How Technologies are Likely to Fare this Year

This will be a crucial year for mobility with multiple sensor-based protocols and applications becoming more and more commonplace. Sensor-based technologies such as gesture-based computing, augmented reality (AR), and IoT are pushing software beyond the limits of mobile devices and closer to users and other devices. These three technologies will evolve in important ways this year.

GESTURE COMPUTING WILL BE INTRODUCED TO MAINSTREAM HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Since the introduction of iPhone, the user interface has moved from mouse-based pointer in personal computers to touch-based interface on personal devices. Phones and tablets are physically close to the user and touch interface replaced mouse or stylus for the user to directly control content on the device. Ever since the launch of iPad, companies have been trying to bring touchscreen interface to computers, but touch doesn't translate well to larger screens. This year will mark the beginning of gesture-based interfaces for large screen devices such as televisions.

Apple's acquisition of PrimeSense, the Israeli 3D sensing startup, is targeted towards gesture-based control for television and home entertainment. Siri will complement the touch and gesture interface to complete the experience. While we have been hearing about convergence of devices for a couple of decades now, what will instead emerge this year is convergence in the form of consistent user experience because the single Swiss army knife-like device that does everything for the user doesn't really exist. What is important for the user is seamless experience between all the devices in their homes with the most appropriate user interface for each one of them. We will see integration between tablets and televisions, with content and programs being managed between them seamlessly.

AUGMENTED REALITY WILL NEED SOME FORM OF ‘ASSISTANCE'

Despite the technology behind it being quite mature, Augmented Reality (AR) in generic consumer-facing apps like finding ATM, restaurants, etc, has not really captured users' imaginations largely due to the lack of supporting ecosystem such as data and content required to meaningfully do the actual augmentation. 2014 will see some very specific AR apps coming out that will require more than the current direction and location sensors that augment reality without any support from the environment around the device. This will be a form of ‘assisted AR' where product labels in retail outlets will be encoded for apps on mobile devices to identify; image recognition software that will run artifacts against a master database; indoor location detection in museums, stores, and other controlled areas that will use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to locate users and show them highly contextual information, and so on.

Indoor location specifically will burst into the scene this year as a viable option for businesses such as retail stores and museums. In December 2013, Apple rolled out iBeacon-based indoor location sensing inside its US retail stores to give consumers contextual information on their product based on where they are standing inside the store. Other retail stores and businesses will certainly not be left far behind, and will deploy BLE inside their stores to provide highly contextual offers and advertisements to their consumers.

INTERNET OF THINGS WILL NEED INTERNET OF SERVICES IN ORDER TO SUCCEED

2013 saw many connected devices being built by companies, including wearable devices and smart appliances. As more and more companies build these devices and appliances, there is value that will start emerging in the services being provided through these appliances. This year we will see ‘Internet of Services' becoming more and more important in the discussions around connected devices, as it is the services that run on IoT devices that will make IoT viable in the longer run. We will see some early examples of service-based business models being built for such devices.

Adoption of IoT is also dependent on the advent of applications in specific industries. Healthcare and automotive industries will take the lead in IoT adoption with traditional services such as patient health monitoring, vehicle diagnostics, driver safety and such applications being some of the early use cases of IoT.