2010 gadget predictions

Wednesday 06 January

Now, you may think that post-Christmas would be a quiet time for the gadget world, but far from it. This week sees the biggest consumer electronics show in the world kick off in Las Vegas, with thousands of global exhibitors showing off the latest and greatest technologies that will become part of our lives in 2010 and beyond. In the past, CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) has been responsible for unveiling life-changing tech such as the CD player, MiniDisc, OLED TVs, the Xbox, the LG Watchphone and the Pam Pre. So what delights can we look forward to this year? I’ve gazed into my gadget crystal ball to make some predictions for the days ahead:

• Even more 3D innovation. There are rumours of a 3D Blu-ray player, as well as next generations of the 3D TVs that appeared here last year. Expect follow-ups to Fujifilm’s Real 3D camera as well.

• The “mirrorless” camera. There have been rumours doing the rounds about a new DSLR release from Kodak that doesn’t use mirrors to capture images, thus cutting down of sizes significantly.

• Immersive gaming. Microsoft’s motion-sensing Project Natal was announced last year, and the show seems like an ideal platform to show what it’s really capable of.

• OLED – Not a spanking new technology, but expect to see more and more gadgetry – including phones and netbooks – adopt the new gorgeously sharp screens as standard. And expect larger TVs packing OLED to be showcased too.

• eBook Readers galore – This will be the year where the eBook reader makes it to the mainstream, with a ton of manufacturers vying for your attention. And hopefully some price cuts.

• Smartbooks and tablets – Mobile computing gets smaller, more powerful and touchy. Smartbooks will straddle the divide between smartphones and netbooks, but offering more grunt than expected, while on the back of Apple’s hyper iTablet, manufacturers will be rushing to copy the touchscreen model.