Browser, browser on my screen, what’s ahead on technology’s scene?

I scraped the ice from my crystal ball to sneak a peak at happenings this year in the world of bandwidth, computers, phones and all things digital.

The good news is things in geekland will keep getting better, easier and cheaper. The bad news is we in the United States will continue to lag far behind much of the rest of the planet in some key areas. We're catching up at the speed of chilled molasses.

People in Japan, South Korea and most of Europe are doing things with their mobile phones that we can only read about. Yes, some of the mobile companies here are offering great services like mobile shopping and live video conferences, but we're barely doing the dog paddle compared to the Olympian strokes others around the planet are doing.

I predict the continual growth of the mobile market in our country, as services like mobile text coupons and instant news alerts will begin to catch on. The mobile RJ service offered by the Las Vegas Review-Journal is gaining momentum, with more content and deals being delivered each week. To learn more about the service go to (reviewjournal.com/702411).

I don't see the mobile market really taking off here for another two or three years. One of the biggest impediments is the conflicting networks operated by our mobile companies. Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile each maintain their own infrastructures, so until some standards are agreed on our mobile communications will be delayed in taking the giant leaps needed to catch up with the rest of the world.

Another trend I see continuing in 2008 is the growth of Apple -- the company formerly known as Apple Computer. We have iPods, iPhones and iMacs. Can the iCar and iHouse be far behind? Apple has figured out how to make things not only look good, but also operate easily, and that's not easy to do. Its stock passed $200 a share last week, and I see more profits and growth in its future.

This year will also see the growth of digital books, thanks in large part to the Amazon Kindle. This e-book reader joins Sony and iRex Technologies in the all-pages portable world.

None of the three devices currently available have it figured out quite right yet, but the potential is huge. The Sony Reader has a screen that's too small and the Kindle is too sensitive when being passed around.

The iLiad from iRex Technologies has the best screen and also lets the user take notes on pages of the book or on a separate file. There are still some design quirks to be ironed-out and prices need to fall a bit before they become widely used.

The bottom line, though, is that affordable print portability may be here by next holiday season.

What do you think the year will bring us? Send your ideas with the subject "2008" and I'll share the best in a future column.

Share your Internet story with me at agibes@reviewjournal.com.