Technology enthusiasts may get to see five major developments this year,
according to a forecast made on the

BBC
News

website. The website says that 2008
will see the emergence of more tools like Google Gears, Adobe Air, and Microsoft
Silverlight that have the ability to take rich web content, and make some of it
available offline.

Another big
development, according to the forecast, will be the rise in the popularity of
sub-notebook-sized Ultra Mobile PCs. Though the first devices were launched in
2006, they have not gone mass market as yet, partly because of a combination of
high prices and poor battery life.

Taiwanese manufacturer Asus
has now predicted that it will sell five million of the tiny machines in 2008.

Apple is also rumoured to be
launching ultra-thin Macbooks using flash in
2008.

Next in list of possible
major developments is the rise in internet protocol television (IPTV) services.

Though BT vision and Virgin
Media are already providing such services in the UK, more operators are expected
to emerge this year.

WIMAX, a
wireless technology that can deliver high speed broadband over long distances,
also has a mention on the list.

Mike Roberts of research firm
Informa Media and Telecoms believes that the technology, which is already a big
hit in the US, may make way to the yet-untouched Europe.

Wrapping up the list is Mobile
VoIP, a technology that allows users to make cheap phone calls over the
internet.

It is believed that
this technology may huge rise in 2008.

Five technologies that may
become big in 2008:

1. 
   The web to
   go
   
2. 
   Ultra mobile
   PCs
   
3. 
   IPTV
   
4. 
   Wimax
   
5. 
   Mobile
   VoIP

Via Times of India