Top Consumer Technology Predictions For 2008

In consumer technology, 2007 was clearly the year of the iPhone and Facebook. Apple's foray into the mobile handset market spurred innovation among the Cupertino company's new competitors, gave partner AT&T a much-needed halo of cool, and opened consumers' eyes to the possibilities of the mobile Internet. Meanwhile, Facebook raced past MySpace.com as the social network of choice. What will 2008 bring in consumer technology? More change, of course, but these changes are less about wrenching disruptions and more about laying foundations — such as the steady expansion of North American WiMAX networks — or continuing inevitable growth, such as Windows Vista, social networking ecosystems, and the mobile Internet.