Mobile Devices boom in 2008

The year 2007 has brought tremendous developments in personal computing technologies. Mobile computing was on the rise last year with sales figures indicating that notebooks swiped over desktops, which now tend to be more compact and stylish compared to the traditional tower-design casings with bulky displays. The upsurge of stronger mobile technologies promises to even create a hotter stage for mobile systems in 2008.

The launching of the Apple iPhone last year has definitely created a stir on the mobile devices arena that will eventually trigger a tsunami of technology innovations this year. One of the most interesting news in 2008 will be the dawning of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) with enhanced and longer battery life for improved wireless Internet access, instant messaging, mobile blogging, and mobile video.

Intel recently announced the formation of the Mobile Internet Device Innovation Alliance to further develop device power management, wireless communications, and software integration that are associated with delivering improved internet services for MIDs and UMPCs. Intel is set to introduce the Silverthorne processor designed for a new caste of mobile PCs smaller than notebooks and built with more features than mobile phones.

Ushering in a new era of wireless technology that promises to make smart mobile devices smarter, Google recently announced the spearheading of the Open Handset Alliance which is expected to bring together various mobile device vendors and wireless service providers in creating new mobile gadgets that will virtually work on all wireless networks.

Mac versus Windows versus Linux

Is Windows XP set to call off in 2008? Are we seeing the retirement of Windows XP this year? Our observation shows that new PC systems are now offered with bundled Windows Vista. This may be Microsoft’s clever route to tumble down XP and make way for its latest operating system though it is initially perceived as too heavy and beefy. Even so, Windows will continue to enjoy the lion’s share in the PC operating system market as users largely remain skeptical of Mac and Linux.

Strengthening its hold on Mac users with the release of the Mac OS X Leopard alongside with what is seen as stable and dependable Tiger, the New Year brings Apple to gain more ground over the Windows commune. As iPod and iPhone’s circle of light draws users to shift to Mac computers, Apple’s market share on consumer products over Microsoft will keep on stepping up.

With Ubuntu’s creative efforts in building the path into PCs, the desktop Linux is slowly being recognized in the mainstream. The integration of Linux-based operating system on Asus EeePCs has created a buzz that you need not to be a tech nerd to have fun with such a difficult OS.

Multi-brain CPUs sprout like wildfire

Last year, leading chipmakers Intel and Advanced Micro Devices have introduced powerful dual core processors to mainstream PCs, which has essentially become the blueprint for all their multi-brains on single silicon chips. In 2008, quad-core processors with low-power consumption will be sprouting like wildfire.

Home PCs evolve to Servers

Terrabyte content explosion will continue to expand in 2008. Massive storage devices will become a hotter category pick for photos, music, and video files. The home PC will eventually evolve as “catch-all server” that will literally connect to TVs and other media devices.