TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

The 10 Smartest Technologies Introduced in 2009 (So Far)

Eric Lundquist | Date: 07-17-09 | Comments

From the Apple iPhone 3.0 to the real-time flow of information in a Web 2.0 world, here are 10 products and services that I think were the top introductions in the first half of the year.

The first half of the year has seen the economic environment move from outright frightening to partly sunny. Amid all the economic malaise, the technology business has continued to move forward. Here are 10 products and services that I think were the top introductions in the first half of the year.

1. Apple iPhone 3.0. Apple is a game-changer company when it gets things right. The iPhone and associated App Store caught the wireless industry napping and now it is big time catch up all around. The consumer will benefit, especially if Apple can disentangle itself from closed carrier lock-in.

2. Microloans come to the United States. The banking industry is due for a big change and I think the microloan companies that first concentrated on providing loans to the poor in emerging countries may be that change agent.

3. Bike sharing in the city. Not a technology advance, you say? I beg to differ. Bike sharing programs are technology-rich in that they can track and manage thousands of bikes taking to the city streets. The smartest technology is a technology that makes a difference. Unclogging city streets and promoting bike riding may be one of the biggest urban lifestyle changers we've seen in a decade.

4. Car-sharing. Why buy a car when car-sharing makes a lot more sense? These programs have seen a lot of expansion in the first half of the year.

5. Cloud computing. Already an overused term before it gets off the ground, but cloud computing terminology has become de rigueur in every press release. The first half of the year saw the discussion move to the front stage.

6. Netbooks. I was in New York City recently when one longtime tech exec started extolling how much nicer the commute has become since he started carrying a netbook instead of a weighty laptop. He contended there was really nothing he could not do on the netbook that he could do on a laptop. All for $400. That is a technology game-changer of a price.

7. Robots. When an ace future forecaster such as Paul Saffo says robots for the consumer and home are a game-changer, you should pay attention. The robot industry moved out of the specialized category into the broader consumer markets in the first half of this year.

8. Newspapers. The first half of the year will be remembered for the era of newspaper obituaries - about themselves. Free digital content, analog-sized staffs in a digital world and the green mandates of reducing waste all are weighing heavily against the newsstand down the corner.

9. Automobiles. The automobile industry also took it on the chin in the first half of the year. That is bad news for big old companies such as General Motors but good news for new technologies such as all electric and new manufacturing methods that will restructure the automotive landscape.

10. Living in the immediate world. Twitter and Google location services are paving the way for everyone to know everything they would ever want to know about you, where you are and what you are doing. Now, the question is how to make money from all this real-time flow of information.