2009 tech trends

There will be many changes in the technology world as 2009 gets underway and the recession unfolds. People will be playing more video games and going to the movies less. Your life as a couch potato will expand. Mark Anderson, chief executive of Strategic News Service, a newsletter circulated to C-level tech executives, has some predictions that may affect your work world and your home life. In his crystal ball he sees:

• More screen time at home. That means bigger TV screens to connect to video games and other entertainment units. Tight budgets mean free or low-cost mobile-phone applications.
• New tools called Internet assistants will help wireless devices send demanding computing tasks via the wireless Web to other computers or to servers--off in what's known as "the cloud."

"Someone is going to design a personal assistant--by that I mean a suite of services, customized just for you, that exists on a server farm," Anderson says.

The assistant technology will combine with tools that track consumer preferences to know what you need, such as when you travel, and will be triggered by short messages from the user saying something like, "business trip, Los Angeles" or "family vacation, Miami."

"You might have it rent you a mid-size car when you travel alone on business, but when you're traveling with the family it might rent a minivan," Anderson says. "You would say, give me a business visit, give me a fun visit, give me a family visit, and it would know what that means." And it all could be done from your mobile phone.

What does it mean for your workplace? Plenty. Your tools will get smaller and more mobile. The return on investment will be well-defined. The antiquated systems will be jettisoned, and the most important issue is that you keep moving on with upgrades.

For more on tech trends:
- see this CIO-today.com article

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