Smartphone capabilities in 5 years

I'm not a fortune teller, but I can tell you fairly confidently that smartphones will have some incredible capabilities in 5 years. Here are my predictions:

• Much larger internal storage capacity that exceeds current Flash memory cards. I think we'll see many smartphones that have over 100 GB of storage space. They will rival current laptops in terms of storage.
  
• Much faster processors that are fuel-efficient. (battery fuel). Current smartphones are still running in the MHz range. We'll see smartphones that rival current notebook processor speeds in the GHz range.
• WiMax instead of Wi-Fi. Forget coffeshop hotspots. The entire city will be a hotspot.
  
• Much faster data connections. 3G speed will be like 14.4 K modem speeds compared to modern broadband speeds.
  
• Large touch screens. All of them will have touch screens. Smartphones that lack a touch screens will be considered "antiques."
• Built-in GPS. They will all have internal GPS chips. This is becoming quite standard right now, but in 5 years, we'll see this as the norm.
• Superior voice command and voice recognition. Who needs a keyboard if you can "say it?"
  

In essence, future smartphones will have the capabilities of current laptops (not the fastest laptop, but an "average" laptop). They won't have spinning hard drives, but they will be much more capable of multimedia and high-speed data connections. Just follow the history of the Apple iPod to see changes in Flash storage space, processor speed, battery life, and more. I believe Apple will continue to set the trend that others will follow. Samsung, HTC, RIM, Sony, Motorola, Palm, Nokia, and all the others will follow Apple's lead.

MobileBlogger for Windows Mobile

Do you blog when you're on the go? Many people are embracing microblogging these days. Twitter and other sites are becoming increasingly popular. Well, if you want to use your PDA/smartphone to blog when you're on the go, then try MobileBlogger. This application works on Windows Mobile devices (soon to be called the Windows Phone if you have a smartphone). I just can't type very fast on my mobile device (which is a Verizon XV 6800), so I prefer using my Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC, my OQO model 02, or my Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet. What about you? Do you blog on the go?

Tethering on the Palm Pre

Looks like the Palm Pre will allow tethering. Tethering is a great way to get online on your laptop by using your phone as a modem. You don't need any fancy broadband cards if your phone is already broadband capable. I use my XV6800 to connect my UMPC or laptop whenever I travel. No need for Wi-Fi as long as I have my phone. Even though I have built-in 3G on my Thinkpad X200 tablet, I don't use it (except for the GPS part). I use my Verizon Wireless phone instead. I still get 3G speed, but at a fraction of the cost. I'm connected all the time!