If 2009 was the year of “hope,” then let me dub the year 2010 as the year of refinement in regards to technological developments. In looking back throughout the last year, I noticed one major trend: convergence as a stepping stone. Everywhere I looked, people seemed prepared to connect different technologies together. Digital convergence was without a doubt the central theme for technology last year. Non-techies everywhere no longer needed advice on how to move a file from their mobile phone/device to their computers or vice versa. The proliferation of wireless internet, be it through 3G connections or more public Wi-Fi has reversed the degree of difficulty that integration used to require. Seeing that the market was ready for such new revolutions, electronics companies pushed the boundaries of what could be sold, fearing less that they would end up putting people off with unnecessary all-in-one devices.

What we’ve been graced with are digital cameras and memory cards that include Wi-Fi and can upload photos and videos to web albums or video sharing sites such as YouTube as well as to social networks including the likes of Facebook and MySpace. Once considered niche markets, social networks have made it clear that they are here to stay, infiltrating our lives like never before. Because people spend so much time on Facebook, failing to capitalize on that with complimenting software is now considered a missed opportunity.

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