The 2008 hot list

2007 has been a fun year for roadwarriors. In January Steve Jobs introduced us to the iPhone, HTC gave us at least 15 new smart phones and Vista made it onto consumers PC’s (OK, that last one is a joke).

2008 promises to be even better. Here are the 10 gadgets or technologies that we can’t wait to get our hands on in the new year.

In no particular order…

1) The Sling Media Slingcatcher

Sling the other way. When Sling Media gave us the Sling player it was the best thing we travelers had seen since complimentary upgrades. It spelled the end of watching reruns on a 14″ wood grain TV with a poorly working remote (Lodgenet anyone?). But it also meant we had to watch TV on our laptop. The Slingcatcher should change that. Slingcatcher “catches” what your Slingbox “slings”. This means you can watch your Slingbox on a normal TV. In addition to that, it will also let you stream a huge number of different video files AND watch content hooked up to it on a hard disk or USB drive. Of course, none of this matters on the road if your hotel TV does not let you plug anything into it…

When: Expect an announcement at CES in January (around $249)

Why: Keeping up with Family Guy the news when on the road.

2) New and improved iPhone

Need we say more? Sadly, as a real geek I have to admit not being too impressed by the iPhone. Clearly I’m pretty much on my own with that sentiment as Apple has managed to capture more market share than Palm and Microsoft OS power devices combined. But in true Apple style a gadget is old after 6 months. So it is clearly time for a new and improved iPhone. Things I’d like to see in an iPhone? 3G, GPS, better Bluetooth support and a hardware keyboard (sliding). Multitouch is nice, but it’s no substitute for a real keyboard. Oh, and a removable battery.

When: Macworld Expo in January?

Why? Because Steve Jobs told us to.

3) Multi touch tablet PC

Apple revolutionized the way people work with a touchscreen. Since the first mass market PDA (The Palm Pilot), we have had to put up with stupid touchscreens. Apple taught us a lesson, and that lesson is slowly making its way into more products. Starting with the Dell Latitude XT, we should see multitouch put to use. Even Microsoft has woken up from its deep sleep and announced that multitouch will make an appearance in WindowsMobile products.

When: Early 2008 in the Dell Latitude XT

Why? Because it will make playing Bejeweled more fun.

4) HTC Shift

From a small OEM vendor to one of the most influential smartphone makers in the world in under 5 years. Big players like Palm and HP all turn to HTC for their next product, so it’s no surprise that when HTC designed an ultra portable computer it wowed everyone. It’s better than anything on the market at the moment. Highlights include a folding keyboard/screen design, integrated phone with broadband and a nifty Vista/WindowsMobile interface that helps get push email and other features on your screen.

When: Mid to end January 2008 (around $1599)

Why? Because after 2 years the world deserves a REAL ultra mobile PC.

5) Ultra portable Apple Macbook

It’s December, so the silly Apple rumor season is starting again. Last year Apple surprised everyone when they announced the iPhone (most were expecting a video iPod). So when people start rumors about an ultra portable Macbook, you really have to take it with a grain of salt. Nevertheless; we’ll play along and keep our fingers crossed. If the rumors are correct (and they rarely are) then we’ll see a thin metal notebook with a touchscreen a la iPhone.

When: when pigs fly?

Why? Because it is time for a smaller Apple.

6) Dash Express connected navigation system

Dash has a device that should make our lives much easier. Till now all navigation systems relied on the data stored on the unit. If you were looking for a pizza parlor in Poughkeepsie you had to hope the folks behind the maps felt it was important enough to add, or go hungry.

But the Dash opens up a whole new way to search and retrieve points of interest. Integrated in the device is a cellular modem that connects the unit to Yahoo Local search. In addition to online searches, it also shows realtime traffic from various sources (including fellow Dash users) and allows you to send any address from your computer directly to the device using the “send to car” feature. This is the future of the navigation system.

When: February, ($599 with service starting at $10.99/month).

Why? Because we often get hungry while on the road.

7) Nokia phones with touchscreen

Despite churning out almost a quarter of a million cell phones each and every day, the boffins from Espoo Finland have long avoided touch screen phones. Even their flagship “multimedia computer”, the N95 relies on a small screen and a numeric keypad for text entry.

In 2007 Nokia finally admitted that the time had come to start looking into phones with a touch based interface. And given the ever decreasing market share of their Symbian OS devices it’s not a moment too soon.

When: Unknown, possible announcement at CeBit in March.

Why? Because non touchscreen phones are so 1999.

8 ) WiMax

While some operators struggle to keep up and finally get 3G broadband services to their customers (yes T-mobile, I’m talking about you), others are already hard at work readying 4G. WiMax (or IEEE 802.16 for the geeks out there) is the next big thing in wireless broadband. At the WiMax conference in Chicago Sprint showed off their “Xohm” service which promises speeds upwards of 4Mbit/s and should be one of the first large scale WiMax services in North America.

When: “Soft” launch in select cities, spring 2008.

Why? Because you deserve more speed to download “stuff”.

9) WindowsMobile 7

2007 was a bad year for the Microsoft Windows Mobile team. When Steve Jobs walked on stage in January to announce the iPhone they suddenly realized that their OS was outdated, sluggish, ugly and unproductive. Apple showed the world how a mobile OS should look and feel. But according to Microsoft they won’t be behind for long. In early 2008 we’ll see Windows Mobile 6.1, and hopefully sometime in 2008 we’ll also see the first complete overhaul of their mobile OS in years.

But the biggest hurdle of any new Microsoft OS is that end users STILL have to depend on the manufacturer of their phone to get the new OS. Unlike your desktop, you can’t just buy “Windows Mobile” on a CD and click “setup”. Their newest OS version (Windows Mobile 6) still hasn’t been made available to some phones, while others only just got the official upgrade. Until Microsoft develops a method of making upgrades easier we are doomed to an eternity of old versions (or buying a new phone every year).

When: 2008?

Why? If they don’t, the iPhone will win.

10) RIM Blackberry 9000

Unlike the folks at Microsoft, the designers at RIM didn’t have too much to worry about this year. It’s been another great year for them and they turned out some amazing products. The Blackberry has evolved from an ugly business oriented device into something you no longer have to feel ashamed to carry around. Their Pearl and Curve line of handhelds have found their way into the consumer market as well, mainly thanks to features like multimedia playback and cameras.

2008 should bring us even more goodies from the Canadians as they plan to introduce the “Super Blackberry”. The good guys over at Boy Genius Report have the scoop on this which resembles a cross between a Blackberry and an iPhone.

When: 2008?

Why? If they don’t, the iPhone will win.