What 2007 Holds For Knowledge Workers / NNf

2007 will bring some interesting developments for knowledge workers, as foreshadowed by the two 'Mobile Computing & Communicating' articles in this week's NEW NET issues list below.

The first article addresses mobile and wireless trends for 2007. Knowledge workers are becoming increasingly mobile, and are beginning to want and expect to be connected 24/7 everywhere. The Sprint $3 billion nationwide mobile WiMax network, if successfully implemented, can play a big part in making '24/7 everywhere' a cost-effective reality. The trend most useful to me in this article is the "Convergence: one phone, many places" trend. When that trend becomes a fact of life, phones will be much more enjoyable for me.

The second article addresses mobile offices and "Working Anywhere." Certainly not all knowledge workers have the globe-trotting work life the article's author does, but many of them need to be effective workers in more places than just at their desk in their company office. As more of the information and tools people use in their work become either portable or accessible anywhere, the restrictions of 'not being at your desk' will disappear. You'll be able to get the info you need, you'll be able to communicate with everyone no matter where you or they are, and you'll be able to make the decisions needed to make you effective, whether you're at your 'office desk', in a coffee shop or restaurant, or at your cabin by the fireplace after a morning cross-country ski outing.

Of course, with all this accessibility people also need to figure out how to not work 24/7/365 and how not to expect others to be continuously available and working. But for now, let's just enjoy the improved tools for knowledge workers!

-----

Below is the final list of issues for TUESDAY, 26 December 2006. There is no NEW NET (Northeast Wisconsin Network for Economy and Technology) meeting for 26 December, in celebration and honor of Christmas and Boxing Day!

The ‘net

1. Crazy 3D Avatars From Gizmoz http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/21/crazy-3d-avatars-from-gizmoz/
2. The new 100 most useful sites http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1975939,00.html
3. Zoho Gets All Wiki http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/20/zoho-goes-wiki/
4. Virtual shocks produce real-world distress http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061221-8477.html
5. Founder of Wikipedia plans search engine to rival Google http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13129-2517026,00.html
6. Microsoft Loses More Ground In Online Search http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20061222/tc_cmp/196701523

Security & Privacy

1. Homeland Security project didn't protect privacy http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6145796.html
2. Sony Rootkit Settlement Reaches $5.75M http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20061222/tc_pcworld/128310
3. 'Merry Christmas to our heroes' e-mail installs malicious code http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9006738&source=rss_topic85

Mobile Computing & Communicating

1. Seven top mobile and wireless trends for '07 http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/12/21/HNwireless07_1.html
2. How To Work Anywhere Part One Of A Series http://andyabramson.blogs.com/working_anywhere/2006/12/how_to_work_any.html

Open Source

1. Sun's Looking Glass 3D Desktop Released http://news.yahoo.com/s/zd/20061222/tc_zd/197289
2. Samba developer resigns from Novell http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061221-8481.html
3. Linux Desktop 2006: better than ever http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS3202338982.html
4. Red Hat: Earnings up, customers in, competitors out http://weblog.infoworld.com/openresource/archives/2006/12/red_hat_earning.html
5. Biologists baffled as millions of penguins vanish; FDLLUG’s adopted mascot’s relatives in danger… http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1905342006

SkyNet

1. The Worst Stock for 2007: Google http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2006/12/21/the-worst-stock-for-2007-google.aspx
2. Personalize Your Google Toolbar http://tools.google.com/firefox/toolbar/FT3/intl/en/
3. Google drops beta tag from Blogger http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061220-8468.html
4. Interview: Vint Cerf, Google's chief web evangelist http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.8996
5. Google Passes Yahoo in Tally of Visitors http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/technology/23google.html

General Technology

1. 16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/16-christmas-photography-tips/
2. Adobe goes interplanetary in document viewer war http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061222-8487.html
3. Image search race: Polar Rose, Pixsy, Snap, Ookles, Riya — list is getting long http://venturebeat.com/2006/12/19/image-search-race-polar-rose-pixsy-snap-ookles-riya-list-is-getting-long/
4. Battery makers recharge their lineups http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061222/ap_on_hi_te/rechargeable_batteries
5. Robots could demand legal rights http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6200005.stm
6. Christmas trees interfere with gamers Wii fun http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10416532
7. Early returns on Xbox Live Video show it outperforming competition http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061222-8486.html
8. New ergonomic backpack lightens the load http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/medizin_gesundheit/bericht-76395.html
9. Your Shiny New Toy Needs Attention http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/23/AR2006122300023.html

Economy and Technology

1. Linkedin gets down to business http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7B118AEE94%2D321E%2D405A%2DB824%2D9463492785BF%7D&dist=rss
2. Circuit City swings to loss in 3Q http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061219/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_circuit_city
3. At holidays, Net photo business cranks up http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-12-21-shutterfly_x.htm
4. A Prius in Every Garage http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2006/pulpit_20061222_001373.html

*****