This is in continuance with the constantly transforming technology trends which we presented in the previous article. Here comes the other bunch of trends that are bound to make a stir in the market this year :
1. 3G; Next-generation networks : 3G allows fast Internet access on the move and fixed access in hard-to-reach areas, without cabling. It spurs new services like mobile video and multimedia. You'll see PCs and laptops with built-in 3G, like Qualcomm's Kayak prototype. Many mid-range handsets are already 3G-ready, so you may not need to change your handset. But don't expect WiMax taking off. While we patiently await it, 3G may overtake this always-around-the-corner technology.
2. Global Positioning System : The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit. Year 2007 mark the entry of GPS in the Indian market with maps. And in 2009 it will enter mobile phones and mid-range cars. Up ahead will be 3D GPS landmarks. Nokia Maps 3.0 is testing this for its devices. And new tech will combine real-time video with turn-by-turn directions, as with Blaupunkt's TravelPilot 500 "SafeDrive" navigation. The iPhone may also integrate Google Street View images with satellite data, to provide a similar interface.
GPS has a variety of applications on land, at sea and in the air. It offers cost savings by drastically lowering setup time at the survey site and providing incredible accuracy. Basic survey units, costing thousands of dollars, can offer accuracies down to one meter. More expensive systems are available that can provide accuracies to within a centimeter.
3. Green IT : Green computing or green IT is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. It refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. It is "the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment.
Green IT strives to achieve economic viability and improved system performance and use, while abiding by our social and ethical responsibilities. Greening the IT products, applications, services, and practices is important from both an economic and an environmental point of view and counts as our social responsibility too. It includes the dimensions of environmental sustainability, the economics of energy efficiency, and the total cost of ownership, which includes the cost of disposal and recycling.
4. Business intelligence : The term is commonly associated with data warehousing. Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the tools and systems that play a pivotal role in the strategic planning process of the corporation. These systems allow a company to gather, store, access and analyze corporate data to aid in decision-making. Generally these systems illustrates business intelligence in the areas of customer profiling, customer support, market research, market segmentation, product profitability, statistical analysis, and inventory and distribution analysis to name a few.
5. Open Source Software : Open source harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The commitment of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in. It allow users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user-generated content.
