North Coast Connections: Top tech trends in 2007

The end of the year brings out "top" lists in every industry in an attempt to put a years worth of activity into some perspective, while trying to read the tea leaves as to whether trends portend what will occur in the upcoming year. I gleaned this list of top trends in technology for 2007 from two sources: PC Magazine and TechRepublic.com ...

MICROSOFT VISTA TRIPS OR FALLS (depending upon your viewpoint)
As a victim of forced upgrade to the MS Vista operating system for my desktop and laptop computers, I can testify first hand that this was a trying ordeal that included several senseless changes in routine navigation, maintenance and file management. However, like most senseless changes in the past, we complain, learn the new protocols and move on. Apple's new operating system, Leopard, received better reviews, but is still not universally loved.

MP3 PLAYERS
... are still dominated by Apple for good reasons (cool designs and interfaces), but other manufacturers will soon catch up. The bottom line is that mainstream America (and the world) is increasingly getting it's music in digital file format.

GOOGLE-ZILLA
Google continues its intriguing expansion into arenas that have yet to show where they will eventually lead us, but purchasing extensive proprietary wireless communication bands and entering into the cellphone business are trends that are certainly worth watching.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS HICCUPS
Regardless of whether the adjustment in daylight savings start and stop dates were meant to achieve (or actually achieve) any energy savings, these changes have wreaked havoc with a lot of tech-appliances despite having been in existence for two years now.

HD-DVD & Blu-Ray REPEAT HISTORY
Remember the old Betamax/VHS battles of the 1980s? Touted as the new way home movie viewers will get their programming, high density DVD and Blu-ray are the two operating protocols that various entertainment and electronic giants are backing, leaving the consumer to guess which hardware and movie formats to collect. Set a standard and everyone wins. Set two standards and you've got winners and losers.

I can't believe these guys didn't mention Microsoft Office 2007. What a fiasco! When I was forced to upgrade to MS Vista, I also (naively) upgraded to MS Office 2007. While this office suite has some redeeming qualities, it is like trying to work using only your left hand when you are right handed. Simple tasks such as saving files, formatting, navigation and even printing are scrambled into all new pull down menus, many of which defy logic. Unless you were a power user who relied primarily on keyboard commands (which, thankfully, didn't change), you are stuck in a game of find-the-function just to write a letter, create a spreadsheet or modify a Powerpoint presentation.

So what's the prognosis for 2008? Well, the one recurring theme I see is that change is inevitable. Operating systems, productivity software, cellphones, cameras, TVs, music and every other aspect of our lives will increasingly be touched (if not governed) by technology. The question to ask is whether these industries will succumb to greed and control, versus open systems and clear standards. Want to bet? Most of the technology blunders of 2007 appear to me to be avoidable, so if I am putting my bet on greed and control I'll have to give odds.

Chris Crawford
www.justiceserved.com

North Coast Connections

Thoughts and analysis on technology and life on the North Coast.

Top tech trends in 2007

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