Get with the (social) programme
Speaking at the Gartner Emerging Trends and Technologies road show in Melbourne, Gartner Fellow David Cearley reiterated the company line that business IT applications will have to mirror features found in Facebook and MySpace, and embrace multicore and hybrid processors.
Cearley identified ten technologies that will change everybody’s business model: social networks and social software; cloud computing and cloud/web platforms; web mashups (mixing content from publicly available sources); user interface; ubiquitous computing (hardly new – Ed.); contextual computing; augmented reality; and semantics.
“Social software provides a platform that encourages participation and feedback from employees and customers alike,” he said. “The added value for businesses is being able to collect this feedback into a single point that reflects collective attitudes, which can help shape a business strategy.”
Cearley predicted organic light-emitting displays, digital paper and billboards, holographic and 3D imaging and smart fabric interfaces. Three-axis accelerometer devices, like Nintendo’s Wii controller, combined with wireless will perform functions such as “touch to exchange business cards.”
Web mashups “create possibilities for a new class of short-term or disposable applications that would not normally attract development dollars,” said Cearley. “The ability to combine information into a common dashboard or visualise it using geo-location or mapping software is extremely powerful.”
Press release: Gartner Identifies Top Ten Disruptive Technologies for 2008 to 2012
