Tech Watch 2009

In attempting to pick but seven technologies that we think are worth keeping an eye on over the course of the next year, it is inevitable that there will be a few significant ones we’ll overlook.

The seven we’ve decided to take a look at here, some of which have been around for a while, are based on the thinking that they appear ready to have a major impact on the imaging market in the next 12-15 months and that impact could get more significant as the months roll on.

For those of you that are keenly focused on the retail print and “lifestyle” photo products market, you won’t see news of the new technology planned for 2009 in this piece. There are two reasons for that. For one, most of the really exciting tech planned in that category is under NDA and won’t be revealed til the doors swing open to PMA 2009. The other reason is that we are planning a special pullout section on that market in our March PMA issue, so why spoil the fun now?

I’ll admit, my crystal ball is just back from the shop so don’t hold me to any of this, but I feel fairly certain you’ll hear from these technologies at some point. So then, let’s dive into our “Magnificent Seven Techs” for 2009.

A “Pico” Into the Future
With a legion of young Americans walking around with their faces buried in tiny 2- to 3-inch screens watching movies, surfing the Net and yes, sometimes even sharing images, we have always felt they’d enjoy the experience far more if the screens were just a bit bigger. But alas, then the portability factor is taken away.

What if they could make the screen bigger whenever they wanted to? What if we all could, just to share something with a group for but a moment or two? Well, this is why we think the Pico-Projection system has such huge potential. The small screen viewing experience is fine as a solo act but when you want to share something, if even for a quick look, the ability to push a button and project an image on a wall or a floor up to 40 inches, in crystal clear focus is, simply put, way cool.