Now that the end of 2009 is just days away it's time to look ahead to 2010 to see what will happen with our gadgets, computers and in the online world.
1. Beginning of the end of CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access the technology used by about half of the cell phones in North America is going to start heading towards the end days. Bell and Telus have already started to replace their CDMA networks with networks using GSM/HSPA technology. Verizon Wireless the largest CDMA cell operator is already planning a migration to a 4G technology known as Long Term Evolution or LTE starting in 2010.
2. No iPhone on Verizon this year: The biggest rumor about Apple's iPhone is when it will be available on a carrier other than AT&T in the United States. There have been a lot of gossip that Apple is developing a CDMA based iPhone for use on Verizon Wireless. With Verizon's iDont and Land of lost toys commericals pretty fresh in the minds at Apple, it's likely that things have soured between Verizon and Apple that Apple isn't going to make the investment to make an iPhone for Verizon's CDMA network when the exclusivity agreement with AT&T expires at the end of 2010. It is far more likely that Apple doesn't see the point in sinking millions of dollars into research and development when Verizon is going to deploying LTE to replace CDMA in 2011. This it not to say that there will never be an iPhone on Verizon. AT&T is going to be deploying LTE at about the same time as Verizon. Expect to see an LTE based iPhone in about two or three years from now on Verizon and AT&T.
3. Palm offers WebOS based GSM smartphones: The Palm Pre the darling of the cell industry for a few months at the beginning of 2009 will break away the shackles of being a CDMA only device. Since Verizon, Google and Motorola stole Palm's thunder with the Droid, Palm will need something big to survive. Originally choosing Sprint as the carrier for the Pre didn't help things one bit so Palm will need to make their phones available to every carrier under the sun. That means bringing out a GSM based Pre and Pixi to offer through AT&T, T-Mobile, Rogers, and Telus.
4. Facebook IPO: Social Networking has been something speculated to be something big enough to invest in. The major media companies have invested in a big way. News Corporation bought Myspace, Google bought Orkut, and AOL bought Bebo. Soon people will be able to invest in the biggest name in social networking: Facebook. Speculation about Facebook going public have been going around since Facebook created two classes of shares current owned by the owners of Facebook back in October. After Facebook goes for sale on the stock market, so will developers of facebook applications, and let the next bubble inflate.
