One of my predictions for 08 was that the "Cheap Laptop" segment would heat up, and the Asus Eee PC would see lots of competition.  Well, Engadget has gotten their hands on an Everex PC coming to your local Walmart by the end of this month.  Priced at $400 and running Linux as well, and I must say, is an attractive unit in the picture.  Unlike the Eee which uses a Flash based hard drive, this one has a 30 gig hard drive!  Look for more as I get it, because I see this as a growing segment and if this thing is spec'ed right, I see this as a huge hit.

Those guys at Palm continue to woe us!  The guys at Treo Central spotted a White GSM Centro at CES!  Lets see, that is a Centro in Black, Red, Pink and now White!  Amazing what those Palm engineers can do ain't it?  I wonder if they might ever introduce a new Operating System?  Naw, thats too much work.  Oh well, heres hoping for one in fusha . . .  Or maybe Zune Brown . . . Naw, that would be too Microsoft. . . . .

When I was a kid, about the only thing I found cool about Dick Tracy was that phone watch that he had!  How cool was that? Well, one has been spoted at CES and here is a video of the scroll features.

My Mobile tech Predictions for 2008

 I thought it might be fun to speculate about what I think will take place within this calendar year, and then look back a year from now to see how I did. Here is what I think the consumer will see this year.

• Microsoft will show us Windows Mobile 6.1, which will be nothing to get excited about!  If you like the OS now, you will like it better.  If you hate it now, you still will.  Meanwhile, I expect HTC to continue to hit us at least once a quarter with new models running WM. And I expect to see a couple of new players introduce smartphones running the Microsoft OS.  Also, I expect a few players to introduce mobile units that blur the line even further between Mobile Phone a Personal Media Players, as companies try their best to stand out from the crowd by offering "do all" phones to include media and games along with smartphone communications.
• Most of the buzz this year, will be about iPhone 2.  Lots of the buzz will be about features  and additions that really should have been introduced in the first iPhone.  High Speed internet, more open to 3rd party development, more hype over nothing much. Look for this to start in about two more weeks when Jobs take the stage to tell all the World about his plans for the coming year!  Then look for the bombardment of hype similar to last years iPhone announcement. 
  
• Mobile Linux!  I expect to see devices running Google's Android by summer, and I expect to hear a Linux announcement or two from Palm, but I doubt we will actually see anything really new from Palm this year!  Meanwhile, Access Linux should make it to market with their OS and a couple of hardware manufacturers.  And I really believe that 2009 will be the year for the "Linux Phone"
• Palm will not introduce a new Treo running Palm OS this year! Any 'innovation" we will see from that company will probably take place in their new "Centro" line. Maybe a GSM version of that phone probably available in different colors. The Treo brand will see at least one and maybe two new Treos running Window Mobile.
  
• Blackberry will become even more consumer friendly by incorporating more media apps and maybe even touch screen technolgies to better compete with that segment of the market.
  
• The Cheap PC.  Remember when we used to see those cheap desktops in the stores for about $200 complete?  This year, I expect to see the $200 Laptop!  Asus introduced the Eee PC.  A linux based unit with a 4 gig flash drive for $400.  This unit has sold really well since its introduction, and don't think that players such as HP and Dell haven't noticed!  I really expect this segment to heat up and Asus to have some real competition by summer, and rock bottom prices for these units by the 2008 Christmas Season.  But I also expect Asus to introduce a few more Linux Eee PCs this year and continue to lead this segment of the market. I expect  UMPC players such as Sony and HTC to also introduce UMPC's that look more like the Asus Eee than a tablet with a thumb board attached.
  

So there you have it!  My predictions for 2008!  Now, lets let the year begin and play out!  Look for a follow up in about a year to see how I did!

Asus certainly knows how to build things small, don't they?  And they have been building phones for a while now!  But it finally looks as if we in the west are going to get a chance at their P537 GSM Windows Mobile smartphone, with a GPS receiver built into it! Nice looking device, for sure!

Its great to see that Palm has not changed anything about how they do business!    The trend for a while was to offer a Treo in different colors, but still no real innovation.  I guess they considered the fact that they could make the Treo even smaller and thinner was such an innovation that they couldn't call it it a Treo any longer so they called it a "Centro".  So what to do to innovate a Centro?  "Lets offer it in Pink", said those very creative guys at Palm!  Are those guys on the cutting edge anymore or what?

My dad is a large part of who I am!  Friends tell me I am witty.  They seem to like my sarcastic humor. Traits I feel certain I picked up from my dad.  Dad is all about life!  So am I!  Camping and the outdoors?  Yea, dad certainly instilled that in me! Proud of family? I don't know how much dad had to do with that, but I am certainly as proud of mine as he was of his!  Dad spent Christmas in the Hospital. Every day, his only hope was that he would go home to his dog, Molly. Not because it was Christmas, but simply because he missed his dog!  But his heart just wouldn't cooperate!  At 75 years old, dad's heart was only working at about 25% of what it should have been.  Medicine, pacemaker, and medical procedures were no good anymore!  Finally Sunday, the doctor told dad what he wanted to hear!  They were letting him go home Monday! 

Sunday night, dad passed on! And the World moves on in spite of my dad's passing!  But make no mistake about it, the world is not as bright of a place today, as it used to be. 

Dad, for all you did for me, I say thank you!  Your wisdom, and your wit are two things I will always miss the most!  

You know, its been an interesting year for Technology.  Some highlights and certainly some lowlights!  I thought I might take a little time to look backwards and recap  some of what we have seen, and maybe layout some predictions for 08.

• So Vista came about!  I ended up going with Vista on my laptop that I purchased 2 months ago.  I HATED it at first, but I am getting used to it now and think its a decent OS.  Beautiful to look at for sure, but since its my computer, why does it ask me twice everytime I download something if I really want to download something?  The bottom line:  Most all OSes Microsoft has introduced usually don't become solid until the first Service Pack release.  Now that I am getting used to it, I think it might be a fine OS, and think the majority of folks who use it will also.  We also got a peek into Leopard, the new Apple OS.  I have read where some testers knocked it, but I am betting that just like Vista, by the time we see a couple of upgrades, this is going to be one solid operating system. 
• iPhone and iPod touch!  Man, at the hype of this one!  But give Apple credit!  They have a product that many just swears is the greatest product ever invented, because Jobs told them so . . . .   The iPhone is a step forward, but Apple is crippling the device.  If they open it up, look out!  On the other hand, I would love to have an iPod Touch! This way, I can keep legit "push" email and calendars on my phone, and get that slick entertainment device with that awesome interface!  Apple has done a great job of marketing iPods and I know I love the nano!  Perfect size and shape and very versatile!  In the phone world however, I would suggest they look out!  HTC and Microsoft probably have some tricks up their sleeves.  And even though the word "iPod" has almost replaced the word "mp-3 player" I expect to see some innovations in the year coming from players such as Microsoft and others. 
  
• NO Gphone!  We all just knew that Google was going to roll out the gPhone this year!  What we learned is that Google is readying "Android".  An open-source linux OS for mobile phones! Google is going to buy up the 700 mhz spectrum however, and I expect a new mobile player right around the corner!  2008 should be a great year for Mobile Phones.
• EEE PC.  Ground breaking, only weighs two pounds and only costs $400.  Look for this market to heat up in 08
• Palm doesn't deliver!  First, they announced this ground-breaking device called the "Foleo".  A linux based device that worked in tandem with your Treo.  The Palm community was outraged!  They were looking for a new Treo running Linux.  About one week before the Foleo was to arrive on store shelves, Palm pulled the plug.  The second week of December, they sent several Employees home and told them not to return.  We are still waiting on a new Palm Treo with a new Operating System.  My question for 2008 for Palm:  Can you survive? I want you to, but I am increasingly frustrated at how you have sat on your tail for 8 years now, offering me another Treo in a different color.
• Year of the Game Console  That is what I would call this year.  The three main players:  Microsoft, Sony and Nitendo, are all three healthy and doing great!  Microsoft introduced Halo 3 and the world rejoiced!  Sony is offering its Blu-ray technology in its Playstation 3, and sales are strong to say the least!  The Wii has been selling strong for a year now and is still hard to come by!  When you build a console that is easily enjoyed by young as well as old, you have a winner on your hands.  I have never been much of a gamer, but man if that Wii don't look like a lot of fun! 
  
• LCD TV made affordable:  Remember when the first thin-lined TV's started showing up in your local electroncs store? And remember how you could buy a new motorcycle for cheaper than you could buy that TV?  Just like most electronics, those prices have plummeted. With the new standard getting closer and closer, look for these units to continue to sell well.  Sony announced this week, that they will no longer produce a tube TV.  Its only a matter of time before all the major players follow suit . . .