Part I HERE.

2009 will be a year of winners and losers in the technology marketplace. Here are a few winners and losers predicted in no particular order. We are already seeing signs of companies getting into the netbook market like Viewsonic.  Will netbooks do well in 2009?

My crystal ball says NO.

• First, the price gap between a netbook and a low end laptop is too narrow (about $100 -$150 USD difference) with netbooks starting from around $300.00.
• Second, consumers are always looking for bigger and better and not smaller with no bells and whistles.
• Third, screen resolution in my view should be 1024 X 600 minimum regardless of netbook/laptop screen size. Many netbooks will be lower in resolution with only a few being higher than 1024 X 600.
• The lack of a hard drive on some and certainly no DVD drive will be a huge reason many will stay away. Though most will not use the DVD drive at all, not having one seems like the netbook lacks the functionality most users crave.
• HERE is a list of current and soon to be available netbooks for 2009

Multi-channel Internet Radio

My crystal ball says YES

• First the mobile device must have Wi-Fi access for downloading music and Internet radio.
• The audio quality must rival those of the Apple iPod when using a mobile device.
• Include sufficient internal storage memory (at least 4 Gigs) with an additional memory card slot.
• Online access must be available to users of Smartphone devices like Windows Mobile, Palm and Google G1.

Ebooks

My crystal Ball says YES 

• Specially in the self help, personal finance and starting a  home based business categories.

HDTV Products

My crystal ball says NO

• According to an article on Japan Inc. 93% of Japanese households already have HDTV.
• In North America, I feel the general public is not ready for the complete switch to HDTV yet. HDTV with a good selection of channels with HD quality programming has been available since 2000 in Japan but in North America there is very little HD content available currently. Switching to HDTV means little for current cable subscribers and terrestrial antenna users only get the normal content but in digital instead of analog only.
• Until we start seeing large numbers of HDTV specific programming and channels that support the wider screen format, this technology will still be a gadget freeks enjoyment only. 

General Home Appliances

My crystal ball says YES

• Kitchen items like toaster ovens, microwave ovens, blenders and various other electric cookware will certainly see a surge with more people spending more time at home in 2009. This means old and tired units will be upgraded and newer more energy efficient units will be purchased.
• Personal sexual enjoyment devices and products relating to physical fitness will be on the rise.

Energy Efficient Modes of Transporation

My crystal ball says YES

• Battery powered bicycles and motorcycles plus other green forms of transporation will be a winner.

These are just some of the products or industry categories which I feel are worth noting for 2009.