eReaders and tablet computers
In 2010 the eReader will become an essential new digital platform for consuming and managing content within every business.
2010 will be the year that the tablet PC and the eReader enter the mainstream. With a plethora of eReaders currently available and more on the way, most notably from Apple with its iPad, and the much anticipated Skiff Reader, businesses will have another platform to distribute their content to potential consumers. These devices will also offer businesses a cost effective and efficient communications technology for their office-based and mobile workers.
The existing netbooks that have gained popularity will continue to do so in 2010 with new models from ASUS, Sony and Dell, and the convergence of these devices with the smartphone will also continue. 2010 is the year of integration and personalisation of the technology that all small enterprises will use. As the year progresses, the tablet PC will begin to find its niche in the business sector. Also expect a rush of new eReaders with colour screens using the Plastic Logic technology that offers lightweight and flexible screens.
Cloud computing
Data storage, and even applications, will move away from the PC desktop and increasingly into the cloud as 2010 progresses.
The decentralisation of data storage and application access will increasingly move to the cloud as more vendors enter the market. With current platforms from Google and Amazon dominating the corporate space, new entrants into the sector will offer cost-effective solutions that all small businesses can utilise.
Cloud computing will also become more interactive and move away from its current use as a data backup solution to offer true online applications, such as Microsoft’s Office Web Apps, that enterprises and their mobile workforces can tap into. 2010 will be the year that cloud computing becomes a realistic proposition for even the smallest enterprise. They can use these Internet-based platforms, not only for data storage, but also to outsource some aspects of their day-to-day operations.
Dan Conlon, founder of online data storage provider, Humyo says: “Small to medium businesses within the next few years will see a reduction in both capital (hardware and software) and personnel managing their IT network. With the shift to SaaS (Software as a Service), business owners will be potentially outsourcing their IT department to a cloud computing vendor(s) freeing up valuable resources and capital expenses.”
Mobile devices
The mobile phone becomes a hand-held computer in 2010 with a new array of smartphones that will bring real-world benefits to all business users.
By the end of 2010 there will be over one billion mobile phone handsets that can access the Internet. What this means for small businesses is that they instantly have a new platform through which to communicate with customers and, for some, a huge new market to sell their digital content to. M-commerce, or mobile commerce, is set to enter the mainstream in 2010. Retailers that already have a presence on the web will make their content suitable for this new mobile sales channel. It will also give small businesses a new market for advertising.
For businesses that need mobile data technologies, the arrival of the Android operating system (sometimes simply called Droid) developed initially by Google will give developers more flexibility in the design of future applications. The Blackberry range of smartphones will continue to develop, as will Apple’s iPhone which will also be joined by the iPad that could, in 2010, provide a completely new platform for smaller enterprises to use within their businesses. Apple’s App store and the Ovi and App World stores, from Nokia and Blackberry respectively, will continue to dominate the smartphone applications market in 2010. However, the Nexus One handset from Google that runs the Android operating system could gain significant market share in 2010 simply because of the Open Source nature of Android itself.