Robots, cars, power and light?-these are just some of the sectors that are expected to see action next year.
1. Wireless networks
We're in the middle of a wireless revolution, and next year will be more of the same. Bluetooth is working and cheap, 802.11a and 802.11g will bring 55 megabits a second to your radio network, and a whole host of small, cheap, low power devices may yet give us the automated, computerized home that we've promised ourselves since the 1950s. Look out for Zigbee, the low power, low speed technology promised to be cheaper than Bluetooth and to run for months on ordinary batteries, but it has competitors; with Microsoft launching Bluetooth systems that don't work with other Bluetooth devices, beware the fragmentation of the market into different semi-standards.
2. Location-based services
You might not know where you are, but your mobile phone does. The network operators are already talking about beaming adverts to your phone or PDA when you're in the vicinity of a shop; somewhat more usefully, the same technology will tell you where to get petrol, cash, food or help, and automatically summon the closest free taxi to you. At the same time, GPS satellite navigation technology is getting much cheaper and more reliable and will be built into more things. Including active pet-collars, although quite why you'll need to know where Tiddles is to within five meters anywhere on the earth's surface is not entirely clear.
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