Best of 2007

Another year is about to end where everything got faster, smaller (except for Airbus A380) and more connected.

In my opinion, the best technology to come out of 2007 -at least, in the context of Australia- is the 3G mobile network. This has the potential to really provide the "any time, any where" connectivity.

I know 3G has been around for a while. But thanks to Telstra pouring in millions to promote their Next G network, everyone now knows the real advantage of 3G. Also, due to all network operators getting in to the the 3G game the cost for the consumer has come down to a more affordable level.

Overall, the technology which got me excited is the "Multi-touch screen". Before you all frown at me for not saying iPhone, remember, the touch-screen used in iPhone is actually a multi-touch screen. iPhone is simply a smart phone with a better and user friendly interface. The most radical thing about it is, the touch screen, which a multi-touch screen.

Read more about multi-touch screen here and watch this video. In my opinion, this technology has the potential to radically revolutionise computing. This can move the computer from a device which sits in our study to technology which is integrated in to every aspect of our life.

One device to rule them all...will it be the iPhone?

I AM a big fan of convergence. I don't like carrying a belt full of gadgets like batman. I want one device to handle my calls, play music, play movies (not exactly movies but episodes of Simpsons) and have good PIM functionalities.

This is why I got my self an O2 Atom Exec. In retrospect it's a bad decision. It's

• bulky
• clunky
• Windows Mobile 5 crashes every second day (feel like using Windows 95)
• the phone interface is really bad and freezes regularly
• has a really poor battery performance

If you are wondering why didn't I just buy a mobile phone, I am asking the same question myself :). I was seduced by the large touch screen -I have a love affair with touch screens, I strongly believe touch screen will be the next step in user input evolution- and the handwriting recognition. But sadly, my experience with the latter has made me feel a mobile phone keypad and predictive text is far better than the handwriting recognition. I was also attracted by the fact the device will allow me to check emails and work on Word and Excel -the features I have never used. My inner geek over powered the inner pragmatist.

To be fair, I find it so easy to manage the PIM functionalities in the Windows powered devices and I use the "Notes" extensively. Considering, the last "real" mobile phone I used was a Nokia 6210, I don't think I am in a informed position to compare these functionalities with what is available in the latest smart phones.

This where I like iPhone. I know it's a good MP3 Player (that is an understatement), has a wide screen for movies and has the next gen touch screen (the inner gadget geek is playing up again) and it is sleek and will definitely have more user friendly interface than anything powered by Microsoft. I assume, it has a decent phone too.

But.... I will still not buy an iPhone in it's current state. The deal breaker for me is, lack of connectivity for the hi-speed mobile network (HSDPA). If I am going to buy a device of the future, I want it to use the technologies of the future, not past. Apple's decision makes sense in US -where the wi-fi hotspots are widely available and HSDPA is not- but in Australia it's other way around. Also, I have following concerns:

• I don't know anything about the PIM functionalities of iPhone
• I don't have a Mac and I am in the verge of switching completely to Linux, and I don't like the fact Apple doesn't support Linux (iTunes) even though OS X is built-upon Linux
• I can't sync it with a PC