the future of the web - is it integrated into society yet or still a way to go ?

so as a new year starts what will happen the web this year and how people use it.
I've got a few questions around the web and it will be interesting to see how they unfold in 2009.

• Do people really use the web via mobile devices ? Are the charges for data too high to allow this technology to flourish into mainstream?
• Is the mobile set to replace cameras with new mobiles now offering 8 MP image capture ? Will there be a shift to convergance of technologies finally ?
  
• will GPS road maps become extinct now that mobiles have GPS and maps that can be used locally and globally ?
• how will the social networking sites adapt once the glory has faded - how will myspace and facebook face off against the next big thing ?
  
• will people still be addicted to their smart phones or will the global meltdown have an inpact on what technology is released this year ?

I look forward to exploring these and other issues this year and commenting on where others in this space are heading with this often misunderstood but vitally important area of technology.

my pc has failed and it's not as easy as plugging a new component in

Why is it that when your computer dies, you really do loose so many items when you rebuild or start from scratch. My pc has decided to leave this earth and I am only thankful that it told me in advance so that I could prepare (ie backup up anything I could think of).

Most people are not control freaks when it comes to backing up their computer data, nor are they organsied enough to have all their software in the one place if at all eg that old favourite piece of software you've relied on for years. The software may not even be compatable with new operating systems eg XP to Vista.

You lose little pices of your life, maybe your web favourites (unless you use a online favourites storage mechanism such as del.ic.ious), the way you've set up your pc so that those little qwerks that really annoy you have been removed. It could be as simple as having monitor resolution or text colours and size.

How does anyone who does not have 1) not much skill in rebuilding a pc or 2) someone with visual impairments cope when this happens ?

Why can't software makers put all the 'system related' configurations about a user somewhere on the drive. Is it because it can get corrupted? Because it can get hacked? Or is it just because it's either never been thought worthwhile, or there is just no standard place created for this type of facility?

I guess on the other hand that so much more information is being stored online to improve our personalisation that it could somewhat be stored on the web to be downloaded in times of emergency. Like the 'break in case of emergency' glass that we see next to that life saving fire equipment. How 'life saving' would this be ?

numeric keypad presentation

why isn't there just 1 way to present a numeric keypad.

We use this so often in our everyday life, but its always different. Does your Landline phone have a '3' at the top right corner or is it a '9'.

Why is it that manufacturers don't have one standard way of presenting a numeric keypad. Look at everyday items we use - from ATMs, to phones (both mobile and landline), calculators, EFTPOS facilities, security entrance pads etc.

Questions to ponder:

• Would it help you, if you knew that whatever keypad you used, the numbers would always in the same location, just like the qwerty keyboard
• Do you prefer the '9' on the top right or the '3'