Five megapixels on your phone...

Tech-evangelists down the ages have suffered the short end of the stick. But that's all set to change in 2008 - on the mobile communications front at least…

Though flawed and significantly impaired in several ways, Apple’s iPhone has brought about a revolution in handheld devices. No longer are you confined to small screens and tedious input methods. If current trends hold true, stylus will die an ugly death in 2008.

And then there's Microsoft, which has already promised an updated Windows Mobile 6. Expect cleaner menus, threaded text messages, and a zoom function in Internet Explorer. Further down the line, Windows Mobile 7 will tackle Apple's Mobile OS X head on. Multi-touch, desktop-grade browsing, and a multimedia experience are a few of the new features on the list. And don't forget, Google's Linux-based Android platform for mobiles promises to be a head-turner too.

Wi-Fi, satellite navigation and 5-megapixel digicams on cellphones too will become the norm. Most high-end multimedia phones already sport such features today.

Action-packed mobile gaming

Mobile phone gaming is yet another dark horse: Revamped N-Gage support on Nokia phones like the N81 and N95 is only the tip of the iceberg. The real trick under Nokia's sleeve is an all-powerful handheld gaming cellphone - a successor to the original N-Gage!

The timing is perfect for Sony's long-rumoured PSP-phone to rear its head. Essentially a combination of the PlayStation Portable and a Walkman phone, it'll be Sony's ultimate convergence device.

Built-in satnav (satellite navigation) is of special importance to a country like ours, where in-car GPS systems are yet to reach the market in a large way.

DVD battles


In the DVD battles, don't expect much out of the Blu-ray and HD DVD deadlock; for its going to stay that way unless Warner Bros, which currently backs both formats, decides to pull the plug on either. Basically, the DVD is set to reign for another year at least. So pick up an upscalable DVD player if you’re planning to go hi-def and want to spend minimal.

Finally, expect the portable media player wars to worsen - for the companies that is (it can only get better for consumers). In all probability, Apple might drop the iPod Classic altogether and instead completely go the iPod Touch way. Of course, competitors like Microsoft, Sandisk and Creative will hardly stay quiet. Sandisk’s Sansa and Creative’s Zen already give the Nano a run for its money, while a Zune revision from Microsoft might have a compelling argument as well.

Virulent strains and malware

When it comes to malware, we're heading for a big disappointment. The total number of malware doubled in the last 12 months, and that number is approximately half a million.

So if last year was busy, you can - for sure - expect more of the same for 2008! From the looks of it, current trends will continue: Malware will be used to make money. We will see more Web-based exploits using Web 2.0 sites to spread, using XSS (cross-site scripting) attacks. Spam will just continue to grow bigger and faster in the next 12 months and you will see them come in more formats. Last year, we saw spam in video, MP3 and also in 3D image formats.

And then there’s the mobile threat. Mobile devices will start to get financially interesting for malware authors as all the pre-requisites for a malware outbreak already exist: There is a large enough target base; there is a significant market leader in mobile operating systems; spreading vectors exists; and mobile phones now have more processing speed and storage.

With 2008’s expected introduction of Google’s open-source Android operating system and the Apple iPhone hitting Asia, the mobile threat landscape will also start to change. Popular gadgets, such as the PSP or iPod Touch, today have the ability to browse the Internet; and with such functionality, it is more than likely that we would see some form of threats brewing in the year 2008.

How the Web will spin


The year 2008, it seems, might just be the time when the wheat gets separated from the chaff. Web 2.0 has taken over Cyberia by storm. Now, besides the written word, netizens also have myriad options when it comes to photo and video blogs.

So does this mean the end of traditional blogs? Of course not. What it does mean, however, is that many “blog writers” - those of the ilk that jumped onto the bandwagon just because it was the fashionable thing to do - will desert theirs and latch onto the Net's new baby: Video blogs

The same can be said of the various social networking sites. The relationship between these thus far has been of a cannibalising nature, with each eating into the other's target demographic. But in this last one year, Internet users have already begun making choices. Expect few average social networking sites to fold under the weight of the Internet heavies such as Orkut, Facebook and MySpace.

And while the last two years, saw billions of dollars being poured into online properties, the year 2008 might just be the year wherein investors start looking for solid returns on investment. Financial non-performers might just have to fade away.