Coolest technologies of tomorrow

By Glenn Derene

updated 2:21 p.m. ET May 19, 2004

Every once in a while, we in the tech press like to look into our crystal balls and tempt ourselves with tasty tidbits from the months and years to come. We entertain dreams of our idealized future selves, relaxing in living rooms the size of Saskatchewan filled with super-sized home theater components; traveling with suitcases that overflow with tiny portable electronics that do everything from play our music to pick our noses.

We see ourselves as wireless omniscients, with an always-on link to the information superhighway wherever we go. In this vision, we are surrounded by toys — like lucky children on Christmas morning. What makes this exercise so tantalizing and yet so frustrating is that we realize that these gadgets are all technologically possible, but they're just ... not ... here ... yet.

However, if enough people push their noses to the glass and "oohs" and "ahhs" all at once, perhaps these technologies can be sped through the various bureaucratic hoops and hurdles of the electronics industry and delivered to our hands before the next innovations come around and steal our attention all over again. So join me for a quick look over the horizon.

Click here for the slide show.

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