5 Tech Trends of 2010

All of the following technologies have been around, but I predict they’ll become extremely popular this year. They’re in no particular order.

1. 3D TVs – With all the digital 3D movies coming out in the theaters, interest has piqued for the same quality at home. The problem is, you can’t just play a DVD and watch the movie in 3D on your television with Real D 3D glasses from the theaters. You need to connect an emitter to your television, install the provided software in a PC, connect the PC to your TV with an HDMI cable, and wear 3D shutter glasses. This is fine for geeks and early adopters, but not for everyone. The set up is explained in the video below. Since it’s not as user friendly for the average viewer, the masses haven’t flocked to this yet. 3d ready blu-ray players are becoming available, which will avoid that cumbersome set-up, so you should see an increased demand for these products.

2. Media Streaming on HDTV – On demand programming from Netfix, YouTube, Pandora, and Blockbuster are becoming the rage.  Use a blu-ray player, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3, Tivo HD DVR, or select HDTVs to view streaming video or listen to internet radio around the clock via wi-fi.

3. Green Tech – Whether they be laptops, cell phone chargers, or external hard drives, more tech products are being made with the environment in mind. Some are eco-friendly by saving energy, streamlining packing, eliminating toxins used to in production, and/or using recyclable materials.

4. Cloud Computing –  Microsoft , Cisco and IBM are big names in cloud computing for business users. However, Google caters to the consumer market with Docs, Gmail, Blogger, Picasa, Wave, and Buzz. Social media is giving this arena a major boost!

5. Mobile Apps – These exploded when the iTunes app store opened. There has been an unbelievable growth in the number of apps available since then, especially with those based on location. I remember Loopt being one of the first social media location based apps being promoted for the iPhone. Later Brightkite, Gowalla and FourSquare were released. Now RunKeeper has a new live tracking service allowing family and friends to track your run on-line.

There will be more trends this year, so I’m hoping you’ll chime in and share your thoughts. What do you predict some of the tech trends for 2010 will be?