Predictions for 2011

Dear PropellerHeads: So, what will I have to buy, rent or learn about in 2011 to keep up with my PropellerHead friends?

A: Your timing is perfect for the Annual PropellerHead Predictions! Fanfare, please.

Can't remember what we said last year? Maybe you should RSS our blog (askthepropellerheads.com). In any case, it looks like all our predictions for 2010 came true. Are we good or what? On to 2011!

Controlless controllers

After a few years of letting the Wii controller reign, Microsoft has hit a game system home run with the Xbox add-on, Kinect (xbox.com/en-US/kinect). With this, there is no controller. Well, really ... you are the controller. Think Tom Cruise in Minority Report, but without the gloves. Using a camera system, the game software maneuvers the on-screen player ("avatar") based on your movements. So when you punch ... your player punches. Now you won't be throwing your nunchuck into the TV screen, but watch those round-house kicks. Early reviews are very promising, although more game titles are needed. We project this is the future of controllers, turning your living room (after you've moved the furniture) into a way-cool kinetic arcade.

iPad, UrPad, WhosePad?

Despite loads of pre-release naysayers, Apple's iPad has been a tremendous success. This netbook killer keeps you connected via Wi-Fi or cellular modem, albeit without a camera, USB or Adobe Flash. The just-ended Consumer Electronics Show (cesweb.org) made it clear that strong entries running Google's Android systems will make one of these tablets your next computer. Early money is on Motorola Mobility's Xoom (http://bit.ly/g8kXnq). Oh yeah, Apple has promised a new iPad this year too.

Who's running

your phone?

More and more folks have phones and don't call anyone. That's because today's phone are really computers that happen to make phone calls. Most have very good cameras, Internet connections, Wi-Fi and cellular data connections, HD video, GPS and can run thousands of apps. This is yet another market that Apple pretty much defined with their iPhone (apple.com/iphone). But now this PropellerHead thinks Microsoft Windows Phone (microsoft.com/windowsphone) and Google Android (google.com/mobile/android) have caught up, paired with fantastic phones from HTC, Motorola, Samsung and others. Your next phone will probably be smarter than your current PC.

Website - Facebook page - the war is on

Many progressive companies established their Web presence in the early 1990s. Everyone just had to get their www. While this is still de rigueur for anyone who's anyone, your next webpage is probably on Facebook. With 500 million users who stay glued to their pages all day, this may be the future of your corporate website. Facebook lets you connect with your constituency, tell your story, and encourage customer feedback. Facebook app development (developers.facebook.com) can support many Web functions you are used to on traditional websites. Facebook is also very mobile-friendly. Most likely, you'll need both. The question is how irrelevant your main website may become.

3D glasses - cool or geeky

If you saw Avatar in 3D, chances are pretty good you have either already bought, or plan to make, your next TV 3D-ready. More 3D titles show up every day. So, what are you waiting for (http://bit.ly/bTK8xf)? Well for some, it's the price tag. For me ... it's the glasses. I can sort-of see donning the geek specs occasionally for a special movie. But, I just don't see my future TV-watching requiring that I scramble around for my 3D glasses. Our prediction is continued growth in this market, but slow adoption.

The year of the Penguin ... give me a break

We know this is stale, but please allow an aging propellerhead some nerdy nostalgia at year end. Linux will finally rule the world. To be honest, this is six years running. I know ... we're all tired of penguins, but really, this is the year.

As confident as we are in these bold predictions, there is a chance we will lose this article too. So, if you want to hold us accountable, just tape these predictions to your monitor so you can give us grief next year. Happy New Year from the PropellerHeads!

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. E-mail them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.