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How technology may shape up in gadgety 2006

DPA, WASHINGTON
Saturday, Jan 07, 2006, Page 9

`Google's success may make it hard for the company to retain the unintrusive, no-frills approach to its offerings that made it the success that it is.'

With a new year comes new hope -- and some latitude to wish for better things to come. In the world of technology, there's plenty to wish for.

While 2005 has seen the emergence of dozens of tiny tech gadgets, the continued acceptance of wireless networking, and lots of innovation on the Internet, each advancement has left plenty of room for improvement.

■ Better battery life

Tech gadgets have become more powerful and smaller, but battery technology has essentially offered only incremental improvements. The result is a situation we all know too well: notebook computers that die in mid-flight, cellphones that don't last a day without being plugged in, digital cameras that require two, three, or more spare batteries to remain functional.

If there is one improvement that would radically change the world of technology almost overnight, it would be a breakthrough in battery technology.

■ Wide wireless availability

Almost every tech gadget -- cellphones, notebook computers, portable game stations, multimedia devices -- features built-in wireless connectivity to the Internet. The only trouble is that wireless connection points, or hot spots, are still too hard to find.

Wireless hot spots need to be everywhere that people with wireless needs congregate: hotels, coffee shops, shopping areas, airports.

Providing wireless connectivity is inexpensive, and it's good for both the customer and the business that provides it.

■ Cellphones that are durable

The race is on in the cellphone industry to cram the most features into the smallest package. In late 2005, Motorola's Razr phone turned heads with its ultra-slim form factor, sleek looks, and coveted features. Other models from different manufacturers are waiting in the wings.

But slim and tiny are useless when a device can't stand up to the rigors of travel and the inevitable mishaps: namely falls and spills. Many cellphones today are too susceptible to instant destruction if they get the least bit wet, and too many are damaged immediately at the slightest impact with a hard surface. In 2006 cellphone users need equipment they can rely upon as much as they need equipment that they can stash easily in a pocket.

■ A Windows Vista that is faster and better

Microsoft is about to have a big year in 2006, thanks in no small part to the expected release of Windows Vista -- the successor to XP -- in late summer or early autumn. With previous releases of Windows, claims of superior speed and reliability have been met with some disappointment when the operating systems fell short.

Microsoft has had plenty of time -- and no pressure -- to release Vista. Let's hope the company uses the time to get it right.

Regardless of the improvements that Vista offers, it needs to work well on today's common computer equipment and not cause a loss of productivity through operating system flakiness.

■ Competition for Apple's iPod

Competition is good, but Apple has precious little of it these days when it comes to the iPod and related accessories. Whenever there's insufficient competition, prices are high, and that's the case with the iPod.

The most coveted iPod MP3 players run from US$200 to 400, and that's just too much for a luxury device that will be superseded by a better model six months later.

Alternative MP3 makes such as iRiver and Creative need to beef up their offerings. It's fairly easy to undercut Apple's prices. All that's left to do is match the iPod's stylishness and its sound quality. iRiver is already close.

■ Google not forgetting its roots

If there was more than the usual amount of innovation in the Internet space this year, thank Google. The search engine giant launched a raft of innovations -- everything from a three-dimensional, surfable map of the world in Google Earth to an instant messenger -- that caused competitors to step up their development efforts.

But Google's success may make it hard for the company to retain the unintrusive, no-frills approach to its offerings that made it the success that it is. Google's now ubiquitous text ads, for instance, were palatable to many because they were targeted to the content at hand -- and they eschewed the annoying pop-ups and flashy banners that annoyed Web users in the past. But buried in a recent deal with AOL is reportedly a provision that allows flashy banner ads.

Slowly but surely Google seems to be pushing the boundaries of its unobtrusive approach.
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