsung
- Silicon film from Artificial Muscle that expands and contracts with an applied voltage could provide a real sense of touch to touchscreens
Wireless Networks:
TV:
- 3D-TV without glasses in 2011 such as those from Toshiba
- Worldwide release of Google TV, Apple TV, and the use of set-top boxes as app platforms
- A growth in 3D-broadcasts of movies, television series and sport events
- 30-inch and larger OLED TVs
Web:
- Firefox 4
- More widespread use of HTML 5
- If you listen to Apple, Flash will battle for relevance, but it might find a safe harbour in tablet UIs like the one of RIM’s PlayBook
Photography:
- The Panasonic GF2
- Sony’s NXCAM HD Super 35mm camcorder
Cars:
- Electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and BMW’s Megacity EV
- Electric motorcycles such as the Brammo’s Empulse, and electric bicycles such as the M55 Beast Electric Bike
- In-car computer operating systems such as Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Automotive that makes it easier for car manufacturers to create their own in-car computer interfaces
- OnStar that expands smartphone control for monitoring stats like tire pressure and oil level from your smartphone
- Plans for the Volvo S60 to feature pedestrian tracking and provide automated evasive maneuvers
Peripherals
- The extremely cool looking Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse
Miscellaneous:
- Berkeley Bionics eLEGS exoskeleton that aims to help paraplegics
- More advances in wireless electricity for gadgets thanks to the Wireless Power Consortium
- Commercial space flights thanks to Virgin Galactic
- Battery-less remote that gets its power from button presses
