2014 technology trends and predictions.
2013 brought us Google Glass and the Samsung Galaxy Gear, as technology began its march out of our pockets and bags and onto our heads and wrists. Elsewhere we traded up from HD to 4K televisions (and realised that 3D was never going to catch on) and said hello to the usual raft of thinner, faster, better tablets and phones, as well as what could be the last generation of games consoles as we know them.
But what does 2014 have in store for the world of technology? We gathered predictions from across the industry and gave our verdict on each...
Social media to grow and grow
Digital media agency Digitia says the big social media services will continue to add users at the pace of the last few years. Since 2011 Twitter has gone from 200million to 500million and Facebook from 600million to 800million. Will it close in on a billion next year?
Verdict? No. Although there are a lot more potential users in emerging markets, we reckon growth will slow down for social media's Big Two. And we wouldn't be surprised to see the birth of the next big network either...
[2013: a year on Twitter]
Solar charging
Another of Digitia's tips is the rise of solar-powered chargers for our gadgets. Will we be wearing headphones with solar panels built in, for example?
Verdict? Unlikely. Most people charge their gadgets indoors. Solar panels small enough to carry or wear can't gather that much power. More likely is a rise in wireless charging as we move towards a universal standard for inductive power mats/pads.
[In pictures: The best gadgets of 2013]
Cloudy ahead
Pretty much everyone is backing this one: a continued shift towards cloud storage (i.e. saving your documents to services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud). It makes things easier to access wherever you are and saves on hard drive space - but security will have to be top notch. The first big hacking of a cloud service will dent confidence, and security firms including Kaspersky and Symantec have the cloud
right at the top of their list of targets for 2014.
Verdict? Yes, we will be living mostly on cloud nine by this time next year.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/2014-technology-trends-and-predictions-153447482.html#GetMzw