At the CES show this year it was all about size, software and wireless connectivity. Screen sizes in the home are going to get a lot bigger, they had 150 inch screen on show, I doubt most of us can house something as big as this but you will look back in 10 years and wonder how you coped with a small screen. Some of the TVs on show had direct links to the web which means that whilst watching TV you can have widgets feeding information direct to your screen like news, weather, sports results or live chat.
We predicted that mobile would be in the spot light in 2008 and it seems that the focus is on mobile software. Previously the industry has been centered around hardware but now we are moving to era focused on what phones could be capable of. Apple with their touch screen phones are signaling the start of this trend. We will see a move for more location based functionality which we think will really push this platform into centre stage as it will fulfill a role that other platform can. Wireless technology also heavily featured, moving video and pictures around the home is a big theme, as ever Apple are at the forefront of this with their Apple TV and Mac mini products but other PC based companies are also producing hardware that will make the transfer of PC based content to the big very simple. Essentially you need an HDTV, a computer, a storage device, a wireless network and some wires and you can start to enjoy your holiday snaps, web based VOD catch up TV and even web browsing on the big screen in your home. Bill Gates talked about a touch screen coffee table that people can use to control what they are watching or listening too around the home, we are not convinced that this will become standard issue for anyone who values style over technology but the idea is interesting.
We also liked the wireless memory cards which will talk directly to your computer so that you don't have to carry around transfer wires anymore! If you did not get a digital photo frame for Christmas then it is time to invest in a wireless one which will automatically upload your latest pics direct from your computer which will of course also now be linked wirelessly to your camera....
So if you are lucky enough to already have a 'digital home' let us know what is working, what you like best and what would make it even better.