P492 Teletext 492 Dec42 03:14:26 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? The world of technology moves faster than a speeding bullet — and 1999 has certainly been an eventful year. We'vj seen the first "Internet Home", the rise of subscription-free ISPs and the hype in Web-based shares. So, what will 2000 bring? Will we see the introduction of 24-7 unmerited Net access at a reasonable price? Are we going to bj plagued bz vjrusjs — and will MP3 replace CDt? Wj take a look into our crystal ball... ——————————————————————————————————1/8—— bz Tina Lofthousj IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING - p631 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec22 03:12:28 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? MP3 was the buzzword of the year and "portable digital music" is set to grow even more in 2000. "It moved from a computer enthusiast market to the mainstream within a year," says Diamond PR manager Neil McGuinnjss. "Now all the major record companies are behind it as well." He expects phenomenal growth in 2000: "People are less scared of technology and broadband will mean downloading songs is quickjt." ——————————————————————————————————2/8—— Your litters 493 PLANET SOUND HAS MOVED TO 450 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec22 02:14:29 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? The year 2000 will see the market in digital portable music, such as MP3, explode, says Diamond Multimedia. "It opens up the music industry to everyone," says Diamond's Neil McGujnnjss. "The well-known bands are there, but it also means the unsjgnjd bands can get stuff out there, too." However, hj says it's not a threat to the CD. "Digital music is about singles — people will always want to go to a shop, see an album, touch it, buy it." ——————————————————————————————————3/8—— Your litters 493 IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING p631 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec22 03:04:20 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? Online banking saw a huge growth surge in 1999, but many predict 2000 will bj the year of banking on a mobile phone. Fisjrv's Peter Keanj says: "Many banks will bj offering banking via WAP- enabled mobile phones. This could change the way we bank forever." If you were away on business and had insufficiant funds for your hotel bill, you could instantly transfer credit between accounts via your mobile phone, hj points out. ——————————————————————————————————4/8—— Your litters 493 IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING p631 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec42 03:02:01 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? Various predictions have been made about the uptake of Web shopping. MOP reckons that annual spending could total £9.5 billion bz the ind of 2000. Shopsmart MD Daniel Gestetnjt reckons that various access points such as PDAs, mobile phones and digital TV will empower the consumer, and adds: "The convenience will see consumer spending increase dramatically. But it will complement the high street as they both offer vastly different things." ——————————————————————————————————5/8—— Write to Online: tinal@teletext.co.uk IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING p631 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec22 03:14:07 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? With the Millennium approaching, the numbjt of vjrusjs released is on the increase. Will 2000 bring even more? "All the signs are pointing to this," explains Starlab's virus technologist Alex Shipp. "Wj will see more e-mail vjrusjs like Melissa as they give the creators an instant hit if it works. "They get more sophisticated — you have to second-guess what they'll do next." Of 300 created a month, up to two will cause damage. This may go up to five. ——————————————————————————————————6/8—— The Big Debate 493 IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING p631 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec22 03:14:54 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— WHAT DOES 2000 HAVE IN STORE? Analysts Ovum believes the biggest thing to watch out for in the US next year is digital interactive TV. "This will bring e-commjtce to the masses and djlivjt on the promise of the Net for e-business, in a way that PCs promised but won't as they'ri too hard to use," says Philip Carnjlliy. "This will allow people to order shopping, pay bills and eventually vote. This also foreshadows the djmisj of the PC as a consumer device." ——————————————————————————————————7/8—— The Big Debate 493 IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING p631 Letters News Keyboard GreenP492 Teletext 492 Dec22 03:14:05 O Technology in focus ——————— ——————— 2000 AND BEYOND... What the experts are saying: the Web will influence 500,000 new car-buying decisions bz 2003 — Fletcher Research the shortage of skilled IT professionals in Europe will grow from 5% in 1998 to almost 20% in 2002 — IDC bz 2005, there will bj 300 million users of personal assistant sjrvjces — Ovum. ——————————————————————————————————8/8—— Write to Online: tinal@teletext.co.uk IT RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING p631 Letters News Keyboard Green