
In 2009 we had Twitter mania, iPhone app fever, the first Android phone and a whole deal of chatter about cloud computing. Will 2010 prove any different? Yes, but not by much.
While last year was a busy one for green technology and cloud computing, these two trends were linked up quite often as the business user was encouraged to go to the cloud for storage needs, something that has green benefits in terms of less power needed for cooling servers, etc.
In 2010, green technology and cloud computing will grow because both will reach the consumer in ways they never have before.
Rather than extolling their green virtues, technology companies will simply get on with it and ‘unseen green’ will be the status quo.
Green practices and innovation will be expected rather than anticipated as evidenced by mobile manufacturer Sony Ericsson’s eco-friendly Naite handset that complies with Energy Star Level V specifications. If it’s left plugged in, the standby power loss is less than 30mW.
Cloud moves
In the same vein, cloud computing will also travel towards ubiquity due to mass-market appeal and availability.
Whilst Google has been providing free cloud services for years now with the likes of Gmail and Google Docs, what will really move the average user towards the cloud will be Microsoft’s Office 2010.
Office 2010 marks the appearance of Microsoft’s free online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote – an easy transition for users as it works on most web browsers.
The Spotify digital music service
The Spotify digital music service
Something else that will move the consumer towards the cloud will be entertainment. Although we will continue to digitally download music, services such as Spotify are making it easier to live with music on demand and in the cloud. With increasing broadband reliability and all those little netbooks, there will be no need to store huge music libraries when it can be streamed from the web anytime and anywhere.
Not only will technology users move towards the cloud, but they will also move more towards the mobile web with the rise and rise of apps putting versatile mini-computers in our hands.
The player holding most of the cards in this space is Apple: it announced on Monday that three billion applications have been downloaded from the iTunes App Store to date.
Google Nexus One phone
However, with Tuesday’s launch of the Android-based Nexus One, Google’s increasingly sophisticated apps development will make it a strong contender in 2010.
The recent opening up by Apple of application development means that in-app transactions can be carried out. This will be huge in 2010, making it easier for consumers to pay bills, shop and do online banking all from their mobile handset.
It comes as no surprise then that Google and Apple will be the big players yet again in 2010. The release of Google’s own Chrome operating system as well as the expected 27 January announcement from Apple about a touchscreen tablet device will heat things up even further.
By Marie Boran
Main photo: The Google Nexus One phone