What will be hot in 2010? Local tech experts say the big ideas are ...
A more sophisticated way of viewing video, a smart grid to improve electric flow, and of course, even faster Internet service are expected to be among the hottest technologies for 2010.
The competition will be heating up to please mobile consumers eager for new devices, new services and a chance to get the data and entertainment they want more easily. We asked some local technology executives and authorities what they see coming in the new year. Here are their thoughts:
Rob Pullen, CEO of Tellabs Inc. in Naperville:
The mobile Internet. A smart mobile Internet enables your mobile device to know what's personally relevant to you - and deliver it custom-tailored at exactly the right time and place. For example, when your flight touches down, this smart mobile Internet offers you a wide array of restaurants that serve your favorite food, even telling you what tonight's special is.
For service providers, the next-generation mobile platforms that bring the smart mobile Internet mean a simpler network with lower costs. For users, the smart mobile Internet means localization of traffic and faster downloads of content that add up to a better experience. That's the next new hot technology ahead.
Shelley Boersma, vice president of Midwest Operations for U.S. Cellular, Chicago:
We anticipate the continued growth of exciting mobile applications for smartphones, including more advanced applications for social networking and GPS, allowing people to stay in contact more efficiently with friends and family.
Also in 2010, we expect that smartphones will replace laptops for many people.
Jonathan Ruff, senior director of technical marketing, Motorola Inc. in Schaumburg:
The next generation of television, the video experience, will be the hot technology next year. Given the growth of consumer consumption of video on their PCs, TVs and mobile phones in "their time" rather than when it's broadcast, a new video experience is going to occur. For consumers, there's no one service that gives them a unified video experience across all of the devices on which they want to view content. Services offered by a cable operator, Hulu or MediaFlo only cater to one of their devices. Consumers are looking for a unified TV and video service that crosses all devices.
We see Motorola next year enabling that demand with a new era of TV and video viewing that works across the TV, PC and mobile phone, allowing users to start watching live, on-demand or video content on one device and then continuing to watch it on another device.
Another hot area will be the world of applications that will shake out in 2010. Applications in Apple's iTune store only work on Apple hardware products. The advent of Android and devices from many manufacturers, including Motorola, will drive open application marketplaces. There will be multiple stores to download what you want for the Android phones. Multiple vendors will provide various apps. It's what consumers want. After all, you don't have to buy all of your clothes from one store.
Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Restaurant.com in Arlington Heights:
Robust and dynamic Facebook applications will allow e-commerce sites that offer local discounts to reach localized audiences. For example, e-tailers with national reach will offer applications with a local focus that will alert users of discounts and deals available in their specific network area and easily allow them to share the information with their local friend network.
Merging local e-commerce deals with social networking will result in extremely high conversion rates because, when it comes to spending decisions, consumers rely heavily on the endorsements and recommendations of their friends and peers.
Kevin Petersen, vice president and general manager, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets in Illinois, Hoffman Estates:
The demand to wirelessly connect new categories of devices is growing. We anticipate that emerging devices will continue to gain momentum and present numerous opportunities for AT&T and our partners. We're focused on connecting an array of emerging devices, including netbooks, picture frames, eReaders, cars and telematics, cameras, media players, monitoring and tracking devices, and gaming devices. In particular, we anticipate that netbooks, eReaders and Wi-Fi-enabled devices will likely stand out in 2010.
We've announced plans to connect several eReaders to the AT&T 3G network, including the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Daily Edition, in addition to the Plastic Logic Que. Isabella Products Inc. recently announced plans to launch the industry's first two-way, fully interactive digital photo frame, the Vizit, which will be powered by the AT&T Wireless network.
Micah Topping, chief technology officer at CouponCabin.com in Chicago:
The big new technology trend for 2010 will be personalization.
Mobile devices will start to supplant the home computer as the primary platform for using the Internet to communicate, reference and even shop.
Content will be designed with these devices in mind; personalized streams will replace bulky Web sites as people's primary interaction with the Internet.
Dawn McKenna, vice president of Global Solutions Marketing for Alcatel-Lucent in Naperville:
Without a doubt, the hottest technology to emerge in 2010 is the next generation of wireless called Long-Term Evolution, or LTE. This is considered by many to be the next step, 4G technology, because it is faster than 3G. Alcatel-Lucent was selected as a primary vendor for Verizon Wireless's LTE network, which is on track to be launched in 2010.
With LTE, we will see an evolution in the user experience as the networks and devices will provide a range of new capabilities - and not all of them will fit in your pocket. Take for example the LTE Connected Car, recently debuted by Alcatel-Lucent and our partners. LTE mobile broadband access technology and the resulting ultrahigh bandwidth connectivity can bring a wide range of new capabilities to the automobile, like real-time traffic, weather and road condition alerts, proactive vehicle health monitoring, maintenance scheduling and security monitoring.
For the near future, new services that combine and enhance existing applications today will surely lead in the early days of LTE. As with the enhancement of broadband speeds on wirelike networks, the first applications will be enhancements to existing services. For example, video will move from standard definition streaming to high definition streaming, music will go from 300Kbps to 1Mbps. With LTE, there is a whole world of innovative services just waiting to be explored. Just think, who would have predicted Facebook, Twitter, YouTube five years ago?
T.J. Fox, president of the Illinois/Wisconsin Region, Verizon Wireless in Schaumburg:
In 2008, Verizon Wireless spent $9 billion on spectrum in the 700 megahertz band. With that spectrum, Verizon Wireless began building the underlying infrastructure this year that will enable it to offer commercial 4G Long Term Evolution-based service in 2010. By the end of the year, we will launch LTE in up to 30 markets, covering 100 million people.
What does that mean for customers? This will change everything in the wireless business. Customers will experience superfast broadband speeds - conservatively five to nine times faster than what we have right now.
This 4G network will offer a proliferation of LTE-enabled devices, from cameras to household appliances and health monitoring devices, and services in machine-to-machine applications from traffic sensors to inventory monitors on supermarket shelves.
Raj Tank, regional vice president, Central Region, Engineering and Operations at T-Mobile USA in Chicago:
At T-Mobile, the technology that we're most excited about is High-Speed Packet Access, known as HSPA+. This is a new wireless technology that enhances your current mobile broadband and wireless phone experience. HSPA+ compatible smartphones and data sticks or data cards will allow you to experience download speeds up to 21 megabytes per second on a HSPA+ network. The average speed will be three to five times faster than most wireless technologies in the United States.
What that means is that you'll be able to surf the Web, access your e-mail with attachments, and download the latest applications on mobile devices at speeds that you're accustomed to getting on your home broadband.
We're in the process of upgrading our 3G network to HSPA+ and expect broad deployment by mid-2010. Most of our current 3G devices will be able to take advantage of the new technology. So that means customers who have a T-Mobile my Touch 3G, Motorola CLIQ, T-Mobile web Connect USB Laptop Stick or one of our other HSPA-enabled devices will experience faster speeds without having to upgrade.
Thomas E. Richards, president, CDW Corp. in Vernon Hills:
In looking ahead to 2010, one of the key overarching trends we see intensifying is the desire for users to have greater ability to collaborate via wired and wireless technology in both business and personal communication. Think of it as a global dynamic stretching from telework to telepresence.
According to a Forrester Research report on enterprise mobile users, nearly 400 million workers worldwide will be enterprise mobile users by 2012. More companies will deploy mobile applications in a structured, secure environment to help companies spur productivity and innovation.
An important piece of technology that will enable this are netbooks, which are affordable computer notebooks that provide the necessary bandwidth for key applications, Web access and e-mail on the go. We see a developing landscape where everyone using work or personal communication will be much more mobile and have access to almost all information anywhere and at any time rather than just in the office.
Ed Longanecker, executive director, TechAmerica Midwest in Oak Brook:
Next year will bring significant advancements in the areas of smart grid, clean tech and health information technology. Illinois will begin to truly benefit from government incentives, funding, and a well-coordinated emphasis on clean tech and related industries in particular.
In addition to targeted stimulus funding, clean technology (smart grid, solar and biofuels) also has continued to gain more significant venture capital investment and attention compared to IT and biotech. This continued investment, emphasis and a targeted public, private approach to driving innovation and job growth in clean tech and other important industry segments will show noticeable results for our state.
Martin P. Slark, vice chairman and CEO, Molex Inc. in Lisle:
With the rapidly increasing need for energy conservation, one of the most promising and exciting technological advancements we expect to see in 2010 is the expansion of light emitting diode, known as LED, technology into commercial and residential lighting applications.
While we are seeing LEDs in many consumer applications, including flashlights and televisions, LEDs offer many advantages to traditional home and office lighting that include reducing energy consumption by up to 80 percent. Until very recently, the technology simply wasn't there to overcome barriers that included the need for managing the high heat that LEDs generate. The cost associated with lighting manufacturers adapting existing designs to accommodate this revolutionary approach to lighting also was an issue. By merging lighting with sophisticated electronics design and manufacturing technology, the use of LEDs to cost effectively provide superior illumination without compromising aesthetics is now possible.
We expect the use of this technology will expand quickly not only because it offers an energy saving, eco-friendly alternative to traditional lighting, but also because it is easy and cost-effective to implement while delivering outstanding lighting design opportunities.