Communications of the ACM
The Next Big Thing(s) in Tech
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The next big advances in technology include the replacement of desktop computers with smartphones, the emergence of nanotech batteries, and the rise of augmented reality.
Within three years smartphones will completely replace desktop computers, predicts Google's John Herlihy. Forty-three percent of mobile phone users already have smartphones and they are using them for tasks normally performed by desktop computers, according to a Nielsen smartphone report.
Meanwhile, National University of Singapore researchers have developed battery technology that can hold 20 times the charge of a traditional lithium ion battery and is 10 times cheaper. The nanotech battery is made of a flexible organic material held between two plates of graphite.
Augmented reality is a promising new technology that overlays information from the Web and other sources on the real world. Microsoft researchers are currently developing augmented reality technology that includes glass panes that act as networked displays and turn everything from glasses to taxi windows into computer screens.
Other trends include the emergence of healthcare technology and the transformation of the living room into a multifunction entertainment center. In addition, in the next few years there will be a boom of speech technology on mobile devices, predicts Google's David Burke.
From PC World
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