Top 10 tech predictions for 2010

With 2010 just around the corner, we thought we'd put together our predictions for the trends we'll see over the coming 12 months.

Laptops and netbooks: With the rapid rise of ultra-low-voltage processors in ultraportable laptops, we think netbooks will adopt dual-core versions of these chips, rather than the underpowered Intel Atom CPUs they currently use. They will also gradually become larger, with 11-12in screens and higher resolutions. The current 8.9in models with their low 1,024x600 resolutions will be phased out.

Plus, manufacturers of other IT products who have never made a computer before will produce netbooks. People who haven’t thought about buying one of the 'jelly mould' netbooks - so-called because of their near-identical looks and specifications - from 2009 might just go for one of the new models instead.

PCs: Intel's Core i3 processors will become the desktop processor of choice for most PCs. Thanks to their twin cores that support HyperThreading, they are effectively quad-core chips. Many PC monitors will also make the switch to LED backlights which, as with HD TVs (below) will reduce power consumption and should increase contrast.

Displays: 2010 will be the year of HD for the masses. Freeview HD is already being switched on, and plenty of people will rush out to buy set-top boxes (either for Freeview HD, Freesat HD, Sky or Virgin) in order to watch the World Cup in HD.

HD TVs in 2010 will quickly switch to LED backlights instead of traditional fluorescent lamps. This will reduce power consumption and bring even better contrast, since it's easy to switch LEDs on or off in the portions of the image that are light or dark. Another big trend will be internet-connected sets. BBC iPlayer will become available directly on your TV, along with other on-demand services plus limited access to websites such as YouTube, Flickr and Wikipedia.

Digital cameras: Both compact and digital SLR cameras will become easier to use. Manufacturers have already hit useful resolution limits and will stop relying on high megapixel figures for their marketing campaigns. Cameras now contain a lot of processing power and a lot of this will be used to advise and inform the user rather than perform extra image processing. The video capabilities in digital cameras will begin to push camcorders out of the market. Video quality and storage capacity of modern cameras will be so good, that the idea of carrying a separate, dedicated device will be rendered pointless.

Cloud computing: Online apps also look like they’re going to become popular in 2010. Google Docs is a great example, as the benefits for consumers are immense: no need to invest in Microsoft Office, you can access your documents and calendar from any internet-connected device, plus collaborate in real-time with others on the same documents.

Security: Online criminals will target ‘cloud’ services and devices like television sets and PVRs. To most people cloud computing refers to applications that run in the web browser. Criminals will look at how they can abuse such services to steal money and other valuable resources from their victims. As internet-connected domestic electronics (such as the Cello iViewer TV and the latest PVRs) become more common, people will start to use them to bank online. Then the criminals will target these devices with viruses and other threats.

SSD uptake: Solid-state disks will become more mainstream in 2010. This will apply particularly to laptops, but also boot disks in high-end PCs. Prices of SSDs will fall thanks to better manufacturing efficiency and as prices fall, capacity will increase. 1TB SSDs are already on the horizon, meaning they have caught up with traditional hard disk capacities already.

Inkjet Printers: Inkjet printers will continue to gain ground on small colour and mono laser printers especially in small businesses, thanks to low print costs and recent increases in speed and quality. When it comes to home MFPs, we expect to see an increasing number of manufacturers using the same print and scanner engines across a range of devices, which will be differentiated by features, such as memory card readers, large touch screens, extra networking capabilities and even the ability to display RSS feeds and print photos directly from the internet. This means that you’ll be able to get same print speeds, costs and quality from printers across a range – spending more money will simply get you more bells and whistles.

Social aggregation: more mobile phones will have social aggregation software that pulls in data from multiple sites – contacts, calendars, social networking – and merges it into a unified interface, like a 'universal inbox'. The ones that succeed will be those that offer seamless merging of duplicate contacts and scan the largest range of source sites. We’ve already seen HTC’s Sense, the INQ1, Motoblur and Vodafone 360, which all ship with a particular brand of phone, and Android 2.0 will have social aggregation built in. We’ll also see 3rd party developers bringing out vendor-independent social aggregation services and software, probably on Android first.

Games: 2010 looks set to be an exciting year for new input technologies in games. Wii sales may be falling, but Microsoft and Sony will launch their own next-generation control devices. Sony’s Motion Controller is essentially a more advanced version of the Wii’s remote, but with added depth tracking and superior sensors, while Microsoft’s Project Natal uses a multiple-sensor camera to pick up actual body motions. With good support from major software publishers, both of these will help bridge the (usually painful) gap between console generations – as rumours of new hardware are bound to start soon.

And finally... just like in 2009, in 2010 no-one outside of Google will understand what on Earth Wave is for or why we should care.